Tiring

Walked from Chermside to Windsor today, just a tick over six kays, and I am pretty tired now. That is six kays directly, I am sure I meandered around a bit more than that. Was thinking of going to the shopping mall to see a movie, but haven't really been in the mood lately - have gone more into my photography than movies, and this week was thinking of going to see a brainless think nothing movie, such as Final Destination 3.

I just think I have done the worthy movies thing a bit too much the last eighteen months, and maybe don't want to go to the cinema to depress myself at the moment. Was thinking American Dreamz as well, but again, didn't get around to it.

Went and photographed around Lutwyche Cemetery instead. Tried not to get the names on the headstones in the pictures, as a mark of respect, but just have always been amazed at the amount of artistry, cost and effort that goes into some of the monuments. I especially love the angels.

And stumbled across a war graves site - which I totally wasn't expecting, because I thought that all the soldiers, sailors, airmen and such in the World Wars had been buried overseas. The Commonwealth War Graves were set up to take on the appearance of an English country garden, so I believe the same sort of set up occurs at the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Lone Pine, El Alamein. The white headstones, the plants, flowers and hedging - there is a sense of calm and quiet, dignified reflection within.

I can't really put into words the feeling of sitting there, contemplating the sacrifices, the battles, the deaths of that other generation. It is as if the early twentieth century was on another planet entirely, when nowadays we have an ongoing war but only a tiny percentage of the population are actually directly involved. Could our generation cope with a Total War situation?

I took some photos, hopefully entirely respectfully, and slowly passed by most of the graves. Some of the soldiers were only nineteen, another I saw was 55, another 46 year old - and there was a 25 year old nurse. Some of the deaths occurred in October and November 1945, after the history books told me the war had actually ended - on the deck of the USS Missouri and all that - but I guess they were still on active duty while trying to return home.

After leaving the war cemetary, came back out to the wider one, and took a few more photos of angels and such. Had KFC for lunch, and kept walking down towards the city - I had decided to bail on the movie for today, can always do that on Wednesday which I have off. Took various urban landscape pics before getting to the Windsor War Memorial. Which I have always wanted to take photos of when passing by on the bus, so did the walking down to it thing instead, all six kays, and was well worth the effort - plus walking is good exercise.

Add this weekend to last weekend walking all over Fortitude Valley, across town to West End and then back to South Brisbane, my mileage must be creeping up a bit. After the Windsor Memorial though, was too buggered to contemplate further photographs, hopped on the bus and came home...

Pauly

A Lot Of Eighties, A Bit Of Nineties

Rage and Video Hits must be doing an eighties tribute each this week. Rage last night was full of Duran Duran, Bananarama, Prince, A-Ha, Peter Gabriel as well as a lot of other stuff, including some early 90s - what type of music do Dresden Dolls do anyways? Anyone that wears an Iron Maiden T-shirt while introducing Pat Benatar can't be all bad.

And this morning on Video Hits, we are having a tribute to 1989 to 1991 I think. We have got Vogue by Madonna on at the moment - love that song - and earlier had Faith No More with Epic - love that song as well - and also Wilson Phillips Hold On. Don't love that song as much as I did at the time, but the album was the first tape that I bought for myself. And yes, the videos were better than the songs if you know what I mean :)

Also, on the songs that I didn't like so much, but still are OK, we had Bobby Brown My Perogative - if anyone thinks Britney's version is better, the door is over there LOL, kidding - Kris Kros Jump Jumping. I'll admit their version of Jumping isn't as good as Destiny Child's LOL. I think I heard in the background earlier Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun, which is a song I do like...

Funny story of the day comes from the Northern Territory, which was hit by a category five cyclone the other week - not really much damage, no deaths thank goodness, and it didn't hit Darwin, the main population spot up there. During the clean up, a crocodile got hold of a chainsaw off one of the staff at a nature park, and was roaming around with said chainsaw for a while. I know, I know, it's all in the telling, and I probably ruined the punchline, but if you go to the actual story link, it's told pretty well there :)

And it's been the worst month casualty wise for the Americans and overall coalition in Iraq for a while. The Americans are up to 2400 dead, and about 17,500 injured. And the first Australian death has happened - non combat death, investigation is going to be required, and to top it all off, they transported the wrong body back to Australia first time around. But no doubt they will blame it on the private contractors. First Australian military death as well, there was an Australian working for the RAF who was killed a few months ago.

That's enough for now I think.

Pauly

Channel Surfing

Flicking earlier today I saw the best game of rugby league I have seen in a long time - and yes, that includes the State of Origin, which is usually overhyped anyways. Some Queensland club stuff that is always showing on the ABC, well away from any commercial rights - the Queensland Cup final I believe, from Lang Park/Suncorp Stadium, between Burleigh and Easts.

Was a reasonable enough match from the sounds of it, I only started really getting into it in the last five minutes - Easts scored a try to level the scores and then it went to sudden death extra time. For nineteen minutes twenty six men threw themselves at each other with amazing stamina and must have been going on only adrenaline - I will try to avoid the war like analogies, like blood sweat and tears, gladiators and the like.

After nineteen minutes of going from one end of the park to the other, missing drop goal attempts, Burleigh found a hole big enough in the Easts defence and scored a try. The joy from one team, the sheer exhaustion on the other - was the best match I had seen in a long time.

And another batch of channel flicking tonight, I have come across this rather amazing movie on SBS, Dutch, so I have having to follow the subtitles rather than just listen in, about a cancer patient who has decided to go with the voluntary euthanasia route - as they can do in the Netherlands. Has been amazing to watch, the reactions of the guy's friends and family and all.

The day before he has organised to have the procedure done he says it couldn't be tonight, because the football is on. Is called 'Simon' I think, the name of the guy who has cancer, and needs further investigation to see whether I should/can get it on DVD...

Great, in a devastating way.

And the doctors who are going to do the procedure have just come in, and jokes are being cracked still. Powerful stuff.

Brush With Celebrity

I love the smell of coffee in the morning. It smells like - wakefulness. With apologies to Francis Ford Coppola and Robert Duvall LOL.

Anyways, that wasn't what I was thinking when I put the title of the post together - at work yesterday I got a call from a quite famous person from one of the football codes in Queensland here, needing one of the company's products. I was doing my usual blather until I needed to check the account, I saw his name there, and then suddenly got all tongue tied and star struck.

Wasn't sure whether to call him Mr Footballer or [insert first name here] for starters. Doing the usual 'we're not worthy, we're not worthy' routine. I actually had to transfer him through to another section of the company, and he said OK as long as you tell them what's going on - which I usually do anyways, but I was quite effusive in my reassurances that the next person would get the full story. Probably a good thing I didn't do it, I may have 'forgotten' to charge him for what needed to be done, because I wouldn't want to broke the difficult subject of costs with him LOL.

Haven't really brushed with celebrity much in the past, and a phone call isn't the best situation to ask for an autograph anyways. I think I walked past Billy Connolly in Brisbane one time, and saw the short guy from Jackass and entourage in one of the provincial Canadian airports, and of course with my time in the public service back home various New Zealand politicians, but in person I try to brush it off as they are only human as well. For some reason a phone contact is different LOL.

Of course, when I talk to interstate people or non-footy people, such as my mother, they said who? Philistines LOL.

It was a positive to a work week which had far too many negatives - but the boss still loves me so I still have a fair few brownie points to burn, if needs be...

More soon
Pauly

Back To Sunday

I went out on Sunday, to go to a movie and to meet up with some potential new friends - one of the sites I have joined up with recently. I was wanting to get some reprints done from films back from 1999, so instead of Brunswick Street, where the cinema was, I got off at Central. Of course, the shop I was thinking of going to turned out to be closed, but not knowing any camera stores in the Valley, was a round trip back of about ten minutes :)

I had checked out the address and map location of the place where I would be meeting the website people, but as for the cinema, not one of the multiplexes, and I had gone there about twenty months ago, and had trouble finding it back then, but of course I didn't get a map search. I had an hour or so to walk around the Valley, I would find it I was sure.

But then I got distracted with some photo taking in the back streets - the Valley is so different in the day time, and there were some nice churches, and I had gone all the way up Ann Street, and came back through Wickham. Was the Palace Centro on James Street, or was that a throw back to Wellington and a couple of streets behind Courtenay?

Suffice to say, I didn't find the place in the hour timeframe I had set myself - damn getting diverted that first half hour, damn my maleness not asking when out on the street, damn not thinking to get a map LOL. I got a good walk out of it, with a lazy two hours to head over to West End, and yes, I was going to walk again. Had a Quiznos sub for lunch, they just seem to toast their bread perfectly, yum...

Wandered down to Queen Street, was in the mood for shopping, but nothing really caught my eye - got some new sunglasses in Rebel Sport, which was nice. Had dropped the other ones at some railway station or another a while ago, wasn't until I was on the train that I noticed they were missing - duh me :)

While walking across the Victoria Bridge, I glanced over to South Bank, and for some reason, the whole memory of Expo 88 sprang to mind. The tens of thousands of people who flocked to the place every day, the distinctive canvas sails, the mindlessness I got into of merely collecting pavilion stamps in the Expo passport rather than really soaking in the experience. I was only twelve at the time, and the stand out pavilions were the Canadian and Japanese.

Hmm, I am sure around the world somewhere, on eBay or elsewhere is a guide to Expo 88, so that I can relive it by either video or book, and it can jog more memories than I currently have at the top of my mind. Anyways, all that from just a glance across the river :)

Went down to the depths of West End, all that walking walking walking and all I had had to eat was that Quiznos sub - delicious yes, but filling for that amount of walking, perhaps not - to meet the photo website lot. For the first time.

Meet at 3pm at [insert pub here], they said, well I was there at 3.10 and no one had their cameras out on the tables. I went around the entire bar, twice, before sitting down, fretting that I had missed a sign or something, and that they may well be there, but I had missed them.

About five to ten minutes later, a woman with a big camera bag came in, I wandered over, tapped her on the shoulder - so not like me, but then again, meeting people from a website, in a group environment, is so not like me either - and asked whether she was part of the site. Thank god she said yes. Stay at home mother, and started up a reasonable conversation.

Soon after, another website person turned up, IT techie in real life, and the party really got started. We ended up with a total of seven, not a bad turn out, and after talking mainly cameras and taking a few pictures, we didn't go piccie mad and a couple of drinks, and a nice friendly atmosphere, suddenly it was two and a half hours later. Time well worth spent, any new contacts is good. Workmates are all well and good, but I need more socialising than just that every month or so...

And yes, talking new contacts, I am still shopping around for a gym or something, it will happen, just hasn't happened yet - I have got a list of gyms from the directories in front of me here. It will happen :)

Later peeps
Pauly

Anzac Eve

Tried posting this yesterday, but Blogger seemed to be down -

I was to-ing and fro-ing as to whether to go to the Dawn Service in town tomorrow. Eventually, this morning I think it was when I made the decision, not to go - I would probably have to get up at 3.30 or 4 in the ay-em, which is only about six hours away now, to catch the train to get in. Whereas if I were living in the city, perhaps I would only have to wake up about 5ish.

I miss living in the city, I did it for a period of time in Wellington - three minutes walk to Manners Mall, maybe seven or eight to Courtenay Place...

Anyways, I was all for doing a quiet Anzac Day thing, until I got a call from a customer doing a job for an Anzac Day ceremony tomorrow morning. And outside, dusk was just starting to fall. And I thought back 91 years, or to the night before any big military campaign Australians or New Zealanders, or heck, anyone else, has been in. Were they scared, did they think beyond the next day, did they wonder whether the battle would be successful or not, were they looking out for their mates, or were they getting Dutch courage? What was going through their minds at the time?

I was lucky, none of my grandparents or great grandparents were of an age to get drafted for any of the wars - my father could maybe have gone off for National Service, which may have possibly perhaps meant a trip to Vietnam, but he got an exemption because of marriage. I have no family knowledge of war, apart from what my grandparents have told me of home front conditions - rations, American soldiers getting trained up, the blatant and brutal racism between the blacks and whites, the ferocity and deadliness of training at Trentham, the main army base near Wellington. The best New Zealand troops of course being stuck in Libya and Italy, in return for complete American protection during the war - the Australians of course bringing their main forces back home to fight the Japanese, New Zealand caved to the persuasion of Britain.

And all the above mainly covered in a few Saturday afternoons at the pub with my grandfather and father, one of my grandfather's friends had been in the Dutch army when the Japanese took Indonesia, or had been sent over to reclaim the colonies before the locals declared independence, one of the two - as with when my grandmother talks about her younger days, I wish I had a tape recorder to have them just talk normally. Would be a great oral history, even with them not being on the front lines...

Anyways, where was I? Oh, the Anzac ceremony call, and the dusk falling - thinking about what the soldiers would have thought, ahead of any battle in history, let alone the wars Aussies and Kiwis have been involved in. Had tears forming in my eyes, always get emotional this time of year, try to grin and laugh it off, but there you go - was thinking of asking to take some time away from customers, but then would have just been laughed at or something, and I only had half an hour to go on my shift...

But I made a decision to go down to Anzac Square, where the main memorial is in Brisbane, and take a few piccies of the Roman columns and eternal flame down there. Such a photogenic subject, I have been down there a few times before.

Have The Last Post and Ravelli playing away in my head already. And of course, the memories from my trip to the Gallipoli battlefields sweep over me as well - heck, my whole nickname is one of the battles of that campaign. And I'm sure I am going to repeat myself every year along similar lines when April 25 comes along.

Lest we forget.

Oh, the specific phrase I thought of at dusk tonight was 'at the going down of the sun...' But I'm sure you could guess that already.

Pauly

They Said I Was Photogenic

Showed some of the friends at work the photos from that evening out having drinks for the 30th birthday and all, and they said I was photogenic.

Yeah, right is what I was thinking - even without the whole thinner face, thinner neck look I would want with a bit of a loss of weight, my self image in the work place is not very good, and would not a good picture take.

The way I see myself at work, and think that others see me, is of a quiet, stiff backed, workaholic. I don't get out away from my desk half or a quarter as much as most of the others on the floor, I hardly have the non-work related chats that almost everyone else seems to have, and therefore am very unsure of myself in the social hierachy of the place. Heck, I'm unsure of myself in the work related side of the place as well, tell the truth, and have a belief that all the stuff ups I do are vigorously catalogued or something.

Stupid, eh. And therefore consider myself as one of the staff more at the periphery of any social structure at the place, which I take to logical conclusion when going out, most of the time I am a wallflower, stuck to the err, wall, or trying to deflect focus away from myself, I'm not important, blah blah blah. When I am the focus of an evening, like that Friday a couple weeks back, I don't know what to do with myself :)

If only photography could show our true tortured souls - have Christina Aguilera in my head now, singing You Are Beautiful. I know it is more a chick song, but guys can be screwed up as well :)

Photogenic, yeah right.

Pauly

Unrelated Thoughts

Had a customer on the phone a couple days ago - asked whether I was in Australia, and if I was, what state I was in. Taken aback a bit, I said I was in Brisbane, and yes, I realise now it isn't a state, but it seemed to calm the customer down a bit. She was certain she had been talking to someone in Uganda before me, and that staff member had been unable to tell the customer where in Australia he or she was.

The customer gave off such a sense of superiority that she had outwitted a 'Ugandan', and how good it was to talk to an Australian. Umm, yeah, of the seventh state, New Zealand perhaps. But those type of customers, you just have to nod, grin, and bear it, yes, even over the phone. Despite me wanting to hang the phone up directly in her ear.

Caught myself out though, had a customer named Nguyen on the phone that same day, Tuesday I think, had to transfer him through to another area, and actually said to the colleague that Nguyen's English was quite good. When I got off the call, I realised what I had said and slapped myself, straight on the forehead - of course his English was good, he was probably born here. Note to self, even liberal egalitarian non-racist wannabes such as myself can be dickheads occasionally LOL.

There was a Prime Ministerial visit across the road from us today. The church opposite work was getting a new foundation stone for a new something, and at first I thought it was just a union demonstration, when I went out for morning break, I saw the anti WorkChoice banners, and just dismissed it as that. However, the goss around the floor soon was that JW Howard was visiting the Sunshine State.

Shortly thereafter the church was surrounded by the thin blue line, and I think the road was closed, or partially closed, in front, and the black suit goon squad of about a dozen security guys jumped out of cars to secure the perimetre. I thought the PM was going to make a speech out in front of the church, they had set up a platform, but he just went inside, came outside, drove off - the platform must have been for the protesters, what with the churches trying to be nice to both sides of the political divide at the moment. But it was a bit of excitement for the day, despite being a few floors up, behind glass, no windows to open up in these modern buildings.

And just a comment on one of the other staff members I have within earshot - saying to customers that we have had horrid weather up here, and a couple of cyclones come through - umm, the distance between Brisbane and Cairns is further than between New York and Chicago. Not next door to each other. We did not have cyclones coming through here, and we would probably welcome a mild one, what with the drought on in the city at the moment.

And to talk to a customer wondering why they don't have banana plantations in Western Australia because the 'climate is just the same'. Where to start with how mucked up that is, especially since said consultant has never been to WA? There is being warm with a customer, there is chatty, and there is annoyingly pretending that you are talking to a long lost friend rather than someone who needs to ring in for *insert product here*.

Oh, and one more thing while I'm on a roll here, since when did babies turning up at work change into let's not do any of the stuff we are supposed to be doing for hours on end. And no, I'm not going on about the ten minutes all the female staff spend holding the kid or looking at it - err, her or him. I'm talking of another staff member basically leaving her desk for about two hours to do baby stuff all that freaking time. Frustrating.

And, I'm done :)

More soon
Pauly

Distressing Story

I hear of murders and bombings and car accidents on an almost hourly basis in my life, either around the corner or in far off, self destructing lands. But I woke up this morning, to my usual early fix of chaos and mayhem - ie, the 6am news - and this next story has stuck with me ever since.

Maybe because it happened back home in New Zealand, maybe because it happened to a foreigner living there. Something twigged in my brain that I couldn't leave it easily aside.

A couple of days ago, a suitcase was found floating in Auckland Harbour - actually down near the former America's Cup village and marina, I believe, so very central. When it was opened, a body was discovered therein. When I read that a couple days ago, I have to admit, my reaction was interesting, but not really sticking with me.

This morning, I heard that they had made two arrests. The victim was a Chinese English language student, 19 years old. He had been the victim of a kidnapping, and his family back home in China had been asked for $A700,000 ($NZ800,000) in ransom.

The family got in touch with the police, not sure whether in China or NZ, but by the time the cops in Auckland had been informed of the kidnapping, Wan Biao was already dead, stuffed into a suitcase. Two Chinese men, both aged 21, have been charged in connection with the murder and had their first court appearance yesterday.

For some reason the story got to me - thinking of how I have galavanted around the world, how excited Mr Wan may have been, unless the study was getting to him, how he may have excitedly emailed or rang back home. How happy though worried his family was back home, and then the heartbreak they must have felt to have the kidnapping advised, and murder confirmed. How it will be the longest plane trip ever for the family members who are coming over to pick up the body and take it home.

How stupid those two dickheads who have been charged with the offences are.

Also thinking how this one story has affected me a lot, whereas floods in Romania, massacres in Iraq, bombings in Pakistan, car crashes down the road aren't affecting me that much at the moment.

This one may need some more pondering.

Pauly

I Couldn't Do It

For the second weekend where Match Point was the movie of choice, I couldn't do it. I couldn't go to a Woody Allen movie, even if it was the best one he had made in fifteen to twenty years. To me that is kind of like saying 'the best way to poke your eye out' - it may be the best way, but the end result is still unpleasant. Had heard from a couple of friends that it was a borefest as well.

Earlier in the day, I couldn't go through with having Maccas, Hungry Jacks or KFC for lunch either - what has come over me? I was about to go to Nandos until I saw the 30% public holiday surcharge, so just went and had a chicken kebab instead - this being in the Myer Centre food court.

Couldn't really spend too much anyways, what with the fortnightly pay day not being until tomorrow - or not, depending if the pay department get all mixed up by the public holidays - I know that when I was with the temping agency before becoming permanent, every public holiday, seemingly in every state, messed up the pay day details.

But had enough to go to a movie, have lunch and have enough left over for transport costs and maybe a lunch or two - in any case, didn't need to scrimp as much, what with ditching the movie. What was I thinking anyways, trying to build up enthusiasm for a Woody Allen flick?

Went down to the Botanic Gardens instead, testing out my whizz bang new camera. Isn't digital so easy? Took about thirty pics, half of which I will probably delete, as I was just testing out the auto and manual settings, taking about double the pics that I would really need to.

And anyway, almost as soon as I was out of the house, I was thinking the day was too nice to spend two and a bit hours stuck in a darkened room, even if it was Sin City or Mr and Mrs Smith I was watching. Glorious sunshine, and on the way in to town on the bus thought my day may be better spent absorbing the rays, stocking up on Vitamin D.

I'm good, or at least I think I'm good, at taking pictures of animals, plants, city scenery and landscapes, but would like to branch out and add portraits to my skill set - but how does one go about saying to people, I would like to take your photo? Without appearing to be one of the stalker freaks any respecting photographer fears being confused with.

So it was a nice time in the sunshine, and ended it with a vanilla bourbon bean and mango ice cream - again, I had found myself at the Myer Centre. The two scoops seriously were about five times bigger than the cone itself, so had to lick and eat it quickly to avoid it dripping all over me.

On a table nearby, as I was eating my ice cream, saw a guy, with I would guess his daughter, sit down with a couple of milkshakes. Even though I didn't talk to them or know anything about them, I imagined what was going on - parents were divorced, father had the daughter over Easter, and was finishing things up with a bit of retail therapy. The girl looked happy with herself, and the father was holding two or three shopping bags.

As I said, I was completely making that up from my imagination, but they both were looking happy with themselves, so that was a good starting point.

Pauly

Another Saturday In

I do have excuses though - it is the weekend before pay day, and with the digital camera purchase, I want to stretch the remaining few dollars for the weekly public transport ticket. Oh, and maybe a movie on Monday as well. Only the essentials you see.

Was watching the football earlier on, but then realised if I watch too much Aussie Rules, my brain will probably rot. That's the AFL's secret plan, I am sure - with little rugby league and no rugby union on TV, the AFL can flood the free to air channels and gain converts in the 'northern' states that way. But I was wise to their ways, at least tonight - and, err, Brisbane wasn't playing.

So instead, having got my online fix enough during the day - how many newspapers can one person read in one day, a dilemma along those lines or something - instead of websurfing, I am listening to Launchcast. Very very passive usage of the net.

The next entry will have more brain cells attached to it, I promise :)

Paul

Turning Thirty

I turned thirty on Monday. And have been wondering what angle to take when writing about it ever since.

Shall I go with the 30 to 39 age bracket, instead of the 'safer' 20 to 29? Or maybe thinking that I should be in the workforce for 30, probably 40 more years? Or should I be thinking about what life goals I should have for the next few years?

The attainable, if I actually put my head to it, like going to the gym and getting fit, or the longer term, probable ones, like actually getting into a long term close-range relationship rather than hiding behind excuses like debt, a need for therapy and the like. Close range as opposed to long distance of course.

And what should I be using my blog for anyways? That's another thought creeping in there - should I just be reporting my life, in a dry sense? Or ranting about the injustice of it all, either on a personal level or, probably more boringly, the current affairs sense? Or use it as a testing ground for my writing skills, about topics many and varied, and leaving the reporting and opinions to the better editorial pages?

Or should I even keep a blog anymore? I have always kept a diary, either offline or on, for most of the past twelve years, but I have to admit, my photography webpage is getting more love and care than the blog the last couple of months.

Well, at least I can actually say I do have actual real hobbies, instead of the normal reading, socialising, movies, music, 'computer stuff' I used to quote - photography and writing have actually been real hobbies, rather than just the generic.

Where was I? Oh, my thirtieth birthday.

Dry reporting style, I could say I got my cards and presents, and we went out for dinner at the pub out at Sandgate. Mainly seafood on the menu, my sister dislikes seafood, so she ordered the meat lovers pizza. The salami was too spicy, my sister doesn't like hot spicy food. Dad of course had steak, and Mum had the seafood combo. I had the salmon, which was okay, but not really chargrilled. Was nice to have an evening out with the family though.

Opinion wise, I could say it didn't really hit me, the whole 30 thing, until Friday, when the guys at work gave me a card. The 3 as the first digit kept catching my eye, into a whole new age bracket now. When I was at high school, I thought 30 was old.

Another opinion piece could be that the salmon I had at the pub wasn't chargrilled like the woodsmoked salmon I put together on the barbeque in Ottawa. Now that was a smokey piece of fish, and it was delicious. And we could spiral into the whole Ottawa/Canada subject, but we won't, I don't want to bore anyone to more tears than they already have.

And on the general writing practise angle, I could write about how me, a Generation Xer, turning thirty, may be compared to the first of the baby boomers turning 60 this year, and going on to a screed about what I have done with the past ten years, whether it was worth it in hindsight. Whether I am happy at the moment - that sort of thing.

But, before I decide on any of the options listed above, I think this post is too long to withstand an extended version of one of the above paragraphs, so I will leave it here I think, may post later in the day, or weekend.

Pauly

Pinpricks

Just thought I would note some 'pinpricks' during the day, moments that made me happy in a pure sense - ie, happy for no particular reason, just because.

On the train, into town, two grandparents and their two grandchildren got on. The two granddaughters decided to stand up, the grandmother sat down next to me, and the grandfather was pointed over to a seat about three rows away. After everyone was settled, one of the girls looked into the next carriage, and said there were plenty of spare seats there - the grandmother checked, agreed with the girl, and said to the grandfather we are going into the next carriage. The guy rolled his eyes, as he had just gotten comfortable, when he looked over at me, our eyes met for a minute in this exasperating kind of joke, and I smiled widely as he wandered into the next carriage.

When I was in town, I was trying to avoid the major chains for lunch, and in Wintergarden I found this pizza place. Where the owner/manager makes the pizza and bakes in right in front of you - in four minutes even. And the pizza was delicious - had a piece from one of the local freebie papers saying he had given up his job as a systems analyst to bake pizzas professionally. Had a infectious smile on his face as he gave 'pizza perfection', and the food was great as well.

Third pinprick or sunspot of the day was coming out of the Myer Centre, coming across the end of a street performers show. I thought I could get away with killing a few minutes watching, rather than rushing on, and the guy was on top of a six foot ladder, on the top rung, juggling an apple, ten pin bowling pin, and a machete - or, as they would say in Inala, exhibit A - his words, not mine. He was a bit rough around the edges, in the way he spoke (in a not respecting his audience way), but coming across something like that in the street, when you are on holiday, is a good feeling.

No rush for anything. Just wandering around town at my own pace, rather than having a half hour lunch break to make the most of. No customers on the phone all day, for the past several days, and for the next several as well. It has been a good holiday so far.

The bigger things I did with the day were getting a digital camera - as exhibit B will show, in burgundy - and seeing a movie. Saw Inside Man, the reviews I had read and heard were pretty scathing about it, but it was better than I expected. Just maybe went on a half hour longer than needs be.

Think that was about it for the day - more later...

Pauly

Political Buck Passing

I know, I know, my rants on politics aren't as good as my personal life entries, but seriously, I have to vent about this whole AWB Iraq bribery inquiry. We have had the Trade Minister, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Foreign Minister up in front of the Cole Commission already this week, with the Prime Minister likely to come in front of the commission on Thursday.

And had a good Four Corners on ABC last night, kind of an 'AWB Iraq bribery case for dummies'. I will try to give a brief run down - Iraq was allowed to sell some oil for food and emergency supplies from 1995, and the Australian Wheat Board got a contract for supplying, well, wheat. In 1999, the Iraqis requested a transport fee be added on top of the wheat sales.

The transport fees were paid into a Jordanian trucking company's account, which was further transferred on to the Iraqi regime - at this time under Saddam Hussein, which is bad - and AWB executives completely understood that the payments were going to the Iraqi government from the start. But they only added these fees in as a side paragraph in one contract, and after that first contract went through, set up the payments directly through the real shipping or trucking companies, so that the bribes would not show up in any further contracts.

By the time the 2003 war had broken out, well, the invasion portion of that continuing war, AWB had paid $US220 million to the Iraqis. In late 2003, top AWB executives were then seconded to the Coalition Provisional Authority to sort out Iraq's grain needs - and were photographed playing cowboys with guns in their hands. Not sure whether this is actual evidence or not, but the impression I get was that they were sent over there to clean up any potential mess.

But, during the mayhem that was Baghdad in April and May 2003, a whole lot of Iraqi Grain Board paperwork did make it to public attention. There were many other illegal payments that came out of the Volcker Report last year, Paul Volcker - a former US Federal Reserve Chairman - having been asked to investigate the oil for food programme, but the AWB one was far and away the biggest.

Still with me? We are getting somewhere with this story, I promise...

So, the Australian government decided to set up a commission to investigate AWB's role in this kickbacks thing. If the commissioner felt he needed to expand the terms of reference, he would be given those powers, John Howard said. A couple of weeks ago, the Opposition got a legal opinion from the commissioner's lawyer basically saying that Cole would not feel comfortable extending the terms of reference, unless a politician had been caught red handed, and therefore would not likely ask for any extension. Howard still said if the commissioner wanted to expand the terms, all he had to do was ask, getting into a circular discussion with the Lateline host along the lines of he won't ask, well if he does ask he will get them. Totally stupid.

Anyways, this week it has gotten to the point of actual ministers getting up in front of the commission. Despite evidence that about twenty ministerial cables had been sent about the issue, which had been copied to all the relevant parties, some of which had been marked, 'Urgent: Attention to Minister', a sorrier case of incompetents you would probably never see.

Mark Vaile, Deputy PM, Minister for Trade was up first yesterday. He hadn't gotten around to reading the cables because he wasn't sure which department had responsibility for it, that he was snowed under with work at a new portfolio, and he had spoken with AWB and they said they didn't do it. He could not recall seeing relevant papers or having relevant conversations about forty times. Vaile also gave you the impression that the responsible department was Foreign Affairs.

But at least Vaile fronted the media and protesters out the front of the inquiry building. Today was the turn of Alexander Downer, Foreign Minister, to front the Cole Commission, and he made an inauspicious start by sneaking in a side door. He was slightly more sure of himself than Vaile, only being unaware or uncertain of answers a mere 26 times.

Downer said it wasn't Australia's responsibility to sort the oil for food corruption thing out, that was more the United Nations - they had actual people in Iraq, on the ground. Umm, Alexander, the actual bribery took place in Jordan, and how does having boots on the ground make any difference in reading a balance sheet, which was probably submitted in both Sydney and New York.

Downer also relied on AWB's spotless reputation and also the obligatory denial from the company itself rather than do any sort of follow up questioning, let alone an investigation. And, most gallingly for the former public servant side of me, Downer stated that he never usually read the cable summaries that the Australian diplomatic corps painstakingly put together for him - 'if I'm on a plane and there's nothing else to read, then I might read the cable summaries'.

And even when AWB's former chief has given in evidence that he had a conversation regards the kickbacks with the Foreign Minister, Downer couldn't recall that either. And that even when Downer became aware that something may be up, he didn't even think of investigating things then either. Oh, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had no legal ability to investigate AWB even if two and two had been put together.

Downer has always come across to me as a toff, and the evidence he presented today has just confirmed every last stereotype I had of the guy - he apparently dismissed information fed through by the US military after the invasion because the person who had advised him or his officials of it 'was only a captain'. I think the lieutenants and majors and generals actually had a war to organise?

No doubt we will have a similar stonewalling spectacle on Thursday, when the Prime Minister takes his time in the seat. Remember, the terms of reference haven't been altered to find cases against remarkable incompetence, it's only if a Federal official is actually thought to have done something criminal that findings can be made against them. So we will get more 'I can't recall' or 'it was another department's responsibility' I am sure.

The funniest thing though, in a totally non funny and how stupid is this government way, the funniest thing is that either the Australian government is completely incompetent, and takes the word of an accused company at face value, without even a couple of independent questions, I think it is known as common sense, or that the government has been breaking UN Security Council Resolution 661 all this time.

661 is one of the more famous UN resolutions, stemming from the ceasefire with Iraq after the 1991 war. One of the provisions says it is the member states' responsibility to make sure their nationals (ie, citizens) don't break the UN sanctions - or, following on from the actual sanctions, do the oil for food thing correctly. So this buck passing to the UN is just a front. As some Oxford international affairs guy on Lateline said tonight, both the UN and Australian government are at fault, and to even do a cursory investigation would be common sense.

OK, that's the AWB thing out of the way for the moment. How's about let's discuss the WorkChoice legislation, the latest fuck up on that being construction workers being fined half a day's pay for stopping for 25 minutes to do a whip around for one of their former colleagues widow. The guy had died on the job. The employer had to fine them, otherwise they would have been in breach of the legislation, which states that any workplace stoppage needs to be asked for by the union to the employer.

The employees actually seem fine with the employer, and are more angry at the government. Kevin Andrews, the Industrial Relations minister, must be sick of saying the legislation has just been introduced, will be bedded down, there is an investigating team if needs be. Who actually does employ MPs, anyways, isn't it the Australian taxpayer? Let's slash their conditions :)

And the other buck passing thing - the Prez of the US of A. Oh, can't wiretap on American phone lines? Oh, let's ignore that and let's do the war powers allow me to do this excuse. Get snapped for leaking confidential information trying to justify the Iraq war? Oh, I declassified it just before we told the media about them. Does anyone else see a problem with just these two examples, or is it just me?

Sorry this is a long and probably boring one, but I needed to get it out of my system...

Pauly

White Heron

A white heron alighted on the swimming pool fence, outside the study window, earlier today. I rushed to get my camera, and then lightly, ever so lightly, started opening the back screen door. Not wanting to startle the bird, of course.

I got the door completely open without scaring the heron, but then, as I was zooming in, the bird started to fly away. The camera clicked, although I wasn't a hundred percent sure whether I had got the best shot, but I may have a heron in flight. Which would be nice. Only thing is, with a film camera, I have to wait until developing to see whether it worked - bring on the digital age...

I was getting advice and quotes from about four stores in the city for digital cameras. Have whittled down the options to five, perhaps six, from which I will pick one later this week - bring on Digital Camera Idol, indeed...

Pauly

More Friday Evening

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Birthday Socialising

Have got next week off from work, so, including the Easter break, that is ten days away from the office, not taking customer calls - ahh, bliss. Because we have to book our leave about nine months in advance, when I booked next week off, I was thinking of going somewhere or doing something, but as things turned out, will just be home, or off shopping, or seeing the movies or the like - an extended weekend routine for me, probably.

Anyways, will be my birthday on Monday, so did the card and cake and drinks thing with workmates yesterday. Had a 'surprise' morning tea, with cake and cheeseboards and biscuits, raspberry flavoured cake from Woolworths, very yum. Surprise in the sense that I knew something was going on, what with the whisper whisper whisper among the other team members on Thursday afternoon - was expecting to come in with my desk covered in streamers and balloons, but it was the morning tea route instead. Which was nice.

Had invited most of the floor, plus a few special extras, out for drinks a few weeks ago for last night, asking for expressions of interest basically. Whittled down the invite list to those who expressed an interest first time around, and also my immediate team members. Yesterday lunchtime sent out a final request for those who hadn't shown an interest, but that I wanted to check whether they were coming or not.

It was looking like about fourteen for certain and three or four uncertain, but then LDU and MWH bailed, due to illness. SGR I checked in with as well, but she had had some dodgy chicken at a pub the night before and although in the office, was not up for anything afterwards.

KSM and MRI had wandered down to the pub at about five o'clock, but the people that finished between 5 and 5.30 waited around until I finished my shift. Or rather, should I say the women that finished waited around for me - KCO, who sits opposite me, said I had quite the harem happening, and I shot back, ultra defensively, that I was expecting some guys to come along as well. Something about that word harem, takes me back to bad times, bad memories, am defensive about it.

So finished up at work, wandered down to the pub with KLA, SPE, LBO and PMA in tow. Found KSM, MRI and NBO happily chatting away. SPE offered to get me the first drink of the evening, and I said I would have a XXXX Gold, thinking less alcohol in it, but then SPE said what did I really want, and I had to say Stella. Like that stupid French ad, where the dying father asks his son for a Stella, who drinks it on the way home and then blames the priest. It is good stuff indeed, but at 6.5 %, a bit steeper than the local brands...

Just have to watch my alcohol intake, what with the meds I am on. Of course, it would be better if I didn't drink at all, but eh, it's my birthday, what are you going to do?

LNE and JPH turned up - yay, always good value those two. I had mentioned in one of my 'let's go out' emails that I was wanting to join up to a gym and get fit, for my birthday and all, and LNE said you want to get buff do you, how good looking are your staff, and the such. Funny girl, and I do mean that, have a smile on my face thinking of the way she talks. Lots of stress on their floor, but so stressful that you have to laugh - as opposed to the stress on our floor, where you look at the stats, shrug and say whatever...

JPH is getting divorced - big news of the evening, and will be going back to her maiden name. Have been married two and a half years, but have been together for nine, high school sweethearts and all apparently. LNE was up for a big one, I think, and said you up for some dancing Paul - I wasn't sure at that stage, but was leaning towards it - LNE said if we don't end up at New York Slice at two in the morning, we won't have had fun. She has a way with words :)

CMC and GCA turned up, shortly followed by MGR. Found myself talking horror movies with SPE, she would love to go see Hostel. Not really my cup of tea, but I asked her whether she had loved American Psycho, which she had - she hadn't read the book though. The movie I can handle, the book still turns my stomach whenever I actually try to turn the pages. She hadn't seen Wolf Creek either, and briefly discussed V For Vendetta.

Time for the next round, which was bought for me, joint effort, by the lovely PMA and LBO. Talked shop with them a bit, the whole overtime thing the next morning, which staff members are better than others - I was going to put which are wankers in there, but thought better of it - oh, oopsie :)

LNE and JPH had gone to get some food, and when they came back their seats had been taken. When they stood in the footpath, they were asked to actually take a seat out of the way, so they sat a bit away from us. When LBO left, to have dinner with her family or something, we had one spare chair, and I could easily rustle up another one, went over to the two girls and asked were they snobbing us. They came back to the table, but not doing the host thing correctly, I sat them next to people who talked around them. Once the next table cleared, they scarpered over to there, by that stage LNE's husband and a friend had turned up, so all was okay.

Was talking to KLA and MGR next, talking shop again mostly. KCO is moving to another part of the company, and had gotten her date confirmed yesterday, so everyone was excited about that. For different reasons of course - KLA had KCO in one of her first teams in the company, and felt that she was a bit unsure of things, being around all the young ones on our side of the floor. Have to admit, it did turn into a bit of a bitch session, not my proudest moment of the night, but there you go, sorry about that...

Wandered over to have a quick chat with LNE and JPH, hubby and friend as well. LNE had brought shoes the previous day, and had christened them the birthday going out shoes, nice platformy kind of things - although what I would know of shoe fashion, I'm not an expert I can tell you. LNE also had agreed with me how babies mysteriously appear on the floors, are swamped by all the women, and that the whole 'ooh you had a baby how cool is that' thing is as annoying to her as it is to me.

The whole table then went through how great Amazing Race, American Dad, Family Guy is - with Scrubs and Lost as bookmarks, you can't really fault Channel Seven Thursday night programming at the moment. And saw the Frenzy that Lost fans get caught up in in person - it is a Frenzy with a capital F people, it's just a TV show. Oh, and teased some other details out of JPH about the divorce - she told me she was seeing a therapist who had advised her that taking back the maiden name was sort of a cleanish break, assert herself again as an individual. The actual divorce has a few more months to grind through. With another couple of divorces on their floor, LNE was saying she seemed to be the only happily married person she knew.

Oh, and the thing her husband did with his jacket, the partial shrug off with his eyes gleaming, after LNE had gotten all relaxed after one of those travelling neck massages, priceless...

Okay, will have to do a part two tomorrow or something - my eyelids are seriously drooping here.

Paul

Busy Busy In The Household

It has been a busy month in the wider household. Ever since the brother and his girlfriend had their argument, it has been flat tack around here - at least for the others, I do my best to stay under the familial radar...

First it was the trauma of having the grandchild over for the weekend, when there was no certainty of seeing her again, or having her live in Australia. Then there was the hope that the girlfriend would come back, maybe in four to six weeks, my parents agreeing to help her out if she did this side of the Tasman again.

Then the first weekend of the girlfriend recovering from the argument back in New Zealand, there was the first thoughts of looking at the current rental market. Then before the second weekend, it was to a head because she and the daughter were coming back on the Sunday. A bit of frantic rental market viewing later, and there was the possibility of a place the next Tuesday, but it would be a full house here for at least a few days. The two of them came back, and the full house ensued - she was not going to go back living with my brother, at least for a few months - to 'date' again, and see what happens from there.

Then the Tuesday house fell through. More frantic rental viewing ensued, the full house continued, and a place was found a few days later. My parents helped out with the financing, and the move. All the while with my brother and the girlfriend doing an awkward dance of possible reconciliation at the same time.

And at almost the exact same time as all of that is going on, my sister decides she has had enough of the home cooked meals and not having her own space, and decides, on whim of the month number 24, to go and buy a house. Which, with the housing market for first time buyers as it is now, means that she has to have the parents help out with any purchase.

Kind of the same thinking that my parents had when they bought the place my brother is now renting - because the brother and girlfriend couldn't have bought the place themselves, and one big argument later...

Anyways, the sister got the typical bee in her bonnet to get a house (actually, she is unit buying) the first hour, day, weekend that she makes this decision. It was only a few months ago that she was intent on going to Europe, especially Germany, or, failing that - because the travel mate she was planning on going with went down to Melbourne, to follow a boy or something - failing that she bought a laptop computer.

And now it is a house. I roll my eyes a bit, because I just know my sister and eight months down the track she will make a completely new life choice, and, sure, she can rent out the property if she wants to go overseas or something, but getting rid of a house isn't the same as shifting rentals, or coming back to save money with the parents...

Anyways, the exact same day that the brother's ex moved into her new flat, in the afternoon, my sister had a range of properties lined up in the morning to look at. Apparently there was one nice one, bit of a doer upper, but first property, fine enough you would think. Totally a seller's market at the moment, there were two other offers in on the place already - it had just gone up three days beforehand - and if you dare negotiate the stated price, you will probably have to keep looking. Anyways, my sister put an offer in on the place, at the full stated price, and got approved, subject to finance. So then, they had to go back to the place, because my sister hadn't gotten pictures of the place on the first visit. While the brother's ex is waiting with a baby and furniture to move into the rental.

And then the deal becomes apparent - my sister is apparently getting a mortgage for half the price, while the parents are guaranteeing the remainder. Once the first half gets paid off, I guess that the second half gets mortgaged to my sister instead of just guaranteed.

So, what with all the moving in, moving out, making big life decisions, having a crowded house, financial issues, and me ducking for cover in the meantime, it has indeed been a busy time.

Oh, and although the place my sister may be getting has a rental tenant in there, maybe until July, she has already gotten about five home decorating and renovating magazines, got a paint chart, and has repainted all the rooms already. Once she makes a decision, she makes a decision...

Pauly

Seinfeldesque Whinge

I was on the train today, and what is with those people who must take up a seat with their handbag, purse, or elbow? It's rush hour people, is your handbag worth a person's seat? Sure, I could understand it if they had a huge suitcase or backpack and needed to take up a bit of extra room, but no, it's a teeny tiny handbag. And when you look at them, pleading to take the seat, they look at you as if you have leprosy, for daring to ask to sit next to them.

Bastards.

Apart from the last word, for best effect, imagine said in a New York high pitched whine.

I'll come back with something better later on :)

Pauly