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| Everybody gets named in a Supa IGA ad |
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Strange Asian Surname in Supa IGA Ad
Interesting the way that Supa IGA names people whose faces you see in their ads. I know that Low is an Asian surname but who would name their child "Really"? Really?
Book Review - Shep - my autobiography by David Shepherd
I've always thought that Shep was a bit of a character. One of those larger than life fellows. From what I saw of him on TV as a test match umpire he didn't appear to take any nonsense from the players. His autobiography cost me $2 so surely it was value for money.
I have to say the book was a disappointing read. Sure, I didn't know that Shep was a county cricketer in England before becoming a first class umpire. Books written by former cricketers are normally full of amusing anecdotes about the game of cricket. Ok, there were a few amusing stories but he refers to his Devonian roots and excessive girth far too often during the book. Shep was an insecure cricketer as he didn't have the ability to reach the next level and was always worried about maintaining his place in the Gloucestershire side and trying to lose some weight. He mentions umpire Dickie Bird a few times and his autobiography is the next book on my reading list.
Sorry, but I wouldn't read another book by Shep and I didn't enjoy this one by him. And the foreward by Richie Benaud wasn't flash either.
I have to say the book was a disappointing read. Sure, I didn't know that Shep was a county cricketer in England before becoming a first class umpire. Books written by former cricketers are normally full of amusing anecdotes about the game of cricket. Ok, there were a few amusing stories but he refers to his Devonian roots and excessive girth far too often during the book. Shep was an insecure cricketer as he didn't have the ability to reach the next level and was always worried about maintaining his place in the Gloucestershire side and trying to lose some weight. He mentions umpire Dickie Bird a few times and his autobiography is the next book on my reading list.
Sorry, but I wouldn't read another book by Shep and I didn't enjoy this one by him. And the foreward by Richie Benaud wasn't flash either.
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| Shep - my autobiography by David Shepherd |
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Credit Card Maxxed Out - By Some Other Bastard
Take care with your credit card people. I've just become the victim of credit card fraud. Whilst walking with my colleagues at lunch time I received a phone call from a private number, which in itself was a bit weird, and the guy was from the bank. He mentioned that a couple of strange transactions had taken place on my credit card and asked if was I aware of them. I asked him to call me back in ten minutes time when I would be in the office and could hear him better.
Back in the office I checked my credit card statement and found two purchases for AirAsia flights. These, in fact, weren't the purchases that had set off the bank's credit card fraud mob. There were another couple of transactions that maxxed the card out and happened late at night on the Monday and so weren't on the statement yet. Glad to see that the bank was monitoring it properly. Card was stopped immediately. Luckily the card wasn't linked to any automatic debit payments otherwise I'd have a real headache.
Now, I'm a careful bloke when it comes to money. And doubly so when it relates to my credit card. I've had a credit card for 17 years and keep a written record of purchases and the receipts so that I can check every statement off. In 17 years I haven't had a fraudulent purchase occur. Four cases in a two week period after that is certainly not a coincidence. I keep the statements and receipts for a period of two to three years then shred them. Anything with my address or contact details is shredded and not just thrown out. I discourage mail in my letter box as it is quite easy to steal to obtain personal details. When at a restaurant I go with the credit card to make the payment not trusting the waitstaff to handle my card by themselves. You're not supposed to reveal your PIN to anyone and I haven't. This annoys my wife even though she has no need to know anyway.
So how did this happen? Hm, could have been from any number of shops which have credit card/EFTPOS facilities where I make purchases from. I make purchases online but use HTTPS Websites. It's possible that the credit card details are stored in cookies on my computer but I don't think that my computer has been compromised as I have an up-to-date antivirus package and firewall. Still possible though for a virus to get through. The Websites visited may have some code installed, by others, that allows them to copy credit card details. Could have been a skimmer in the shops - McDonalds had a big problem with that recently and I refuse to use my card there. Somebody in a shop may have just copied the card details down when they had an opportunity. Plenty of ways when you think about it.
I'm sure the Australian Federal Police would be most interested in who took the flights on AirAsia. If you were a criminal, and not too stupid, you certainly wouldn't be booking a flight for yourself with stolen credit card details. It's probably gone to a third party who's using fake ID in any case. Maybe I'm just giving the crims too much credit.
Be careful with your credit cards and who has access to the details. Be vigilant with checking your statements. Use secure Websites. Report any fraudulent activity to your bank.
Reminds me of a joke.
Frank says to his mate, "You know, Ted, some bloke stole my credit card a few months back."
"Really?" said Frank. "That's terrible. What are you gonna do?"
"Well, I think I'll let him keep it. He spends less than my wife used to."
Back in the office I checked my credit card statement and found two purchases for AirAsia flights. These, in fact, weren't the purchases that had set off the bank's credit card fraud mob. There were another couple of transactions that maxxed the card out and happened late at night on the Monday and so weren't on the statement yet. Glad to see that the bank was monitoring it properly. Card was stopped immediately. Luckily the card wasn't linked to any automatic debit payments otherwise I'd have a real headache.
Now, I'm a careful bloke when it comes to money. And doubly so when it relates to my credit card. I've had a credit card for 17 years and keep a written record of purchases and the receipts so that I can check every statement off. In 17 years I haven't had a fraudulent purchase occur. Four cases in a two week period after that is certainly not a coincidence. I keep the statements and receipts for a period of two to three years then shred them. Anything with my address or contact details is shredded and not just thrown out. I discourage mail in my letter box as it is quite easy to steal to obtain personal details. When at a restaurant I go with the credit card to make the payment not trusting the waitstaff to handle my card by themselves. You're not supposed to reveal your PIN to anyone and I haven't. This annoys my wife even though she has no need to know anyway.
So how did this happen? Hm, could have been from any number of shops which have credit card/EFTPOS facilities where I make purchases from. I make purchases online but use HTTPS Websites. It's possible that the credit card details are stored in cookies on my computer but I don't think that my computer has been compromised as I have an up-to-date antivirus package and firewall. Still possible though for a virus to get through. The Websites visited may have some code installed, by others, that allows them to copy credit card details. Could have been a skimmer in the shops - McDonalds had a big problem with that recently and I refuse to use my card there. Somebody in a shop may have just copied the card details down when they had an opportunity. Plenty of ways when you think about it.
I'm sure the Australian Federal Police would be most interested in who took the flights on AirAsia. If you were a criminal, and not too stupid, you certainly wouldn't be booking a flight for yourself with stolen credit card details. It's probably gone to a third party who's using fake ID in any case. Maybe I'm just giving the crims too much credit.
Be careful with your credit cards and who has access to the details. Be vigilant with checking your statements. Use secure Websites. Report any fraudulent activity to your bank.
Reminds me of a joke.
Frank says to his mate, "You know, Ted, some bloke stole my credit card a few months back."
"Really?" said Frank. "That's terrible. What are you gonna do?"
"Well, I think I'll let him keep it. He spends less than my wife used to."
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Update of a Saying
The saying goes:
The man who makes no mistakes generally makes nothing.
I'd like to add a postscript:
The man who makes no mistakes generally makes nothing. The man who makes many mistakes doesn't achieve a whole hell of a lot either.
The man who makes no mistakes generally makes nothing.
I'd like to add a postscript:
The man who makes no mistakes generally makes nothing. The man who makes many mistakes doesn't achieve a whole hell of a lot either.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Western Australian Taekwondo Council State Taekwondo Championship 2010
The Western Australian Taekwondo Council State Taekwondo Championship was held for 2010 a week and a half ago on the weekend. I took a lot of videos and a few photos. Have a look at my compilation of fights. Spent most of the day there and saw some decent action. The one fight I didn't decide to video, as the two girls involved know each other so well and I thought there'd be no action, turned out to be one of the highlights with one girl getting her nose smashed. And I was up close to the action too.
Frugal Bastard presents Western Australian Taekwondo Council State Taekwondo Championship 2010
Frugal Bastard presents Western Australian Taekwondo Council State Taekwondo Championship 2010
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| Some of the ladies in action |
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Book Review - The Breaker by Kit Denton
Bastards! Stupid Pommy bastards! Stupid toadying, obsequious, sycophantic Pommy bastards!
Now that I've got that out of the way I'll tell you about the latest book that I've read. It's called The Breaker and is about Harry Harbord "Breaker" Morant. A talented poet, horseman, womaniser and military man. He seemed to have led a just life but doing things mainly for himself and not for others. He ran away from his problems in Britain, the reason why was never given, and made a life for himself in Australia as a cattle/sheep drover, horse breaker, jockey, fighter, drinker and poet. One could almost say that he was quintessentially Australian.
The book started off in a very difficult manner to read. Maybe that had something to do with me having watched the movie when I was a younger but I thought that the author was trying too hard. Later in the book the writing style suited the story perfectly. It outlines his life and the important characters that he spent his life with in Australia. He had crossed over from a privileged life in Britain to one of hard, honest work in Australia. And then he made the transitition back again effortlessly. One could almost feel proud of the way he crossed the social divide.
When the time came to fight for the mother country against the Boers he did so eagerly. And he did his job well. So well that he was promoted and it appears that he was an accomplished leader of men. From what I read I understand that he was made to be to be a scapegoat for the British military following the murder of a German missionary, to appease the Kaiser, who, incidentally, had been supplying the Boers!
The Breaker is a great read. But I'm starting to consider that it has been written in just such a way. A great read. There's no way that all of the material written about Morant's life could have been documented so well. The story is too well written to be based entirely on fact and appears to be a brilliant piece of fiction.
Having just read Wikipedia's article on Breaker Morant I feel that too much has been made up. Of the three charges the book mentions that he was found not guilty on two counts and guilty on the third. Wikipedia has the findings opposite to the book. The name of the German missionary, Hesse in the book, and Heese online, is interesting that such a difference should exist. Morant, and Peter Handcock, were shot by firing squad for the crime/s that they had been found guilty of. Much to the chagrin of Australians. And the details of the court martial have remained shrouded in secrecy since.
Whatever the truth, it is completely understandable that no Australian (Morant was a British soldier at the time) has been tried by a foreign power since. And quite rightly so.
P.S. - Some news on the case possibly being reopened - it won't be.
Now that I've got that out of the way I'll tell you about the latest book that I've read. It's called The Breaker and is about Harry Harbord "Breaker" Morant. A talented poet, horseman, womaniser and military man. He seemed to have led a just life but doing things mainly for himself and not for others. He ran away from his problems in Britain, the reason why was never given, and made a life for himself in Australia as a cattle/sheep drover, horse breaker, jockey, fighter, drinker and poet. One could almost say that he was quintessentially Australian.
The book started off in a very difficult manner to read. Maybe that had something to do with me having watched the movie when I was a younger but I thought that the author was trying too hard. Later in the book the writing style suited the story perfectly. It outlines his life and the important characters that he spent his life with in Australia. He had crossed over from a privileged life in Britain to one of hard, honest work in Australia. And then he made the transitition back again effortlessly. One could almost feel proud of the way he crossed the social divide.
When the time came to fight for the mother country against the Boers he did so eagerly. And he did his job well. So well that he was promoted and it appears that he was an accomplished leader of men. From what I read I understand that he was made to be to be a scapegoat for the British military following the murder of a German missionary, to appease the Kaiser, who, incidentally, had been supplying the Boers!
The Breaker is a great read. But I'm starting to consider that it has been written in just such a way. A great read. There's no way that all of the material written about Morant's life could have been documented so well. The story is too well written to be based entirely on fact and appears to be a brilliant piece of fiction.
Having just read Wikipedia's article on Breaker Morant I feel that too much has been made up. Of the three charges the book mentions that he was found not guilty on two counts and guilty on the third. Wikipedia has the findings opposite to the book. The name of the German missionary, Hesse in the book, and Heese online, is interesting that such a difference should exist. Morant, and Peter Handcock, were shot by firing squad for the crime/s that they had been found guilty of. Much to the chagrin of Australians. And the details of the court martial have remained shrouded in secrecy since.
Whatever the truth, it is completely understandable that no Australian (Morant was a British soldier at the time) has been tried by a foreign power since. And quite rightly so.
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| The Breaker by Kit Denton |
P.S. - Some news on the case possibly being reopened - it won't be.
Bejeweled Blitz 2 Video - My Highest Score (September 2010)
Just scored my highest in Bejeweled Blitz this morning. At least I think it's something worth skiting about. Check out the video.
Bejeweled Blitz 2 high score for Frugal Bastard.
Bejeweled Blitz 2 high score for Frugal Bastard.
Saturday, September 04, 2010
ABB Golf Day 2010
Lovely day for golf. Any day is a lovely day for golf. I received an invitation for the ABB Golf Day at Joondalup Country Club. It's the best golf course resort in the country. Magnificent course. Unforgiving rough. Teamed up with John, a 2 handicapper, Steve and Mike. Nice company and we managed some good golf. Came in with a score of 5 under for ambrose. I even got to use John's driver on a few occasions. I have to get one of those clubs!
The greens were lightning fast and it was only two days after winter had finished. There was a swing monitor with David Milne and he gave us all a great rundown of our swing. Little bit of work to do but I'd love to have one of these toys.
Frugal Bastard's 2nd drive with the on-course swing monitor.
The greens were lightning fast and it was only two days after winter had finished. There was a swing monitor with David Milne and he gave us all a great rundown of our swing. Little bit of work to do but I'd love to have one of these toys.
Frugal Bastard's 2nd drive with the on-course swing monitor.
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| Joondalup Country Club Entrance |
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| The clubhouse and putting green |
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| Driving range |
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| Gentlemen, start your golf carts |
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| Bit too much flex in the shaft which is a bad affliction for a golfer |
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| Quarry course hole 9 |
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| PGA Teacher of the Year David Milne |
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| Tee at Lake hole 2 |
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| Some beautiful houses surround the course |
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| Plenty of traps for unsuspecting players |
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| Not so interested onlooker |
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| John, Mike, Steve and Frugal Bastard |
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| Quarry hole 2 The Moon Crater |
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| Fabulous landscaping and one of the 18 most beautiful holes in Australia |
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| Reminds me of Stonehenge |
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| Very large male roo - almost maximum zoom so as not to get too close |
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| Few balls down in the old quarry |
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| Must. Have. Club. |
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| Course in magnificent condition |
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