Friday, September 15, 2006
Location: Perth, WA
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Location:Perth, WA
So what are you doing reading this? I haven't posted to it for a year. For current news read the Demented Dieter.
So what are you doing reading this? I haven't posted to it for a year. For current news read the Demented Dieter.
Saturday, May 01, 2004
The blog is dead. Long live the blog.
You were warned that this day would come. This blog was started in order to keep family, friends and fans informed of my location whilst I moved from Borneo to Australia and then went walkabout around the country. It's been a great time and I've enjoyed blogging it all for your amusement.
However, I am now happily settled in suburban Perth. I am even working occasionally, teaching English at a local university. Life is back to what passes for normal. The time has come to make my final entry in the Furry Blue Slipper Selection. To all of you who emailed to tell me how much you enjoyed reading my blog every day, I would just like to say, "Thanks... and get a life!"
There is a new blog (I'm now an addict) but it's not the sort of thing you'll be wanting to read regularly. The title says it all: The Demented Dieter. I hope a few of you will pop in occasionally though, just to keep me on my toes.
Now, I've just got time to nip out to Baskin and Robbins for a last ice-cream before the diet begins. As all veteran dieters know, the pre-diet binge is a vital part of the overall process.
It's been fun!
Cheers!
You were warned that this day would come. This blog was started in order to keep family, friends and fans informed of my location whilst I moved from Borneo to Australia and then went walkabout around the country. It's been a great time and I've enjoyed blogging it all for your amusement.
However, I am now happily settled in suburban Perth. I am even working occasionally, teaching English at a local university. Life is back to what passes for normal. The time has come to make my final entry in the Furry Blue Slipper Selection. To all of you who emailed to tell me how much you enjoyed reading my blog every day, I would just like to say, "Thanks... and get a life!"
There is a new blog (I'm now an addict) but it's not the sort of thing you'll be wanting to read regularly. The title says it all: The Demented Dieter. I hope a few of you will pop in occasionally though, just to keep me on my toes.
Now, I've just got time to nip out to Baskin and Robbins for a last ice-cream before the diet begins. As all veteran dieters know, the pre-diet binge is a vital part of the overall process.
It's been fun!
Cheers!
Well, I got through my first two days teaching in a long while on a combination of auto pilot and adrenalin. It was fun and I actually enjoyed it. I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon but it the meantime it's nice to be getting paid for doing something pleasant.
Best line of the day from a student in response to my request for a conditional (if) sentence:
"If my neighbour pisses in my garden, I will kill him."
"Correct. Next!"
Best line of the day from a student in response to my request for a conditional (if) sentence:
"If my neighbour pisses in my garden, I will kill him."
"Correct. Next!"
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Went to see "Kill Bill" last night. A little overly sentimental in parts but good fun generally. If you liked the first one then for sure you need to see the second one.
The question that many of you have been asking is, "When are you jammy sods going to stop rearranging your furniture and get a job?" In response to popular demand I will now address the employment issue.
Jim is in the process of getting the police clearance necessary to register with the Department of education and training. When the paperwork is completed he will be eligible to do some cover work (as a substitute for absent teachers). In the meantime he is going for long bike rides and playing golf.
I had an appointment for tomorrow to hand in my CV at my old uni with a view to getting some cover work there when the next influx of students appears in June. I was therefore quite surprised to get a wake up call at 7.00 this morning saying that someone had just called in sick and was I available today. Er, well, Ok then. (Damn, I'd planned breakfast at the Blue Duck and a stroll down the seafront). I grabbed a random handful of EDTs ('ere do this worksheets) from the pile of junk I was going to get round to sorting soon and headed for the uni.
The class was a general English intermediate group of Koreans and Japanese plus a lone Swiss girl. They were lovely. I got back into it quite easily and by the end of the day the Director had a list of other days for me to work over the next few weeks. Anyway, gotta go. I'm teaching the top academic class tomorrow while their teacher is off so I'd better do some preparation.
The question that many of you have been asking is, "When are you jammy sods going to stop rearranging your furniture and get a job?" In response to popular demand I will now address the employment issue.
Jim is in the process of getting the police clearance necessary to register with the Department of education and training. When the paperwork is completed he will be eligible to do some cover work (as a substitute for absent teachers). In the meantime he is going for long bike rides and playing golf.
I had an appointment for tomorrow to hand in my CV at my old uni with a view to getting some cover work there when the next influx of students appears in June. I was therefore quite surprised to get a wake up call at 7.00 this morning saying that someone had just called in sick and was I available today. Er, well, Ok then. (Damn, I'd planned breakfast at the Blue Duck and a stroll down the seafront). I grabbed a random handful of EDTs ('ere do this worksheets) from the pile of junk I was going to get round to sorting soon and headed for the uni.
The class was a general English intermediate group of Koreans and Japanese plus a lone Swiss girl. They were lovely. I got back into it quite easily and by the end of the day the Director had a list of other days for me to work over the next few weeks. Anyway, gotta go. I'm teaching the top academic class tomorrow while their teacher is off so I'd better do some preparation.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Jim's out buying a bicycle so I took the opportunity to browse around Officeworks, drooling over the stationery etc. Yeah, I know I should get a life. I'm working on it, really I am. Yesterday was a public holiday for Anzac Day (war veterans etc) so today the shops (except Officeworks) are a frenzy of activity. People sure do love to shop. I spent the hol sitting in the garden sipping white wine with friends. Very pleasant.
Saturday, April 24, 2004
YES! The bed was delivered ten minutes before the deadline and so I am happy to report a satisfactory conclusion to the business. I made the most of it at Baskin & Robbins with a hot chocolate brownie sundae with one scoop of chocolate fudge ice-cream and one scoop of homemade chocolate chip cookie ice-cream covered in hot fudge sauce. However, as the bed itself is so shabby it will have to be replaced within six months, I feel honour bound to buy Jim a Guinness anyway.
Went to an internet marketing conference at the Sheraton yesterday. No, I'm not likely to become a dot com millionaire, I was just there for the free lunch and to catch up with a friend who was attending. Fascinating to watch a master at work though. He asked a woman to stand up and look under her chair. She found ten dollar taped under it. The moral being that you have to get up off your arse to make a buck. A very slick performance and a lot of folk signed up.
On the way home a felllow passenger had obviously just bought a new mobile phone and spent the journey trying out all the different ring tones. Groan! It was just like a Brunei staff meeting.
We went to see Jim Carrey and Kate Winslett in Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind (or something similar). An unusual movie. Interesting. I'm not sure that I liked it though. After a failed relationship the main characters have all memories of each other erased. You come out wondering which memories you would choose to erase if you had the chance. There are certainly a few staff meetings that I would be better off without any recollection of.
Went to an internet marketing conference at the Sheraton yesterday. No, I'm not likely to become a dot com millionaire, I was just there for the free lunch and to catch up with a friend who was attending. Fascinating to watch a master at work though. He asked a woman to stand up and look under her chair. She found ten dollar taped under it. The moral being that you have to get up off your arse to make a buck. A very slick performance and a lot of folk signed up.
On the way home a felllow passenger had obviously just bought a new mobile phone and spent the journey trying out all the different ring tones. Groan! It was just like a Brunei staff meeting.
We went to see Jim Carrey and Kate Winslett in Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind (or something similar). An unusual movie. Interesting. I'm not sure that I liked it though. After a failed relationship the main characters have all memories of each other erased. You come out wondering which memories you would choose to erase if you had the chance. There are certainly a few staff meetings that I would be better off without any recollection of.
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Today we joined the local library and the nearby video store. Starting to feel like I live here, not just visiting. Friends who recently returned from overseas told us that they looked at 147 houses before finding one they wanted to rent. We just looked at this one and decided to take it. Are we lazy or just lucky? Probably a bit of both.
And has the bed arrived yet? No. He's given me a definite delivery date three times and failed to turn up on each occasion. I've told him he has till four o'clock today before he gets to meet my evil twin. I don't actually think he's trying to defraud me, he's just phenomenally incompetent.
And has the bed arrived yet? No. He's given me a definite delivery date three times and failed to turn up on each occasion. I've told him he has till four o'clock today before he gets to meet my evil twin. I don't actually think he's trying to defraud me, he's just phenomenally incompetent.
