Here is my MS Word picture of the Korean family name "Ham" in Chinese characters. I kinda like it. Took a little while to draw too. Not that the English Ham and the Korean Ham are descended from the same person, but, what the hell.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Does Angus Young Have Dandruff?
This morning on Triple J, Jay and the Doctor wished Angus Young, of AC/DC fame, a happy 50th birthday. Angus was perhaps best known for his head-banging actions whilst strumming his guitar.
I wondered, as I often do when my mind starts to wander, does Angus Young have dandruff? Shaking his head so often must make it very difficult for the dandruff to keep a grip on his scalp. I know when I shake my frizz it is like a snow storm. Does head-banging stop the occurence of dandruff?
On the other hand, is the brain damage suffered as a result of over-zealous head-banging, worth the effort? Brain damage comes a distant second in which condition I would rather suffer from.
If you have severe enough brain damage perhaps you don't suffer at all. Hmmm. Decisions, decisions.
Cop Out
So Mr Nicholas Souter has decided to stop blogging again. I know that his head will explode due to the build up of crap and lack of an outlet. If he was to use his blog to demonstrate his creative juices more often, i.e. show us his cartoons, then I wouldn't be so heartbroken. Sob, sob.
Don't do it Nick. You'll suffer some sort of aneurysm and end up like Terri Schiavo. Oh, the humanity.
This morning on Triple J, Jay and the Doctor wished Angus Young, of AC/DC fame, a happy 50th birthday. Angus was perhaps best known for his head-banging actions whilst strumming his guitar.
I wondered, as I often do when my mind starts to wander, does Angus Young have dandruff? Shaking his head so often must make it very difficult for the dandruff to keep a grip on his scalp. I know when I shake my frizz it is like a snow storm. Does head-banging stop the occurence of dandruff?
On the other hand, is the brain damage suffered as a result of over-zealous head-banging, worth the effort? Brain damage comes a distant second in which condition I would rather suffer from.
If you have severe enough brain damage perhaps you don't suffer at all. Hmmm. Decisions, decisions.
Cop Out
So Mr Nicholas Souter has decided to stop blogging again. I know that his head will explode due to the build up of crap and lack of an outlet. If he was to use his blog to demonstrate his creative juices more often, i.e. show us his cartoons, then I wouldn't be so heartbroken. Sob, sob.
Don't do it Nick. You'll suffer some sort of aneurysm and end up like Terri Schiavo. Oh, the humanity.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Caversham Wildlife Park
Situated near Whiteman Park, Caversham Wildlife Park is brilliant. A must see for Perth, even though it is 20 kms out of the city. There are so many animals to see, feed and pat that you could spend the whole day there.
Fourteen dollars seems a bit steep for an entry fee but it was well worth it. Excellent place to take kids and I can't say enough good things about the place. There are many more pics I could have included but I've narrowed it down to just a few.
Situated near Whiteman Park, Caversham Wildlife Park is brilliant. A must see for Perth, even though it is 20 kms out of the city. There are so many animals to see, feed and pat that you could spend the whole day there.
Fourteen dollars seems a bit steep for an entry fee but it was well worth it. Excellent place to take kids and I can't say enough good things about the place. There are many more pics I could have included but I've narrowed it down to just a few.
Another Blog To Read
I've been reading Gleek on and off for a while. You should take the time out and read the posting entitled "a bad day gone worse". If you can imagine yourself in the crazy world that is New York you will laugh yourself silly at the day's happenings.
Only in America. Perhaps narrowed to Only in NYC.
I've been reading Gleek on and off for a while. You should take the time out and read the posting entitled "a bad day gone worse". If you can imagine yourself in the crazy world that is New York you will laugh yourself silly at the day's happenings.
Only in America. Perhaps narrowed to Only in NYC.
Strange Website Referrals
Interesting to note that somebody who visited my site did an Altavista search for "japan girl blog skirt".
My Korea/Japan Blog came in at number three but 35degrees, which is a blog I read, came in at number one. How crazy is that?
The results were different for a Google search as neither of us were in the top 10.
Interesting to note that somebody who visited my site did an Altavista search for "japan girl blog skirt".
My Korea/Japan Blog came in at number three but 35degrees, which is a blog I read, came in at number one. How crazy is that?
The results were different for a Google search as neither of us were in the top 10.
Socceroos Night Out
Yu-Jin and I went to the soccer last night at Subiaco Oval. It was an international match between Australia and Indonesia with the Aussies winning 3-0. With the amount of shots on goal that they had it should have been 6 or 7-0. Their finishing left a lot to be desired quite frankly. Australia doesn't play enough internationals and it showed in their lack of cohesion. There were only 13719 spectators there which wouldn't have been helped by the fact it was shown on live TV.
Getting to the game involved the dash home from work to pick up Yu-Jin, grab tea, head to the train station because who wants the problems associated with parking at these events, walking to the ground, queueing to buy tickets and waiting for the guy in front of me and I don't know what his problem was, running around to the other side of the ground and finding our seats just before the national anthems were sung. At least we didn't miss that important piece and Yu-Jin and I were able to sing together.
Yu-Jin lasted the first half ok but became a bit restless during the second half. Luckily we brought some books for him to read. He fell asleep on the train on the way home and it felt really unusual having Miky to pick us up. It has always been the other way round.
Yu-Jin and I went to the soccer last night at Subiaco Oval. It was an international match between Australia and Indonesia with the Aussies winning 3-0. With the amount of shots on goal that they had it should have been 6 or 7-0. Their finishing left a lot to be desired quite frankly. Australia doesn't play enough internationals and it showed in their lack of cohesion. There were only 13719 spectators there which wouldn't have been helped by the fact it was shown on live TV.
Getting to the game involved the dash home from work to pick up Yu-Jin, grab tea, head to the train station because who wants the problems associated with parking at these events, walking to the ground, queueing to buy tickets and waiting for the guy in front of me and I don't know what his problem was, running around to the other side of the ground and finding our seats just before the national anthems were sung. At least we didn't miss that important piece and Yu-Jin and I were able to sing together.
Yu-Jin lasted the first half ok but became a bit restless during the second half. Luckily we brought some books for him to read. He fell asleep on the train on the way home and it felt really unusual having Miky to pick us up. It has always been the other way round.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Thought For The Day
When you have an egg that is a double-yolker does that mean you are eating potential identical twin chickens?
Church Shows Its True Colours
More about the Terri Schiavo case. I read yesterday that the judge who has been handling the case for removing the feeding tube for Terri Schiavo for the last seven years has been barred from his local church. This is due to his actions that have lead to this woman's imminent death.
What sort of self righteous pricks are they? The church is supposed to be the House of God and open to all those who wish to enter. Aren't you supposed to be able to repent your sins? So, someone does something that the church members believe is wrong and he is blacklisted!?
I could say that there wouldn't be too many American Presidents allowed inside churches if the narrow-mindedness of the congregation was allowed to form the church's view.
Talk about a mob of hypocrites.
When you have an egg that is a double-yolker does that mean you are eating potential identical twin chickens?
Church Shows Its True Colours
More about the Terri Schiavo case. I read yesterday that the judge who has been handling the case for removing the feeding tube for Terri Schiavo for the last seven years has been barred from his local church. This is due to his actions that have lead to this woman's imminent death.
What sort of self righteous pricks are they? The church is supposed to be the House of God and open to all those who wish to enter. Aren't you supposed to be able to repent your sins? So, someone does something that the church members believe is wrong and he is blacklisted!?
I could say that there wouldn't be too many American Presidents allowed inside churches if the narrow-mindedness of the congregation was allowed to form the church's view.
Talk about a mob of hypocrites.
Frugal Bastard Tip Of The Day
On cold winter days we all enjoy a nice hot shower. How would you like to save money while having that nice hot shower?
Turn the cold water off! You aren't wasting as much water and it costs you less as a result. I used to live in a flat where I didn't even need the cold water on, the pressure of the hot water was that useless.
On cold winter days we all enjoy a nice hot shower. How would you like to save money while having that nice hot shower?
Turn the cold water off! You aren't wasting as much water and it costs you less as a result. I used to live in a flat where I didn't even need the cold water on, the pressure of the hot water was that useless.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Miky Has A Skirt Online
Thanks to all of you lovely people who have Visited Miky's site. I have now uploaded one of her designs. There are one or two more in the pipeline but I will need a bit more time to get them posted. She is so hard to tie down and get her to say what she would like written about them. Bear with me.
Thanks to all of you lovely people who have Visited Miky's site. I have now uploaded one of her designs. There are one or two more in the pipeline but I will need a bit more time to get them posted. She is so hard to tie down and get her to say what she would like written about them. Bear with me.
Is this where our money goes for educating students at university? What an utter disgrace. And to think that the Student Guild is worried about the Voluntary Student Unionism bill in Parliament and the lack of students that will join the Guild. They don't appear to be a very intelligent mob anyway!!
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Australia's Greatest Tipster?
I was thinking about posting something about being the greatest tipster in Australia when it came to Aussie Rules Football. I've joined the AFL's tipping competition and the first match of the round was the margin game. I picked Brisbane by 20 points and they got up by 23 so I thought that I must almost be leading all of Australia!!
Following the next three matches I've only picked up one more win so I guess I have joined the also-rans?
Why Is It Good Friday?
Bill almost finished the paving on Friday but we ran out of sand. We needed another trailer-load and do you think anybody was open? What is so good about Good Friday if you can't finish your paving because no shops are open?
Go on, tell me I'm missing the point.
It's Just Not Football
Or maybe it is. Nick Riewoldt, St Kilda's captain, injured his shoulder (cracked his collar bone in fact) and stayed on the field. Two Brisbane Lions players then made their physical presence known by bumping him near his shoulder.
When somebody gets hurt on the football field it is a disgrace to see them targetted. That was ugly football and the Brisbane players involved should be ashamed of themselves and their conduct. Or misconduct. It is not something you wish to see and it wasn't sporting.
On the other hand, whilst watching this I felt that if Riewoldt was injured he must go off the ground. His refusal to do so meant that he was fair game. Sure, the incident was sickening, but the Brisbane players wouldn't have any idea of the extent of the injury. Football is a man's game and it is men who play it (Sorry ladies, not trying to be sexist). If you take the field and are unfit you will be found out and targetted. I don't condemn the Brisbane players for that.
It was ugly and unfortunate and the tribunal hearing and outcome for the first week of the premiership season will be the most interesting aspect of round one. Isn't it great that the footy is back?
I was thinking about posting something about being the greatest tipster in Australia when it came to Aussie Rules Football. I've joined the AFL's tipping competition and the first match of the round was the margin game. I picked Brisbane by 20 points and they got up by 23 so I thought that I must almost be leading all of Australia!!
Following the next three matches I've only picked up one more win so I guess I have joined the also-rans?
Why Is It Good Friday?
Bill almost finished the paving on Friday but we ran out of sand. We needed another trailer-load and do you think anybody was open? What is so good about Good Friday if you can't finish your paving because no shops are open?
Go on, tell me I'm missing the point.
It's Just Not Football
Or maybe it is. Nick Riewoldt, St Kilda's captain, injured his shoulder (cracked his collar bone in fact) and stayed on the field. Two Brisbane Lions players then made their physical presence known by bumping him near his shoulder.
When somebody gets hurt on the football field it is a disgrace to see them targetted. That was ugly football and the Brisbane players involved should be ashamed of themselves and their conduct. Or misconduct. It is not something you wish to see and it wasn't sporting.
On the other hand, whilst watching this I felt that if Riewoldt was injured he must go off the ground. His refusal to do so meant that he was fair game. Sure, the incident was sickening, but the Brisbane players wouldn't have any idea of the extent of the injury. Football is a man's game and it is men who play it (Sorry ladies, not trying to be sexist). If you take the field and are unfit you will be found out and targetted. I don't condemn the Brisbane players for that.
It was ugly and unfortunate and the tribunal hearing and outcome for the first week of the premiership season will be the most interesting aspect of round one. Isn't it great that the footy is back?
Wacky Weddings
Miky and I watched a show on the telly the other night called "Wacky Weddings 2" which was all about American weddings that had gone wrong. Things like the jilted lover standing up and emptying the church because she had something to say and another couple having the tourist island they were about to get married in being destroyed by a hurricane.
Probably the best wedding was the couple who tied the know and went to stay in a lighthouse for their wedding night. They could see orange cirles on the road outside the lighthouse. There had been a gun battle involving a police officer the day before and they were marking the spent casings. The couple were questioned about their whereabouts and what they had seen. The bride tried to do some washing and the washing machine broke down and spilt water all over the floor. It rained that night and a leak came into the bedroom just above their bed. The next day a friend called to say that they had to visit the minister who had performed the ceremony - something was amiss and they hadn't been legally married so they went through the ceremony again. The next day they went jet skiing and ended up three miles off the coast where they fell off and couldn't get back on. Upon waving to any passing ships they received some friendly waves - no rescue. Finally somebody rescued them and towed them back to shore. Following that they went home.
Now, the presenter said that they had "Been blessed with a wonderful marriage". I hate the use of the word "blessed" when it comes to marriage. Blessed has nothing to do with it. You and your spouse make the effort to make a marriage work. Nothing more, nothing less.
I thought about how jinxed this couple were then I remembered our wedding. Firstly, Nick Souter, my best man was almost late for the wedding. He missed his plane in fact. Partly my fault, but not totally.
Then one of my best friends missed the wedding as the guy giving him a ride rang the next morning and asked what time he should pick him up.
Next, two of our friends missed the reception as they were involved in a car accident and as she was seven months pregnant they had to stay in hospital for observation for the next six hours.
After the wedding we went to our Federation-stay hotel and found that it was double-booked. A couple who had booked for 10 days stay had decided to come a day early and had already checked in. The hotel owners knew that they were coming but got the day mixed up and booked them in. They had to put us up in the honeymoon suite at the Hotel Esplanade - excellent.
And finally, the bridesmaid, who travelled all the way from Korea, joined us on Rottnest Island for a bike ride around the island where she slammed into a wall and broke her arm. Actually, as Mi-ja had signed our wedding certificate using Korean script she had to resign it - perhaps we weren't legally married either until she had done so.
Who's wedding was the most jinxed?
Miky and I watched a show on the telly the other night called "Wacky Weddings 2" which was all about American weddings that had gone wrong. Things like the jilted lover standing up and emptying the church because she had something to say and another couple having the tourist island they were about to get married in being destroyed by a hurricane.
Probably the best wedding was the couple who tied the know and went to stay in a lighthouse for their wedding night. They could see orange cirles on the road outside the lighthouse. There had been a gun battle involving a police officer the day before and they were marking the spent casings. The couple were questioned about their whereabouts and what they had seen. The bride tried to do some washing and the washing machine broke down and spilt water all over the floor. It rained that night and a leak came into the bedroom just above their bed. The next day a friend called to say that they had to visit the minister who had performed the ceremony - something was amiss and they hadn't been legally married so they went through the ceremony again. The next day they went jet skiing and ended up three miles off the coast where they fell off and couldn't get back on. Upon waving to any passing ships they received some friendly waves - no rescue. Finally somebody rescued them and towed them back to shore. Following that they went home.
Now, the presenter said that they had "Been blessed with a wonderful marriage". I hate the use of the word "blessed" when it comes to marriage. Blessed has nothing to do with it. You and your spouse make the effort to make a marriage work. Nothing more, nothing less.
I thought about how jinxed this couple were then I remembered our wedding. Firstly, Nick Souter, my best man was almost late for the wedding. He missed his plane in fact. Partly my fault, but not totally.
Then one of my best friends missed the wedding as the guy giving him a ride rang the next morning and asked what time he should pick him up.
Next, two of our friends missed the reception as they were involved in a car accident and as she was seven months pregnant they had to stay in hospital for observation for the next six hours.
After the wedding we went to our Federation-stay hotel and found that it was double-booked. A couple who had booked for 10 days stay had decided to come a day early and had already checked in. The hotel owners knew that they were coming but got the day mixed up and booked them in. They had to put us up in the honeymoon suite at the Hotel Esplanade - excellent.
And finally, the bridesmaid, who travelled all the way from Korea, joined us on Rottnest Island for a bike ride around the island where she slammed into a wall and broke her arm. Actually, as Mi-ja had signed our wedding certificate using Korean script she had to resign it - perhaps we weren't legally married either until she had done so.
Who's wedding was the most jinxed?
Saturday, March 26, 2005
The Paving Is Done
She's been a fair bit of hard slog but it looks great. Bill has helped me do the paving - in fact he put all of the paving down. I've just helped by getting rid of all the grass and getting the sand for the job. Been a bit useless for the last couple of weekends as I haven't been allowed to do any work. And we could have had the job done yesterday if we hadn't run out of sand. Needed to grab an extra trailer load this morning.
Bill's done a great job. It looks fabulous and now I need to buy a BBQ and a table tennis table. Next will be some sort of outdoor setting, perhaps some sails, who knows what else?
First side run
Just starting the paving on the side
Halfway done on the side
The side is all done
The back before we started
Just after I'd dug up all of the grass at the back
Underway out the back
Just about there - ran out of sand
Yu-Jin helping to unload the trailer
Finished out the back
She's been a fair bit of hard slog but it looks great. Bill has helped me do the paving - in fact he put all of the paving down. I've just helped by getting rid of all the grass and getting the sand for the job. Been a bit useless for the last couple of weekends as I haven't been allowed to do any work. And we could have had the job done yesterday if we hadn't run out of sand. Needed to grab an extra trailer load this morning.
Bill's done a great job. It looks fabulous and now I need to buy a BBQ and a table tennis table. Next will be some sort of outdoor setting, perhaps some sails, who knows what else?
First side run
Just starting the paving on the side
Halfway done on the side
The side is all done
The back before we started
Just after I'd dug up all of the grass at the back
Underway out the back
Just about there - ran out of sand
Yu-Jin helping to unload the trailer
Finished out the back
Thursday, March 24, 2005
It Was A Hot One
Yesterday was a bit of a scorcher. It was the third hottest March day on record. The temperature reached 41.9 degrees. Let's not forget that it is Autumn. The weather bureau said that it was unlikely we would see this sort of weather in April. Only unlikely? Doesn't sound too confident, does it?
Teachers Do A Great Job
Yu-Jin doesn't like singing too much. Imagine my shock when I came home yesterday and he wanted to sing the national anthem, Advance Australia Fair, with me. And he knew the words. Most Australians wouldn't know the words.
Terri Schiavo Case
I'm so glad that they aren't asking me to make a decision about Terri Schiavo. She is an American woman who had a heart attack 15 years ago and was brain damaged. Terri is unable to feed herself but isn't on life support. Her husband wants her to die and said that it was her wish.
Turning off a life support system isn't such a hard issue. If it is only a machine keeping someone alive then I could do it. But to have a feeding tube removed, a life support machine in a way, so that she had no food or water is not nice to think about. Her mother doesn't want her daughter to die of thirst. Well, you don't die of thirst, you die from dehydration. It's like someone who falls out of a plane. It's not the fall that kills you, it's hitting the ground that's rushing up to meet you (that sudden stop) that does the damage.
A horrible way to die, in my opinion. This will make the law-makers have a rethink about the issue of right-to-die. I don't like the way that the Church and the State in the US are being intertwined and turning this into a political issue. It has very little to do with politics.
The fact that she has survived for five and a half days without food or water just gets worse as time rolls on. I wish for a quick death to end her misery. At least I don't have to deal with making the decision.
Yesterday was a bit of a scorcher. It was the third hottest March day on record. The temperature reached 41.9 degrees. Let's not forget that it is Autumn. The weather bureau said that it was unlikely we would see this sort of weather in April. Only unlikely? Doesn't sound too confident, does it?
Teachers Do A Great Job
Yu-Jin doesn't like singing too much. Imagine my shock when I came home yesterday and he wanted to sing the national anthem, Advance Australia Fair, with me. And he knew the words. Most Australians wouldn't know the words.
Terri Schiavo Case
I'm so glad that they aren't asking me to make a decision about Terri Schiavo. She is an American woman who had a heart attack 15 years ago and was brain damaged. Terri is unable to feed herself but isn't on life support. Her husband wants her to die and said that it was her wish.
Turning off a life support system isn't such a hard issue. If it is only a machine keeping someone alive then I could do it. But to have a feeding tube removed, a life support machine in a way, so that she had no food or water is not nice to think about. Her mother doesn't want her daughter to die of thirst. Well, you don't die of thirst, you die from dehydration. It's like someone who falls out of a plane. It's not the fall that kills you, it's hitting the ground that's rushing up to meet you (that sudden stop) that does the damage.
A horrible way to die, in my opinion. This will make the law-makers have a rethink about the issue of right-to-die. I don't like the way that the Church and the State in the US are being intertwined and turning this into a political issue. It has very little to do with politics.
The fact that she has survived for five and a half days without food or water just gets worse as time rolls on. I wish for a quick death to end her misery. At least I don't have to deal with making the decision.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Yanks Out Of The Pacific
What purpose do the Yanks serve, apart from their own, by keeping their troops in the Pacific? There are some 38000 troops in South Korea and I don't know how many in Japan.
When I was in Japan I saw some banners saying "No troops in Yufuin" - the fact that it was written in English was a surprise. Why are the Yanks still in Japan with heaps of bases? Is it because they can't have sex with underage children in their own country anymore and in Tokyo there is no minimum legal age for sex? Yankee troops in Japan have caused a huge amount of trouble. Where is the threat coming from - it certainly isn't necessary to keep the Japanese in line - their constitution bans them from assembling an army and going to war.
In South Korea the Yankee soldiers obviously enjoy the sport of running over schoolgirls in tanks, something sadly lacking from game play in The States. It must have been outlawed years ago. Why does South Korea need the Yanks - to antagonise the North Koreans? If the Yanks left and the North Korean soldiers poured over the border they'd be exhausted due to a lack of food. Maybe not. I hear that the North Korean soldiers are pretty well fed - it's just the rest of the country that is starving.
What's going on in Taiwan? It is a hotbed for democracy but at what cost? I would love to see them have a better relationship with China - like Australia and Britain. The Yanks just seem to be there to stir the pot.
The Yanks watch American TV channels and can purchase anything they like on the base in US dollars. Where is the enrichment to be gained from mixing with the locals? Or perhaps they shouldn't be mixing with locals and spreading their ideology.
What purpose do the Yanks serve, apart from their own, by keeping their troops in the Pacific? There are some 38000 troops in South Korea and I don't know how many in Japan.
When I was in Japan I saw some banners saying "No troops in Yufuin" - the fact that it was written in English was a surprise. Why are the Yanks still in Japan with heaps of bases? Is it because they can't have sex with underage children in their own country anymore and in Tokyo there is no minimum legal age for sex? Yankee troops in Japan have caused a huge amount of trouble. Where is the threat coming from - it certainly isn't necessary to keep the Japanese in line - their constitution bans them from assembling an army and going to war.
In South Korea the Yankee soldiers obviously enjoy the sport of running over schoolgirls in tanks, something sadly lacking from game play in The States. It must have been outlawed years ago. Why does South Korea need the Yanks - to antagonise the North Koreans? If the Yanks left and the North Korean soldiers poured over the border they'd be exhausted due to a lack of food. Maybe not. I hear that the North Korean soldiers are pretty well fed - it's just the rest of the country that is starving.
What's going on in Taiwan? It is a hotbed for democracy but at what cost? I would love to see them have a better relationship with China - like Australia and Britain. The Yanks just seem to be there to stir the pot.
The Yanks watch American TV channels and can purchase anything they like on the base in US dollars. Where is the enrichment to be gained from mixing with the locals? Or perhaps they shouldn't be mixing with locals and spreading their ideology.
The Weight Is Just Falling Off
It has been a successful return to sport with the twin aims of losing weight and getting fit. Excepting the fact that I'm not getting fit and have only played about nine minutes of squash. In actual fact, I have lost two kilograms. I've done hardly anything for the last four weeks with the aim of getting and fitting and losing the gut.
Yeah, it's got me buggered too.
It has been a successful return to sport with the twin aims of losing weight and getting fit. Excepting the fact that I'm not getting fit and have only played about nine minutes of squash. In actual fact, I have lost two kilograms. I've done hardly anything for the last four weeks with the aim of getting and fitting and losing the gut.
Yeah, it's got me buggered too.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Ken's Big Day Out
Ken, one of our sales guys, decided to get us all together for a day baoting on the river. Miky took a sea sickness tablet before venturing out on the boat and Ken was a bit too wild for her liking. I had to hang on to Yu-Jin as tightly as possible as we jumped waves and changed directions quite quickly. Ken enjoyed himself. It was a lovely sunny day down at Deep Water Point in Mt Pleasant, which isn't too far from our place.
Doughnuts at Ken's Big Day Out
Yu-Jin had a great time. He collected lots of shells, chased some fish that came right up to the shore and had to dodge the jellyfish. The river is very salty and lots of sea creatures appear. He spent most of his time thrashing about in the water.
Yu-Jin enjoyed himself
Ken brought some doughnuts and some skis. We didn't stick around long enough to see any skiing and judging by how much people were bumped about in the doughnuts I decided that it wasn't a good idea for me to try it out. We brought heaps of food for a BBQ but there was only one in the park and it was so far away from where we had set up camp. I didn't want to stand there by myself and cook so we went home and cooked our BBQ on the gas top. Yu-Jin wasn't happy about leaving but he was sound asleep before we reached the highway and he slept for the next three hours. Just long enough for me so that I was unable to get a haircut.
Ken, one of our sales guys, decided to get us all together for a day baoting on the river. Miky took a sea sickness tablet before venturing out on the boat and Ken was a bit too wild for her liking. I had to hang on to Yu-Jin as tightly as possible as we jumped waves and changed directions quite quickly. Ken enjoyed himself. It was a lovely sunny day down at Deep Water Point in Mt Pleasant, which isn't too far from our place.
Doughnuts at Ken's Big Day Out
Yu-Jin had a great time. He collected lots of shells, chased some fish that came right up to the shore and had to dodge the jellyfish. The river is very salty and lots of sea creatures appear. He spent most of his time thrashing about in the water.
Yu-Jin enjoyed himself
Ken brought some doughnuts and some skis. We didn't stick around long enough to see any skiing and judging by how much people were bumped about in the doughnuts I decided that it wasn't a good idea for me to try it out. We brought heaps of food for a BBQ but there was only one in the park and it was so far away from where we had set up camp. I didn't want to stand there by myself and cook so we went home and cooked our BBQ on the gas top. Yu-Jin wasn't happy about leaving but he was sound asleep before we reached the highway and he slept for the next three hours. Just long enough for me so that I was unable to get a haircut.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Not Good News From The Physio
Dr Cleary wasn't happy at all when he saw my leg today. It has been bleeding since I last saw him and there was nothing he could do for me tonight. For the next five days I have to keep my leg elevated, at least when I'm home, and iced, including when I'm at work. I shouldn't really be driving and climbing stairs isn't a good idea either.
On the bright side I should be able to do some swimming next week and that will enable me to get into shape to head back to squash.
Dr Cleary wasn't happy at all when he saw my leg today. It has been bleeding since I last saw him and there was nothing he could do for me tonight. For the next five days I have to keep my leg elevated, at least when I'm home, and iced, including when I'm at work. I shouldn't really be driving and climbing stairs isn't a good idea either.
On the bright side I should be able to do some swimming next week and that will enable me to get into shape to head back to squash.
My Missus Is On The Net
An exciting new Website is about to be born. It is "I Have Nothing To Wear" and will feature Miky's clothes that she makes. Unfortunately, it will be myself who has to do all of the grunt work behind the scenes. At least I don't have to make the items of designer fashion - that's her job. I'll just take the pics, upload them and type in the comments.
An exciting new Website is about to be born. It is "I Have Nothing To Wear" and will feature Miky's clothes that she makes. Unfortunately, it will be myself who has to do all of the grunt work behind the scenes. At least I don't have to make the items of designer fashion - that's her job. I'll just take the pics, upload them and type in the comments.
Free The Refugees!
And keep those queue-jumping infidels in the detention centres. To some degree I agree with the United Nations when it comes to refugee status. If you leave your country fearing persecution for whatever reason, ala Christopher Skase, then you can claim asylum as a refugee in the next country that you land in. People that come from overseas, e.g. Afghanistan, stop over in Iraq for lunch, head to Turkey for coffee, take a slow boat to Indonesia for a surfing holiday and then head to Australia - well, they, by definition, aren't refugees. Most likely they aren't terrorists either.
The real terrorists, if there are any in the detention centres, wouldn't be jumping up and down asking for their case to be heard and drawing attention to themselves.
The way that the detention centres are run doesn't seem too hospitable but think about it - is the Government going to privatise them so we see The Hyatt Detention Centre, The Sheraton Detention Centre, etc? What does the term "detention" conjure images of? That's right, people being punished. If you are not a refugee, and do not have a valid visa to enter Australia then you are not obeying the laws of this country. Bad people, sit in the corner.
Granted, living conditions shouldn't be as bad as those of our worst criminals but our worst criminals wouldn't put up with current conditions that the people in detention centres do.
The easy way out is claim to be a Christian. I have heard this morning that refugees having converted to Christianity are set for release. However, this is debunked in this article. Religion has got nothing to do with how acceptable someone is to enter Australia and even less to do with their refugee status. Perhaps they wouldn't be allowed back into their own country due to religious persecution because of their new-found faith.
Give them six months after entering as new-Aussies and they will join the ranks of the lapsed Catholics. Just you wait and see.
I would rather stay in the detention centre than convert to Christianity. Perhaps indefinite detention does drive you mad. And you know that these refugees don't mind the self-harm tack. I guess instead of sewing their lips together they'll be nailing themselves to crosses now.
Everybody is looking for a loophole to exploit the system.
And keep those queue-jumping infidels in the detention centres. To some degree I agree with the United Nations when it comes to refugee status. If you leave your country fearing persecution for whatever reason, ala Christopher Skase, then you can claim asylum as a refugee in the next country that you land in. People that come from overseas, e.g. Afghanistan, stop over in Iraq for lunch, head to Turkey for coffee, take a slow boat to Indonesia for a surfing holiday and then head to Australia - well, they, by definition, aren't refugees. Most likely they aren't terrorists either.
The real terrorists, if there are any in the detention centres, wouldn't be jumping up and down asking for their case to be heard and drawing attention to themselves.
The way that the detention centres are run doesn't seem too hospitable but think about it - is the Government going to privatise them so we see The Hyatt Detention Centre, The Sheraton Detention Centre, etc? What does the term "detention" conjure images of? That's right, people being punished. If you are not a refugee, and do not have a valid visa to enter Australia then you are not obeying the laws of this country. Bad people, sit in the corner.
Granted, living conditions shouldn't be as bad as those of our worst criminals but our worst criminals wouldn't put up with current conditions that the people in detention centres do.
The easy way out is claim to be a Christian. I have heard this morning that refugees having converted to Christianity are set for release. However, this is debunked in this article. Religion has got nothing to do with how acceptable someone is to enter Australia and even less to do with their refugee status. Perhaps they wouldn't be allowed back into their own country due to religious persecution because of their new-found faith.
Give them six months after entering as new-Aussies and they will join the ranks of the lapsed Catholics. Just you wait and see.
I would rather stay in the detention centre than convert to Christianity. Perhaps indefinite detention does drive you mad. And you know that these refugees don't mind the self-harm tack. I guess instead of sewing their lips together they'll be nailing themselves to crosses now.
Everybody is looking for a loophole to exploit the system.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
A Win For The Frugal Bastard - And The Red Cross
A couple of weeks ago I bought some concrete slabs as pavers. They cost $4.58 at Bunnings, who advertise "lowest prices everyday", and cost me $70 to deliver. Originally they quoted me $66 to deliver and when I bought them it was $40 delivery and $30 extra as no-one would be there to help unload. I bought 80 of the buggers and they weigh 30-35 kilos each.
Yesterday I had to get some brickies' sand and luckily the place I got them from had courtesy trailers. They also sold concrete slabs, the same size, for $4.10. That didn't make me feel too happy and so I grabbed one of their business cards.
Later on I had to go to Bunnings again and took along my original receipt for the slabs. They had the army or army reserve outside collecting donations for the Red Cross. I explained that I didn't have any change as I entered the shop and this was true.
Bunnings not only matched the price of the slabs when asked but also beat the price by 10%. They did ring first so as to get a quotation themselves to show that I wasn't bullshitting them. It meant that they gave me $71.40 back. And didn't that make this Frugal Bastard happy?!
I still didn't have any change for the Red Cross but asked them if they had change for a $20 note. It's not as if I wanted to give any more than $10. I was hoping that I had a $5 note but it was not to be.
Everyone is a winner when FB is happy.
A couple of weeks ago I bought some concrete slabs as pavers. They cost $4.58 at Bunnings, who advertise "lowest prices everyday", and cost me $70 to deliver. Originally they quoted me $66 to deliver and when I bought them it was $40 delivery and $30 extra as no-one would be there to help unload. I bought 80 of the buggers and they weigh 30-35 kilos each.
Yesterday I had to get some brickies' sand and luckily the place I got them from had courtesy trailers. They also sold concrete slabs, the same size, for $4.10. That didn't make me feel too happy and so I grabbed one of their business cards.
Later on I had to go to Bunnings again and took along my original receipt for the slabs. They had the army or army reserve outside collecting donations for the Red Cross. I explained that I didn't have any change as I entered the shop and this was true.
Bunnings not only matched the price of the slabs when asked but also beat the price by 10%. They did ring first so as to get a quotation themselves to show that I wasn't bullshitting them. It meant that they gave me $71.40 back. And didn't that make this Frugal Bastard happy?!
I still didn't have any change for the Red Cross but asked them if they had change for a $20 note. It's not as if I wanted to give any more than $10. I was hoping that I had a $5 note but it was not to be.
Everyone is a winner when FB is happy.
Friday, March 18, 2005
I'm Off Squash For A While
Went to see the physio last night and I am glad that I did. My leg was really swollen and had some bad bruising. I guess that is what happens when you spend two days working hard after you have torn a muscle. Me idiot.
The physio said that there would be no squash for six weeks. And some words of wisdom:
"You get fit to play squash, not play squash to get fit"
How very true. Especially when you are an old bugger like me getting back into the sport. I have to wear a compression bandage for a while and that does add a bit of support. He even asked me if I needed a note for my wife so that I didn't have to do the paving this weekend. I thought that that would be a good laugh but he wouldn't write one for me.
The physio actually said that he was surprised that I was walking about.
St Patrick's Day
Yesterday was a day that I was dreading. Six people from the office were going to be doing a training course and there were only two of us left for sales. A frightening amount of work was going to be piled upon us. I expected to not get any work done and spend all of my time answering the phone.
As it turned out every man and his dog must have been pretending they were Irish and took the day off work and went to the pub. The phones didn't ring very much. I got all of my quotes done and then had time to tidy up a lot of loose ends. It was a very productive, and somewhat boring, day. It was almost like a day off.
Psychics Get Rated
I think it is high time that the psychics of this world were rated according to their abilities to predict future events. When Miky and I got engaged her family said that they would see a psychic. Expecting them to ring back in about an hour's time we had to wait until the next day. They saw six psychics - three said that we would be good together and three said that we wouldn't. Koreans take their psychics quite seriously. That is why we need a rating system. Stop calling them all "mediums".
Medium - gets it right half of the time
Exceptional - gets it right almost all of the time
Perfectionist - gets it right all of the time
Poorly - lying sack of s#$t who guesses and has no idea
Underperformer - gets it right some of the time
Phone Repairer
My cordless phone handset jiggered up a few nights ago. Quite often when I went to make a call I would have to replace it in the base three times before it would receive a signal and allow me to make a call. So, in a last ditch effort, I pulled the handset apart and cleaned the aerial contacts. After putting it back in the base it worked fine! No more calls having to be conducted over speaker phone.
I'm not about to enter the world of phone repairs after that fluke though.
Brain Malfunction
Do you have one of these people in your family? They turn the light switch on, the light doesn't work, and they leave the light switch on. We do. Her name is *Geraldine*.
* Name changed to protect the guilty party.
Went to see the physio last night and I am glad that I did. My leg was really swollen and had some bad bruising. I guess that is what happens when you spend two days working hard after you have torn a muscle. Me idiot.
The physio said that there would be no squash for six weeks. And some words of wisdom:
"You get fit to play squash, not play squash to get fit"
How very true. Especially when you are an old bugger like me getting back into the sport. I have to wear a compression bandage for a while and that does add a bit of support. He even asked me if I needed a note for my wife so that I didn't have to do the paving this weekend. I thought that that would be a good laugh but he wouldn't write one for me.
The physio actually said that he was surprised that I was walking about.
St Patrick's Day
Yesterday was a day that I was dreading. Six people from the office were going to be doing a training course and there were only two of us left for sales. A frightening amount of work was going to be piled upon us. I expected to not get any work done and spend all of my time answering the phone.
As it turned out every man and his dog must have been pretending they were Irish and took the day off work and went to the pub. The phones didn't ring very much. I got all of my quotes done and then had time to tidy up a lot of loose ends. It was a very productive, and somewhat boring, day. It was almost like a day off.
Psychics Get Rated
I think it is high time that the psychics of this world were rated according to their abilities to predict future events. When Miky and I got engaged her family said that they would see a psychic. Expecting them to ring back in about an hour's time we had to wait until the next day. They saw six psychics - three said that we would be good together and three said that we wouldn't. Koreans take their psychics quite seriously. That is why we need a rating system. Stop calling them all "mediums".
Medium - gets it right half of the time
Exceptional - gets it right almost all of the time
Perfectionist - gets it right all of the time
Poorly - lying sack of s#$t who guesses and has no idea
Underperformer - gets it right some of the time
Phone Repairer
My cordless phone handset jiggered up a few nights ago. Quite often when I went to make a call I would have to replace it in the base three times before it would receive a signal and allow me to make a call. So, in a last ditch effort, I pulled the handset apart and cleaned the aerial contacts. After putting it back in the base it worked fine! No more calls having to be conducted over speaker phone.
I'm not about to enter the world of phone repairs after that fluke though.
Brain Malfunction
Do you have one of these people in your family? They turn the light switch on, the light doesn't work, and they leave the light switch on. We do. Her name is *Geraldine*.
* Name changed to protect the guilty party.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Bullying
There's been a bit of bullying going on at school. Yu-Jin is the second smallest boy in the class, and many of the girls are taller too, so Miky is understandably worried about him. There is a Chinese boy who gets picked on, by one of Yu-Jin's mates, and I told Yu-Jin that he should tell his friend to stop.
Next day Yu-Jin said that the Chinese boy was being picked on and that he jumped in front and put a stop to it. Good boy. We need to stop any bullying before it becomes entrenched. I went through a bit at school - it's not hard when you have ears like a taxi with the doors open, or Prince Charles, to cop a bit during school. I don't really want to see it happen.
The following day Yu-Jin said there was a fight as five boys were picking on the Chinese boy. He jumped in and fought them all he said. This brings mum to tears as she is so worried. There are no bruises or cuts so it couldn't have been that bad.
Still, I made the phone call to Yu-Jin's mate's parents and we spoke about it. We've invited the boy over so that the two of them can play together. We decided that this should be nipped in the bud as there is no need for it.
At least the boy has got some gumption. He may be small but he is quite strong.
On another note, the teacher will be out of action for two weeks with her broken arm, or wrist, not sure which, so there will be more disruptions in class than usual I imagine.
There's been a bit of bullying going on at school. Yu-Jin is the second smallest boy in the class, and many of the girls are taller too, so Miky is understandably worried about him. There is a Chinese boy who gets picked on, by one of Yu-Jin's mates, and I told Yu-Jin that he should tell his friend to stop.
Next day Yu-Jin said that the Chinese boy was being picked on and that he jumped in front and put a stop to it. Good boy. We need to stop any bullying before it becomes entrenched. I went through a bit at school - it's not hard when you have ears like a taxi with the doors open, or Prince Charles, to cop a bit during school. I don't really want to see it happen.
The following day Yu-Jin said there was a fight as five boys were picking on the Chinese boy. He jumped in and fought them all he said. This brings mum to tears as she is so worried. There are no bruises or cuts so it couldn't have been that bad.
Still, I made the phone call to Yu-Jin's mate's parents and we spoke about it. We've invited the boy over so that the two of them can play together. We decided that this should be nipped in the bud as there is no need for it.
At least the boy has got some gumption. He may be small but he is quite strong.
On another note, the teacher will be out of action for two weeks with her broken arm, or wrist, not sure which, so there will be more disruptions in class than usual I imagine.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Is World War III Imminent?
All this talk about Iraq, Iran and Nth Korea being places where World War III could break out seem incorrect. I have it on good authority, firstly from the Nicksouter Blogspot and today Dr Keith Souter was on Sunrise, Channel 7, and I believe he proclaimed much the same. I didn't see it as Spiderman came on at that time.
Obviously the Souters have this sewn up and so there is no point in researching this issue further.
Dancing With The Stars
I admit it. We watch the show. Yu-Jin always comments on how nice the dresses are. I would be a little bit worried about him if he was older. Miky loves the dancing, and the dresses, and I'm just adding my support. Hmmmm.
There was some dancing last night that was truly magical. Not by any of the celebrities fighting it out for the title mind you. It was backstage with Sonia Kruger, in her lovely low-cut black dress, and she did a jiggle for all of a second and a half. She would have scored well with me.
All this talk about Iraq, Iran and Nth Korea being places where World War III could break out seem incorrect. I have it on good authority, firstly from the Nicksouter Blogspot and today Dr Keith Souter was on Sunrise, Channel 7, and I believe he proclaimed much the same. I didn't see it as Spiderman came on at that time.
Obviously the Souters have this sewn up and so there is no point in researching this issue further.
Dancing With The Stars
I admit it. We watch the show. Yu-Jin always comments on how nice the dresses are. I would be a little bit worried about him if he was older. Miky loves the dancing, and the dresses, and I'm just adding my support. Hmmmm.
There was some dancing last night that was truly magical. Not by any of the celebrities fighting it out for the title mind you. It was backstage with Sonia Kruger, in her lovely low-cut black dress, and she did a jiggle for all of a second and a half. She would have scored well with me.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
How Fast Does Your Wheelbarrow Go?
Doing the paving work over the weekend required the tyre on the wheelbarrow to be pumped up. I must say, the person who designed the valve placement needs to be shot as I couldn't get the connection on to pump it up properly. It took far longer than was necessary.
Anyway, I noticed printed on the wheel was the inscription "not for highway use" but the next line of writing was "rated at 210 km/h". Zounds! I don't know where I am going to be able to drive my wheelbarrow, capable of 210 km/h, without doing too much damage to the surrounds. Not enough room to get up speed in the backyard and I can't see myself taking it to the dragstrip.
Broken Arms Are All The Rage
First it was Yu-Jin, closely followed by Matthew Lloyd, and now it was Mrs Bennett's turn. Mrs Bennett is Yu-Jin's pre-primary teacher and she was showing the children yesterday how to use the monkey bars. She did about four or five rungs and fell off and broke her arm. Yu-Jin said that all the kids laughed because it was so funny.
Now he can tell her that she needs to drink lots of milk. It must have been a sight.
Hollywood Ratings System
You know when you see a movie and it says "based on a true story" or "based on actual events" that there is going to be a fair amount of bulldust involved, if it comes from Hollywood. How about a new ratings system that lets you know how real the movie is?
Loosely based on a true story/actual events - not too much scriptwriting involved.
Very loosely based on a true story/actual events - not very close to the truth.
Idea based on a true story/actual events - we had to pay someone for the idea.
Based on a true story/actual events - the story was too boring for American audiences, or too high brow, so we had to get it spruced up a bit. Actually it is a crock.
Doing the paving work over the weekend required the tyre on the wheelbarrow to be pumped up. I must say, the person who designed the valve placement needs to be shot as I couldn't get the connection on to pump it up properly. It took far longer than was necessary.
Anyway, I noticed printed on the wheel was the inscription "not for highway use" but the next line of writing was "rated at 210 km/h". Zounds! I don't know where I am going to be able to drive my wheelbarrow, capable of 210 km/h, without doing too much damage to the surrounds. Not enough room to get up speed in the backyard and I can't see myself taking it to the dragstrip.
Broken Arms Are All The Rage
First it was Yu-Jin, closely followed by Matthew Lloyd, and now it was Mrs Bennett's turn. Mrs Bennett is Yu-Jin's pre-primary teacher and she was showing the children yesterday how to use the monkey bars. She did about four or five rungs and fell off and broke her arm. Yu-Jin said that all the kids laughed because it was so funny.
Now he can tell her that she needs to drink lots of milk. It must have been a sight.
Hollywood Ratings System
You know when you see a movie and it says "based on a true story" or "based on actual events" that there is going to be a fair amount of bulldust involved, if it comes from Hollywood. How about a new ratings system that lets you know how real the movie is?
Loosely based on a true story/actual events - not too much scriptwriting involved.
Very loosely based on a true story/actual events - not very close to the truth.
Idea based on a true story/actual events - we had to pay someone for the idea.
Based on a true story/actual events - the story was too boring for American audiences, or too high brow, so we had to get it spruced up a bit. Actually it is a crock.
Monday, March 14, 2005
How Serious Is The AFL About Regional Areas?
For those teams that suffered defeat during the Wizard Cup Pre-season competition, they had to partake in regional area matches. I'll give you a quick rundown of some of the matches held last weekend and you can make up your own mind about how "regional" they were:
St Kilda - played at Moorabin Oval (Anybody remember St Kilda's former homeground?)
Pt Adelaide - played at AAMI Stadium (I guess Adelaide will always be considered to be a regional area)
Essendon - played at Bendigo (I wonder where the Bombers' VFL affiliation, the Bendigo Bombers, play their home games?)
Doesn't sound too regional for my liking. You would have thought that Kalgoorlie, Mt Gambier, Renmark, Albury, Swan Hill, Shepparton or Wagga Wagga were more regional and that the games should have been there.
I haven't been too critical of the AFL but stop trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
For those teams that suffered defeat during the Wizard Cup Pre-season competition, they had to partake in regional area matches. I'll give you a quick rundown of some of the matches held last weekend and you can make up your own mind about how "regional" they were:
St Kilda - played at Moorabin Oval (Anybody remember St Kilda's former homeground?)
Pt Adelaide - played at AAMI Stadium (I guess Adelaide will always be considered to be a regional area)
Essendon - played at Bendigo (I wonder where the Bombers' VFL affiliation, the Bendigo Bombers, play their home games?)
Doesn't sound too regional for my liking. You would have thought that Kalgoorlie, Mt Gambier, Renmark, Albury, Swan Hill, Shepparton or Wagga Wagga were more regional and that the games should have been there.
I haven't been too critical of the AFL but stop trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
As Black As Michael Jackson
I've been working outside for the last couple of days preparing to do some paving with my friend Bill. Thirsty work that - I drank four litres of water each day. Saturday was 36 degrees and I was digging up the backyard in the sun at the hottest part of the day. Yesterday wasn't quite so hot but I spent the morning digging up the backyard and the afternoon filling it back in. We had to get rid of the grass from the sand so I ended up sifting all of the sand. Did a good job but ended up as black as Michael Jackson. Or, at least as black as he should be. I even went to Bunnings looking like this and nobody gave me a second look!
As black as MJ
I've been working outside for the last couple of days preparing to do some paving with my friend Bill. Thirsty work that - I drank four litres of water each day. Saturday was 36 degrees and I was digging up the backyard in the sun at the hottest part of the day. Yesterday wasn't quite so hot but I spent the morning digging up the backyard and the afternoon filling it back in. We had to get rid of the grass from the sand so I ended up sifting all of the sand. Did a good job but ended up as black as Michael Jackson. Or, at least as black as he should be. I even went to Bunnings looking like this and nobody gave me a second look!
As black as MJ
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Foreboding Lyrics
Yesterday one of the local radio stations played Billie Jean by Michael Jackson. It is, IMHO, one of his finest songs. But some of the lyrics has proven to be very foretelling:
"Daddy always told me
'Be careful who you love' "
Never a truer word has been spoken.
It doesn't matter if MJ did some kiddy fiddling or not. The fact that he seems to have plied these kids with alcohol and porn magazines is enough to show that he shouldn't be allowed near children. His actions are quite inappropriate.
What's The Difference Between Mark Jackson And Michael Jackson?
One made money out of being a wacko and the other is loosing money because of being a wacko.
Passing Football Thoughts
First Yu-Jin and now Lloydy. It must be becoming fashionable for the ones I love to break their arms.
I heard a rumour that Dermott Brereton is going to be the host of the TV gameshow Sale of the Century when it restarts. Now that's a poor choice. Old Dermie will be too busy checking out the models and the cars to ask the questions seriously. And, from what I have noticed on Friday night football on Channel 9, half of the questions will probably relate to how good Eddie Maguire is.
The Melbourne Demons will be able to take any uncontracted player to replace Troy Broadbridge who was swept away in the Asian Tsunami. I hope that the replacement player can swim.
They used to say "No Carey, no North". I wonder if it is a case of "No Broadbridge, no Melbourne".
When Melbourne is playing badly this season I wonder who is going to be the first insensitive commentator to mention that "They look all at sea" or "They're all washed up"?
The best tactic to use against Melbourne to stop them from scoring would be flooding, I'm guessing..
Perhaps Melbourne won't be spending too much time down at the beach for some early morning swimming/fitness exercises.
Yesterday one of the local radio stations played Billie Jean by Michael Jackson. It is, IMHO, one of his finest songs. But some of the lyrics has proven to be very foretelling:
"Daddy always told me
'Be careful who you love' "
Never a truer word has been spoken.
It doesn't matter if MJ did some kiddy fiddling or not. The fact that he seems to have plied these kids with alcohol and porn magazines is enough to show that he shouldn't be allowed near children. His actions are quite inappropriate.
What's The Difference Between Mark Jackson And Michael Jackson?
One made money out of being a wacko and the other is loosing money because of being a wacko.
Passing Football Thoughts
First Yu-Jin and now Lloydy. It must be becoming fashionable for the ones I love to break their arms.
I heard a rumour that Dermott Brereton is going to be the host of the TV gameshow Sale of the Century when it restarts. Now that's a poor choice. Old Dermie will be too busy checking out the models and the cars to ask the questions seriously. And, from what I have noticed on Friday night football on Channel 9, half of the questions will probably relate to how good Eddie Maguire is.
The Melbourne Demons will be able to take any uncontracted player to replace Troy Broadbridge who was swept away in the Asian Tsunami. I hope that the replacement player can swim.
They used to say "No Carey, no North". I wonder if it is a case of "No Broadbridge, no Melbourne".
When Melbourne is playing badly this season I wonder who is going to be the first insensitive commentator to mention that "They look all at sea" or "They're all washed up"?
The best tactic to use against Melbourne to stop them from scoring would be flooding, I'm guessing..
Perhaps Melbourne won't be spending too much time down at the beach for some early morning swimming/fitness exercises.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
The Comeback King
My leg felt alright yesterday so I went to squash. The $7.70 that I paid two weeks ago lasted only about 8 mins, so it was around $1/minute. Last night was a little different. My calf did the same thing on the first point of the match. Bugger.
It didn't feel as bad but it is almost as sore as last time. Mind you, I can hobble and didn't quite reach the cripple stage. Anyway, I have to do the paving today. I am a silly old bugger.
My leg felt alright yesterday so I went to squash. The $7.70 that I paid two weeks ago lasted only about 8 mins, so it was around $1/minute. Last night was a little different. My calf did the same thing on the first point of the match. Bugger.
It didn't feel as bad but it is almost as sore as last time. Mind you, I can hobble and didn't quite reach the cripple stage. Anyway, I have to do the paving today. I am a silly old bugger.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Funny Referalls
My site is the only one on the Net that helped some poor bugger out with his search -
Dermott Brereton Footy Show Pics
Another funny one is - Do teenage girls or boys tend to wear seatbelts more? I came in third with this one.
How come all of the people that search for something, and it may not be my site that satisfies their needs but it fits their search criteria, seem to come from Yahoo! Isn't Google the most used search engine or does it not list my site (they own Blogger so I hardly think that is the case) or are Googlers a little more intelligent before clicking on a link?
Dunno, but it makes me laugh sometimes why people come to my site.
My site is the only one on the Net that helped some poor bugger out with his search -
Dermott Brereton Footy Show Pics
Another funny one is - Do teenage girls or boys tend to wear seatbelts more? I came in third with this one.
How come all of the people that search for something, and it may not be my site that satisfies their needs but it fits their search criteria, seem to come from Yahoo! Isn't Google the most used search engine or does it not list my site (they own Blogger so I hardly think that is the case) or are Googlers a little more intelligent before clicking on a link?
Dunno, but it makes me laugh sometimes why people come to my site.
A Happy Bank Customer
Went for a walk to the Post Office this morning to check the mail. And to check out the calf a little bit. Was shocked to receive a letter from ANZ regarding an overdraw on my cheque account. I knew that I had put some money in the account so that I could send a cheque off for my electrician's licence.
Snafu, I thought. Look it up on Google. Typical bank. I had linked the cheque account to my card some time ago but it hadn't appeared on the Internet banking but I didn't worry about it.
Well, that money that I had transferred into the cheque account actually went into a different account, so I found out when I check on the Internet. My mistake. Have to pay up for the overdraw fee.
At lunch time I settled the account and went to customer service to link the cheque account with my card. Told the guy my sob story and he asked if I would like to have the fee reversed. Well, isn't that the dumbest question of the year? I most certainly would appreciate that. Then, as I was feeling pleased with myself (I had told the truth and had a $29.50 waived) he said that it was standard practice to return the first fee on an account.
I still feel good that they honoured the cheque in the first place, which saved an enormous amount of face, and that they didn't charge me for the privilege. Certainly not snafu at all.
More Heavy Breathers On The Phone
I see that they have released a Darth Vader Voice Changer mask. You put it on and your voice sounds like Darth Vader. There's even the option of the heavy breathing. Methinks that there will be an increase in the number of heavy breathers making phone calls.
Went for a walk to the Post Office this morning to check the mail. And to check out the calf a little bit. Was shocked to receive a letter from ANZ regarding an overdraw on my cheque account. I knew that I had put some money in the account so that I could send a cheque off for my electrician's licence.
Snafu, I thought. Look it up on Google. Typical bank. I had linked the cheque account to my card some time ago but it hadn't appeared on the Internet banking but I didn't worry about it.
Well, that money that I had transferred into the cheque account actually went into a different account, so I found out when I check on the Internet. My mistake. Have to pay up for the overdraw fee.
At lunch time I settled the account and went to customer service to link the cheque account with my card. Told the guy my sob story and he asked if I would like to have the fee reversed. Well, isn't that the dumbest question of the year? I most certainly would appreciate that. Then, as I was feeling pleased with myself (I had told the truth and had a $29.50 waived) he said that it was standard practice to return the first fee on an account.
I still feel good that they honoured the cheque in the first place, which saved an enormous amount of face, and that they didn't charge me for the privilege. Certainly not snafu at all.
More Heavy Breathers On The Phone
I see that they have released a Darth Vader Voice Changer mask. You put it on and your voice sounds like Darth Vader. There's even the option of the heavy breathing. Methinks that there will be an increase in the number of heavy breathers making phone calls.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
From Boo Hoo To Woo Hoo!
I mentioned previously the case of a Chinese woman, Cui Yu Hu (pronounce Choo Yoo Hoo), aged 104 who was facing deportation. The Australian government has backed down and are now allowing her to stay. Methinks it was just a ploy to keep Amanda Vanstone's name in the media - any publicity is good publicity.
So, in particular low brow comedic fashion, I guess that Cui Yu Hu has gone from boo hoo to woo hoo and yahoo! She can continue to live in Australia and yell out "Yoo hoo" to her neighbours. We can all be glad that we don't have to say "hoo roo" and "toodaloo" to Cui.
Phew!
I mentioned previously the case of a Chinese woman, Cui Yu Hu (pronounce Choo Yoo Hoo), aged 104 who was facing deportation. The Australian government has backed down and are now allowing her to stay. Methinks it was just a ploy to keep Amanda Vanstone's name in the media - any publicity is good publicity.
So, in particular low brow comedic fashion, I guess that Cui Yu Hu has gone from boo hoo to woo hoo and yahoo! She can continue to live in Australia and yell out "Yoo hoo" to her neighbours. We can all be glad that we don't have to say "hoo roo" and "toodaloo" to Cui.
Phew!
I Don't Have A Problem ...
I don't have a problem with flatulence. But everyone else does.
Are TV Dinners Keeping Pace With Technology?
Americans are particularly talented at creating this to make themselves lazier. Following the invention of the TV they created the TV dinner - a pre-prepared frozen meal that is heated in the microwave before consumption. That way you wouldn't have to spend an hour in the kitchen preparing your meal and wouldn't have to miss any of your shows on TV.
But is the TV dinner keeping pace with technology? The humble TV has grown from a 34cm screen to 51cm, then 68cm, then 80cm, followed by the flat screen and now the widescreen. Heck, you can even get a thin TV to mount on the wall. Has the TV dinner changed in any way to accommodate that which it is named for?
I think that a little more innovation is called for.
Updated Cliché
Remember the old cliché -
Shoot first and ask questions later?
Perhaps it is time for an update and it should be more along the lines of -
Shoot straight and there is no need to ask questions.
The Power Of The Mouse
Miky was doing some gardening when I got home from work last night. She's been digging out all of the grass surrounding the trees in our backyard, mainly to remove the onion grass, and she wanted to put compost around them. We have had a compost bin for two years or more and not once have we put compost on the garden. So, she moved the bin and started digging into the compost when a mouse popped out. She didn't see this one but when she saw the second one she was so frightened that while she shrieked she jumped backwards and almost went through the chicken wire fence alongside the shed. It was hilarious and would've been great for Australia's Funniest Home Video Show.
I managed to kill two mice but at least one, possibly two, escaped. I can't believe that they were living in amongst all of that rotten material. Yech!
Does The Post Office Receive Commissions For The Number Of Postcodes?
I had to post some stuff to my mum yesterday. Went for a wander at lunchtime to Subiaco Post Office and grabbed an airnight bag and a heavy duty bag. The girl at the counter wanted to know where it was going. I said that it was headed to Bordertown and she wanted to know how to spell it. Then she asked me, "Is that Bordertown or Bordertown South?"
My reply was along the lines of, "Bordertown isn't big enough to have a Bordertown South."
Maybe they get a commission for the number of places that have postcodes. Perhaps that is why private post boxes have a different postcode in Western Australia. I haven't been able to work that out before.
Al-Qaida Celebrity Kidnapping
What are Al-Qaida thinking? I heard yesterday that they planned to kidnap Hollywood actors to attack the cultural fabric of the USA. Give us a break.
Just who are the people on the list of intended kidnap victims? Would they be doing us a favour by removing some of the people? Is anyone going to miss Nicole Kidman if she is kidnapped? Take Roseanne, Oprah, Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude van Damme, Julia Roberts, anybody from Friends or Will and Grace. Please. Can we send a list of people to Al-Qaida.
The cultural fabric of the USA indeed.
Korean Chopsticks Are Good For Brain Development
Miky was telling me last night that Korean chopsticks are good for stimulating development of the brain. They promote deft skill and mobility using small instruments and this is very useful in the world of invitro fertilisation (IVF). Apparently, where an American doctor can get 10 eggs or sperm, not sure which, into a test tube, the Korean doctor can get 100 due to skills learnt from using Korean chopsticks.
Why aren't Americans more intelligent? They seem to eat a lot of Chinese takeaway with chopsticks.
However, Chinese chopsticks are very thick by design whereas Korean chopsticks are thin and metallic. I can eat using Korean chopsticks faster than Miky so what does that say about our intelligence. I didn't grow up with them either. I can eat almost as quickly with them in my left hand.
Miky is encouraging Yu-Jin to eat with chopsticks. It will certainly refine his motor skills and I believe that it is a good idea. Just as long as he doesn't starve in the meantime. He is a bit like his father though. As soon as he successfully lifts something with the chopsticks he has to show it off to all around.
Fashion Label
Does anybody have an idea what Miky should call her fashion label? Something catchy, something new. There's no lingerie included therefore "Miky's Secrets" is out of the question. Thanks for the suggestion Asher.
I posted some skirts and dresses about a week ago. Scroll down to have a look.
I don't have a problem with flatulence. But everyone else does.
Are TV Dinners Keeping Pace With Technology?
Americans are particularly talented at creating this to make themselves lazier. Following the invention of the TV they created the TV dinner - a pre-prepared frozen meal that is heated in the microwave before consumption. That way you wouldn't have to spend an hour in the kitchen preparing your meal and wouldn't have to miss any of your shows on TV.
But is the TV dinner keeping pace with technology? The humble TV has grown from a 34cm screen to 51cm, then 68cm, then 80cm, followed by the flat screen and now the widescreen. Heck, you can even get a thin TV to mount on the wall. Has the TV dinner changed in any way to accommodate that which it is named for?
I think that a little more innovation is called for.
Updated Cliché
Remember the old cliché -
Shoot first and ask questions later?
Perhaps it is time for an update and it should be more along the lines of -
Shoot straight and there is no need to ask questions.
The Power Of The Mouse
Miky was doing some gardening when I got home from work last night. She's been digging out all of the grass surrounding the trees in our backyard, mainly to remove the onion grass, and she wanted to put compost around them. We have had a compost bin for two years or more and not once have we put compost on the garden. So, she moved the bin and started digging into the compost when a mouse popped out. She didn't see this one but when she saw the second one she was so frightened that while she shrieked she jumped backwards and almost went through the chicken wire fence alongside the shed. It was hilarious and would've been great for Australia's Funniest Home Video Show.
I managed to kill two mice but at least one, possibly two, escaped. I can't believe that they were living in amongst all of that rotten material. Yech!
Does The Post Office Receive Commissions For The Number Of Postcodes?
I had to post some stuff to my mum yesterday. Went for a wander at lunchtime to Subiaco Post Office and grabbed an airnight bag and a heavy duty bag. The girl at the counter wanted to know where it was going. I said that it was headed to Bordertown and she wanted to know how to spell it. Then she asked me, "Is that Bordertown or Bordertown South?"
My reply was along the lines of, "Bordertown isn't big enough to have a Bordertown South."
Maybe they get a commission for the number of places that have postcodes. Perhaps that is why private post boxes have a different postcode in Western Australia. I haven't been able to work that out before.
Al-Qaida Celebrity Kidnapping
What are Al-Qaida thinking? I heard yesterday that they planned to kidnap Hollywood actors to attack the cultural fabric of the USA. Give us a break.
Just who are the people on the list of intended kidnap victims? Would they be doing us a favour by removing some of the people? Is anyone going to miss Nicole Kidman if she is kidnapped? Take Roseanne, Oprah, Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude van Damme, Julia Roberts, anybody from Friends or Will and Grace. Please. Can we send a list of people to Al-Qaida.
The cultural fabric of the USA indeed.
Korean Chopsticks Are Good For Brain Development
Miky was telling me last night that Korean chopsticks are good for stimulating development of the brain. They promote deft skill and mobility using small instruments and this is very useful in the world of invitro fertilisation (IVF). Apparently, where an American doctor can get 10 eggs or sperm, not sure which, into a test tube, the Korean doctor can get 100 due to skills learnt from using Korean chopsticks.
Why aren't Americans more intelligent? They seem to eat a lot of Chinese takeaway with chopsticks.
However, Chinese chopsticks are very thick by design whereas Korean chopsticks are thin and metallic. I can eat using Korean chopsticks faster than Miky so what does that say about our intelligence. I didn't grow up with them either. I can eat almost as quickly with them in my left hand.
Miky is encouraging Yu-Jin to eat with chopsticks. It will certainly refine his motor skills and I believe that it is a good idea. Just as long as he doesn't starve in the meantime. He is a bit like his father though. As soon as he successfully lifts something with the chopsticks he has to show it off to all around.
Fashion Label
Does anybody have an idea what Miky should call her fashion label? Something catchy, something new. There's no lingerie included therefore "Miky's Secrets" is out of the question. Thanks for the suggestion Asher.
I posted some skirts and dresses about a week ago. Scroll down to have a look.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Weird Weather
Yesterday was pretty warm. The temp got to 36.7 degrees C and it was quite humid. The hottest part of the day was when I took the second tour at Fremantle Prison and most of the tour was outside of the buildings.
This morning I went for a ride and was confronted with fog. Yeah, those low flying clouds and it was a weird feeling. On the return part of the trip the fog had pretty much disapated but on the way to work just now I noticed that the city was nearly covered in fog. It looked a bit like the smoke pall that hung over New York City on September the 11th. Not quite as black however.
Still Maintaining Some Frugality
I know there are some of you who will be surprised that I spent money to tour a prison but Miky did have a student card that was still valid. So we didn't pay full price. It was $7.50 for Yu-Jin though.
What's Wrong With "4WD"?
Another Yankee term is infiltrating our language. It is "SUV" - special utility vehicle. And I hate it.
For starters, utility is a vehicle that has a tray back and a cabin at the front. Australians invented it and now the Yanks have decided to butcher the term.
Secondly, what is so special about it? Does it do anything special? Do it guzzle more "gas" than other vehicles?
Volvo are advertising "the SUV of the Year". Either it is a 4WD or an ordinary vehicle. Cut the bullshit and quit buggerising about with our language with useless, meaningless terminology.
Guess that is my bitch for the day.
Yesterday was pretty warm. The temp got to 36.7 degrees C and it was quite humid. The hottest part of the day was when I took the second tour at Fremantle Prison and most of the tour was outside of the buildings.
This morning I went for a ride and was confronted with fog. Yeah, those low flying clouds and it was a weird feeling. On the return part of the trip the fog had pretty much disapated but on the way to work just now I noticed that the city was nearly covered in fog. It looked a bit like the smoke pall that hung over New York City on September the 11th. Not quite as black however.
Still Maintaining Some Frugality
I know there are some of you who will be surprised that I spent money to tour a prison but Miky did have a student card that was still valid. So we didn't pay full price. It was $7.50 for Yu-Jin though.
What's Wrong With "4WD"?
Another Yankee term is infiltrating our language. It is "SUV" - special utility vehicle. And I hate it.
For starters, utility is a vehicle that has a tray back and a cabin at the front. Australians invented it and now the Yanks have decided to butcher the term.
Secondly, what is so special about it? Does it do anything special? Do it guzzle more "gas" than other vehicles?
Volvo are advertising "the SUV of the Year". Either it is a 4WD or an ordinary vehicle. Cut the bullshit and quit buggerising about with our language with useless, meaningless terminology.
Guess that is my bitch for the day.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Fremantle Jail Pictorial
It is a public holiday Monday in WA - quite possibly because the Labor Party was re-elected. We are celebrating Labour Day. Not knowing what to do with ourselves I checked the Net for "What's on in Perth" and found a good site. We decided to head to Fremantle Jail and I had only heard good things about it. Let me tell you, it was money well spent. The commentary was excellent and some of the stories that were told were amazing. Photos could be taken anywhere and they had another tour for free afterwards. I'll give you one guess who took that one.
Fremantle Jail Entrance
I'll bet that not too many politicians were housed in this jail. There would be no fence-sitters about.
Prison Wardens with guns had to be in the watchtowers. This had nothing to do with Jehovah's Witnesses. Guns were only allowed on a level where there were no prisoners who could overpower guards. At least six of these towers are around the perimeter.
Not a lot of comfort included in your prison stay. The quarters were quite cramped and there was no running water, which, incidentally, was the main reason that the prison was closed.
Artwork on the walls was not allowed until six months before the prison was closed. Some of the material is excellent although this painting has been weathered for 14 years and has lost some of its former glory.
There were up to 600 prisoners held in Fremantle Prison. And they crammed them in. This photo was taken from inside the Church of England Chapel where there are no bars on the windows. And it only shows Divisions 1 and 2.
These drawings were made about 140 years ago when pictures anywhere were forbidden. Prisoners had lime in there cells and could paint the walls at any time. A prisoner called Walsh drew these pictures and then covered them with lime when the wardens were coming. Quite by accident they discovered them. Take the tour to find out how!
The picture from the yard was done by the same artist. Isn't it brilliant? Some talented people were locked up many years ago. I guess it is the same today. Those with a little more talent, not to mention cash, may keep from being locked up.
Here's a cell that dates back to 1850-1860. Not too many comforts here. I guess having a mattress would have been a flea trap.
We did a tour of death row and then the gallows. This is what greeted the people who were executed. There were only 44 in total, including one woman, and death was very quick. A new rope was used for each execution, for religious reasons, and the last supper was only tea and toast. Sounds like my weekend breakfast! Just as long as there is no noose at the end of it.
Not the easiest of places to escape from. Take the tour and you will hear about those that did - and there were some funny stories amongst them.
The wardens had to be able to go to the toilet while keeping an eye on the prisoners. So, this dunny was created and painted two-thirds of the way up so that they could still carry out their duties. Take pity on the female prison wardens.
On A Lighter Note
Bloody tourists! And they're not even drunk. Taken outside the YMCA in Perth after attending Mr Cha Cha's Dance Thingo last night. Not much to do and very difficult to see. There were 250 dancers doing the Mambo in Forrest Place and it would have been alright if we could see - or even take photos.
It is a public holiday Monday in WA - quite possibly because the Labor Party was re-elected. We are celebrating Labour Day. Not knowing what to do with ourselves I checked the Net for "What's on in Perth" and found a good site. We decided to head to Fremantle Jail and I had only heard good things about it. Let me tell you, it was money well spent. The commentary was excellent and some of the stories that were told were amazing. Photos could be taken anywhere and they had another tour for free afterwards. I'll give you one guess who took that one.
Fremantle Jail Entrance
I'll bet that not too many politicians were housed in this jail. There would be no fence-sitters about.
Prison Wardens with guns had to be in the watchtowers. This had nothing to do with Jehovah's Witnesses. Guns were only allowed on a level where there were no prisoners who could overpower guards. At least six of these towers are around the perimeter.
Not a lot of comfort included in your prison stay. The quarters were quite cramped and there was no running water, which, incidentally, was the main reason that the prison was closed.
Artwork on the walls was not allowed until six months before the prison was closed. Some of the material is excellent although this painting has been weathered for 14 years and has lost some of its former glory.
There were up to 600 prisoners held in Fremantle Prison. And they crammed them in. This photo was taken from inside the Church of England Chapel where there are no bars on the windows. And it only shows Divisions 1 and 2.
These drawings were made about 140 years ago when pictures anywhere were forbidden. Prisoners had lime in there cells and could paint the walls at any time. A prisoner called Walsh drew these pictures and then covered them with lime when the wardens were coming. Quite by accident they discovered them. Take the tour to find out how!
The picture from the yard was done by the same artist. Isn't it brilliant? Some talented people were locked up many years ago. I guess it is the same today. Those with a little more talent, not to mention cash, may keep from being locked up.
Here's a cell that dates back to 1850-1860. Not too many comforts here. I guess having a mattress would have been a flea trap.
We did a tour of death row and then the gallows. This is what greeted the people who were executed. There were only 44 in total, including one woman, and death was very quick. A new rope was used for each execution, for religious reasons, and the last supper was only tea and toast. Sounds like my weekend breakfast! Just as long as there is no noose at the end of it.
Not the easiest of places to escape from. Take the tour and you will hear about those that did - and there were some funny stories amongst them.
The wardens had to be able to go to the toilet while keeping an eye on the prisoners. So, this dunny was created and painted two-thirds of the way up so that they could still carry out their duties. Take pity on the female prison wardens.
On A Lighter Note
Bloody tourists! And they're not even drunk. Taken outside the YMCA in Perth after attending Mr Cha Cha's Dance Thingo last night. Not much to do and very difficult to see. There were 250 dancers doing the Mambo in Forrest Place and it would have been alright if we could see - or even take photos.
Another Telco
A few nights ago I received a phone call from Southern Cross Telco. The Indian, I believe, lady on the other end starting spruiking and telling me that there were wonderful savings to be made by using them and that any customer connected with AAPT, Telstra, Optus or Primus could use them. Was it correct that I was connected with one of those carriers? Even though I said I wasn't she kept rabbiting on.
If I spent $90-$95 per month I would make great savings by connecting to Southern Cross Telco. Did I spend $90-$95 per month? Once again I said no.
It didn't matter what I told her, she just didn't listen. Finally I told her that if the quality of her phone lines was as bad as the one she was calling me on, she didn't stand a hope. The call obviously eminated from the sub-continent and the quality of the line was appalling.
This Frugal Bastard wouldn't be saving any money by using their services. Incidentally, a Telstra representative came around the other night trying to sign me up to Telstra for my landline, gave me a bit of a lecture because I didn't have a mobile to connect to Telstra Mobilenet and wanted to know when I was going to get Foxtel. As soon as I mentioned I was with Digiplus he said he wouldn't have bothered to come if he knew that.
Funny. That's what the last rep a few weeks ago said. They obviously don't communicate too well.
Want An Excellent Telco?
I'm with Digiplus, as I mentioned. I get 16.5 cent local calls, national calls capped at $1.49 for a two hour period between 6-12 in the evening (7-12 in the rest of Australia) and if you join with my recommendation we'll both get $10 worth of calls for free. I also get 10 free local calls per month.
Let me know if you are interested. He he.
A few nights ago I received a phone call from Southern Cross Telco. The Indian, I believe, lady on the other end starting spruiking and telling me that there were wonderful savings to be made by using them and that any customer connected with AAPT, Telstra, Optus or Primus could use them. Was it correct that I was connected with one of those carriers? Even though I said I wasn't she kept rabbiting on.
If I spent $90-$95 per month I would make great savings by connecting to Southern Cross Telco. Did I spend $90-$95 per month? Once again I said no.
It didn't matter what I told her, she just didn't listen. Finally I told her that if the quality of her phone lines was as bad as the one she was calling me on, she didn't stand a hope. The call obviously eminated from the sub-continent and the quality of the line was appalling.
This Frugal Bastard wouldn't be saving any money by using their services. Incidentally, a Telstra representative came around the other night trying to sign me up to Telstra for my landline, gave me a bit of a lecture because I didn't have a mobile to connect to Telstra Mobilenet and wanted to know when I was going to get Foxtel. As soon as I mentioned I was with Digiplus he said he wouldn't have bothered to come if he knew that.
Funny. That's what the last rep a few weeks ago said. They obviously don't communicate too well.
Want An Excellent Telco?
I'm with Digiplus, as I mentioned. I get 16.5 cent local calls, national calls capped at $1.49 for a two hour period between 6-12 in the evening (7-12 in the rest of Australia) and if you join with my recommendation we'll both get $10 worth of calls for free. I also get 10 free local calls per month.
Let me know if you are interested. He he.
My Own Clean Up Australia Day
Yesterday was Clean Up Australia Day. Last year Yu-Jin and I went to the foreshore in South Perth and helped clean up and we have certificates to prove it. It was fun and Yu-Jin tried really hard to beat me.
This year I had my own clean up Australia Day - I had a garage sale. It cost this Frugal Bastard $29.15 to advertise in The Sunday Times for just such a sale. Pretty much all of the baby gear we had was for sale - pram, stroller, baby car seat, ride on fire engine, rocker, bathtub and a ride in push car. I did leave a few things until the last moment. Once I realised that I only had a fifty dollar note I decided to get some change from the deli. That meant purchasing a couple of mini pizzas and some ballons. When I got home I created a sign and put it out the front. My friend Bill came to help with the sale.
I advertised the sale from 9-12 and had two women pop in just before 9. One woman bought the push car and that was it for the morning. I think only two people came because of the ad in the paper and I had more success from my free sign. The car sold for $20 and so I didn't even recover the costs of my ad! Thank goodness Bill only has a mobile phone and it's too expensive to have a long chat. Otherwise we would have had nothing to talk about for three hours.
Everything had to go back from whence it came. The backyard looks so much cleaner without the bubble car in there.
Miky made chicken soup for lunch after I downloaded a recipe from the Internet. And a damn fine job she did of it. Following lunch Bill, Yu-Jin and I went to Bunnings to check out the concrete slabs you use for paving. Looks like it will cost me $66 to deliver the ones that I want as they will weigh 2200 kgs. Next weekend we are planning to do the paving along the side of the house and out the back. This is going to be backbreaking work. What am I getting myself into?
Lock Up The Kids
At Bunnings Yu-Jin wanted to go on the playground. I thought it was interesting that you locked your kids into the playground enclosure. When they get a little bit older, and wiser, they know that they can't be locked up (if they are under 18 and break the law), but as soon as they are 18 we can lock them up again.
There was a 17 year old recently who lit some fires and a TV station was videoing him and he said that they couldn't show his face because he was 17 and that they would be sued if his identity was revealed before giving them the finger.
Why can't we lock up anybody over 12 and not have to wait until they are 18?
Yesterday was Clean Up Australia Day. Last year Yu-Jin and I went to the foreshore in South Perth and helped clean up and we have certificates to prove it. It was fun and Yu-Jin tried really hard to beat me.
This year I had my own clean up Australia Day - I had a garage sale. It cost this Frugal Bastard $29.15 to advertise in The Sunday Times for just such a sale. Pretty much all of the baby gear we had was for sale - pram, stroller, baby car seat, ride on fire engine, rocker, bathtub and a ride in push car. I did leave a few things until the last moment. Once I realised that I only had a fifty dollar note I decided to get some change from the deli. That meant purchasing a couple of mini pizzas and some ballons. When I got home I created a sign and put it out the front. My friend Bill came to help with the sale.
I advertised the sale from 9-12 and had two women pop in just before 9. One woman bought the push car and that was it for the morning. I think only two people came because of the ad in the paper and I had more success from my free sign. The car sold for $20 and so I didn't even recover the costs of my ad! Thank goodness Bill only has a mobile phone and it's too expensive to have a long chat. Otherwise we would have had nothing to talk about for three hours.
Everything had to go back from whence it came. The backyard looks so much cleaner without the bubble car in there.
Miky made chicken soup for lunch after I downloaded a recipe from the Internet. And a damn fine job she did of it. Following lunch Bill, Yu-Jin and I went to Bunnings to check out the concrete slabs you use for paving. Looks like it will cost me $66 to deliver the ones that I want as they will weigh 2200 kgs. Next weekend we are planning to do the paving along the side of the house and out the back. This is going to be backbreaking work. What am I getting myself into?
Lock Up The Kids
At Bunnings Yu-Jin wanted to go on the playground. I thought it was interesting that you locked your kids into the playground enclosure. When they get a little bit older, and wiser, they know that they can't be locked up (if they are under 18 and break the law), but as soon as they are 18 we can lock them up again.
There was a 17 year old recently who lit some fires and a TV station was videoing him and he said that they couldn't show his face because he was 17 and that they would be sued if his identity was revealed before giving them the finger.
Why can't we lock up anybody over 12 and not have to wait until they are 18?
What Exactly Are "Caring Oils"?
I noticed this in the shower last night. No, it's not some strange growth or disfigurement. That's always been there.
It set my silly thinking off - just what are "caring oils"?
Apparently this bottle has 55% caring oils. What are the other oils in the bottle, I wonder? Are they uncaring oils, couldn't-give-a-toss oils, uncommitted oils, malaevolent oils, harmful oils or those dangerous free radicals that we hear so much about?
I noticed this in the shower last night. No, it's not some strange growth or disfigurement. That's always been there.
It set my silly thinking off - just what are "caring oils"?
Apparently this bottle has 55% caring oils. What are the other oils in the bottle, I wonder? Are they uncaring oils, couldn't-give-a-toss oils, uncommitted oils, malaevolent oils, harmful oils or those dangerous free radicals that we hear so much about?
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Friday, March 04, 2005
The Fitness Regime Is Paying Dividends
Since rejoining the sporting fraternity last Friday night by taking up squash, I have lost 1kg. Amazingly, in the week since I started again, I have had two days where I could hardly move, three days of painful hobbling and two days of relatively free movement. All due to my calf injury.
Gone have the morning bike rides, although I did ride yesterday, and the occasional evening walks. I've done bugger all for myself in the past week and still lost weight! Miky says that as soon as I start playing sport again the weight will come back. She is so supportive. Perhaps that was because I told her in the morning and she isn't a morning person.
Apologies for any women reading this who put on weight just by looking at cake.
I Shit You Not
Remember Tweety Bird and Sylvester the cat? Sylvester was always chasing Tweety trying to eat him.
Well, last night we were driving to the shopping centre when I notice a car, on the other side of the road, with the rego "1TWEETY". I shit you not, the car that was behind it had the rego "KITTIE".
Remember Granny always saying, "Bad kittie!" or am I just thinking a little bit too laterally?
Since rejoining the sporting fraternity last Friday night by taking up squash, I have lost 1kg. Amazingly, in the week since I started again, I have had two days where I could hardly move, three days of painful hobbling and two days of relatively free movement. All due to my calf injury.
Gone have the morning bike rides, although I did ride yesterday, and the occasional evening walks. I've done bugger all for myself in the past week and still lost weight! Miky says that as soon as I start playing sport again the weight will come back. She is so supportive. Perhaps that was because I told her in the morning and she isn't a morning person.
Apologies for any women reading this who put on weight just by looking at cake.
I Shit You Not
Remember Tweety Bird and Sylvester the cat? Sylvester was always chasing Tweety trying to eat him.
Well, last night we were driving to the shopping centre when I notice a car, on the other side of the road, with the rego "1TWEETY". I shit you not, the car that was behind it had the rego "KITTIE".
Remember Granny always saying, "Bad kittie!" or am I just thinking a little bit too laterally?
The Most Overused English Language Word
There was a time when we all had fun in Year 10 English with Mrs Mary Cheatham. In one particular class she stood up the front and took her glasses off and gave us a very serious look. As she did this she asked a question.
"What is the most overused word in the English language?" And before anybody could answer she said...
"Oh, no. I can't believe that she is going to say 'f*#k'" I thought.
"It's 'bloody'". Phew.
I have come across a new word that I feel is more appropriate for the title. It's "terrorist". It pops up everyday and in almost every utterance from the Bush Administration puppets. Little Johnny Howard has picked up this new word and brandishes it about at every opportunity.
Don't you think that some of the aura surrounding "terrorist" has disappeared? It is so passe these days to call someone a terrorist. It's almost like a swear word that has lost its effectiveness.
What Does The Singaporean Government Think Will Stop The Terrorists?
While we are on the subject of terrorists, I read an interesting article today. The Singapore Government wants to crack down on prepaid mobile phones because terrorists use them. Simple as that. Prepaid mobiles allow the user to remain anonymous and terrorists seem to quite like the idea of anonymity. Who would have thought?
Let's not stop at banning that tool of terror, the prepaid mobile phone, let's go the whole hog. Why don't we ban Combis (if that is the van of choice of the terrorists), how about the clothes that terrorists wear, maybe the brand of cigarettes that they smoke? How come email is still allowed to be used by the general public? After all, it allows terrorists to communicate with a fair degree of anonymity and could be considered to be a tool of terrorism. Gosh, if they were all Arabs why not ban the speaking of Arabic?
What a stupid stance the Singapore Government has taken. That's right - take away the liberty of people who do no wrong because of a few bad eggs. I am surprised that TVs are still used in Singapore because people can swear on TV and offend millions of people.
Are there no forward-thinking statemen anymore? How blinkered can governments become?
There was a time when we all had fun in Year 10 English with Mrs Mary Cheatham. In one particular class she stood up the front and took her glasses off and gave us a very serious look. As she did this she asked a question.
"What is the most overused word in the English language?" And before anybody could answer she said...
"Oh, no. I can't believe that she is going to say 'f*#k'" I thought.
"It's 'bloody'". Phew.
I have come across a new word that I feel is more appropriate for the title. It's "terrorist". It pops up everyday and in almost every utterance from the Bush Administration puppets. Little Johnny Howard has picked up this new word and brandishes it about at every opportunity.
Don't you think that some of the aura surrounding "terrorist" has disappeared? It is so passe these days to call someone a terrorist. It's almost like a swear word that has lost its effectiveness.
What Does The Singaporean Government Think Will Stop The Terrorists?
While we are on the subject of terrorists, I read an interesting article today. The Singapore Government wants to crack down on prepaid mobile phones because terrorists use them. Simple as that. Prepaid mobiles allow the user to remain anonymous and terrorists seem to quite like the idea of anonymity. Who would have thought?
Let's not stop at banning that tool of terror, the prepaid mobile phone, let's go the whole hog. Why don't we ban Combis (if that is the van of choice of the terrorists), how about the clothes that terrorists wear, maybe the brand of cigarettes that they smoke? How come email is still allowed to be used by the general public? After all, it allows terrorists to communicate with a fair degree of anonymity and could be considered to be a tool of terrorism. Gosh, if they were all Arabs why not ban the speaking of Arabic?
What a stupid stance the Singapore Government has taken. That's right - take away the liberty of people who do no wrong because of a few bad eggs. I am surprised that TVs are still used in Singapore because people can swear on TV and offend millions of people.
Are there no forward-thinking statemen anymore? How blinkered can governments become?
Shame File Number 4
Bloody nitwit this guy. Same intersection as the last one - Leach Highway offramp and Centenarary Ave. I'm waiting at the lights and saw them change with traffic a good fifty metres back. This idiot with a Shannon Noll-type goatee/scruffy patch driving a white Holden Barina, at 7:43 am, with the registration 8PO-240, decided to put his foot down. Our lights changed to green before he entered the intersection. Not a care in the world. He did another stupid overtaking/pushing in manoeuvre so that he would get to Curtin Uni by 8 o'clock I guess. Another one of these students that just isn't prepared for the first class of the day. Perhaps I'm generalising but I've seen uni students come and I've seen them go. Very few of the 8 o'clock class members have the right attitude to be there at that time.
Bloody nitwit this guy. Same intersection as the last one - Leach Highway offramp and Centenarary Ave. I'm waiting at the lights and saw them change with traffic a good fifty metres back. This idiot with a Shannon Noll-type goatee/scruffy patch driving a white Holden Barina, at 7:43 am, with the registration 8PO-240, decided to put his foot down. Our lights changed to green before he entered the intersection. Not a care in the world. He did another stupid overtaking/pushing in manoeuvre so that he would get to Curtin Uni by 8 o'clock I guess. Another one of these students that just isn't prepared for the first class of the day. Perhaps I'm generalising but I've seen uni students come and I've seen them go. Very few of the 8 o'clock class members have the right attitude to be there at that time.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Some Of Miky's Creations
I've got nothing much to say so I'll put some pics of Miky's creations, not including Yu-Jin.
Everything is for sale. Everything except the models. Well, I don't know exactly about the models, but contact me if there is any clothing that you would like to purchase or make enquiries about. Miky made these by herself - from making the design, creating the pattern, cutting the fabric to the sewing of the garments. Got a bit of talent, hasn't she?
I've got nothing much to say so I'll put some pics of Miky's creations, not including Yu-Jin.
Everything is for sale. Everything except the models. Well, I don't know exactly about the models, but contact me if there is any clothing that you would like to purchase or make enquiries about. Miky made these by herself - from making the design, creating the pattern, cutting the fabric to the sewing of the garments. Got a bit of talent, hasn't she?
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