B'day feast #1

My b'day is yet again approaching & there are several things happening for the, umm, 'occasion'. The 1st was today, when I forced Gekko & Clement to cook me dinner. To make things 'easier' for them, I was personally there to supervise their grocery shopping, preparation, & cooking. It was a really 'simple' meal for 7 - 1 kangaroo ravioli with capsicum, mushroom, & tomatoes; 3 thin-crust pizzas with pancetta, danish salami, capsicums, mushroom, tomatoes, & kangaroo (obviously we repeated ingredients to cut down on preparation time); 1 vegie salad; mashed potatoes; & a two-nut chocolate cake. The cake was actually made by Wendy. Very nutty. See below for pic of the feast.

Coming up this Saturday is the re-scheduled lunch at Ichiban-boshi down at Town Hall. Do not have a clue what I'll be doing on my actual b'day except probably be at work (if not, then uni) & tennis at night (if no rain). Wonder if there'd be a cake at Ichiban-boshi?

Plotting about my little experiment... stay tuned.

Kev's 40th

Right, so all the big (late night) sporting events have come to an end for the moment, which should have meant no more sleep-deprived days. Unfortunately this plan had not exactly worked to the plan. Let's have a quick re-cap. Rewinding back to last Saturday...

Last saturday (8Jul) was Big Kev's medieval party to celebrate his 40th (for those who don't know, Big Kev has been my supervisor since the dawn of time) so us bunch of lunatics, all trapsed in our, umm, costumes and headed up to the Blue Mtns for the festivities, including the promised 'yeomanry games'. Some of us made bigger efforts in the costume department (photos below) while so were just plain slack. Anywho, seeing that the party was all the way up in the Mtns I headed up early & tried to get to Blackheath for a late lunch & antique hunting. Remembering my now financially-deprived status + the fact that I left home a little late, I didn't quite make it up to Blackheath. Instead I had a quick stop at Wentworth Falls (for whatever reasons that still escape me at the moment) before heading back down to Blaxland for the party. Nursing my recent stint of 'cold' I tried staying indoors for as long as possible, but alas the yeomanry games of archery, pillow fight on plank & jousting (yes, you read/heard right, JOUSTING) were all outdoors activity, so all of us were forced out into the ungodly Mtn chill. Apart from that, it was a gd feast for the 40 or so in attendance, with big plates of roasts, drunken Poms & Irish acting all 'medieval', & of course kids running amuck. I ran out of steam around 11 & headed home, just in time to catch the beginning of the 2nd set of the ladies' final. Who would've thought the tight(er) scoreline after the 1st set blitzing? Followed similar schedule on sunday except had Swans games in the afternoon instead. Kick-ass seat at row C (that means 3rd row) just right of the goalposts! & we were even on TV towards the end when play got stuck right in front of us for a little while. I've still yet to see th footage, but I've been told of it. Maybe I should go to afl.com.au & check for replay videos? Anywho, stopped for a quick break in Fox Studios (& naturally Sunday shopping) before heading down to Taylor Square for some photos for thesis chapter. Ended up getting to bus 5 minutes late becos of another impromptu stop to buy ϋberstone linen pants that were marked down from 129 to just 20 smackaroons! So much for limiting my spendings now that I'm on half-income! Watching Caribean Pirates I made me late for the men's final so only ended up watching 2 points of the 1st set. Again, who would've thought of the long drawn-out battle after that 1st set blitzing? I thought it would finish quickly so I could catch 40 winks before the World Cup final. OK, so I did end up catching 40 winks. Well, more like 400 winks becos I told the alarm clock to bugger off at 4am & just slept on without watching 1 sec of the final. Which is just as well, cos I had a relatively productive day on Monday rewriting, doing stuff got upcoming Cellar party, b'day dinner, & b'day lunch. More than half way thru this current rewrite. Have been staying up late again, not becos of rewriting though. Couldn't sleep Wednesday night until 2:30 in the morning & listened to the 51-hr Kyle & Jackie O broadcast instead, & last night was just from working on the Cellar party. Why do I put myself thru these wedding things time & again?? Must have been on some trip when I volunteered for wedding job...

the medi-evils!!

the guinea (pig) race

So thirsty

Oh crap! He was @ Moore Park today & I missed him again!!

Damn, missed him by THIS much!!

Hulk food

Hulk food
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

So what's 1 to do when he's sick as a dog & have 4 ripe avocadoes? Make muffins of course! Even though I'm supposed to be fixing up my chapter 3, my heavy dose of cold/flu has left me incapacitated (at least I'd claim so). Having heavily drugged myself (on Panadol/Herron, chinese cough medicine, & Soothers/Strepsils) I simply have no mental/intellectual capacity to do any writing/re-writing, let alone the mood to do as such. So, with 4 ripe avocadoes that've been sitting on their sorry arses for the past wk or so I proceeded to put them out of their misery & baked them! First, you stripe (ha, stripe!) then dice, followed by moosh. When they're at a softened-butter consistency, mix in sugar as per normal muffin baking (minus the butter & eggs, ie avo as butter/egg replacement), followed by self-raising. Decorate with almonds & sesame seeds, & bake at 200'C for 25 minutes & wah-lah! Green muffins! They're not exactly 'spring lawn' green but more like a soft green tint. Kinda like the puss-green the Hulk has on while in the midst of transforming. My scoops of dough were a bit big so I ended up 1 short of a full dozen. Ah well. And the verdict? Only a hint of avocado, but that light sprinkle of salt on the scooped dough really brought out the flavours. I've already had 3 today!

p.s. That should teach me for staying up late to watch the darn Socceroos play the World Cup. Have been feeling horrible since wednesday (not just because we LOST after the most RIDICULOUS penalty decision!) but battling cold/flu + sleep deprivation. Ooh, Lucas Neill is at Sunrise tomorrow! Maybe I should stop by before heading to uni?

p.p.s. Damn! My Mozilla is mal-functioning again!!

p.p.p.s. Stupid dry cough!

Chronicle of the perpetually sleep-deprived

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Who is the genius that played this butter-finger instead of the trusty Schwarzer?

Batch No.3 - Parsley, tarragon, & avocado

I underestimated my own countrymen

Having said that, it was still a very scrappy performance. With that many yellow cards, would we have anyone left for the last match against Croatia?

Doggy biscuits - take 2

Surprise surprise, I'm not feeling like writing up chapters again. So what is 1 to do when he doesn't feel like working? Clean his room, of course! Well, I did for an hour or so anyhow. I chucked out some old stuff, re-organised 1 shelf & opened up a little bit of room which I have already filled with stuff that I bought prior to the clean up :'( So it's pretty much back to the normal chaotic state that my room was in. What's the bloody point?

Still not feeling like writing after the clean up, so went downstairs & baked more doggy biscuits, this time with added bonus! As you might be able to see, there are freckles of green littering the biscuit dough. That is parsley. With my dog aging, & having finished reading Marley & Me ages ago, 1's gotta do something to try & improve his eyesight. Thus, the parsley! & I made this batch without any sugar either, which makes them extra healthy! Half a stick of unsalted butter + 1/3 of a kilo of self-raising + 4 eggs + a handful of parsley from the yard = 5 dozens of doggy biscuits!! Whata bargain, & what a sense of accomplishment. I've almost forgotten the therapeutic powers of baking/cooking!! & the kneeding & oven keep you warm on such cold winter days as well :D

new Snoopy products

After searching thru 3 Kmarts I've finally found this ceramic Snoopy dog bowl. No, I'm not going to give it to da dog. I'm keeping it for myself & eat off it!!! Well, not quite off it, but I'm going to use it as a candy dish instead (see below). Still have a few tic-tacs & sticks of gum lying around. Perfect.

Other new Snoopy products came courtesy of Betty, a little bit of present from HK. Look at how cute the little mug is :D

Keep ducking

Currently having a bit of a duck obsession. I mean, I've always had a bit of a thing for rubber duckies, but I never had 1. Until last yr it was. When one thinks of rubber duckies you of course immediately think of Oslo, Norway (just go with it for now) so when I was there for 5 whole wks las northern summer I went around the city a lot. At one of these bathroom specialist stores (Saap! I think it was) I cam across one of them that was on sale for NOK10 (1st 1 on left of pic). Ijust had to jump to the opportunity now didn't I? Soon after, I found 2 more on sale at a rival store (the 2 non-yellow 1s). The 3 of them sat on my shelf & were quite lonely for a while. When I went down to Geelong/Melbourne this January with Rae we were looking around Holy Sheet! & I was yet another rubber duckie on sale (middle, between the 2 non-yellows). And since then the duckie collection had been growing steadily: 1st the Darling Duck from BUD, then back to smaller 1s again to fill out what's left of my shelf. 2 days ago I was @ Holy Sheet! Bondi Junction buyiing them down-filled booties for mum & grandma & I saw BUD now have these giant ducks @ AUD30 a pop! Luckily there are only 2 designs so far, otherwise I'd have to go broke!?!?! Not that I ended up buying them or anything. Just too big. Bought a green apple pamper pack instead, in which thee was a green apple duckie. Have yet to find a BUD official website, but have some some sites that specialise on rubber duckies, with some listings of BUD ducks. I so far have seen 47 designs (excluding giant ducks). I only have 1 (green apple.coconut/lavendar pamper pack ducks are not listed as BUD ducks even thought they're from the BUD team). Oh crap! Must stop obsession or make more money.

Peach nesting

Peach nest
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

Autumn has arrived and as nature's intended, deciduous trees have started shedding leaves. This is what the peach blossom in our backyard now looks like. & THAT is a nest (of some native pigeon or something) that I found in the last few days, nestled behind the now shedded green leaves. It's nest No2 that I can see from my window, the other being the kookaburra nest at the top of the gum tree that stands just outside our fence & in the playground place adjacent to our house.

Doggy biscuits

Doggy biscuits
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

With ever increasing petrol prices 1 is always trying to find ways to curb spending in order to offset this growing weekly expense. I, not having to drive regularly anymore, also need to curb my spending after reasonably hefty expenditures in the last month or so. It all started with my groomsmaning and related activities, then followed by things that weren't really that necessary, like more new clothes, books, etc. Now that I've kinda decided to take a yr-end trip to HK & surronds, that can only mean for $$. So, my first step of curbing expenditure starts with spending less on things that I can spend less on, and the 1st sacrifice, da dog. Yes, da dog. I'm not really cutting back that hard. he's still getting his main meal,evening snack, plus his usual duty as a garbage disposal on things like apple cores, broccoli stems, carrot tops and the odd pieces of fruits. In all, he's eating more than he should, really. But in recent yrs, the $$ of dog food has gone up quite a fair bit. Back in the days when B started living with us, we could easily feed him for around $1 a day. Now, it's more like $2. I know, I know, $2 is still very cheap, but if you add it up his annual bill would be doubled to what he cost a mere 5 yrs or so ago. In an attempt to battle purse strings, & for his health, no more store bought snack biscuits!! Instead of the $15 a box doggy treats, it's home-made doggy biscuits. Considering all the ingredients (a stick of unsalted butter, 89c; a 1kg bag of self-raising, 87c; 3 eggs, next to nothing; an owner's love & care & the 6+ dozen doggy biscuits out of the oven, priceless), it would only cost 10% to make as many treats as store bought! & all done while watching 1 (albeit very long) Rome final between Federer & Nadal. What a bargain. Taste-test result? It's a 'swallow straight down, no need for chewing' gooood!!

Just so u know, I'm not just cutting back expenses on others. I'm also cutting back expenses on myself. Like, no more clothes & accessories (until the next big sale, at least :P), & spend more time writing PhD & planning Dan's cellar party instead of the customary end-of-the-day 15 min shopping trips. So far so gd.

Update on TV-quarium II: finally went to Parklea & ordered the tank. Should arrive in 2 wks. No need to hurry really. The happy couple is not expected back to report for regular duties for another couple of wks, & then it's months of looking for a new place before finally settling in. I'm guessing I have until the end of the yr to finish the project. Easy...

Starting all over again

Another old TV shell
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

It's trash time again so the streets in the surrounding neighbourhoods are of course littered with, well, trash. Like usual, there are 'good' trash, and there are 'bad' trash. An example of 'good' trash would be this old TV set. I'm not sure if it still works or not, but it's old, it uses dials to change channels manually, and worst of all, has no remote!! Then why did I pick it up & brought it home? Well, for those of youse who know me, you'd know that I made a TV-quarium a couple of years ago (see Aug 1^st blog). I also have a couple of other shop-bought aquariums, 1 of which is no longer in use. But I digress. The reason why I’ve picked up this, smaller old TV set was to, yes, you’ve guessed it, make another TV-quarium!! :D There actually isn’t any more room in the house to accommodate another TV-quarium, and no I’m not actually making it to re-sell (although I once saw them on sale at a market at $200 AUD a pop!). It is actually going to be a house-warming present for my bride & groom (see Apr 23^rd blog). They’re on their honeymoon now & when they return they’d start looking for a bigger place to move into. Judging by their previous house-hunting effort, I’d say I’d have till xmas to finish this present (rotfl!!!!!) In any case, if the last time was anything to go by, it took a long time for the custom order glass tank to arrive (from memory it took nearly 2 months) so I can just take my time with it. Just as well, gives me time to work out the intricacies such as fixing the dials back on without the unpleasant mechanisms in the box, spraying it to go with their furniture, & to order accessories online.

Still groomsman-ing

It's almost been a wk since what I thought was the end of my groomsman-ing days but a little over an hour or so ago Clement msged me again. The Chinese banquet is in 2 days & he needed 4 songs for the night. As I was the groomsman in charge of helping out with the music my service is called in once again. Ha, the life of a groomsman. It just doesn't end, does it :P I'm not helping much though, mostly just talking him through (again). The entrance of the roasted pig is a bit of a toughy. I mean, what songs do you play to pigs' entrances? McMug?

YES! Finally got my 4-match Swans pass. My 'getting over the post-wedding blues' regime thus is officially started. Stupid Telstra Stadium is relaying some of the turf, which means that the ground might not actually be ready for this Saturday's game. Ah, ratz! Not that I have anything against the SCG, but just the fact that I haven't been INSIDE stupid Telstra Stadium for nearly 6 yrs is reasons enough for me to want to keep the game there. Plus, it's SO much closer to home. Must find warm clothes that are red. Looks like a 10-er on Saturday night. Brrr....

'Good' bad luck

DSCN0396
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

Edmund got a call from his father while we were at Artarmon returning the rentals. I had parked our little old red Laser in front of his house the morning before so we only needed to drive 1 car over to Clement’s place to get ready for the wedding. His father had called because someone had crashed into the Laser this morning & dented not 1 but both cars on the left hand side (see above). At first we didn’t know who crashed into the Laser so we stood around for a bit & took pictures. I also took some more after I went home despite the fact that I was delirious and headachy from the compounded lack of sleep (14 hrs in 3 nights, not something I’d recommend to anyone). Eventually we found out that it was Edmund’s neighbour from across the street who crashed into the Laser while backing out from her driveway earlier that morning. The Laser also happens to be over-insured (or over-evaluated or however you want to call it). With NRMA’s advice, we think it’s possible to take the claim $$ & just write-off the car. We actually had been thinking about selling it for some time, but seeing that state that it’s in it is not actually worth much (yes, still delirious, can’t find a better way than to use 2 ‘actuallies’ in 1 sentence). This was we probably would get more for the car than to (1) either trade it in when buying a new car, which at last evaluation was only worth $500 that way, or (2) sell it off the street which we’d probably get a little more than $500 but no much still. I wonder what we’d get.

‘To do’ list:

1. get hand-made name card & customised candy from bride & groom. I left in such a hurry to get the car ready that I didn’t actually have a chance to pack up anything except for what was already in my bag.
2. organise to view wedding video together with rest of bridal party (minus Edmund, who goes back to HK this coming tues) upon the bride & groom's return from their honeymoon in 5-6 wks' time
3. get 4-match package for Swans games Tuesday afternoon. Everyone (ok, maybe just me) is suffering from a little bit of a post-wedding blues so I'm trying to fit more events in (not that I should. I really should get back to writing my chapter)
4. post-grad BBQ in just under 2 wks' time :)

Finally, the big day had arrived

Invitation
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

Yes, the big day had finally arrived indeed, and just like that it was also over. After a very long build-up, even the early morning start & late late night finish didn't seem like enough time to fit in all the scheduled items (I feel so very much to say 'commotion', but the nice kind. You know what I mean).

Groomsmen had it a bit easier than the bride's maids. We 'only' needed to gather at the groom's apartment in Chatswood at 0730 (translation: up by 0545 to get ready). We actually had a bit of a sit around while we waited for the photographer, make-up & florist to arrive. Groomsmen didn't actually get made-up, just a light touch for the groom to cover up his dark circles so he resembled less like a panda. After getting snapped while getting ready, we finally left to get the rental cars 10min behind schedule. Traffic to Cherrybrook was light so we got there with some time to spare. The bride's maids & 'sisters' were not ready anyway so we had a bit of time to wilt in the warmer than expected daylight. As we wilted, so did our floral buttonholes. It was also during this time that we had to do a lot of ‘fake’ poses for the photographers & videographer, ‘fake’ poses walking in a line pretending to talk & having a laugh, standing around in a circle pretending to talk & having a laugh, standing in line pretending to talk & having a laugh, etc. (I’m starting to see a trend here…) While the groom got humiliated at the ‘getting the bride’ games, the rest of us sat around for a bit before getting stuff ready for the cars & the rest of the day. As the Bentley – the bridal car which was of course magnificent – arrived we knew it was our cue to step up with the preparation & getting ready. We managed to delay ourselves further by another half an hr or so. We were stopped on our way to the church ceremony (groom, best man & other groomsman went ahead in a rental, while I drove the 2 bride’s maids & maid of honour in another rental, closely following the Bentley which held the bride & bride’s parents), luckily not by the police but by the groomsmen, informing us that the videographer was MIA. We stopped on the side of the road for nearly 15min before given the all OK to continue our way there.

I fought hard to not cry as the bride entered the church with her father. Luckily I was successful otherwise I would’ve made myself the centre of the showing instead of the bride & groom standing in the middle. Because of the pre-existing delay, & a little mix up in the end, we couldn’t have group photos according to the schedule as set out in the order of service. It got chaotic as we tried to gather people of the different groups from where they had spread – basically all over the church premise, taking refreshments, chatting, taking pictures, etc. As a result, we ended up being nearly an hr late for the location shoots. Further disasters as the bride’s maids dresses keep getting caught in their shoes, the rose on my floral buttonhole deciding to go walkabout, bride’s maids getting cold as the chills of dusk moved in. in the end, we didn’t have time to fit in the 3^rd location shoot, which was supposed to be around the golf course, the venue for the night’s reception. In any case, everyone was busy running around the dining hall doing final preparations (informing the DJ, having buttonholes fixed, calming the bride, then groom, then bride again, re-do hair & make-up… It was a lovely reception. Lighting was moody, food was nice, people had fun, the schedule got pull out of whack because speeches went long… In the end we had to abbreviate some scheduled items so we could vacate the premise by midnight. I didn’t end up sticking around the help clean up because I got switched back to driving the bride & groom to their hotel in North Ryde. I hugged them goodbyes before sending them in to rest after such a long, eventful day. I of course wanted to just go home & crash also, which I did, for a few hrs, before getting up again to pick up the groom (the bride was still asleep), drop him home, before heading on to return the rentals before 9am. I needed to pick up the groom & drop him home because (1) we needed someone to come to the rental place to take us back to Chatswood, and (2) we needed to go back to Chatswood to pick up the Best Man’s tux, return all 3 tux, collect Edmund’s car before coming back home to Castle Hill. I ended up letting Clement drive the Audi for a little while, seeing that he’s paid for it and all. He actually wanted to drive it yesterday already, but no one let him. Nifty little toy that Audi was. I had the A4 for the day, & it did take a bit of time getting used to. Not just the fact that the sticks for the indicators & windscreen wipers were on the 'wrong' sides of th steering wheel, but also the fact that the brake was very sensitive while the accelerator was slow to react. In the end, I did get used to it, so much that when I went to collect the Laser to drive home I was trying to indicate the left (which for the Laser is the windscreen wipers). No more driving for a little bit. That should be long enough for me to forget the Audi.

For recap of rest of Sunday, see next blog.

Boys' (half) night out

Last night was also Clement’s buck’s night. It was pretty late organisation, so we wouldn’t really plan something big/wild. It was also Easter long weekend, and for some reasons a lot of the cool restaurants that we called up for reservation (the Belgian & Bavarian Beer Cafés, Jap restaurants… James Squire Brewhouse was open but didn’t take reservation) were closed for the entire weekend. Finally we settled for Sakana-ya in Crows Nest & just played it by ear afterwards. Unfortunately there were only 2 pubs in that little corner of Crows Nest. I started out soft with just 1 beer before dinner while the groom skulled 2 schooners & the best man 2 screwdrivers. Hot sake during dinner was a treat, although it did get tougher to down as it cooled towards the end. Afterwards the task of toppling the groom was left to just Herman & I as Edmund passed on everything but the sake during dinner, & Felix simply doesn’t drink. More unfortunate was the situation where everyone was driving apart from the groom, so the night ended relatively early at around midnight. At least I’ve heard reports that the groom threw up pretty much immediately after I dropped him home, which means that we did a great job grogging him up. Fun night, fun night.

Heads down again to focus on the big (& very long) day that is coming up very soon.

The final countdown

As cliché as it sounds, it IS the final countdown. We had our final dance lesson yesterday evening down at Chinatown again, this time with the whole bridal party present. Edmund having just arrived the night before (& thus not having had any lessons before) struggled to catch up while the rest of us got messed around with changed choreography. I’ve also switched partner to make way for the 2 MCs of the night. Final practice is after the church rehearsal on Wednesday night. Let’s hope no one trips :p

Getting Creative

Creative Zen Neeon 6G
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

After a bit of cajoling, I finally managed to talk myself buying a Creative Zen Neeon 6Gb. It has 7 different back-lighting, unlike the blue-lit MuVo TX FM 512Mb, all the great functions that the TX FM has/had PLUS line-in recording. Terrific investment I think. Now I only need to unload the TX FM that I bought less than 9 months ago. Already listed on eBay, will check how it's progressing nearer to the end.

On the same day that I bought my little Neeon, lil' bro Ben also got offered a contract job down in Wynyard. on way to dinner he stopped by Myer & picked up a 30Gb iPod video. Seeing that my Neeon doesn't have the video function (I'm not at that advanced a stage yet technologically) I'd just have to stick with books while train-ing.

WESTIR/WSCF office launch went without many glitches except for half of the entertainment turning up late. Otherwise it was a fine affair with 30 of the 50 complementary CDs of the new occasional papers gone along with a couple of the hard copies. It's back to mundane office-hood from tomorrow & think about next projects. Maybe I should really think about the recreation one?? A little in-person research wouldn't hurt, right? :P

Easter is coming by again and after a few yr's absence I decided it was time to head down to the Royal Easter Show at Olympic Park again. This time I went with the perenial-attendant Wendy & her cousin Terrence. Despite the fine weather (compared to the downpour which I endured 3 yrs ago, anything would have been fine weather) there weren't really large crowds anywhere, which suited me just fine. All in all, a fun day out to take my mind off things. By the time I got home 10:30-ish I was knackered & left all my un-packing to be done the following day (by others :P)

Speaking of taking my mind off things, I had yet another dose of that this morning. Last night was the helps party at the bridal residence. Attendance was quite high (20 or so, with about 10 more helpers absent) so after some food a run-thru of the big day's schedule was, well, run thru. The task list was 3 A4 pages alone. Luckily most people's tasks were limited to about 1/3 of a page, with multiple persons fussing over the same tasks. It should be fun watching them fight over "artistic differences" :) Anyhow, with more responsibilities ahead (ribbons to buy, bride's bday party, final dance rehearsal, buck's night, church rehearsal, the BIG DAY...) I'm totally buggened (mentally). Not feeling like writing (yet again) I finished reading the last few chapters of Marley & Me. I flicked thru and read the bit where Marley was put down after health problems when I was still about halfway thru the book some time ago, but the sadness that overcame me this morning was something that I did not anticipate. I literally weeped my way thru most of the last 3 chapters, with every few lines presenting new materials to cry about. I haven't cried in may years, & I honestly cannot remmeber exactly when I last cried except maybe my high school graduation (oh my God, was that really 8 & 1/2 yrs ago??). Anyhow, after that little liquid-release & reading of materials totally unrelated to my studies (yet again) I now feel totally refreshed & rejuvenated. Already managed to write 2 paragraphs in the last 2 hours. Wait a minute, why am I wasting my writing on this piece when I have more important things to write about? Oh buzz off then!

Busy busy busy

If you have been followin gmy blog it should come as no surprise to anyone to know that April is an extremely busy month for me, socially speaking. It has not even been a week into April and I already feel that I've done more than a month's worth of socialising. While technically Trish's graduation celebration was not an April event (30 March) it did knida take me until April to recover from the after effects. I arrived at uni as per usual around 9:30 in the morning & proceeded to carry out a whole bunch of tasks - library returns, new interlibrary loans, photocopying, realsing done photocopying wrong & had to re-do, used photocopied sheets for prelim analysis for final results chapter (last of 4), general office adminstrative stuff, print outs, filing, etc. So by the time the graduation ceremony came (6:30pm start, so be seated by 6:15pm) I was over doing work for the day & skipped (not quite literally) into the Clancy Auditorium for the ceremony. After bopping head around for a bit looking for Kev we realised that he was MIA for the academic procession & ended up sitting 2 blocks right of us in the top row of seating. We found out post-ceremony that he was caught (trapped?) in traffic on the notorious Parramatta Road & thus missed the procession by about 10min. According to (Mrs) Elaine, Big Kev was gutted. Not that there was anything that could have been done at that stage. Anywho, while of of the honorary doctorate deceipient (Ian Kiernan) was an absolute bore, the other (Robyn Williams, & NOT, I repeat, NOT the comedian) was an absolute hoot. He was very funny in making fun of the current political stage of Aust. That act was worth the ticket price alone, not that it cost anything... The night continued on afterwards at Giovanna's down in Kingsford. Trish's Uncle Joe, who accompanied Trish's mum here all the way from Ireland, was an incredibly generous man. He bough each of our tables (3 in all) a bottle of Chandon. Absolutely delicious thing it was. The rest of the food for dinner was good too, as expected from Giovanna's. Speeches were also witty & entertaining. It was after 11 before we realised that it was actually time to head on. Big kev & Elaine gave me a lift to Central. I had intended to catch the M2 bus back to Towers, but had just missed by about 15min, & did not realise that the next bus was another hr away that I trained to Pennant Hills instead. By the time I got home it was after 2.

After about 4.5 hrs of sleep I got up early the following morning so I could make up for the day that I had missed at WESTIR. I never fully got over the self-induced sleep deprivation during the day & thus took me until April to fully recover from the graduation. There are light days and there are heavy days. In view of the self-induced sleep deprivation I decided to have a light day at WESTIR (choice of light day was fortunately made available after on tuesday having 1/ finalised profiles for Waverley, and 2/ made final corrections for crime cccasional paper thus making it ready for publication) & instead of doing any work that required levels of intellect higher than that of an ant I tidied up the office in preparation for tomorrow's (6 Apr) launch of new/joint office w/ WSCF. Have continued on such low-intellect duties this tuesday as well as did covers of occasional papers #3 & #4 ready for show-&-tell tomorrow and attend joint staff meeting for task designation. Plenty of work still tomorrow. At least there is champagne at the end of all these. Hope they are good ones. (Do I smell a running theme?)

Sunday was the future Mrs D's bday & so being a Pol-ish gathering the alcohol was flowing freely all afternoon & evening. Nice gathering Mrs D. More social events had been flagged as a result of alcohol's involvement.

This week my groomsman duties continued & expanded with new duty - song list. Luckily I already had a contingent song list ready from weeks back so coming up with a short list wasn't quite as hard as one would think. Still, had to go thru the 10 pages of songs in the DJ's list & pick out the appropriate ones. Will also request songs that were notably missing. (How can a DJ who does wedding not have Tony Bennett's version - or any version for that matter - of The Way You Look Tonight??). Duties continue on sunday was dance practice & run thru of the day's schedule prior to the 'bridal party' party.

Just the thought of these hightlights of social events is leaving me exhausted. Will report again post office launch.

Time to crank it up

It's less than a month out from the BIG DAY and so things are getting cranked up. Apart from the weekly dance practice (which I sucked this past Sat. Must practice basic steps at home before this Sat's session), organisations of various things (who to teach missing groomsman dance steps; buck's/hen's night for respective buck/hen; fit everyone for rehearsal sometime during wk before; collect rentals - tux, cars, etc; discuss logistics of the day/days before/days after...). I have managed to take some time of my own mental challenge & not thinking about the PhD so much the past 5/6 days. Will start on next chapter again today/after this. Also need to plan backyard remodel so to adjust to termite treatment. Spent part of this past wkend clearing out existing garden beds next to house for termite traps. The guy's explanations sound very iffy to me, but I guess I (so far) know no details of the insect & how to treat them so I suppose we can only do as he says. But still, iffy.

No more movies lately except just order the Donnie Darko super boxset. Alas won't arrive until mid May (2 freaking months to wait!?!? Sorry, need to sound more Aussie - 2 BLOODY months to wait!?!?!). Must occupy self with other 'social' social events - graduation dinner, pre-wedding groomsman duties, bday drinks/nibbles, etc. Hmm, what about the Arrested Development season 2 DVD box that I & Scrubs seasons 1 & 2 that little bro just bought?

Gyllenhaal week - take 2

Finally sent off my project at work on Thursday which meant that after lunch I didn't really have anything important/urgent to tend to. Discussion of Business Plan is not until this coming Thursday, so I proceeded to read screenplay of Donnie Darko. Yes, after reading and re-reading and re-reading Brokeback screenplay I'm kinda into reading screenplays at the moment, so Marley & Me would just have to sit by itself for a while. Can't remember exactly where I read it, but wherever it was it said that any Gyllenhaal (Jake) fan should watch Donnie Darko. I found out that yet another version (a 6+hr, 3 DVD collector's box) is coming out mid May, so I thought I'd find & read the screenplay before decided which version I should buy (stupid sigle-disc, Director's cut 2-disc, or the 3-disc super box). Like I said, nothing important/urgent to do Thurs arvo, so started reading D.D.. I'm still failing to see why it's being called a cult classic, because from what I read (finished Saturday morning before dance lesson when not feeling like writing) it was tremendously funny. It is clicky, but funny. So have decided to order the 3-disc super box now. Sigh, have to wait until mid May!?!! Oh well, shouldn't really be spending that much time doing anything other than writing anyway. Plus, groomsman duties would be over by then. Great timing. Can't wait.

Almost finished writing Ch 5. Should be read to send off by tomorrow & have meeting Wednesday morning. Good, progress I like.

More groomsman duties:

1. Cars rented. Must remember to bring reservation numbers
2. More dance lessons. Scarping cha cha & will now hone in on the foxtrot/4-steps from now on.
3. Have designated bride's maid organised. Both of them are short, & both groomsmen (me included) are my height (well, I know I am, obviously. But Edmund is same height but smaller built) so won't make much difference who goes with who really
4. Search for glass pebbles as decoration for reception. The bride actually asked me to do this, so does that technically make me a bride's maid double?
5. Think about solution for rose decoration at reception. The bride asked me this too. I'm really doubling up as a quasi-bride's maid ain't I?
   

Gyllenhaal week

It's a very heavily Gyllenhaal week, & it's only Wednesday. Jake, not Maggie. The week after the Oscars (last wk) left me deeply depressed. Not entirely to do with the unsatifactory results (4 films got 3 each, how bizzarre was that!?!), but a combination of feeling sad after having read various versions of Brokeback numerous times (at last count, downloaded version: 1; book version (same as downloaded version): 1; production screenplay: 1; original New Yorker version: 1; various parts of the story plus various, 'important' scenes: lost count), my own inability to write my chapter (spent 4 freaking days writing 1 opening paragraph, pulling it apart, telling myself that I suck in this, etc) before finally turning around & managed to move on & get writing again. And so my Gyllenhaal week started. Good writing/editing Monday morning before meeting with supervisor. Great progress, & got myself mentally refocussed for a bit. Afterwards, skipped straight to the city & watched Brokeback Mountain again, 1st movie that I've seen in a cinema twice. I was willing to gamble my sanity away (been totally obsessed with Brokeback since end of Jan (read above). Watching it for the 2nd time was either going to bring closure on that obsession & get me back to 'normal' life, or continue my obsession). Still excellent as ever (ok, so it was the latter of the outcomes), which prompted me to go home & re-read some of the scenes again. Seriously, everytime I read it, & I've read it many times (read above, again) I find something that I failed to notice before. Must find way of ending obsession. Anyhow, back to work yesterday. While waiting for comp to do complicated graphic generations, started reading original New Yorker version of Brokeback. Didn't manage to finish it at work, and after tennis last night, finally finished reading it past 1:30 this morning. Combined with the drizzly humid weather last night, the late sleep (plus lack of sleep from pervious days) completely exhausted me, resulting in a 10-hr coma & not getting up until nearly midday (thank god was not going to go anywhere today). Attempted to write a bit, but recovery from tennis was going much slower than normal, which distracted me a lot. Decided to skip writing & went to watch Jarhead instead (thus continuation of Gyllenhaal week). A very good film that exposed the inhumanities & frivolity of war. Highly recommend it. The ending was a bit abrupt after the end of the war (oh come on, it was Gulf War I, every one knows how it ended!!), leaving the characters hanging a bit, particularly Swoff/Gyllenhaal. But otherwise, mighty gd film. Might try & catch more of others by end of March before discount ends. Already done Match Point lastMmonday, so will see about Capote, Rent and/or Transamerica.

Heavy social calendar coming right up. Groomsman duties officially begun last saturday when I went to a dance lesson & learned to cha cha. More to come this Sat, but before that, there's the fitting coming up tomorrow night, & being left in charge for booking rental car for the big day. Trish's graduation is also on thursday night next week, followed by Karen's PhD submission party on Friday. Might see about Easter Show early April as well. Chockers.

Faux tub

Faux tub
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

Finally I've finished my faux stone tub planter! It's taken quite a while seeing that I kept putting it aside for other things like writing, reading, DVDs & movies, but as I'm having yet another one of my usual wednesday off, & after much bumming around this morning starting with Season 2 of Golden Girls on DVD & other bits & pieces, I finished plastering the remaining 2 sides of my faux tub (snowy polystyrine centre with home-mixed plaster exterior. Is that how you spell polystyrine? With so many Ys?) Here's the finished picture. No, not quite the finished product. As we speaking I'm waiting for my old-teabag/coffee distressing effect to dry so it'll look for like real stone instead of plastered polystyrine. Shall post again when product finished.

p.s. Never been around to watching TransAmerica free preview. Traffic/road work at Lane Cove just too crazy I'd have too much trouble getting home. Have not been to any movie since last post either, so no update on to-watch list either. Must find out when TransAm & Capote starts showing on non-arthouse cinemas...

p.p.s. Brokeback screenplay finally arrived Friday. Have already finished with short story, analysed it & pulled it apart (figuratively of course) like wrapping paper on Boxing Day. It's still as good as I had remembered and must proceed onto the screenplay & accompaying essasys by Proulx, McMurtry & Ossana double quick :)

Movie list update

Been to tonnes of movies lately, so my to-see list is getting shorter & shorter. Just been to Walk the Line this morning after Munich on Saturday. That would be 3rd for the month & 5th for the yr! I don't think I've ever been to the movies at such high frequency in my life. 1 every month or 2 months maybe, but never this closely together. Anyhow, having decided to skip The Producers, now I only have Capote & TransAmerica left on my list. AND, my free tickets to TransAmerica just arrived today for next monday night, so 1 more down by end of next Mon! Maybe I should add Jarhead to the list seeing that I have cheap ticket vouchers... Or Brokeback again after finish reading the script? Hmm, thinking...

On other fronts, had my 1st meeting with:

1. co-supervisor
2. both supervisor & co-supervisor present

Good outcomes from the hour-long meeting, which means that plenty more work still laying ahead of me. I'm finally seeing the benefits of having a 2nd supervisor. Wendy S. is telling me things that Kev is not/has neglected to/hasn't thought of yet. She thought that she was in a tone that sounded too 'corrective' but it was exactly what I needed to hear from her. So, excellent. Now, moving on the writing 3rd results chapter. Finished coding & entering data for this chapter this past wkend & monday, so should probably stop blogging now & do my analysis. Have had enough fun for the day (for the night, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter :P Ooh, new Property Ladder is on Lifestyle tonight!) Ok, stop now. Now, I said!

Geisha

Oscar noms are out and I intend to watch quite a few before the March ceremony. As said in previous post have already seen Brokeback Mountain (see Brokeback, 1 below) and am still waiting for the screenplay to arrive in the mail. Amazon said still 2 more wks to wait :'(

Took day off on wednesday & was going to take advantage of the Greater Union promotion & watch Rumour Has It then The Producers back to back, but changed my mind last minute and watched Memoirs of a Geisha instead (thus title of blog). With the general lack of nominations I think I'll be scratching The Producers from my 'to watch' list, unless none of the other 1s don't come off the 'no free ticket' list. Will see will see. Geisha - not bad. Never read the book, have no urge to do so. I can't put my head around Japanese women being so feministically forward. 'Cos in all the films/docos done on Japan it still looks like an extremely patriarchal society. It did, however, stir my interest in wanting to find 'Ah Sun' again. I think that would be a much more realistic story to be put on screen. It was, afterall, based on a true story.

Must get back to writing. Was going to spend wed arvo writing the intro & conclu to my chapter, but spent a big part of it in air-conditioned cinema/shopping centre/library instead before going home & watched Arrested Development S1 on DVD again. Was going to write at night, but too hot so watched Prison Break & LOST recap. @ work yesterday & LOST last night. Also spent too much time downloading games for BlackBerry. Must find way of changing background/screensaver.

To watch list update:

1. Capote
2. Munich
3. Producers, the (maybe)
   
4. Walk the Line
5. Jarhead (maybe)
   

Brokeback

Saw Brokeback Mountain on Aus Day (26 Jan for all 'foreigners'). It was not at all a bad movie. There were bits that I couldn't understand though, particularly that Heath Ledger's voice + accent. That combination just makes it so hard to understand what exactly he was trying to spit out! A bit of a thinking movie, so I found the short story online & read it late last night/early this morning. Not very long (thus the 'short' part of 'short story'. Nothing Harry Potter like), so even for a slow reader like me I finished it in an hr & a 1/2. Having now read the story, I can only say that the movie pales in comparison, even though the movie itself is quite a good one already. Highly recommend watching then reading in that particular order.

Other movies on the list, not necessarily in any order:

1. Capote
2. Memoirs of a Geisha
3. Munich
4. Producers, the
5. Walk the Line

Damn, I only got 1 free ticket! That means I'll have to shell out for the other 4!?!?!

Pigeon funeral II

Ok, I've had a better look this time. We were driving back from the other direction and I was on the passenger side so I really had a good look. The white fluffies were actually pigeons but cockatoos. They all somehow seemed smaller the other day.

Pigeon funeral

Unfortunately I was driving when I saw this, plus the fact that I didn't have a camera with me, so there isn't a picture for show & tell. But it was a pretty unusual site; well, at least unusual for me. I was on my way down to see Brokeback Mountain, & just ahead of the corner where I usually turn right there was a school of white pigeons standing on the other side of the road, looking right, towards a freshly squashed pigeon (white again. I'm pretty sure they weren't cockatoos since they were a bit small, so let's just call them pigeons). Next to the squashed pigeon there stood a galah, facing left towards all the other, still alive pigeons, as if giving a sermon or eulogy or something. I've never seen anything like that before. On my way back from seeing Brokeback there was still only 1 squashed pigeon, so I guess no more got run over. Wish I had a camera with me :(

BlackBerry 7230i

BlackBerry 7230i
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

Luv it! I was out searching for archiving boxes around Parramatta to re-file the WESTIR library when I came across the PDA display in OfficeWorks. After a bit of looking around & research I've finally decided to buy this BlackBerry 7230i. It doesn't do all the web search but I don't really need all those 'complicated' functions anyway. I wanted an organiser, & if it came with a phone (liek the BlackBerries) then even better! No camera, yes, but I don't think I'd ever want a camera on my phone. I need my photos to be of higher quality. But anyways, after playing with it for a good while last night & for some time today as well, it's just so gd with syncing with your PC/laptop, keeping track of appointments/deadlines, updating contacts, wkday/wkend alarms, reminders...... & of course you can send & receive emails from it also. Oh so loverly :)

Happy camper

Garnier goody bag
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

Day 1 of Aus Open 2006 & Rae & I bussed it up from Geelong to Melbourne early this morning & headed straight to the hotel on eastern end of Lonsdale to drop our bags before heading down to Melbourne Park. A bigger queue for tickets than I had expected, so we didn't actually get in until close to noon-ish (after an hr or so queueing). Pity neither of us had an AmEx otherwise we could've taken the Express Lane & got in ages quicker! And, rubbing salt to the wound, we found out we were missing out on more freebies just because we didn't have/use the products of the official sponsors (AmEx cardholders were entitled to complementary AO commentary radios & free freshly-squeezed juices all day long, while Optus customers could have their SIM card backed-up for free (for frequent phone losers) as well as enter daily draw for 3G mobiles whorth over a grand each!)!! After some loitering in & around Vodafone & Margaret Court Arenas watching some tennis matches, we lined up for the Garnier marquee to get the free goody bag. They also offer free hair styling/hand massage/mini facial, so of course the line was bloody long. We both eventually settled for the mini facials because a lot of ppl in front of us were holding out for the longer services. But definitely conned. That mini facial was so mini that it was just a dapple with a wet nap & quick massage with a get/cream from a small tub. It did the cooling that we so desperately craved in a humid day like today, but it was simply too short to be even called a mini. Ah well, I guess when they're free you can really complain! Plus, everyone gets a free goody bag that probably adds up to $40-$50, so that's the ticket price back plus more! Happy camper indeed :)

Hmm, mussels

Hmm, mussels
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

Geelong, Day 3. Well, Day 1 didn't really count seeing that we took a 5pm flight & arrived almost 6:30. The long weekend officially started on day 2 (Friday) when, after breakfast, Trish, Rae & I had a nice stroll up Pakington Street & did some light shopping. Rae & I diverted off to op shops & other funky locals, & I managed to find 2 (!!) Snoopy soft toys + 1 soft toy of Moomin. But the real highlight of Geelong was of course the freshly-cooked mussels off the pier. Not only were they freshly caught that very morning, they were also perfectly cooked on the spot as you order. 2 varieties, & I chose the white wine/garlic/parsley option (other being red wine/chilli). I don't know if it was the freshness, or just the setting (Eastern Beach), it was simply the most delicious mussels that I've ever tasted. And cheap too!! Only $5.50 for box of 16! Must have another go before heading to Melbourne on Monday.

Medibank International

Martina Hingis
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

Tuesday was our annual 'pilgrimage' to Homebush for the now renamed Medibank International. I wasn't planning on going, but after hearing that Hingis was attempting a comeback & that Sydney is one of the first stops, naturally I had no choice but to stalk her out (a bit). Busy packing at WESTIR all day Monday so had no idea that she lost (to Henin-Hardenne, which is not that big a surprise) in 1st Round until late arvo. We all thought that she'd go straight down to Melbourne & practise there instead, but to our surprise she stuck around & practiced, not once but twice on Tuesday!! We were there for about 7 hrs, & we spent probably more than 2 hours just watching her practice, taking photos & videos & of course seeking autographs. From memory I think hers this time is my first and only (thus far. Hopefully my Aus Open trip will change that) repeated autograph. All in all, the Syd tournament has really gone downhill a little bit. The atmosphere (along with the crowds) has gone a fair bit since they reduced the draw from 64 to 32, i.e. cutting out 1 Round. With new tournies popping up in Canberra & Hobart it is understandable that Tennis Aust would want a more even atendance, but Syd has suffered as a result. Maybe this time I'm really going to stay awya from it for a little bit before going again.

Flying down to Geelong this arvo. Rainy again today, but it looks like it'd be fine in Melbourne & surroundings. As long as it doesn't rain on Monday I'd be happy, cos that's the only day I have to go to the Aus Open. 1st repeat Grand Slam, & a 7-yr break. That's a big break. Must attempt to go more often :)

Must get back to writing. Looks like I'm a long way off from finishing Ch 4 by end of month with all the tennis-watching coming up. WESTIR is also relocating today so there'd be a fair bit of unpacking & cleaning up after I come back up north. Groomsman duties late April, so assistance & rehearsals before then. Busy busy.

Still sun-burnt from tues.

New Year's Day

Hot 1
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

Stupidly hot on New Year's Day. After a lovely afternoon at Vaucluse the day before (nice warm weather, cool sea breezes) New Year's Day was inextricably hot. By mid morning it was already well over 40'C outside, with the inside temp approaching the same mark. Our thermometer outside only reads up to 50, & by mid afternoon it was so hot that it exceeded the 50 mark. It wasn't much better inside. It went over 40'C for the first time inside (see below), even though we had all the fans cranking. Alas air-con didn't help much. I'm pretty sure it's at its dyign stage, seeing that 1 of the 2 fans was stationary even though we had it on high, & it didn't really get any cooler anyways. The only bit of significant cooling only came when the cooler night breeze finally came some time after 9pm. I, having spent the day drenched in sweat while watching Hopman Cup on TV & reading HP5 (finally started 5 on Boxing Day after finishing 4 almost FOUR years ago!!) at the same time, resorted to dunking myself into a nice, cool bath in the evening to bring my body temperature back down normal. Luckily yesterday (Jan 2) was signficantly cooler (mid 20s) & so is today (so far). Either way, am indoors in AC-ed office most of the day, so not that big a difference to me :P

Need to seriously put my head down & refocus on doing real work. Have given up on the BOCSAR job that I got interviewed for (have yet to hear about the outcomes, but not very likely a success I'm guessing) so now I can put most of the mental energy back to writing my chapters. Have not done any writing since early Dec, & have forced myself to finish the 1st draft by end of month, so must do some serious refocussing. Otherwise, looking forward to Geelong/Melbourne!!

Happy New year

Happy New Year everyone! 2005 has come & gone so fast, probably because I spent a big chunk of it travelling overseas as well as just burying my head into various things for short periods before & after I got back. It has most certainly been a very interesting year for me personally but at the same time unsettling. As I approach the end of my studying days, I must now contemplate on my new move(s). No more coasting by. But before all that, I've got an office relocation & a Geelong/Melbourne trip to look forward to!!

Let's have a quick recap since last blog. Xmas thingo @ the Mo's was kinda fun. Was not as hot as espected. Even a little cool towards the evening. Not as much food as last time either, but ended up being just the perfect portion. Since then I've been roasting at home, reading 20th Century Speeches & Harry Potter 5 (after a 4-yr break since last reading HP4) while watching the cricket. Today was spent seaside at Vaucluse, at Strickland House. Picniced from about 3-ish until the 9pm fireworks, before some continued partying back at the Dan/Will's. Scooted out of that after a little while & came back home drained & exhausted. Must sleep now to regain strength...

Seasons greetings

Kris Kringle
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

The silly season has finally arrived. After a long lunch with the Geog gang at the usual Giovanna's for a final hurrah (I think Dan was bitterly disappointed that Ian didn't retell (again) his nuuude story), we proceeded to the new Drozdzewski-Hills residence at Coogee to 1) perform our Kris Kringle duties; 2) admire the top floor view; 3) more drinking & eating, in no particular order. A good time was had by all, especially when not-so-big Kev gave an unforgettable performance of singing out sex advice, or when TK promptly proclaimed that she can't get a blow (from the flute that she got from Kris Kringle just to clarify). I of course stumpled (ok, walked. Just thought I'd add a bit of dramatics) out of there 8-ish to catach PT back to Pennant Hills for tennis/more party. Absolutely buggered by the time I got home.

Wednesday supposedly was going to be the day that I should've reserved for preparing for my thursday job interview (got the call tuesday just before lunch). Instead slept in late & spent most of the time before escaping the heat moving things & setting up the bug bombs. Had to escape the house while the bombs went off & so shopped at DFO (Country Road 1/2 off!) before spenting the rest of the day re-moving things back to where they belong & summer-cleaning them up at the same time. Did end up spending some of the night putting things together for the interview & re-read my application letter.

Ducked into WESTIR to pick up more samples of work before training into St James for interview (my new leather briefcase came in very handy). I knew that Anne's was before mine, but little did I know that Arvind K (from FBE) was the 1st of the morning at 9! So all 3 interviews were from the FBE in a way! Small world indeed. Nonetheless, both Anne & I agreed that BOCSAR didn't really have an idea of what the full extent of that mapping exercise would involve. I did ok, but Arvind would probably be the 1 getting the call. Afterall, my setting-up-database experience is not the best, though my actually mapping skills would probably compensate quite well. Anyhow, just waiting for more partying tomorrow & NYE before finally putting head back down to writing.

In the mean time, have finished reading Dorian Gray (excellent middle half, but otherwise quite ordinary. Don't know what the rave was all about) & have just started on Importance of Being Ernest. Have reserved my 20th Century Speeches book for the Melbourne/Geelong trip. Looking very much forward to that indeed.

Fish update: have expanded stock with a pair of navy-blue swordtails, a yellow spotted male guppy, & a bristlenose for cleaning. Hoping the new swordtail/guppy breedings will be successful. Must also find a way of sellingthe other swordtail/platy off-springs. Must enquire at local pet stores otherwise will run out of room again.

One finaly seasons greeting to everyone!

Festive season

The festive season has finally begun. Thursday was the last board meeting of the year, & as per usual we all go out for lunch together on WESTIR’s shout. It’s the usual Thai Pagoda restaurant east on Main St. 1 last hurrah I guess, seeing that we’re FINALLY moving out of Blacktown & down to Parramatta in mid Jan. So of course for the last little while everyone’s been busy culling & packing & organising for the relocation. It’s been frustrating & boring & dusty & fun at the same time. The next time I’m in will be the traditional xmas sit-down that we have to surprise the newbies, & this year it’s Kristine’s turn. It’d probably be my last as well. Had my scholarship extended so I won’t switch to PT. There’s no need for me to work more to keep up with my $$ habits :) Have also applied for a well-paid temp job at Bureau of Crime Stats & Research, so if I get that I’d probably just stick with that instead of working 2 jobs & still doing PhD full-time.

On brighter notes, more xmas parties coming up!! The traditional geog xmas lunch is this coming Tuesday, followed immediately by kris kringle/housewarming at Dan & Will’s new place. Somehow this coming Tuesday end up being a pretty jam packed day, with usual tennis thingy happening that same night, but also a small party-ish thing at Pennant Hills. Which means I have to leave Coogee 7-ish & train directly to Pennant Hills. Then comes xmas eve at the Mo’s. If their last xmas party was anything to go by I should simply skip breakfast & lunch & just wait for the big feast. Seriously, as if there was any chance that 16 people could’ve finished a 8-kilo ham, 4-kilo turkey, steaks, chick wings, noodles, various salads, AND various desserts! We gave it our best shot & ate from 11 (am) till 11 (pm) yet alas still tonnes of left over. The do this year starts at 4 so I’m envisaging a smaller turkey?

Looking forward to Geelong & Aus Open. Yes! The Swiss Miss is back!

Swelter shelter

Yet another working-at-home day wasted. The planned rewriting Wednesday never eventuated. Because of the sweltering heat, & continued lack of sleep I didn't actually end up getting up until 10. After a cool breakfast my tv-quarium has finally been re-populated via the trans-aquarium migration of my tropical fish. All's fine & well. Thinking of adding to a guppy male to accompany lone guppy female. Shall wait & see.

Finally succumbing to the sweltering heat of 35+, I ended up going to my swelter shelter - Castle Towers - & watched HP4. Not entirely enjoyable seeing that the cinema (& the rest of the shopping centre) was filled with wagging/schoolies-ing teenagers who never failed to annoy each other (but mostly me) with their vulger, juvenile antics (see below). Pity the movie wasn't as good as HP3 either, or maybe it was just the constant sounds of sniggerings and (subsequently smells of) juvenile farts. Still sweltering after going home 4:30-ish. Did not actually end up doing anything productive until 9:30-ish when started reading a journal article which probably won't get used in my re-write. Shall see how I go end of today in my heat-trap room. At least I'm air-conditioned at WESTIR...

Checklist

1. Finally paid back the Melbourne airfares. Now I'm only $162 poorer! So it's quite a good deal :)
2. Secret santa pressy completed bar foam in the box to minimise damage during transit. Must fix by tomorrow.
3. Housewarming present arrived (long ago). Custom-made wrapping paper photoed, adjusted, tiled, printed, merged & wrapped. Terrific. Note to self: must take picture of finished product.
4. Trish's thank-you present finished & approved bar nice box/pouch to put it in. Must do that before Melbourne.
5. WESTIR chrissy pressies done & custom-design paper wrapped. Boy I'm good.
6. Xmas menu: not yet started, even though it's only 1 dish. Must think of something easy that looks classy so to bolster cooking credential.
7. Writing of next chapter not yet started. Too much gd TV on tonight (yes, it's monday afterall). Work tomorrow night then tennis. May start wednesday if remember.
8. Repopulation of tv-quarium in preparation. Filter newly poured in water as we speak. Should be ready wednesday (ooh, will have to delay chapter writing then) for tropical relocation. Contemplating starting tropical breeding program. (Ha, nearly typed 'problem' instead!!) (dork!)
   
9. Chuck Beck's present (in the mail)
10. Stop (or at least pretend to stop) going xmas shopping & instead buying things for myself. All presents taken care of so time to stop spending (nearing 1k the last 5 days, ouch).
    

$300+ worth of outlet therapy

Oroton
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

After the celebratory lunch for Trish's final submit we stayed in the office doing various bits before I bolted about 3:30 down to the city as it looked like rain. I was planning on heading into city to do some xmas shopping anyways, so when I finally got down to ANZAC Parade to catch a bus, the 393 was waiting for me. So I ended up going to Central first (& thus Market City) before heading to Town Hall for Kathmandu. It turned out to be a therapy session that costed me a bit. As the title implies, it was more than $300, not including the airfares for the Melbourne tix that we just booked earlier that afternoon. While most of the $300+ went to this LOVELY Oroton leather briefcase ($299 after half-off. If I'm any dumber I'd think that I'd saved myself $300. But seeing that I'm not really that dumb, I actually spent $299 in order to save $300. Wait, does that mean I'm $1 better off???) I also invested into a Ken Done T-shirt (why did I say invest?), a knitted wool cap (no, not beanie. Cap) from General Pants, before finishing off with a compass and thermostat at Kathmandu. The train back to Blacktown was a bit of a long haul even though it was express already. Maybe it only felt long because it was peak traffic & I didn't have a seat & this woman keep hitting me with her (fake) snake/crocodile skin handbag every time she turns around. So she said sorry (once, after the first time), but is that really excuse for her to keep swinging her bag at me afterwards?? People are just so considerate ...

Melbourne bound

Ok, finally I'm Melbourne bound once again. After a 2-yr absence, I've just booked a short round trip to Melbourne for mid-Jan w/ Rae. We'll spend most of the time down at Geelong visiting Trish, but will of course squeeze in a day at the Aus Open. The 1st day of the tournament actually, & am going to get Centre Court tix this time. A short thurs-tues round trip, & I shall be back in time to play tennis that tues nite! What great organisation!

Must head down to city now to continue xmas shopping before heading home. Hopefully I can beat the looming downpour as well.

Oh crap, so much reading to bring home...