That's One Way To Wash Your Car

Some guys across the road from my work were testing the water pressure on the emergency standby pump. It was coming out at 7.5 Bar. Good thing they put their vehicle in the path of the stream as the car parked directly across the road had its window down slightly. And the passing traffic may have been involved in an accident with that streaming across the road.







They did a second test so I was able to get some pics and a short video. Used plenty of water but it dried up pretty quickly in the 37 degrees we are experiencing at the moment.

The Biggest Loser - It's Not On Channel 10

What a horrible day. It started off ok but soon went downhill. Perhaps I shouldn't have stayed up until after 12am watching the ice hockey at the Winter Olympics but it was the only chance I had of seeing any of it. So, I was a bit knackered when I got up. Actually, woke up a bit early and then reset the alarm for a bit of a sleep-in. Forgot to turn on the alarm though, just set the time. Something told me while I was in la-la land to have a look at the time.

Heading out at 9 o'clock to Collier Park Golf Course for a 9:42 tee with Shayne and Joe and one of Shayne's friends. Backing out of the driveway I noticed that I hadn't turned early enough before there was a very loud bang. The back of the car fell down and I had no traction. Somehow, I had bogged my car and I'd never done this before. Next door is getting her kitchen done and she had a benchtop sitting in a skip on the front verge. I jacked my car up and put the benchtop under the rear wheel. It moved all of three inches.

Bogged my car in my own driveway.

How on earth did I bog my own car?

I called Shayne, as he has a 4WD and was heading up my way, to see if he could give me a hand. My neighbour's neighbour, Jim, whom I hadn't really spoken to in the three and a half years we have lived here, was walking past with his dog and offered to get his ute. He put a rope between our tow bars and pulled me out quite easily. Thank goodness for that. It must have been 30 degrees already by this time and I'd built up a sweat trying to put dirt beneath the car for traction. Called Shayne to tell him I was out and he had just turned the corner into my street.

Paid my green fees at Collier Park and we were called straight down to the tee. We played Pines followed by Lake. Shayne's friend didn't show as he had a wedding to plan. "Last chance to play golf if you're getting married" were my thoughts. The group of four in front of us only had three sets of clubs and they were using golf carts. Not good for my blood pressure. It was bloody hot on the course and any breeze was appreciated. Joe hit a lovely birdie on the par-4 fourth.

On the fifth I spent a bit of time looking for my ball and Joe had some trouble in the lateral water hazard, which, I found out, that you don't have to take a penalty drop from, sorry Joe (we adjusted the scorecard to something quite fair), and fell behind the group in front of us. Then, the girl from the pro shop came by and told us to catch up to the group in front. Typical. All this time they've been holding us up and we are the ones getting told off.

Did I mention that it was hot? Temperature was supposed to reach 33 degrees. When there was no wind it was awfully warm. Richard, a four handicapper, joined us for the back nine which he shot a level par 35 for! Pleasure to watch. Joe and Shayne went with him a bit but I kept playing RS. It was 36.6 degrees when we finished. Boy was I glad that I took some frozen water with me along with a couple of other drinks. The sorry tale is below.

Collier Park Scorecard 26th Feb 2006.

Look, I lost on handicap to both Joe and Shayne and Joe obliterated me off the stick as well. Sorry day. And it kept getting worse.

As we had had a BBQ at work on Friday I was unable to do the fruit and veg shopping at the marketes. Once I arrived home and had a cold shower Yu-Jin and I decided to head up to Subiaco. Had to bribe him with a smoothie if he came. Miky didn't want to come. Good thing too. We were trying to get to Subiaco at the same time as several thousand Eagles and Dockers supporters were as there was a pre-season AFL match on at Subiaco Oval between the two teams. Traffic was stupid, it was Sunday afternoon afterall, and that meant that parking near the markets would be severely restriced. Ended up parking a few blocks away and neither of us had a hat for our walk in the sun.

I swear never to go to Subiaco Markets on Sunday afternoon again. It was so busy you could hardly move in the stalls. And they only had half of the items left on my shopping list. Bought a pineapple and had an argument with the checkout girl. I wanted to pay their advertised price and she insisted on a different price advertised elsewhere. All the pineapples in the area that I got it from were the same so her suggestion that someone had dumped it from a different area didn't cut it with me. Finally got what I wanted but not until the guy on the adjacent checkout commented "It's stingy hour". Shit! I didn't come here to buy cheap, worn out fruit and vegies because they were offering them at lower prices. Bastard. One instance where I wasn't trying to be frugal. You advertise at one price and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay more.

Following that less-than-successful purchase we had a strawberry smoothie. I left Yu-Jin with the shopping and the smoothie as I really wanted to purchase a few other items. Had to wait ages in the shop just to get four vegies. And then I had the change thrown at me with no "Thank you" or anything.

Frugal Bastard is the Biggest Loser this weekend. Don't bother tuning into Channel 10.

New Theory Behind September 11th

It hit me this morning on the drive in to work today. September 11th was not about the hatred of the United States by radical muslim extremists known as al-Qaida. Absolutely not. It's about choice of car for Arabs. The car of preference for Arabs is the Mercedes Benz. You see them everywhere.

September 11th was an attack on Porsche. Their most famous model is the 911. Obviously Porsche won't sell their vehicles to Arabs. That's why the date of 911 was chosen folks.

Who is next on the list? My guess it is the Cayman Islands - Porsche have the Cayman. Tia Carrera should also bump up her personal security - ever heard of the Carrera?

Keep an eye on September 44th people. Remember the 944?

Author's Note: Please feel free to inform the author that he is full of it. Slow news day today.

Too Many Thoughts In My Head

Censorship On The Radio

96fm is known for playing older music, some 70s and 80s stuff, that most FM stations don't play anymore. It's still a little bit too new to make the AM stations as the only seem to play music from the gramaphone era. Yesterday they had Cliff Richard with "Wired for sound" and I was enjoying it very much. Yes, I can admit that I like listening to Cliff Richard. After about two minutes it was pulled from the air! I don't think I've ever witnessed a song being stopped midway before. The announcer interrupted and asked people to stop calling about taking the song off as he'd had about two dozen calls already. Unbelievable! People that like the older music couldn't stand a bit of ol' Cliff.

What Was The Psycho Thinking?

The Health Minister, Tony Abbott, visited a psychiatric hospital yesterday and was attacked by a patient who punched him twice. Doctors said that he probably didn't know who Tony Abbott was.

Yeah, if he'd known he would most likely have tried to strangle him instead.

Bloody Cars

Miky got her alternator fixed yesterday. It set us back a total of $420. Scheisse. I checked my radiator coolant and couldn't find any in the overflow tank. Only had one litre of coolant left, put it in, and still couldn't see any in the overflow tank. I left the bonnet up so that I would go back and replace the radiator cap. Shut the bonnet afterwards. We have had some hot weather lately, up to 40.1 degrees, and my car hadn't even gotten warm so I decided to wait a day before buying more coolant.

Driving to work this morning and I noticed some steam coming out of the engine bay. Oh shit. Then the cars started banking up, just when I needed to keep the car going as much as possible to let the air intake keep the engine cool. The engine was a bit warmer than normal so I put the heater on full bore to take a bit of heat out. Got to work safely.

Borrowed one of the work vehicles at lunch time to get five litres of coolant and that didn't even fill the overflow tank. It was at this time that I noticed the reason for the steam emenating from the engine bay - I had forgotten to put the radiator cap back on!! And it was still sitting on top of the overflow tank!!! Dumb point.

Putting The Price Of Fuel Into Context

Filled the car up tonight with fuel. Man, Woolworths +Plus Petrol must have the slowest bowsers this side of the universe. Putting 64 litres in took such a long time. I'm glad that I don't own a truck. What struck me about the time the last drops were going in was the fact that it costs more to fill my car than to pay my mortgage repayments. What is happening to the world?

Excuse Me While I Get Into My Other Skin

Went for an early morning walk today. On the way home I was thinking about something and could hear a dog barking nearby. Then I heard a crackle behind me as a branch was broken. Boy, did I jump out of my skin. And I mean that I jumped. It was only some guy riding his bike behind me and I had thought that it was a dog attacking. If snakes could only change their skin as quickly as I did. The guy was nice enough to say "G'day" as he went past however.

Quotes From Admiral Yi Sun-shin

I look up to Admiral Yi Sun-shin - Korea's greatest hero. The entry in Wikipedia isn't too long to read and I'll give you some of his quotes. The first two were inscribed on his swords.

Samcheok seocheonsanha dongsaek - As this sword is pledged to the sky, the mountains and the waters tremble. (Meaning [I think] - If I am fighting for you do not fear but, if I am fighting against you you should be full of fear)

Ilhwi sotang hyeohyeom sanha - Once this sword is brandished, the country will run with blood. (Meaning [I think] - Once I go into battle there will be much death as I don't muck about)

The enemy knows me. I must become another me, one the enemy does not know.

The soldier who fights to death never dies, but the soldier who fights for existence never truly exists.

My life is simple, my food is plain, and my quarters are uncluttered. In all things, I have sought clarity. I face the troubles and problems of life and death willingly. Virtue, integrity and courage are my priorities. I can be approached, but never pushed; befriended but never coerced; killed but never shamed.

Do not weep, do not notify my men of my death. Beat the drum, blow the trumpet, wave the flag for advance, we are still fighting; finish the enemy to the last one.

Sounds Like A Lovely Scam To Me

Subject: RE-URGENT

Dear Sir, CELL: +27-735-545272


I have picked-up the trust and courage to write you this letter with divine
confidence that you are a reliable and honest person who will be capable for
this important business transaction believing also that you will never let
me down either now or in the future.My name is DR MICHEAL ZOLA a senior
Auditing Officer with the Peoples Bank in South Africa. There is an account
opened in this bank in 1980 and since 1996 nobody has operated on
thisaccount again. After going through some old files in the records, I
discovered that if I do not remit this money out urgently it would be
forfeited to the government as dormant account.The owner of this account is
Mr. Duckson Fritz, a foreigner, he was a miner at Kruger Gold Company, a
geologist by profession, and he died since 1996 in a plane crash. No other
person knows about this account or anything concerning it, the account has
no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that this
compa! ny does not know anything about this account and the amount involved
is (US$12 million) Twelve million United States Dollars. I want to transfer
this sum of Twelve million United States Dollars into a safe foreign account
abroad. I am contacting you based on the fact that you are a foreigner
because this money can only be approved for payment to a foreigner.I know
that this proposal will come to you as a surprise as we don't know ourselves
before.However I got your contact from a trade consultant here in South
Africa, though I did not disclose the purpose of my seeking for a foreign
business partner to him.Although we will still have to meet to sign some
agreement before the final transfer of the fund into any of your designated
bank account. I have involved a very senior official in the operational
department, and we have agreed that after the transfer of the money into
your account, you shall be entitled to 30% of the total sum, my colleagues
and I will have 60% while 10% ! will be used to reimburse any expenses
incurred. All necessary precautions have been taken to ensure a risk free
situation on the side of both parties.Please note that this deal can only
take place on the following conditions; 1. You will provide the bank account
and other relevantparticulars information for easy and onward Remittance of
the Twelve million USD. 2. Absolute confidentiality and sincerity will be
required and guaranteed, considering our positions in the bank. 3. Assurance
that our own share will be released to us in good faith when this money
finally gets into your account.All things being equal, this transaction will
be within 10 working days as soon as we hear from you. Please treat with
utmost confidentiality. Contact me as quickly as possible through my e-mail:
or above telephone.Expecting your urgent response,


Best Regards.

Yours faithfully DR. MICHEAL ZOLA


- In Australia if a bank account has been inactive for 7 years I think the money goes into the Government's coffers and is called "consolidated revenue".
- Funny to see that he can't spell the name Michael properly.
- Why would an auditing officer have a doctorate?
- Ever heard of somebody with the first name of "Duckson"?
- Glad that he added me to his email list. I just wish that I had use for US$3.6m and I might want to help this poor guy out. Only 30% - cheapskate.

Now That's What I Call Service

Very rarely does an organisation provide service that's satisfies their customers these days. Or am I just a narky customer? That changed tonight, for the better.

Miky rang me at work to say that she was at a friend's house and that her car wouldn't go. I got her to try a few things but she was getting nowhere. Had to wait until I finished work. Thankfully she wasn't too far from home. Looked to me like the starter motor had had it. Her friends were a Korean family who are new to the country. I was wanting to meet them but not exactly under these circumstances.

Anyway, I rang the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) to tell them that my wife's car had broken down. Miky isn't a member of the RAC but Libby, the lady taking the call, said that as I had been a member for quite a long time (13 years) and had made very few calls, she would swap my car for Miky's and allow it to be fixed for free. Wow!! That's what I call service. Talk about exceeding my expectations. I won't have too many worries about paying $66 for an annual membership for Miky in the not too distant future.

Libby said that the patrolman would be there within an hour. I grabbed some pizzas and they cooked some octopus and noodles. Just as we sat down to eat the octopus the patrolman came. Bugger. Almost no oil in the engine and the real cause was a flat battery. Not that the battery was at fault it was in fact a crook altenator. The patrolman, who never got around to introducing himself, gave it a bit of a charge and said that Miky wouldn't be able to drive the car at night.

As it was ten to seven, and sunset was due for 7pm, I told her that we had to go now. Pity. I would have liked to spend more time eating octopus, er, meeting these new people. It felt like I was in Korea as I was the only one in the household who didn't know what was going on as they were all speaking Korean.

Thank you RAC. Your service was outstanding. I'm happy to recommend your services.

Nerd? Geek? Or Dork?

Sixty questions to find out what I already knew. Does that mean that the test was accurate or that I'd worked out the questions?

Tri-Lamb Material 73 % Nerd, 47% Geek, 60% Dork

For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored better than half in Nerd and Dork, earning you the coveted title of: Tri-Lamb Material. The classic, "80's" nerd, you are what most people think of when they think "nerd," largely due to 80's movies like Revenge of the Nerds and TV shows like Head of the Class. You're exceptionally bright and smart, and partly because of that have never quite fit in with your peers or social groups. Perhaps you've realized, or will someday, that it is possible to retain all of the things that you like about being brilliant and still make peace with the social cliques around you. Or maybe you won't--it's really not necessary. As the brothers of Lambda Lambda Lambda discovered, you're fine just the way you are and can take pride in that. I mean, who wants to be like Ogre, right!? THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 83% on nerdiness You scored higher than 65% on geekosity You scored higher than 96% on dork points

Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test