At long last i've finally decided to kick the dust off this blog of mine. It's been an age, and then some. I'm actually surprised that the blog still exists, but hey... perhaps I am loved afterall. So to herald my return to the world of blogging i've decided to let loose with a tip on conducting presentations - and that tip is: Always have Outlook closed.
So every week we have this team meeting and we have the occasional guest speaker. Now, I won't bore you with all of the details on what the presentation actually contained... but it was mildly interesting. Now the presenter had brought his own laptop, and was connected to his email wirelessly. He had prepared presentation slides and they were visible to the 25-odd attendees via a data projector pointing to a bare white wall.
Now, as many of you are aware Outlook has this feature where a little pop-up appears on the bottom right of the screen when an email is received. Just to be sure that we don't miss it. Well, this was one occasion where you clearly did not want the incoming email alert to fire up. Lo and behold, up came the alert approximately 35 minutes into the presentation.
I don't know the presenter, and I don't exactly know what the contents of the email were but the subject alone was enough to have me in stitches, along with many of the other attendees at this meeting. In big, bold, capital letters the subject was clear for everyone to see... and it was "I AM GAY!!!". ROFL! Poor guy had a hard time recovering from that email. The presentation wrapped up 5 minutes later. So a tip for those that wish to hold presentations... always have Outlook closed.
I hope that was entertaining, and chances are that i'll probably take an age to write again. See how diligent I am. Ciao!
Showing posts with label banter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label banter. Show all posts
Monday, June 01, 2009
Monday, February 12, 2007
The Asakusa Grab - Day 2
The afternoon tour began (for those that were on the morning tour continuing onwards) in Ginza shortly after lunch had ended. The new tour guide's name was Reiko. The morning tour was one of enlightenment, however the funniest moment (and strangest) of the day was in the afternoon tour. This leads me to the first stop for the afternoon - the Asakusa Temple, a Buddhist temple.
To get to Asakusa shrine we had to catch a ferry. I don't quite remember the name of the wharf that we travelled to, however our destination was clear - Asakusa. The trip wasn't the shortest, 40 minutes, but it was quite the cruisy trip. I wasn't really paying too much attention to the announcements over the intercom, however it appeared to me that many of the bridges that we passed under are imitations of bridges that exist (or have existed) around the world. Odd, but whatever works.
We were greeted by a seriously packed temple after walking from the wharf. There were people everywhere! Dozens of tiny stalls lined the main walkway to the Temple building itself. True hustle and bustle style. After moving past the stalls Reiko stopped us and started to explain the story behind the temple and the pagoda, but the best part of the afternoon is to come.
On the way to the temple itself we came across a tiny little structure which had incense in it. I asked Reiko what this was for and she mentioned the incense smoke is meant to purify the body (wash away badness).
Classic moment here at the incense structure. As I was breathing in the incense and wafting the air around me a young Japanese couple caught my eye. They really only caught my eye because they were directly opposite me. I then started to observe their behaviour. The girl was closer to the incense and the boyfriend was close behind. He started to waft some incense her way and she breathed it in. Seemed like a fair enough thing to do. Next, something that I wouldn't have ever expected. The boyfriend stopped wafting incense and slowly moved his hand down and... grabbed her breast! Obviously, she gave him a playful slap and they walked away. Tell you what, it was hillarious to watch. As I said, classic moment. (Apologies if I have offended anyone).
On that note, i'll leave it there. Did end up going to Akibahara and Roppongi Hills as well as eat at a sushi/sashimi restaurant.
Ginza Shopping District
The Asakusa Grab
Roppongi Hills at Night
To get to Asakusa shrine we had to catch a ferry. I don't quite remember the name of the wharf that we travelled to, however our destination was clear - Asakusa. The trip wasn't the shortest, 40 minutes, but it was quite the cruisy trip. I wasn't really paying too much attention to the announcements over the intercom, however it appeared to me that many of the bridges that we passed under are imitations of bridges that exist (or have existed) around the world. Odd, but whatever works.
We were greeted by a seriously packed temple after walking from the wharf. There were people everywhere! Dozens of tiny stalls lined the main walkway to the Temple building itself. True hustle and bustle style. After moving past the stalls Reiko stopped us and started to explain the story behind the temple and the pagoda, but the best part of the afternoon is to come.
On the way to the temple itself we came across a tiny little structure which had incense in it. I asked Reiko what this was for and she mentioned the incense smoke is meant to purify the body (wash away badness).
Classic moment here at the incense structure. As I was breathing in the incense and wafting the air around me a young Japanese couple caught my eye. They really only caught my eye because they were directly opposite me. I then started to observe their behaviour. The girl was closer to the incense and the boyfriend was close behind. He started to waft some incense her way and she breathed it in. Seemed like a fair enough thing to do. Next, something that I wouldn't have ever expected. The boyfriend stopped wafting incense and slowly moved his hand down and... grabbed her breast! Obviously, she gave him a playful slap and they walked away. Tell you what, it was hillarious to watch. As I said, classic moment. (Apologies if I have offended anyone).
On that note, i'll leave it there. Did end up going to Akibahara and Roppongi Hills as well as eat at a sushi/sashimi restaurant.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Touchdown In Tokyo - Day 1, Part 2
So... the rest of Day 1. Dinner. We ended up wandering around for about half an hour before heading back towards the hotel and we spotted a neat little side stall with some Ramen plastic imitations out the front. It looked like a neat little place to eat, so we headed in. Trouble greeted us as we sat down - the menu in front of us (if you can call it a menu) was only in Japanese. Furthermore, the staff also only spoke Japanese. Arg. We did manage to order though - as we pointed to what we wanted to order (the imitations out the front). In the end it was quite a good feed, and it was also reasonably priced.
I've been told by almost everyone that everything in Tokyo is expensive. I don't really believe that this is the case, although it's really only Day 1. The ramen meal that I ate was 900 yen, which is roughly 9 Aussie dollars. Not too mch different than eating noodles back home. Will definitely have to see how it all pans out as the trip progresses.
One really odd part of the dinner experience was the lack of Japanese people around. For some reason this little Ramen shop on the main street seemed to be a bit of a foreigner's haven (although not foreigners in the blond hair and blue eyes sense). There seemed to be some people who spoke both Cantonese and Mandarin wandering into the store as we were sitting there. Strange. There were Japanese people inside though, but only a few.
So after dinner it was time to walk around for a little bit. It's always good to have a bit of a walk around after eating... well I guess it's always a good time to have a bit of a walk. Anyway, we walked this wide circuit out eastward gradually making our way back to the hotel. A few interesting points to mention whilst bumbling about town.
Petrol stations. Yep, petrol stations. Maybe it was the chilly night messing with my brain, or maybe it was something else - but I was thoroughly impressed with one of the Japanese petrol stations that we passed. The photo can be seen below. The fuel pumps come from the ceiling - quality. Furthermore, the price / amount of fuel is displayed on this electronic board above the entrance of the shop. I wish there was a Dr. Drive in Sydney. Classic. Actually, really don't know why I got excited about this... Japanese technology is great!
Respect. The Japanese seem to be big on respect, and this was quite true on the stroll around town. Being a big urban behemoth, Tokyo has quite a bit of construction work about the place. We passed by one of these contstruction sites and there were people assisting with the flow of traffic (both pedestrian and cars). As we were passing by one of the construction sites, one of the gentlemen there bowed to us. Impressive. Of course, a return bow was given :).
Finally, a little bit of humour - at the vending machine. Shenanigans at the vending machine - seriously funny. Got some video of this, but Blogger doesn't accept video as far as I can tell. If I can be bothered, maybe i'll whack it on You-Tube or something. So given that there are thousands of these vending machines about we thought we'd give it a try by purchasing some Hot Chocolate. It should have been easy - but it wasn't. Dave had a crack at the vending machine first - 120 yen required. Dave puts in a sucession of coins... all rejected. He gives the machine another look and tries again. Failure. Would have been highly embarrasing if anyone were to watch. So I then have a go. The money is accepted, I press the button for Hot Chocolate (as well as the funky one with the rabbit) and out it comes. Classic. In built discrimination! After I got my drink, Dave managed to get his. Quite the funny way to end the day.
Tokyo Tower at Night
Dr.Drive Petrol Station
Vending Machine Shenanigans
I've been told by almost everyone that everything in Tokyo is expensive. I don't really believe that this is the case, although it's really only Day 1. The ramen meal that I ate was 900 yen, which is roughly 9 Aussie dollars. Not too mch different than eating noodles back home. Will definitely have to see how it all pans out as the trip progresses.
One really odd part of the dinner experience was the lack of Japanese people around. For some reason this little Ramen shop on the main street seemed to be a bit of a foreigner's haven (although not foreigners in the blond hair and blue eyes sense). There seemed to be some people who spoke both Cantonese and Mandarin wandering into the store as we were sitting there. Strange. There were Japanese people inside though, but only a few.
So after dinner it was time to walk around for a little bit. It's always good to have a bit of a walk around after eating... well I guess it's always a good time to have a bit of a walk. Anyway, we walked this wide circuit out eastward gradually making our way back to the hotel. A few interesting points to mention whilst bumbling about town.
Petrol stations. Yep, petrol stations. Maybe it was the chilly night messing with my brain, or maybe it was something else - but I was thoroughly impressed with one of the Japanese petrol stations that we passed. The photo can be seen below. The fuel pumps come from the ceiling - quality. Furthermore, the price / amount of fuel is displayed on this electronic board above the entrance of the shop. I wish there was a Dr. Drive in Sydney. Classic. Actually, really don't know why I got excited about this... Japanese technology is great!
Respect. The Japanese seem to be big on respect, and this was quite true on the stroll around town. Being a big urban behemoth, Tokyo has quite a bit of construction work about the place. We passed by one of these contstruction sites and there were people assisting with the flow of traffic (both pedestrian and cars). As we were passing by one of the construction sites, one of the gentlemen there bowed to us. Impressive. Of course, a return bow was given :).
Finally, a little bit of humour - at the vending machine. Shenanigans at the vending machine - seriously funny. Got some video of this, but Blogger doesn't accept video as far as I can tell. If I can be bothered, maybe i'll whack it on You-Tube or something. So given that there are thousands of these vending machines about we thought we'd give it a try by purchasing some Hot Chocolate. It should have been easy - but it wasn't. Dave had a crack at the vending machine first - 120 yen required. Dave puts in a sucession of coins... all rejected. He gives the machine another look and tries again. Failure. Would have been highly embarrasing if anyone were to watch. So I then have a go. The money is accepted, I press the button for Hot Chocolate (as well as the funky one with the rabbit) and out it comes. Classic. In built discrimination! After I got my drink, Dave managed to get his. Quite the funny way to end the day.
Touchdown in Tokyo - Day 1, Part 1
Day 1 was quite the adventure, things are great here overall plus i've started to keep a travel diary which is completely separate from the blog. I think the format for the future will be that blog entries will be summaries of the travel diary - although there's no guarantee that i'll be doing either. Planes, public transport, and bumbling around the city was the order of the day. Much to laugh about.
First i'll start off with planes and technology. I've always mentioned that there should be external cameras on commercial planes, but it appears that Japan airlines is way ahead of me. Obviously i've been watching too much Air Crash Investigation. Anyway, all off the passengers aboard the flight (Sydney - Tokyo) had access to two external cameras - one facing forward and one facing below. Novel!
Takeoff was quite the thrill, considering that there was more to see. Not only did I have a partial view out the window (just forward of the right wing), there were also the external cameras to look at. Flying has become that much better. Truly. I would highly recommend that other carriers provide the same external camera service for their passengers - it would also lessen the appeal of a window seat. Slightly.
Take off was 10:50am Sydney time and touchdown was 6:00pm Tokyo time. Slightly ahead of schedule. After touching down at Narita International Airport we had to make our way to the hotel via train - which leads me to my second point, public transport.
Getting around in Tokyo is quite simple, everything is in English as well as in Japanese! Even though there are masses of train/subway lines cris-crossing Tokyo it's still dead easy to get around... and quickly too. Everything is intuitive, and it is difficult to remian lost for long. A plethora of signs leading to stations, graphical displays of upcoming stations with approximate timings on the stations, and status indicators on the trains themselves (along with automated voice confirmations) makes travelling around in Tokyo a real treat. Truly a standard for City Rail should adopt, or attempt to adopt.
Sitting on the train also leads me to my little Lonely Planet joke. Although it sounds much worse written down (I promise). It's one of those random comments that seem to come out of my mouth from time to time. The situation is that i'm reading through some phrases out of the Lonely Planet book helpfully donated to me by Kieu... common phrases such as "Arigato gozaimasu", meaning "Thank you, sir/madam". Suddenly I flick the page and spot some odd phrases and start to laugh. This page contains the Japanese translation for the phrase - "I have diarrhoea". Seriously, I can see why it can be a Lonely Planet - with people using phrases like that I can see why it would be hard to make friends!
I've split this entry up into two, as there's lots to read and you probably want to see some photos!
First i'll start off with planes and technology. I've always mentioned that there should be external cameras on commercial planes, but it appears that Japan airlines is way ahead of me. Obviously i've been watching too much Air Crash Investigation. Anyway, all off the passengers aboard the flight (Sydney - Tokyo) had access to two external cameras - one facing forward and one facing below. Novel!
Takeoff was quite the thrill, considering that there was more to see. Not only did I have a partial view out the window (just forward of the right wing), there were also the external cameras to look at. Flying has become that much better. Truly. I would highly recommend that other carriers provide the same external camera service for their passengers - it would also lessen the appeal of a window seat. Slightly.
Take off was 10:50am Sydney time and touchdown was 6:00pm Tokyo time. Slightly ahead of schedule. After touching down at Narita International Airport we had to make our way to the hotel via train - which leads me to my second point, public transport.
Getting around in Tokyo is quite simple, everything is in English as well as in Japanese! Even though there are masses of train/subway lines cris-crossing Tokyo it's still dead easy to get around... and quickly too. Everything is intuitive, and it is difficult to remian lost for long. A plethora of signs leading to stations, graphical displays of upcoming stations with approximate timings on the stations, and status indicators on the trains themselves (along with automated voice confirmations) makes travelling around in Tokyo a real treat. Truly a standard for City Rail should adopt, or attempt to adopt.
Sitting on the train also leads me to my little Lonely Planet joke. Although it sounds much worse written down (I promise). It's one of those random comments that seem to come out of my mouth from time to time. The situation is that i'm reading through some phrases out of the Lonely Planet book helpfully donated to me by Kieu... common phrases such as "Arigato gozaimasu", meaning "Thank you, sir/madam". Suddenly I flick the page and spot some odd phrases and start to laugh. This page contains the Japanese translation for the phrase - "I have diarrhoea". Seriously, I can see why it can be a Lonely Planet - with people using phrases like that I can see why it would be hard to make friends!
I've split this entry up into two, as there's lots to read and you probably want to see some photos!
-- Apologies for the poor use of past and present tense (if there are any errors), i'm sitting in the business centre of the Shiba Park Hotel but some retard is playing really annoying dance music... trying to concentrate damn it!!!
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Back to School with Finsia
It's back-to-school time and it looks like i'll be going back as well. I've signed up for a post-graduate Diploma! Yay me. Perhaps I enjoy inflicting pain upon myself - who would want to study some more after 17 years worth of schooling? Meh, the damage has been done and so i'll probably be studying for two more years (part-time). Hopefully i'll learn something!
So what's doing? I've signed up for a Grad Dip in Applied Finance and Investment with Finsia. They have three sessions a year (called trimesters), and i'll be aiming to subscribe to one subject per semester. Exciting, eh? Time will tell.
Classes are on every Tuesday night and from the looks of things... it's packed. I don't always get to leave work before the 6pm lecture start time, so that leaves me with few options when it comes to seating. A pain in the ass... literally. Just this Tuesday I ended up sitting on my ass with my back against the wall for one and a half hours! I spent half the time striking a delicate balance between a dead leg and the tingly sensation of pins and needles. Fun plus a hundred.
Meh, will see how it goes. On a more exciting note, my travel plans have been confirmed! Yesssss. I'm off to Japan soon for some ski-action, but more on that one later. I have to do some reading because i'm already behind... it's only Week 2. Good thing I don't believe in omens - otherwise i'd be a gonner. I promise to write more about my travel plans, and even more once I get back.
Anyway, i'll finish off with a random pic from my new Camera. Am I an artiste or what! Haha.
So what's doing? I've signed up for a Grad Dip in Applied Finance and Investment with Finsia. They have three sessions a year (called trimesters), and i'll be aiming to subscribe to one subject per semester. Exciting, eh? Time will tell.
Classes are on every Tuesday night and from the looks of things... it's packed. I don't always get to leave work before the 6pm lecture start time, so that leaves me with few options when it comes to seating. A pain in the ass... literally. Just this Tuesday I ended up sitting on my ass with my back against the wall for one and a half hours! I spent half the time striking a delicate balance between a dead leg and the tingly sensation of pins and needles. Fun plus a hundred.
Meh, will see how it goes. On a more exciting note, my travel plans have been confirmed! Yesssss. I'm off to Japan soon for some ski-action, but more on that one later. I have to do some reading because i'm already behind... it's only Week 2. Good thing I don't believe in omens - otherwise i'd be a gonner. I promise to write more about my travel plans, and even more once I get back.
Anyway, i'll finish off with a random pic from my new Camera. Am I an artiste or what! Haha.
Monday, January 22, 2007
I want a Wii
The weekend was a scorcher, plus it was packed. What did I do this weekend? Played sports of course, probably not the best idea in the world... but that's how it is. More importantly, I have succumbed to the allure of the Nintendo Wii - go the Spanish babes! So let's go through the weekend in order.
Saturday - Cricket, Symphony in the Domain, Wii. First up - not the best outcome for us. A good opportunity for us to secure our semi-final berth, being 3rd on the ladder playing the 2nd on the ladder. Fortune was not with us this day, with the opponents scoring 137 and our chase flailing at 6/50-odd. Stupid me threw away my wicket again - scored 5 in quick time before being bowled whilst playing a dumbass shot.
Moving on from the disappointing day at the cricket, Symphony in the domain. I believe that it a was the 25th year of Symphony in the Domain and the 75th year of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. I was quite impressed with the whole show - but I guess I wasn't the biggest fan of Jazz in the Domain, hence my less than glowing expectations. Met a whole bunch of people on the weekend also... but i'll fast forward onto the Wii.
Wii. OMG it's mad. First of all, it's a novel invention. Secondly, it's intuitive. Finally, it's hella fun! I'm going to go look for one now, but i'm betting that i'll be unable to find one given the demand for it. I played the Wii at Smoker's place and I just can't get over how cool the console is! Doing some research on the Wii (although i've already been sold) I was stunned by how serious some Wii-gamers can be. Check out this Philadelphia guy - losing weight thanks to the Wii!
Sunday - Bloody hot. Played basketball at the Cook & Phillip Fitness Centre (Cnr. William and College St.) and nearly killed myself. Running around with the mercury topping 40 degrees is a recipe for disaster. Summary: mixed basketball, was on the losing side, and i'm still terrible at shooting hoops. One positive is that next time we go to the Fitness Centre for basketball I can bring my boardies, as there's a pool in the complex! Mwhah.
Anyway, enough from me - time to search for a Wii.
Saturday - Cricket, Symphony in the Domain, Wii. First up - not the best outcome for us. A good opportunity for us to secure our semi-final berth, being 3rd on the ladder playing the 2nd on the ladder. Fortune was not with us this day, with the opponents scoring 137 and our chase flailing at 6/50-odd. Stupid me threw away my wicket again - scored 5 in quick time before being bowled whilst playing a dumbass shot.
Moving on from the disappointing day at the cricket, Symphony in the domain. I believe that it a was the 25th year of Symphony in the Domain and the 75th year of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. I was quite impressed with the whole show - but I guess I wasn't the biggest fan of Jazz in the Domain, hence my less than glowing expectations. Met a whole bunch of people on the weekend also... but i'll fast forward onto the Wii.
Wii. OMG it's mad. First of all, it's a novel invention. Secondly, it's intuitive. Finally, it's hella fun! I'm going to go look for one now, but i'm betting that i'll be unable to find one given the demand for it. I played the Wii at Smoker's place and I just can't get over how cool the console is! Doing some research on the Wii (although i've already been sold) I was stunned by how serious some Wii-gamers can be. Check out this Philadelphia guy - losing weight thanks to the Wii!
Sunday - Bloody hot. Played basketball at the Cook & Phillip Fitness Centre (Cnr. William and College St.) and nearly killed myself. Running around with the mercury topping 40 degrees is a recipe for disaster. Summary: mixed basketball, was on the losing side, and i'm still terrible at shooting hoops. One positive is that next time we go to the Fitness Centre for basketball I can bring my boardies, as there's a pool in the complex! Mwhah.
Anyway, enough from me - time to search for a Wii.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Clarity of vision and new gadgets
This week I have spent lots of money, and I mean lots of money. At a glance i've almost spent a thousand dollars - yep $1k! I believe that it's worth it, however the sheer amount of dollars being spent is quite disturbing. Quicken tells me that i'm not doing the best job of saving money at the moment... damn.
So what's new? Well - first up... i've got a new pair of glasses! Finally i've ditched the old pair of partially chipped lenses and i've gotten a new set - Oakleys. Something a little more suited to an active lifestyle. The Oakleys have rubber on the tips and wrap around the head, so they won't fall off or move as easily as my older pairs.
Also, i've got a new gadget to play with - a Canon IXUS 65! Truly a fine little gadget. Looks quite sleek, has a large LCD display and seems quite capable judging from a few test shots that I took. Shall see it's true potential soon enough! Exciting times.
Anyhoo, enough from me - going to play with some labels and stuff (as Blogger has introduced some new features).
So what's new? Well - first up... i've got a new pair of glasses! Finally i've ditched the old pair of partially chipped lenses and i've gotten a new set - Oakleys. Something a little more suited to an active lifestyle. The Oakleys have rubber on the tips and wrap around the head, so they won't fall off or move as easily as my older pairs.
Also, i've got a new gadget to play with - a Canon IXUS 65! Truly a fine little gadget. Looks quite sleek, has a large LCD display and seems quite capable judging from a few test shots that I took. Shall see it's true potential soon enough! Exciting times.
Anyhoo, enough from me - going to play with some labels and stuff (as Blogger has introduced some new features).
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Happy New Year 2007
Back into the posting after half a year, why not. I'm not really one for New Year Resolutions, but it can't hurt putting together a few goals for the new year. Before I mention some of the wierd and wonderful things that i'll be doing in the year ahead I might as well mention how it is that I have come back to the blogging world.
Mark's blog has a massive fan base that is calling out for a revival? Nope... plus it's probably best that I don't know how many people visit my blog. Mark really wants to become a writer and needs to get some practice in before hitting the big time? Nope. "What is it then???" is the million dollar question - well, the real truth is that I was Googling myself to see what would come up (who doesn't nowadays) and my blog comes up. My thoughts: wow, I should update this... so much has happened since May 2006.
So - onto some goals/resolutions this year. I think i'll just name a few and see how close I can get. Hopefully this won't bite me in the backside later on... because the goals are on record.
So there you have it some goals/resolutions on paper. I'll be happy if I do just one of them.
I shall finish off with some photos that marked the beginning of 2007. (Note to self: should do a write up on 2006 - a year in review... could be an interesting read)
Mark's blog has a massive fan base that is calling out for a revival? Nope... plus it's probably best that I don't know how many people visit my blog. Mark really wants to become a writer and needs to get some practice in before hitting the big time? Nope. "What is it then???" is the million dollar question - well, the real truth is that I was Googling myself to see what would come up (who doesn't nowadays) and my blog comes up. My thoughts: wow, I should update this... so much has happened since May 2006.
So - onto some goals/resolutions this year. I think i'll just name a few and see how close I can get. Hopefully this won't bite me in the backside later on... because the goals are on record.
- Travel overseas once more
- Update the blog at least once a month
- Score a half-century in cricket
- Start playing Golf
So there you have it some goals/resolutions on paper. I'll be happy if I do just one of them.
I shall finish off with some photos that marked the beginning of 2007. (Note to self: should do a write up on 2006 - a year in review... could be an interesting read)
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Graduation and More
Last week was an intense week. Not only was there craploads of work to do, but three of the five weeknights were also filled with events! What did I have on?
1. All Staff Meeting
2. Know-IT-All Charity Dinner
3. Graduation (and Graduate Dinner).
Alot to get through, I know so maybe i'll throw in some photos... rather than ramble on.
1. All Staff Meeting
2. Know-IT-All Charity Dinner
3. Graduation (and Graduate Dinner).
Alot to get through, I know so maybe i'll throw in some photos... rather than ramble on.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Maccas Madness
Well, well, well. I haven't really posted up anything wierd or funny recently. In fact, I haven't really posted much at all. So here is a little segment to tie off those who have been watching my website and have been bitterly disappointed with its rate of updates.
So there I was at the Maccas drive-through, just entered, and noticed that the car in front of me had left the ordering window and just shot straight through. Didn't even bother to stop at the collections window. Odd, but not entirely abnormal... I guess. So anyway, without dwelling on this further I continued on.
Next, I was hovering outside the ordering window in my car. A kid. He was playing around with the electronic cashier in front of him and looked quite lost. He looked as though he was pressing way too many buttons for normality. It was just a bit odd. "Just a minute, be with you in a sec" was the first words that came out. Alrighty then. Time to fiddle with the change and get the required amount ready.
Medium six-nuggets meal. That's what I was thinking. Some more kids entered the ordering booth, and a quick conversation followed - still while the first kid was pressing away on the electronic cashier.
Some kid - "What happened with that lady? She just drove through."
Button pressing kid - "She didn't have enough money"
Some kid - "Really?"
Button pressing kid - "Yep. Not enough"
That was the entirety of the conversation, fairly riveting stuff. Now it was time to order. Good. I ordered the medium nuggets meal and then paid the required amount. "Thanks, and have a nice day" was the closing statement from the Maccas kid.
Now the collections window was where it was at. Here the intrigue begins. I pull up to the window and look through. More kids. Wow. Looks like it's the day where all the young 'uns come out to work. Good on them, though. Much better than sitting at home playing computer games or watching TV all day.
Looking about the place I notice that there is a chain of drinks next to the drinks dispenser. All large, and presumably, all Cokes. (The drink, nothing more). Kids everywhere. More kids were having a bit of a discussion and then I heard "just give it to him". Soon enough a large Coke was given to me. Riiiiiiiight. Can't complain, I guess.
So I thought that i'd get a free upsize - something like that. Oh no! What did I end up getting? A bag full of burgers and fries. Errr.... what the? It got even more interesting. The kid at the collections window told me to wait in the waiting bay. I diligently did so, hoping that my nuggets will arrive in the next batch. Nope.
After a couple of minutes the collection window kid came out with another bag full of goodies. Absolutely packed. Chips, Quarter Pounders, Big Macs, you name it. Bloody strange. "Thank you and sorry about the wait" is what was said to me. OMG.
So off I went home with about 4 packets of chips and a dozen burgers. No nuggets. Damn kids. LOL. An interesting adventure indeed.
So there I was at the Maccas drive-through, just entered, and noticed that the car in front of me had left the ordering window and just shot straight through. Didn't even bother to stop at the collections window. Odd, but not entirely abnormal... I guess. So anyway, without dwelling on this further I continued on.
Next, I was hovering outside the ordering window in my car. A kid. He was playing around with the electronic cashier in front of him and looked quite lost. He looked as though he was pressing way too many buttons for normality. It was just a bit odd. "Just a minute, be with you in a sec" was the first words that came out. Alrighty then. Time to fiddle with the change and get the required amount ready.
Medium six-nuggets meal. That's what I was thinking. Some more kids entered the ordering booth, and a quick conversation followed - still while the first kid was pressing away on the electronic cashier.
Some kid - "What happened with that lady? She just drove through."
Button pressing kid - "She didn't have enough money"
Some kid - "Really?"
Button pressing kid - "Yep. Not enough"
That was the entirety of the conversation, fairly riveting stuff. Now it was time to order. Good. I ordered the medium nuggets meal and then paid the required amount. "Thanks, and have a nice day" was the closing statement from the Maccas kid.
Now the collections window was where it was at. Here the intrigue begins. I pull up to the window and look through. More kids. Wow. Looks like it's the day where all the young 'uns come out to work. Good on them, though. Much better than sitting at home playing computer games or watching TV all day.
Looking about the place I notice that there is a chain of drinks next to the drinks dispenser. All large, and presumably, all Cokes. (The drink, nothing more). Kids everywhere. More kids were having a bit of a discussion and then I heard "just give it to him". Soon enough a large Coke was given to me. Riiiiiiiight. Can't complain, I guess.
So I thought that i'd get a free upsize - something like that. Oh no! What did I end up getting? A bag full of burgers and fries. Errr.... what the? It got even more interesting. The kid at the collections window told me to wait in the waiting bay. I diligently did so, hoping that my nuggets will arrive in the next batch. Nope.
After a couple of minutes the collection window kid came out with another bag full of goodies. Absolutely packed. Chips, Quarter Pounders, Big Macs, you name it. Bloody strange. "Thank you and sorry about the wait" is what was said to me. OMG.
So off I went home with about 4 packets of chips and a dozen burgers. No nuggets. Damn kids. LOL. An interesting adventure indeed.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Easter and the Queen's Birthday
Easter. Wow. It's been an age since I posted last. Busy, busy, busy. Looks like I managed to post again after the four day weekend. Heh. Ah well, it was a nice relaxing four days off. The highlight of the long weekend would have to be the Qantas v Ansett Social Cricket Cup. Oh yes and Happy Birthday to our Queen. Jolly good show!
So the cricket. Saturday. The inaugural Qantas vs Ansett Shield Cricket Match. Bwhaha. Why? Well one of the guys works at Qantas and during a clean up at the office they found this unused shield. Yoink! (Well not quite - cost him something in the order of $50).
Ten players for Ansett, and eleven for Qantas (includes one female). And the rules? Retire on 20, everyone gets a bowl (max 3 overs), immunity on Zero and no LBWs. Neat! It turned out to be a down-to-the-wire match. Unlike the Jason Gillespie double ton slaughter unleashed upon the Bangladesh Tigers.
Qantas scored 8-203 after the 30 overs. Not a bad effort at all. I ended up with 1-22 off 3 overs, got owned - but that happens. Meh, a catch was dropped in one of my overs as well! (Then again, I dropped one, so I can't complain). Top score for Qantas - 39 runs.
Ansetts turn. Off to a flyer of a start with 30 runs being scored in the first three overs - however things slowed right down and at 15 overs we were struggling to keep pace with our required run rate (95-odd runs at the end of 15). What was humorous about our innings start was that Dinesh was out three times before heading back to the pavilion on one run. Just wasn't his day.
When it was my turn to bat in it was approximately 4-120 . As it was immunity on zero, I decided to maximise the situation. First ball, gave my self some room and let loose. The ball sailed over the long-on boundary for a solid six. Solid hit indeed. I put on a great partnership with Dillan (who retired on 20) and Derrick (who retired on 20 after I left) before I had to leave the crease... yes on 20 not out. A good solid rear guard action by the three of us!
5 overs to go and there was still 30 to get - and by this stage I was a spectator. Who would have thought! Some good planning by the Qantas team meant that the final overs were being bowled by the most experienced bowlers in their side. However, Tom and Ant destroyed their bowling. Clobbering 18 in one over to effectively seal the match.
Ansett defeated Qantas with 5 wickets in hand (and 2 overs to spare). Go Ansett! The good news is that there is another Ansett/Qantas clash planned for the Queen's Birthday weekend. So i'm looking forward to it!
Speaking of the Queen it is her 80th birthday today. The reigning monarch of the Commonwealth. Happy Birthday! She's done an excellent job as Queen, and she deserves a mention in todays entry.
So the cricket. Saturday. The inaugural Qantas vs Ansett Shield Cricket Match. Bwhaha. Why? Well one of the guys works at Qantas and during a clean up at the office they found this unused shield. Yoink! (Well not quite - cost him something in the order of $50).
Ten players for Ansett, and eleven for Qantas (includes one female). And the rules? Retire on 20, everyone gets a bowl (max 3 overs), immunity on Zero and no LBWs. Neat! It turned out to be a down-to-the-wire match. Unlike the Jason Gillespie double ton slaughter unleashed upon the Bangladesh Tigers.
Qantas scored 8-203 after the 30 overs. Not a bad effort at all. I ended up with 1-22 off 3 overs, got owned - but that happens. Meh, a catch was dropped in one of my overs as well! (Then again, I dropped one, so I can't complain). Top score for Qantas - 39 runs.
Ansetts turn. Off to a flyer of a start with 30 runs being scored in the first three overs - however things slowed right down and at 15 overs we were struggling to keep pace with our required run rate (95-odd runs at the end of 15). What was humorous about our innings start was that Dinesh was out three times before heading back to the pavilion on one run. Just wasn't his day.
When it was my turn to bat in it was approximately 4-120 . As it was immunity on zero, I decided to maximise the situation. First ball, gave my self some room and let loose. The ball sailed over the long-on boundary for a solid six. Solid hit indeed. I put on a great partnership with Dillan (who retired on 20) and Derrick (who retired on 20 after I left) before I had to leave the crease... yes on 20 not out. A good solid rear guard action by the three of us!
5 overs to go and there was still 30 to get - and by this stage I was a spectator. Who would have thought! Some good planning by the Qantas team meant that the final overs were being bowled by the most experienced bowlers in their side. However, Tom and Ant destroyed their bowling. Clobbering 18 in one over to effectively seal the match.
Ansett defeated Qantas with 5 wickets in hand (and 2 overs to spare). Go Ansett! The good news is that there is another Ansett/Qantas clash planned for the Queen's Birthday weekend. So i'm looking forward to it!
Speaking of the Queen it is her 80th birthday today. The reigning monarch of the Commonwealth. Happy Birthday! She's done an excellent job as Queen, and she deserves a mention in todays entry.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Corporate Games and First Review
Sunday the 26th, race day. Training up until now had to pay off... or else it would be a short day ineed. The trek over to Penrith (the Olympic Regatta Centre) wasn't so bad - a nice cruise down the M4. Only took about 40 minutes in the end - a fair distance, but less than I expected.
Got there a couple of hours before the first race and found where the rest of the team were sitting. The company took over a whole area (well all of the various companies had their respective areas), so the team was easy to spot.
A nice day out in the end. People everywhere. Quite the event. Not only were there simply races, there were also a couple of announcers - chatting away all day: calling races, delivering results, and having general light hearted chat. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Fast forward to the results then. Came first in the pool stage and therefore qualified for the semi-final (1st, 2nd, then 1st in the three individual heats). We managed to get a fairly competetive time of 52.48 seconds, whereas the leaders of the tourament thus far pushed past the line at just under 51 seconds.
Unfortunately for us, it wasn't to be. We got snapped in the semis. We had a bunch of support from the announcers, yet that wasn't enough to help us over. We were royally screwed. The drummer that we borrowed was hopeless - just kept banging the drums at random intervals. Dumbass.
So anyways, i've had my first review - and i've only been at work for a month. Intense. Kind of scary, really. Didn't know what to expect first up. In the end it was quite fulfilling. Got to have a good chat at where I am and where i'd like to go - and where I was thinking was on par with both of my superiors. Mad. Maybe they were being nice to be, as it was my first review - lol. Time will tell, time will tell.
Anyways, busy week ahead of me. Arg.
Got there a couple of hours before the first race and found where the rest of the team were sitting. The company took over a whole area (well all of the various companies had their respective areas), so the team was easy to spot.
A nice day out in the end. People everywhere. Quite the event. Not only were there simply races, there were also a couple of announcers - chatting away all day: calling races, delivering results, and having general light hearted chat. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Fast forward to the results then. Came first in the pool stage and therefore qualified for the semi-final (1st, 2nd, then 1st in the three individual heats). We managed to get a fairly competetive time of 52.48 seconds, whereas the leaders of the tourament thus far pushed past the line at just under 51 seconds.
Unfortunately for us, it wasn't to be. We got snapped in the semis. We had a bunch of support from the announcers, yet that wasn't enough to help us over. We were royally screwed. The drummer that we borrowed was hopeless - just kept banging the drums at random intervals. Dumbass.
So anyways, i've had my first review - and i've only been at work for a month. Intense. Kind of scary, really. Didn't know what to expect first up. In the end it was quite fulfilling. Got to have a good chat at where I am and where i'd like to go - and where I was thinking was on par with both of my superiors. Mad. Maybe they were being nice to be, as it was my first review - lol. Time will tell, time will tell.
Anyways, busy week ahead of me. Arg.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Ups and Downs - Life, really
The weekend was a nice, relaxing one. Cricket season is over, and other commitments also. Haven't had one of those in yonks! So what did I do? Sleep in and watch some Commonwealth Games. Now alot of people would diss the Comm Games, but they're not too bad in the end. It can get a little one sided, but there are some good competetive races from time to time. (I'm sure those outside Australia, and some inside, are sick and tired of hearing Advance Australia Fair).
Swimming and Cycling, as always was a real treat. The golden girls ripping up their cometitors in the pool and going after eachother was fantastic to watch. Constantly chasing that World Record White Line is something that never ceases to amaze. Probably isn't the most balanced of fields, but it is quite the achievement to get gold, silver, and bronze in an event and not drop a single gold (for the women). Pure ownage. I'm a big fan of cycling at the Velidrome as well - the Keirin is quite intense and watching the guys and girls power home is nailbiting - as finishes go down to the portions of wheels. Congrats to both Ryan Bailey and Anna Meares.
Those aren't the only two things I saw - those were the highlights of Super Saturday. I managed to watch some of the Light Weightlifting. Weighlifting? You have to be kidding, right? Well.. it wasn't too bad. Alexander Turner did quite well to take it out... and there were some laughs with the Cameroon dude - Etoundi. Gym, both male and female is not bad to watch either.
Anyways, enough about the Comm Games. Onto Monday. Wow. Had a shocker at work. Tell you what - not much was going at all. It was one of those days. The shared hard drive was full and all of the work that I was doing wasn't actually saving (not that DBArtisan was telling me that it wasn't saving - stupid thing).
At least the evening was better. Had Dragonboat training and this training set felt much better. I'm all pumped up for the race - that's what. Haha. Nothing like stabbing the water after a dreadful day at work. At least the day wasn't all bad. Also had a good chat to a Dragonboat teammate on the way to the station (first leg of the journey home). Maybe I was just happy to get out of the office... lol.
Meh.
Swimming and Cycling, as always was a real treat. The golden girls ripping up their cometitors in the pool and going after eachother was fantastic to watch. Constantly chasing that World Record White Line is something that never ceases to amaze. Probably isn't the most balanced of fields, but it is quite the achievement to get gold, silver, and bronze in an event and not drop a single gold (for the women). Pure ownage. I'm a big fan of cycling at the Velidrome as well - the Keirin is quite intense and watching the guys and girls power home is nailbiting - as finishes go down to the portions of wheels. Congrats to both Ryan Bailey and Anna Meares.
Those aren't the only two things I saw - those were the highlights of Super Saturday. I managed to watch some of the Light Weightlifting. Weighlifting? You have to be kidding, right? Well.. it wasn't too bad. Alexander Turner did quite well to take it out... and there were some laughs with the Cameroon dude - Etoundi. Gym, both male and female is not bad to watch either.
Anyways, enough about the Comm Games. Onto Monday. Wow. Had a shocker at work. Tell you what - not much was going at all. It was one of those days. The shared hard drive was full and all of the work that I was doing wasn't actually saving (not that DBArtisan was telling me that it wasn't saving - stupid thing).
At least the evening was better. Had Dragonboat training and this training set felt much better. I'm all pumped up for the race - that's what. Haha. Nothing like stabbing the water after a dreadful day at work. At least the day wasn't all bad. Also had a good chat to a Dragonboat teammate on the way to the station (first leg of the journey home). Maybe I was just happy to get out of the office... lol.
Meh.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Work? Howzat
Interesting week again this week. There doesn't seem to be a week so far where nothing happens. A good sign, really - although I doubt that this run of good luck can be maintained forever. I've now got the trifecta of bigwigs, thanks to a new addition of "who did I bump into near or at work today?". Who was I in close proximity to this time? Steve Waugh. Yep, ex-Aussie cricket captain.
I didn't actually get to speak to Steve, but I we caught the same lift. Impressive. It was late afternoon and I was on my way down to grab my sports bag off my sister. Being late afternoon, I wasn't the most aware person in the world. So into the lift I go and I hear people talking about cricket - not the amazing defeat of Australia, but India v Pakistan. Fair enough. After listening to about 5 seconds of the conversation, I look up and see who is actually in the lift. Some dude, some other dude, another random, and Steve. What? Steve? Damn! What luck!
Anyhow, moving on from one random event to another. I got a Christmas present from work. Interesting. I got an email for the floor effectively saying "come and see me if you are a new starter or graduate since January 2006". I thought we were all in trouble or something. Not quite. Apparently there was a glut of Christmas presents and the company was generous enough to pass it off to the newcomers. Nice work indeed. The christmas comes early idiom doesn't quite work here - but i'll take it :D.
More random things this week:
- I got paid
- My mobile phone bill is $64
- This coming weekend is the first entirely free weekend i've had since coming back to Australia in mid-January!
I didn't actually get to speak to Steve, but I we caught the same lift. Impressive. It was late afternoon and I was on my way down to grab my sports bag off my sister. Being late afternoon, I wasn't the most aware person in the world. So into the lift I go and I hear people talking about cricket - not the amazing defeat of Australia, but India v Pakistan. Fair enough. After listening to about 5 seconds of the conversation, I look up and see who is actually in the lift. Some dude, some other dude, another random, and Steve. What? Steve? Damn! What luck!
Anyhow, moving on from one random event to another. I got a Christmas present from work. Interesting. I got an email for the floor effectively saying "come and see me if you are a new starter or graduate since January 2006". I thought we were all in trouble or something. Not quite. Apparently there was a glut of Christmas presents and the company was generous enough to pass it off to the newcomers. Nice work indeed. The christmas comes early idiom doesn't quite work here - but i'll take it :D.
More random things this week:
- I got paid
- My mobile phone bill is $64
- This coming weekend is the first entirely free weekend i've had since coming back to Australia in mid-January!
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
My First Film Appearance
The week is only half over and events continue to startle me (as i'm sure they'll startle you). This morning I got invited by my boss to participate in a company movie. Wow. How cool is that? Lucky me... three weeks in and i've made it already. Haha!
Truthfully, the film isn't going to be shown externally but oh well. I'll take it. Strange, strange indeed. I'll start from the top, the beginning of the day.
I leave the house, as per usual and hop onto the ferry. I arrive at work just before a quarter past 8. As per usual the grads Nathan and Kylie are reading the newspapers by the kitchen and I say hi. I greet the early keen beans in my team and proceed to make some breakfast (I brought in ham, how good am I?). Unfortunately for me there is only some Raisin Bread around, urgh. So what do I do? I do what the truly entrepreneurial person does.... go to another floor and poach some whitebread!
Down I go to Jesse's floor (Usyd - Engineering) and steal some whitebread. I'm spotted by some other grads in the process but everyone has a laugh. Finally I get my ham sandwich and contently sit at my desk, ready to consume my crowning achievement of the day!
Doug pops by and asks me if i'm free between 11 and 12. Yep. Interesting question. Next up there's the leading description. One of the films doing the rounds is a bit on the old side and it's time for an update. Then the question: "Are you interested in being a part of the new one?". Yes again! Although I did try to look cool, calm, and collected about it. Haha!
Turns out that 3 people from my team may feature in this new film. Quite the hit rate, considering that there are thousands and thousands of people to choose from. But I digress, back to the story.
Fast forward to 11 and I head down to the shooting location. I meet a couple of people on the floor and also meet my co-star for the day. An Associate Director. Ouch. How insignificant I am, lol. Oh well, good opportunity to meet and greet power players at work. So what do we do? We confidently walk around the lobby area and have a chat. Pretty cool. It's not often that you get to chat to a senior person at length (and we got to chat a fair bit because there were many takes from different angles, etc). Even the CEO dropped by and said hello, haha! Interesting day indeed.
Also an interesting note: The most senior person on my floor was walking past my booth to the kitchen when I was having a chat with Pritpal (last year's grad on my team) and I mentioned that this (the area that we work in) is party central. A stray look was cast my way. Once he was gone Pritpal and I couldn't stop laughing. Funny day... funny day indeed.
Stay tuned to find out whether i'm in the final cut, or if the scene(s) that include me end up on the cutting room floor. Haha!
Truthfully, the film isn't going to be shown externally but oh well. I'll take it. Strange, strange indeed. I'll start from the top, the beginning of the day.
I leave the house, as per usual and hop onto the ferry. I arrive at work just before a quarter past 8. As per usual the grads Nathan and Kylie are reading the newspapers by the kitchen and I say hi. I greet the early keen beans in my team and proceed to make some breakfast (I brought in ham, how good am I?). Unfortunately for me there is only some Raisin Bread around, urgh. So what do I do? I do what the truly entrepreneurial person does.... go to another floor and poach some whitebread!
Down I go to Jesse's floor (Usyd - Engineering) and steal some whitebread. I'm spotted by some other grads in the process but everyone has a laugh. Finally I get my ham sandwich and contently sit at my desk, ready to consume my crowning achievement of the day!
Doug pops by and asks me if i'm free between 11 and 12. Yep. Interesting question. Next up there's the leading description. One of the films doing the rounds is a bit on the old side and it's time for an update. Then the question: "Are you interested in being a part of the new one?". Yes again! Although I did try to look cool, calm, and collected about it. Haha!
Turns out that 3 people from my team may feature in this new film. Quite the hit rate, considering that there are thousands and thousands of people to choose from. But I digress, back to the story.
Fast forward to 11 and I head down to the shooting location. I meet a couple of people on the floor and also meet my co-star for the day. An Associate Director. Ouch. How insignificant I am, lol. Oh well, good opportunity to meet and greet power players at work. So what do we do? We confidently walk around the lobby area and have a chat. Pretty cool. It's not often that you get to chat to a senior person at length (and we got to chat a fair bit because there were many takes from different angles, etc). Even the CEO dropped by and said hello, haha! Interesting day indeed.
Also an interesting note: The most senior person on my floor was walking past my booth to the kitchen when I was having a chat with Pritpal (last year's grad on my team) and I mentioned that this (the area that we work in) is party central. A stray look was cast my way. Once he was gone Pritpal and I couldn't stop laughing. Funny day... funny day indeed.
Stay tuned to find out whether i'm in the final cut, or if the scene(s) that include me end up on the cutting room floor. Haha!
Monday, March 06, 2006
Aussie Big Wigs and Other Random Stuff
Work is what I had last week. No surprise there. I'll give you a brief rundown on what went on. A summary first, then some more detail afterwards:
Monday 27th - work
Tuesday 28th - work
Wednesday 1st - leave
Thursday 2nd - work
Friday 3rd - work
Saturday 4th- cricket
Sunday 5th - not much
Monday 6th- more work
Monday - first day of Dragonboating for the Corporate Games. It's been a long time since I dragonboated last and boy did I feel it. Things weren't really helped as I was placed in Row 2 from the front. No dipping for me, I actually have to paddle properly. Gah! Hopefully things will improve as training settles in.
Tuesday.... nothing but work.
Wednesday, what the? Heh. I took a day of leave. I haven't even worked up a day of leave and I got it! Woohoo! The advantages of having a great boss. I spent the day off at Sydney Uni funnily enough. Hanging out with Jess and some of the Libs at the SULC stall. Had to go dor a bit of a drive as well, but I won't really speak about that - nothing to write home about, really.
You may notice that i've spoken nothing about Aussie Big Wigs and lots about random stuff. Reason: Other Random Stuff and Aussie Big Wigs doesn't have quite the same punch as a subject. So relax.
Thursday was a big, big day. I got to see two power players in Australia - one in the realm of business and one in the realm of politics. Who are the two? Alan Moss (Macquarie Bank) and John Howard (Prime Minister of Oz). Woo! All in the space of half an hour as well. Crazy times, crazy times indeed.
Alan and John weren't at the same event. Let me make that point clear. However, they were located in the same building - the Westin Hotel. Being the lucky person that I am, I didn't actally get to chat with either of them... BUT I was able to stand almost at an arms length to both of them (at different times, obviously). Go me, and all of that.
Friday. Drinks, followed by... more drinks. Wow. Two sets of drinks in one night. I didn't go crazy - so all is good. Drinks were held for the new starters on my floor, followed by the ritual graduate drinks at Ryans on a Friday night (which seems to be a ritual for just about every other graduate in the area!). Home afterwards - late.
Saturday. March to Victory. Bold words considering we aren't the best team in the comp. I think an accurate description of our team would result in the word best not being featured anywhere. Hah! But I digress. The last round of the season is off to a good start. The opposition have been bowled out for 140-odd and we are on track with 4-80. I managed 2 catches, at first slip! Go me. I'm in next drop and the bowling attack doesn't seem too threatning. Dedication and focus shall win the day! High hopes as we March to Victory.
Seems like i've done a week. Might as well add today as well. Work again. Woohoo. I've almost finished the task that i've been given. Apparently it is "Critical" so it's a good thing that i'm almost finished. Testing, testing, testing is pretty much what i've been doing. Gotta make sure that I don't stuff things up!
Talking about stuffing things up. I'm sure i've stuffed up my body after today's marathon of a training session for Dragonboating. Not only did we have an extra long session today - I had to sit at the front with my assigned partner. The very front. Oh man. No pressure. Tired muscles is a good description of most of my body below the neck. I'm going to feel this one in the morning. Tiring on the one hand, yet refreshing on the other. Wierd. Oh and I half fell into the water. Damn boat docking - not easy when there is a current!
Anyhoo, more of the working life coming soon
Monday 27th - work
Tuesday 28th - work
Wednesday 1st - leave
Thursday 2nd - work
Friday 3rd - work
Saturday 4th- cricket
Sunday 5th - not much
Monday 6th- more work
Monday - first day of Dragonboating for the Corporate Games. It's been a long time since I dragonboated last and boy did I feel it. Things weren't really helped as I was placed in Row 2 from the front. No dipping for me, I actually have to paddle properly. Gah! Hopefully things will improve as training settles in.
Tuesday.... nothing but work.
Wednesday, what the? Heh. I took a day of leave. I haven't even worked up a day of leave and I got it! Woohoo! The advantages of having a great boss. I spent the day off at Sydney Uni funnily enough. Hanging out with Jess and some of the Libs at the SULC stall. Had to go dor a bit of a drive as well, but I won't really speak about that - nothing to write home about, really.
You may notice that i've spoken nothing about Aussie Big Wigs and lots about random stuff. Reason: Other Random Stuff and Aussie Big Wigs doesn't have quite the same punch as a subject. So relax.
Thursday was a big, big day. I got to see two power players in Australia - one in the realm of business and one in the realm of politics. Who are the two? Alan Moss (Macquarie Bank) and John Howard (Prime Minister of Oz). Woo! All in the space of half an hour as well. Crazy times, crazy times indeed.
Alan and John weren't at the same event. Let me make that point clear. However, they were located in the same building - the Westin Hotel. Being the lucky person that I am, I didn't actally get to chat with either of them... BUT I was able to stand almost at an arms length to both of them (at different times, obviously). Go me, and all of that.
Friday. Drinks, followed by... more drinks. Wow. Two sets of drinks in one night. I didn't go crazy - so all is good. Drinks were held for the new starters on my floor, followed by the ritual graduate drinks at Ryans on a Friday night (which seems to be a ritual for just about every other graduate in the area!). Home afterwards - late.
Saturday. March to Victory. Bold words considering we aren't the best team in the comp. I think an accurate description of our team would result in the word best not being featured anywhere. Hah! But I digress. The last round of the season is off to a good start. The opposition have been bowled out for 140-odd and we are on track with 4-80. I managed 2 catches, at first slip! Go me. I'm in next drop and the bowling attack doesn't seem too threatning. Dedication and focus shall win the day! High hopes as we March to Victory.
Seems like i've done a week. Might as well add today as well. Work again. Woohoo. I've almost finished the task that i've been given. Apparently it is "Critical" so it's a good thing that i'm almost finished. Testing, testing, testing is pretty much what i've been doing. Gotta make sure that I don't stuff things up!
Talking about stuffing things up. I'm sure i've stuffed up my body after today's marathon of a training session for Dragonboating. Not only did we have an extra long session today - I had to sit at the front with my assigned partner. The very front. Oh man. No pressure. Tired muscles is a good description of most of my body below the neck. I'm going to feel this one in the morning. Tiring on the one hand, yet refreshing on the other. Wierd. Oh and I half fell into the water. Damn boat docking - not easy when there is a current!
Anyhoo, more of the working life coming soon
Monday, February 27, 2006
I'm a busy bee
Busy. So many things going on at the moment. Work, cricket, Libs, dragonboating, grad events. It's really intense. Haven't really been able to update, apologies for that.
Work is great. Well, work plus the functions. Back with all the people I know, plus a few more additions. The team is just as fun as it was before... in fact even more so! I've also gotten to know quite a few people outside of my team - which is great. Work isn't so drole when you have a bunch of mates all around you.
Cricket. Last round we got defeated again. At least it was a defeat, instead of a slaughter. Many thanks must go to Dinesh for scoring a crazy 84. Good job. I was bowled for 3. I was looking good, although I still pick the odd wrong ball to play a shot - it cost me my wicket... again. We only lost by 1st innings points (30 odd runs).
Dragonboating. Let's talk about that. I've signed up for the Dragonboating for the Corporate Games. Training will last for about a month, and it's not too bad. I've dragonboated before and it's all coming back to me. This time it's quite different. I used to be towards the back - now i'm towards the front (2nd row). What's the deal? It's not like I improved. It's good exercise though, although I miss being a sweep - being the sweep is fun. Interestingly enough some of the grads from my year are in as well - some of the accountants.
Anyways, enough from me now. Tired. Need sleep now :). (I should start posting from work... lol).
Work is great. Well, work plus the functions. Back with all the people I know, plus a few more additions. The team is just as fun as it was before... in fact even more so! I've also gotten to know quite a few people outside of my team - which is great. Work isn't so drole when you have a bunch of mates all around you.
Cricket. Last round we got defeated again. At least it was a defeat, instead of a slaughter. Many thanks must go to Dinesh for scoring a crazy 84. Good job. I was bowled for 3. I was looking good, although I still pick the odd wrong ball to play a shot - it cost me my wicket... again. We only lost by 1st innings points (30 odd runs).
Dragonboating. Let's talk about that. I've signed up for the Dragonboating for the Corporate Games. Training will last for about a month, and it's not too bad. I've dragonboated before and it's all coming back to me. This time it's quite different. I used to be towards the back - now i'm towards the front (2nd row). What's the deal? It's not like I improved. It's good exercise though, although I miss being a sweep - being the sweep is fun. Interestingly enough some of the grads from my year are in as well - some of the accountants.
Anyways, enough from me now. Tired. Need sleep now :). (I should start posting from work... lol).
Friday, November 11, 2005
Examinations are over, University is over
Hmm.. I forgot to notify everyone that I had exams, and thus would be silent for a while. Oh well, too late. Not that I was studying hard or anything, lol. I was too busy being counter-productive.
So i'll quickly mention the one and only exam that I had (jealous? haha). It wasn't terribly difficult and I finished in 45 mins. The duration of the exam was 2 hours. That's typical for me. It's not as though i'm a genius or anything, I just do what I can quickly and then get out of there. I'm not sure how many hours i've "saved", but since i've done over 50 subjects and have left in pretty much each examination I can remember - i'll have to be setting a world record somewhere.
So what can I talk about today. Hmm. The answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything? Wow, that's quite deep and meaningful - no. However, I saw the movie "The Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy" and I thoroughly enjoyed it. What's classy is that they still make use of the radio version as they did in the TV series - maximum points for that.
Well that's enough for now. I'm just overwhelmed by my subconscious urges to bludge and fill up my time with totally un-constructive tasks. I'm supposed to be assisting in planning a holiday, but I fear my subconscious will take over. Will try to post something decent before leaving (22 Nov).
So i'll quickly mention the one and only exam that I had (jealous? haha). It wasn't terribly difficult and I finished in 45 mins. The duration of the exam was 2 hours. That's typical for me. It's not as though i'm a genius or anything, I just do what I can quickly and then get out of there. I'm not sure how many hours i've "saved", but since i've done over 50 subjects and have left in pretty much each examination I can remember - i'll have to be setting a world record somewhere.
So what can I talk about today. Hmm. The answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything? Wow, that's quite deep and meaningful - no. However, I saw the movie "The Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy" and I thoroughly enjoyed it. What's classy is that they still make use of the radio version as they did in the TV series - maximum points for that.
Well that's enough for now. I'm just overwhelmed by my subconscious urges to bludge and fill up my time with totally un-constructive tasks. I'm supposed to be assisting in planning a holiday, but I fear my subconscious will take over. Will try to post something decent before leaving (22 Nov).
Monday, October 31, 2005
The Presentation to end all Presentations
The countdown continues to my last assessment ever (well, unless of course I decide to pursue a Masters somewhere in the future). Three days left until the presentation of my Thesis to a panel of academics. The panel includes the Head of School and the Thesis Co-ordinator - so I better not eff it up. Without blabbering on incessantly, i'll wrap up the week that has passed.
I've managed to get back into the normal routine of bludging, gaming, and sleeping. Quite a good feeling all round. I've actually put in some work for my presentation, however, and I am thus quite proud. Oh! Almost forgot, happy birthday to Carmen Chen and Dave Tran (gogo, amazing race).
On the gaming scene i've tried my hand at a litlle Lineage 2. Not such a bad game really, but it does feel as though there are grinding aspects to levelling (but an MMORPG wouldn't be much of an MMORPG if it wasn't for the grind... it's a part of the process, I guess). I've heard that the PvP castle sieges are quite interesting and quite intense, so hopefully I won't stay n00b for long. If anyone wants to look me up my char name is Erundil and I play predominantly on the Staris server (at the time of writing 22 Human Cleric).
The old Gunbound has been fired up a couple of times and all I can say is... pwnage. On the weekend I was on this mad winning streak with a bunch of people, i think it was 8 wins. That's not where the pwnage ends, I managed to get 2 double kills in consecutive games. Now if that isn't pwnage.... then I don't know what is (one was almost a triple kill, as the last remaining mobile had approx 50 health). Metal axe here I come!!!
You may have noticed the words "amazing race" up there with the birthday mentions. Yes! That's right. On rainy Sunday, it was the third annual Snippy Amazing Race. Quite fun all round and congratulations must go to Team Black. I, however, was on Team Blue and came third. One particularly interesting scenario to mention is the Milperra leg of the Amazing Race....
Milperra, out in the middle of nowhere... somewhere near Bankstown Airport (apologies to people that live out there, I meant the big forest like park... close to Hungry Jacks). One of the amazing race helpers, Sam (who lives in Hornsby... lol! what a drive), was waiting at some benches with some plastic cups, straws, and a big bucket of water. The task? Each of us had to fill up a cup with water from the big bucket of water using just the straws. Ewww.. gross? You bet. It gets worse. One team member has to drink all of the cups of water. Mmmmm.... tasty.
So without delay, we commenced sucking up the water with the straws and depositing that water into our respective cups. Ryan, a team Blue member, decided to hurry things along. Not only did he fill up the straw with water, he filled up his mouth with water. When he got to his cup, out it came. Saliva and all. I tell you, the rest of us couldn't stop laughing. The gurgling white foam that constituted the contents of his cup hardly looked appetising - LOL. Thankfully Ryan offered to drink all the cups. Luckily for him, the rest of us didn't add saliva to the water in our cups. Funny stuff, and good work Team Blue!
That just about wraps things up.
I've managed to get back into the normal routine of bludging, gaming, and sleeping. Quite a good feeling all round. I've actually put in some work for my presentation, however, and I am thus quite proud. Oh! Almost forgot, happy birthday to Carmen Chen and Dave Tran (gogo, amazing race).
On the gaming scene i've tried my hand at a litlle Lineage 2. Not such a bad game really, but it does feel as though there are grinding aspects to levelling (but an MMORPG wouldn't be much of an MMORPG if it wasn't for the grind... it's a part of the process, I guess). I've heard that the PvP castle sieges are quite interesting and quite intense, so hopefully I won't stay n00b for long. If anyone wants to look me up my char name is Erundil and I play predominantly on the Staris server (at the time of writing 22 Human Cleric).
The old Gunbound has been fired up a couple of times and all I can say is... pwnage. On the weekend I was on this mad winning streak with a bunch of people, i think it was 8 wins. That's not where the pwnage ends, I managed to get 2 double kills in consecutive games. Now if that isn't pwnage.... then I don't know what is (one was almost a triple kill, as the last remaining mobile had approx 50 health). Metal axe here I come!!!
You may have noticed the words "amazing race" up there with the birthday mentions. Yes! That's right. On rainy Sunday, it was the third annual Snippy Amazing Race. Quite fun all round and congratulations must go to Team Black. I, however, was on Team Blue and came third. One particularly interesting scenario to mention is the Milperra leg of the Amazing Race....
Milperra, out in the middle of nowhere... somewhere near Bankstown Airport (apologies to people that live out there, I meant the big forest like park... close to Hungry Jacks). One of the amazing race helpers, Sam (who lives in Hornsby... lol! what a drive), was waiting at some benches with some plastic cups, straws, and a big bucket of water. The task? Each of us had to fill up a cup with water from the big bucket of water using just the straws. Ewww.. gross? You bet. It gets worse. One team member has to drink all of the cups of water. Mmmmm.... tasty.
So without delay, we commenced sucking up the water with the straws and depositing that water into our respective cups. Ryan, a team Blue member, decided to hurry things along. Not only did he fill up the straw with water, he filled up his mouth with water. When he got to his cup, out it came. Saliva and all. I tell you, the rest of us couldn't stop laughing. The gurgling white foam that constituted the contents of his cup hardly looked appetising - LOL. Thankfully Ryan offered to drink all the cups. Luckily for him, the rest of us didn't add saliva to the water in our cups. Funny stuff, and good work Team Blue!
That just about wraps things up.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Submitting The Behemoth
Yes! It's all over. The behemoth that is my Thesis has been completed. Is it quality? Who bloody knows - i'm just happy that it is all done. Let me tell you, I haven't slept much over the past few days... so i'm going to get some well earned rest tonight. Hell yea!
So anyway. Since i'm on the topic, i'll elaborate. My thesis is big, contains lots of pictures, and contains lots of tables. It has a monster of an appendix. And is 213 pages long. WTF? 213 pages? Yes. You read that correctly. I don't call something 'the behemoth' for nothing.
Statictics are as follows:
Pages - 213
Words - 34,628
Characters - 269,234
Yea. That's right. Solid stuff. I'm just hoping that my supervisor doesn't read the damn thing. I'm going for the 'wow' effect. I guess time will tell. (For those of you who say i've cheated, then you're probably right - i've included the appendices in the statistics.... and my appendices make up more than 50% of my Thesis submission).
Anyways, i'm off to bed. I'll probably sleep more tonight than I have over the past 3 days...
Here's a photo of 2 copies of the behemoth:
So anyway. Since i'm on the topic, i'll elaborate. My thesis is big, contains lots of pictures, and contains lots of tables. It has a monster of an appendix. And is 213 pages long. WTF? 213 pages? Yes. You read that correctly. I don't call something 'the behemoth' for nothing.
Statictics are as follows:
Pages - 213
Words - 34,628
Characters - 269,234
Yea. That's right. Solid stuff. I'm just hoping that my supervisor doesn't read the damn thing. I'm going for the 'wow' effect. I guess time will tell. (For those of you who say i've cheated, then you're probably right - i've included the appendices in the statistics.... and my appendices make up more than 50% of my Thesis submission).
Anyways, i'm off to bed. I'll probably sleep more tonight than I have over the past 3 days...
Here's a photo of 2 copies of the behemoth:
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