Christmas gone mad‏

One bright and sunny Sunday afternoon I got cracking on the last Griswalds Family Christmas idea for our junior in the office. This is what happened. One person with a lot of time on hands......5-7 hours, $200, 1000 Christmas candles, 150m of tinsel, 10 rolls of Christmas paper, 5 rolls of sticky tape. And one Santa hat…...the result

Merry Christmas 2008

World police cars

Wow, look at this. Some have such great "privilege", especially a small segment of the European police force.....


**************************************************************

Malaysia - Proton Saga



Malaysia - Proton Waja



Malaysia - Proton Perdana



Australia - Alfa Romeo GT



Australia - Holden VE Commodore



Austria - Porsche 911



Bulgaria - Porsche 911



Canada - Jaguar S Type



China - Hummer



Germany - Brabus CLS Rocket



Germany - Porsche 911 Carrera



Italy - Lamborghini Gallardo



Italy - Smart



Japan - Skyline GTR



Singapore - Subaru WRX



South Africa - Lamborghini Gallardo



UK - BMW M3



UK - Lamborghini Gallardo



UK - Lotus Exige



USA - Corvette C6



USA - Dodge Viper



USA - Ford Mustang



USA - Hummer H2



USA - Nissan 350Z

Fun, eventful weekend :)

The weekend that just passed was a pretty good, fun-filled, eventful one.

It started on Friday nite, with work's Xmas party at Era Bistro in South Brisbane. It was held after work. We finished early at 4pm so that we can get ready for the party which started at 6pm. I chose to stay at work & hang out with a few colleagues until it was time to head to the Xmas party. The party was a black & white cocktail party. On the whole, it was good, but the food provided was not enough for my liking. It was all finger food & nibbles. The main attraction for many was, of course, the alcohol. Wine was in plentiful supply. Likewise, the beer, but the tab was limited only to Hahn. I can't quite believe that, & was a bit disappointed by the lack of variety. Nevertheless, I drank what I could - but still didn't get quite as drunk as some others. I spent nearly half my time outside the Era Bistro premises chatting with those colleagues who chose to hang outside. At around 11pm, I left & caught a cab home safely.

I spent much of Saturday recuperating (slept in a bit & all that, & so skipped the Clay group picnic) & relaxing. Then come evening, it was time to head over to Sono Japanese Restaurant at Portside Wharf, Hamilton to have a group dinner with a few ex-colleagues - the ones I was close to at my previous workplace. Some of them brought their spouses. We had booked out a private room to ourselves, which overlooked the river. A good decision, according to my friends. We had our shoes off. One of my colleagues brought her baby along, & she misbehaved for a good portion of the dinner (always trying to knock anything that is on the table). The food was delicious. Among other things, it included the sashimi & sushi platter, plus we had the Sono banquet. Very nice - I enjoyed the meal. The seafood was all fresh, everything was clean & superb. The only downer was the green tea ice-cream, which didn't have a strong green tea taste as I would have liked. That aside, it was enjoyable & relaxing. I mean, with the private room, we were pretty much shielded from the noise in the open dining area. Maybe next time, we can seat in the open area. All up, there were 6 of us (including myself, but not counting friend's baby) so the dinner set us back at $69 per head.

That Saturday nite dinner meant I missed out on family dinner with Val & Andrew coming over, for Val's birthday (which is really today, 15/12/08). But never mind, because I was going to catch up with her on Sunday evening at her surprise birthday BBQ at Val & Andrew's complex. It was a late, last minute thing organised by Andrew. Just a few of Val's friends plus myself & BT (my parents were at farewell dinner at their church). BT & myself were initially watching Qld Roar v Newcastle Jets at home. Newcastle opened the scoring in the 25th minute, whereupon BT & myself agreed that we had seen enough (sick & tired by Roar's poor showing) & immediately headed over to Val's surprise birthday. We thought we missed the surprise, but not we didn't - we were the last invitees to arrive at the BBQ area, but didn't really miss anything as Andrew had not yet arrived with Val. That happened shortly after. Val (who had been wearing sunglasses & possibly was made to close her eyes) was escorted by Andrew. And when Andrew gave Val the ok to take off the sunglasses, surprise!! She said she had no idea & didn't suspect anything. We thus had our BBQ dinner & fellowship, saw Val cut her birthday cheesecake, before cleaning up & heading over to Val & Andrew's townhouse to hang out for a while. I finally saw Val & Andrew's new plasma TV. After a while, we said our goodbye & headed home. Happy birthday, Val! Thanks for being u! May God continue to bless u abundantly!

Good, nice, enjoyable weekend I must say :)
Even Qld Roar won - they came back to beat the Jets 2-1....me & BT followed the live score from BT's mobile while at the BBQ. We were happy with the result. That was Roar's first win over the Jets at Suncorp Stadium. About time, too.


Some pics from the weekend:

nice, isn't it

the view from the top

decisions decisions.....

getting ready

the arrival of the birthday girl

so how old is she now??

keep blowing, sister!

all smiles

Val & Andrew :)

8 high-stress jobs

Quite interesting, this article. Now, the article doesn't say that the jobs listed are the top 8 most stressful jobs. Just a list of 8 jobs which are stressful. Having said that, if everyone were to compile their own top 8, I'm sure some of the jobs below would appear on their list.

Personally, I do agree with the list below, or at least some of them. Other stressful jobs which I can think of are restaurant chefs, lawyers, judges, engineers, & financial analysts. Ohhhh, I reckon pastors, too. Pastors have their own unique challenges & particular stresses. Just ask my church's pastor, or any aspiring future pastors - they will agree to that. But I would imagine that pastors do derive great joy from their service to the church & to God.

PS:- By the way, I won't pay too much weight on the salary figures listed below. I know accountants do earn more than that.

***********************************************

8 High-Stress Jobs
Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer

If you want to find a job that is free of stress, you're out of luck. Only characters in movies and on TV have jobs that don't cause occasional hair-pulling or high blood pressure. These are the same people who have huge apartments overlooking skylines and plenty of time to hang out with friends. Their jobs have unbelievably flexible hours.

In real life, however, every job you take, no matter how big or small, finds you stressed out once in a while. Whether you're dealing with an endless line of customers, a demanding executive or an uncertain economy, anxiety will find you. It's just part of life.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, occupational stress originates from a variety of issues, including:
· Long hours with few or no breaks
· Employees unable to participate in the decision-making process.
· Job insecurity and large amounts of impending change
· Physical danger

Some jobs have more stress than others. That's not to say they're bad jobs, they just require people who are strong enough to handle the increased stress that comes their way. Here are eight of them:

1. Retail Salespersons
Why: Jobs in sales require you to convince customers to spend money. Customers don't necessarily want to spend money and even if they do, they have a variety of places to shop. Salespeople have to prove their merchandise is the best option. If that weren't stressful enough, retail compensation is often commission-based, which means your paycheck is tied to how much you sell.
What they earn: $24,530

2. Doctors and nurses
Why: Doctors and nurses deal with life and death on a regular basis, a pressure found in few occupations. They have to handle patients while accessing an encyclopedia of medical knowledge. Doctors and nurses who work in hospitals or clinics that don't keep regular business hours often work on little sleep and are on call even on days off. In recent years doctors have also been forced to deal with an increase in malpractice lawsuits.
What they earn: Internal medicine physician: $166,420; Registered nurse: $62,480

3. Accountants
Why: Crunching numbers requires attention to detail that can make your eyes cross. Not only are you dealing with a client's finances, but you also have to take into account volumes of rules and regulations that change each year. Plus, you're expected to know about minute loopholes and read tiny print that nobody else does.
What they earn: $44,632

4. Teachers
Why: Elementary and high school teachers put up with a lot. Students aren't always easy to control or motivate. Parents who can't understand why their children aren't doing better often place the blame with teachers. And pressure to prepare students for standardized tests mean they can't always stick to the lesson plans they'd prefer to teach.
What they earn: Elementary teacher: $43,421; High school teacher: $46,531

5. Firefighters
Why: When firefighters are on call, they've got to be ready to respond to emergencies that range from minor car accidents to huge explosions. They might go an entire shift with no emergency or they might get a call that keeps them out for hours. Perhaps most importantly, they're playing with fire literally. That's stressful enough.
What they earn: $44,130

6. Farmers
Why: Agriculture requires constant attention, from waking up early to strenuous physical activity. That alone isn't stressful, but having no control over nature is. Droughts, floods, fires or other natural disasters can ruin months of hard work, and you can't do much about it.
What they earn: $23,508

7. Automotive assembly workers
Why: The automotive industry has always been volatile as manufacturers respond to the whims of consumers who want coupés one moment and SUVs the next. Add the pressure of assembling vehicles so that people who spend thousands of dollars can travel safely, and you've got a stressful job.
What they earn: $42,480

8. Stock brokers
Why: You can feel a bit helpless working at a job that's at the mercy of the stock market and economy. When things are going great, you reap the rewards, but when the financial climate isn't so great or the future is uncertain, you have no choice but to ride it out. Plus, competition is high for these jobs.
What they earn: $61,151

*Salary data based on CBSalary.com's average annual salary and the Bureau of Labor Statistics's mean annual salary.

Texas doctors

An Israeli doctor says: "Medicine in my country is so advanced that we can take a kidney out of one man, put it in another, and have him looking for work in 6 weeks..."

A German doctor says: "That is nothing, we can take a lung out of one person, put it in another, and have him looking for work in 4 weeks..."

A Russian doctor says: "In my country, medicine is so advanced that we can take half a heart out of one person, put it in another, and have them both looking for work in 2 weeks..."

The Texas doctor, not to be outdone, says: "You guys are way behind, we recently took a man with no brains out of Texas, put him in the White House for 8 years, and now half the WORLD is looking for work!"

Redhead story‏

A man is dining in a fancy restaurant and there is a gorgeous redhead sitting at the next table. He has been checking her out since he sat down, but lacks the nerve to talk with her.

Suddenly she sneezes, and her glass eye came flying out of its socket toward the man. He reflexively reaches out, grabs it out of the air, and hands it back.

"Oh my, I am so sorry," the woman says as she pops her eye back in place.

"Let me buy your dinner to make it up to you," she says.

They enjoy a wonderful dinner together, and afterwards they go to the theatre followed by drinks. They talk, they laugh, she shares her deepest dreams and he shares his. She listens.

After paying for everything, she asks him if he would like to come to her place for a nightcap and stay for breakfast. They had a wonderful, wonderful time.

The next morning, she cooks a gourmet meal with all the trimmings. The guy is amazed. Everything had been SO incredible!

"You know," he said, "you are the perfect woman. Are you this nice to every guy you meet?"

"No," she replies, "You just happened to catch my eye."

Congratulations, Dan Au & Fayette!

My friends, Fayette & Dan Au, had their wedding ceremony & reception yesterday (Saturday 6/12/2008). They were actually married last Saturday in Sydney, where Dan was from. Today was the Brisbane leg of their marriage, & the ceremony was held at the Sunnybank District Baptist Church.

I have only met Dan maybe 2-3 times, so I don't know him all that well. But he seems like a really nice, cool guy. I look forward to building up my friendship with him over the coming years. It is Fayette through whom I know Dan. I have known Fayette for 7 years now, & I can say that it is a great joy & privilege to be able to count her as one of my friends. I first met her at the Youth Fellowship (YF) group at CCCB in Brisbane, years before Fayette would go to Sydney for Bible college. Fayette, perhaps more than anyone else, always encouraged & followed me up with my Christian walk. She’s constantly hounding me for my applications, showing love & genuine sisterly concern. She often never forgets what my applications are & always reminds me of the things I promise to do (but often neglect) in my Christian walk. Above all, she really loves God. I will always love Fayette for being a wonderful, God-fearing sister in Christ, for the fact that she actually remembers my applications & hounds me over them, for our enduring friendship & for the love & friendliness that she shows to everyone. With Fayette being who she is, it is little wonder that she is very popular. Dan himself is also very popular. (Fayette & Dan each have more than 1,000 Facebook friends).

Fayette’s bridesmaids were my sister Val & Alice. When Val got married last year, Fayette & Alice were Val’s bridesmaids. So I guess it would be reasonable to predict that Val & Fayette might be Alice’s bridesmaids when it’s Alice’s turn to be married. We shall see in the future, eh….. Anyway, the wedding ceremony was fairly short & sweet. There was no exchanging of rings, because that had already taken place in Sydney the previous week. Nevertheless, that did not detract from the wonderful ceremony. Val looked superb as a bridesmaid, likewise Alice. I didn't take much photos, because I was seated far at the back. The ceremony was followed by some light refreshments. I was surprised to bump into my work colleague Ann. Ann, it turns out, has been attending the Chinese congregation CCCB Southside for 14 years. So she knows Fayette & her family. What a small world! I told her that I attend CCCB St Lucia English congregation, & I never saw her before in the few times I visited the CCCB Southside English congregation. Ann made the curry puffs, which were all gone so quickly. No surprise there – I have tasted them before as Ann had previously made curry puffs for morning tea at work.

The reception was held at Tavernetta, somewhere in Northside. I arrived there early as I was head usher at the reception, with the other ushers being Alvin, Mag & Mei Shan. Fayette approached me for the head usher role a few months ago, & it was such a privilege (I had jokingly asked her if she is really sure about choosing me). But I didn't get off to the best of starts. First, on arrival, I discovered that I left the red packet back home, so I had to ring BT to bring it (fortunately, BT was still home when I rang). Then, there was a bit of a hoo-ha about the arrangements for the guest books & wedding gifts, & how to co-ordinate the arriving guests so that they can sign & drop off their presents. We had to use the guest books from the wedding ceremony while waiting for the reception guest book to come. It never came! Fayette later told me she realised she had it all along & forgot to arrange for someone to bring - she had wrongly assumed that one of her relatives would bring it. Aaaahh, the topsy turvyness of weddings. One day, I might experience it myself should I ever get married!

The tables were all cramped together; I don't remember attending such a cramped reception. There was a birthday party at the room next door, so we could hear the loud music, especially when the Tavernetta staff from one room to the next. And the food service was very slow, but that was (if I heard correctly) due to the sheer numbers which placed stress on the kitchen staff. But despite all this, I really liked the reception. It was simple, & there was much to savour & enjoy: the violin performance from Fayette's youngest brother Caleb (Fayette played together with Caleb); the speech from Fayette's other brother Ivan (which included some funny video clips from years gone by); all the other speeches (from both dads, the best man & the bridesmaids). Did I miss anything? Ohh yeah, there's the usual bridal dance (Latin), & thereafter the night concluded with quite a few people joining in the dance. Well, it was a very very good night - & I'm sure many people enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

Anyway, to Fayette & Dan, very well done. What a pleasure it was to witness your union. May God richly bless your future together as He surely will!

(after wedding ceremony) the couple with Fayette's parents

(at reception) the couple with their respective parents

the bridesmaids (Alice & Val)

wow, look at the marvellous wedding cake! (I was told Aunty Julia made it - she's got fantastic talent!)

family photo - me with my sister, brother-in-law & 2 brothers

cutting the cake

Leave red pens alone

Some governmental education forum in Queensland recently talked about banning teachers from using red pens to mark work. The reason? It is said that red pens can be seen by children as aggressive or confrontational. Therefore, it was suggested that the red pen be ditched in favour of other "less aggressive" colours.

An online poll was conducted by Courier Mail in the wake of the red pen debate. The poll asked if teachers should stop using red pen. Thankfully, 95% of the voters said "no".

Frankly, the red pen debate is ridiculous. Why ban red pens? Red pens were never an issue with children from previous generations, like myself. So why should it be an issue now? Don't you need red ink to differentiate or distinguish from the more "common" black or blue ink? Teachers are meant to correct students' mistakes, & red pen is just 1 tool to help them do that. Just because the colour stands out doesn't mean it's aggressive.

I'm surprised that the question of red pens was even raised. What next? Are they going to ban green pens because green represents envy or jealousy? Huh, if they ban green pens, I can imagine an uproar among the auditing profession! Are they going to ban blue pens because blue is associated with depression? Black is seen as evil, so shall we ditch black pens?

Hhmmm, I would have thought people have better, more useful & much more important things to discuss than the merits of red pens. Hey, I know of a good discussion topic: Should teachers & lecturers be forced to use fountain pens? Let's discuss at the next education forum, shall we....

Heaps to look forward to this month :)

I can't believe it's December already! I can't believe time passed by so quickly. Anyway, now that the last month of the year is here, I'm happy, because I personally have a lot of great things to look forward to this month:

• Dan & Fayette's wedding ceremony & reception (I have the privilege of being head usher at the reception)
• Group dinner with ex-colleagues at a Japanese restaurant
  
• Val's birthday
• Overseas vacation in Malaysia, stopping over for 1 night in Brunei on the way to KL. (Hopefully, I will get to spend a few days in Singapore after Christmas)
• Christmas Boxing Day shopping in KL
• Ryan & Nicole's wedding celebration (ceremony & reception)

What a month this promises to be! I'm excited!!

What a farcical evening

It was raining heavily this evening. When I left work, I had no idea how bad my evening was going to be. I arrived at Queen St Mall bus stop just before 5:40pm. Due to the heavy rain, there were major delays with the buses, so the bus I was waiting on, that was meant to come at 5:45pm, was majorly delayed. Fair enough, that can’t be helped. But everyone at the stop was kept waiting & waiting. By the time 6:20pm arrived, our bus still had not arrived! Then a few minutes later, I heard a splash & turned around. An Asian guy in wearing a white t-shirt had vomited. He was seated 20m away from where I was standing. His group of friends (all Asian) helped him clean up. One of them was a guy in an orange t-shirt (read further down for his contribution to the evening). The vomiting incident hardly improved my mood (nothing against the guy, though). Fortunately, the vents at the Queen St Mall bus stop prevented me from smelling the stench.

Then a while later (around 6:35pm), our bus finally arrived. Sooooo late!! Once it filled up, the bus took off & ventured along Coronation Drive, but then the bus driver decided to stop at the stop across the Regatta. Quite why the driver stopped mid-way, I don’t know. But all passengers had to vacate & board another bus that was already at the Regatta stop. Oh, well, let’s just get on with it. So once everyone boarded the second bus, it was hoped that we could get home sooner rather than later without further dramas.

But guess what? There was more drama. The bus had only travelled no more than 100m away from the Regatta stop when a couple of people from the back yelled: “Someone threw up” & “Yuck! Someone at the back spewed”. A few passengers at the back were covering their noses. Some left their seats & all the standing passengers had to push forward to make space. Fortunately, I was seated at the front – but the front was now overcrowded by people moving away from the vomit scene. I never saw the vomit, & just as well. Nevertheless, I quickly took out my white flower liniment & placed it in front of my nose to prevent the vomit smell from reaching my nose. I looked around & saw Belinda Hong standing in the middle of the bus (& closer to the vomit than I was). Belle gave a sheepish smile & shrugged as if to say “what’s going on”. I nodded, then pulled a long face & shook my head as if to say “this is horrible”. I then motioned Belle to come closer to where I was seated, & Belle shrugged further as if to indicate she wasn’t able to – the bus was packed.

The bus was thus forced to stop at the stop outside a pub just across Toowong Village. Everyone got out quickly. Belle somehow disappeared, so I never got to talk to her about it. It turns out that the person who vomited on the bus was the orange-shirt guy from the Queen St Mall stop. So now, I had to wait for a third bus to get home. That duly arrived 10-15 minutes later, just past 7pm. Everyone boarded the bus, including the orange-shirt guy. Before the bus took off, one of the passengers, a rather feisty young lady, asked the bus driver to eject the orange-shirt guy as he had vomited on the previous bus (she obviously did not want a repeat performance). The driver duly obliged. Though he was polite to the guy, he was crankier to subsequent passengers coming on board as he was already 1-1.5 hours late due to bad weather. Finally, we got going. And finally, I managed to arrive at my stop & eventually home around 7:30pm.

Bad weather. People throwing up. Taking 3 buses to get me home on a route that would normally only need just 1 bus ride. Arriving home at 7:30pm when I would have done by 6:20pm. What a farcical evening! One that I hope would never be repeated ever again.

Good, better, best

GOOD
A policeman was watching for speeders and was surprised at how few he was catching. He then discovered the problem - a 12-year-old boy was standing up the road with a hand painted sign, which read 'RADAR TRAP AHEAD.' The officer then found a young accomplice down the road with a sign reading 'TIPS' and a bucket full of money. (And we used to just sell lemonade!)

BETTER
A motorist was mailed a picture of his car speeding through an automated radar post in the Manawatu with a fine of $160 included. Being cute, he sent the police department a picture of $160 The police responded with another mailed photo of handcuffs.

BEST
A young woman was pulled over for speeding. As a policeman walked to her car window, flipping open his ticket book, she said, "I bet you are going to sell me a ticket to the Policemen's Ball."
He replied, "Policemen don't have balls."
There was a moment of silence while she smiled and he realized what he'd just said. He closed his book, got back in his patrol car and left. She was laughing too hard to start her car.

An Australian, a Kiwi and a South African

An Australian, a Kiwi (i.e. New Zealander) and a South African are in a bar one night having a beer.

All of a sudden the South African drinks his beer, throws his glass in the air, pulls out a gun and shoots the glass to pieces.

"In Seth Efrika our glasses are so cheap that we don't need to drink from the same one twice," he says.

The Kiwi, obviously impressed by this, drinks his beer, throws his glass into the air, pulls out his gun and shoots the glass to pieces.

"Wull mate, in Noo Zulland we have so much sand to make the glasses that we don't need to drink out the same glass either," he says.

The Australian, cool as a koala, picks up his beer and drinks it, throws his glass in the air, pulls out his gun and shoots the South African and the Kiwi.

He turns to the astonished barman and says, "In Strailya mate, we have so many bloody South Africans and Kiwis that we don't need to drink with the same ones twice."

Article: Eat less meat to fight climate change

I saw the article below on NineMSN website a couple of months ago. And ok, I might be overlooking something big, but I still just can't get my head around it. So the article seems to be saying that getting rid of our steaks & sausages can save our planet?? Pfffhhh. Hello....there is a reason why God give us animals - so that we can get our meat from some of them. And so, I'll keep enjoying my meat. So there.


****************************************
'Eat less meat to fight climate change'

People should cut their consumption of meat to help combat climate change, a top United Nations expert told a British Sunday newspaper.

Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told The Observer that people should start by having one meat-free day per week then cut back further.

The 68-year-old Indian economist, who is a vegetarian, said diet change was important in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental problems associated with rearing cattle and other animals.

"Give up meat for one day (per week) initially, and decrease it from there," he said.

"In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity."

Other small-scale lifestyle changes would also help to combat climate change, he said without elaborating.

"That's what I want to emphasise: we really have to bring about reductions in every sector of the economy."

Dr Pachauri is due to give a speech in London on Monday under the title: "Global Warning: the impact of meat production and consumption on climate change".

Dr Pachauri, who was re-elected for a second term six-year term as IPCC chairman last week, has headed the organisation since 2002 and oversaw its seminal assessment report in 2007 which gave graphic forecasts of the risks posed by global warming.

The IPCC warned then that without action the planet's rising temperatures could unleash potentially catastrophic change to earth's climate system, leading to hunger, drought, storms and massive species loss.

The organisation also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 along with former US vice president Al Gore.

Dave & Jim

Dave and Jim were a couple of drinking buddies who worked as Aircraft mechanics in Melbourne. One day the airport was fogged in and they were stuck in the hangar with nothing to do. Dave said: "Man, I wish we had something to drink!" Jim says: "Me too. Y'know, I've heard you can drink jet fuel and get a buzz. You wanna try it?"

So they pour themselves a couple of glasses of high octane booze and get completely smashed. The next morning Dave wakes up and is surprised at how good he feels. In fact he feels GREAT! NO hangover! NO bad side effects. Nothing! Then the phone rings. It's Jim.

Jim says: "Hey, how do you feel this morning?"
Dave says: "I feel great, how about you?"
Jim says: "I feel great, too. You don't have a hangover?"
Dave says, "No that jet fuel is great stuff -- no hangover, nothing. We ought to do this more often."
"Yeah, well there's just one thing."
"What's that?"
"Have you farted yet?"
"No."
"Well, DON'T, 'cause I'm in Perth."

Work conference in Sydney; colleague left :(

Just came back last nite yesterday from a 2-day PKF conference in Sydney. I flew to Sydney on Sunday afternoon with some colleagues. We stayed at Rydges North Sydney for 2 nights (Sunday & Monday night).

The 2 day conference was held in one of the conference rooms in the Rydges hotel. On the whole, was quite fulfilling. The materials covered were not really new, but the conference taught me to take a different perspective on things. All together, about 12 people, from various parts of Australia, attended the conference. The presenter was the head of tax, or one of the heads of tax, in PKF Sydney. The conference gave me & my colleagues an opportunity to get to know other people from the other PKF offices in other major cities in Australia - Sydney as host, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide & Gold Coast. The guys from Perth, in particular, were friendly & talkative. All of us stayed at Rydges, except the Sydney people. We ate a lot. Rydges North Sydney provided buffet, all-you-can-eat breakfast & lunch. So I ate as much as I could, & I think I gained some weight during my stay in Sydney.

Dinner was not paid for by work, so we ate out on Sunday & Monday nights.
On Sunday night, just a few hours after arriving at Rydges North Sydney, I had dinner with my Brisbane colleagues at a nearby pub. We saw the Perth guys at the pub, but at the time we didn't know who they were because the conference would only start on Monday. It was after I got back to the hotel, that I saw my room-mate & recognised him as one of the guys at the pub!
On Monday night, as a group, we (minus the Sydney people, who had homes to go back to) headed out on Monday night for dinner at one of the waterfront restaurants at Kings Wharf. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but will recognise it the next time I'm in Sydney. I had the BBQ ribs, & it was tasty. Monday nite was fun - one of the highlights of the Sydney trip.
Rydges North Sydney, while not 5 stars, was reasonably good. But come yesterday evening, it was time to say goodbye, so we all headed to the airport together. The PKF conference finished early yesterday, & that gave us a chance to leave the hotel early to avoid the rush hour traffic en route to the airport. We did just that that, & had time to burn, so we hung out at the airport for a few hours. We chat for a bit, before heading our separate ways.

I don't know when I will get to attend another such conference inter-state - this thing doesn't happen often. But I would certainly welcome it. I'd be happy if it was once a year. Now that would be good.

Unfortunately, when I returned to work today, I found out that one of my colleagues, Chris, had left yesterday. It's sad that someone whom you see every morning, whom you greet & sometimes have a chat with, will no longer be around. It happened so suddenly & unexpectedly - the decision to leave was apparently a mutual decision on both sides. But anyway, life goes on, I guess. I will try to get his email & keep in touch in some way. Hope he's well & all the best with finding a new job.

No, Obama, noooooo...........

Politicians worldwide are often lamented & criticised for their failure to keep election promises. In the wake of Obama's big win in the US Presidential Elections (huge celebrations & all that), many will wait & see whether Obama does or does not keep his election promises.

I, for one, hope that he does NOT keep some of his promises. I say that after stumbling on this blog: http://whynotobama2008.blogspot.com/
As well-written as it is, the blog does make for disturbing reading. Are all that really Obama's policies?? *wince* If it's true that those are indeed his policies, then goodness gracious me!

Now, let me say that before I read the blog, I was sort of aware of Obama's leaning towards abortion. But that was based on loosely hearing things being said about Obama. I was definitely not aware of Obama's marriage policies (approving same-sex marriage, etc), until I read the above blog. After reading the blog, it looks like what people say about Obama being pro-abortion is true! Ohhhh dear!

But I thought Obama is a Christian??!! Yet he favours abortion? Yet he thinks same-sex marriage is alright? But why??? Personally, I am opposed to abortion, simply I believe taking a human life, or denial of the right to live, is wrong. I am pro-life. I've never supported abortion, & never will. I just can't. Same-sex marriage??? Pfffhhh, well, that is unbiblical & is not proper marriage at all. It just isn't, & it just can't be.

Anyway, what I have to say is: No, Obama, noooo! Don't implement those policies! Don't do it! Don't be a bad BO (get it, BO? Obama's initials?! haha). Sorry Mr Obama, nothing personal. But I'm not in favour of those policies, & in no way can I support it. One can only hope & pray that Obama & his ilk will come to their senses & abandon all plans to implement those pro-abortion & same-sex marriage policies. That's right, pray. Pray really hard.

Congratulations, Barack Obama

Barack Obama has won the US Presidential elections. That means he's the new President of the US! Wow, congratulations, Obama! His win represents a ground-breaking development - the first African-American president of the US. His win was by a landslide. I guess his rallying phrase "it's time for a change" worked in getting a huge slice of the American votes. Perhaps people really did want a change & plumped for him. I'm no political expert at all, so I can't dwell on too much details.....

Well done, Obama. I'm happy that the US now has a black president. Happy in that regard. All the very best with your reign, Mr Obama. But I must say I do have reservations over Obama's appointment. Nothing against the man, it's just his policies. Read next post for more details.

Melbourne Cup at work, RBA cuts interest rate

We had a huge Melbourne Cup lunch at work today. Everyone at the firm (about 140-160 people) gathered at the main lunch room at Level 6, to gave a meal together before the start of the Melbourne Cup. The food was all catered - chicken, beef roasts, vegetable salad, buns. Reasonable, though nothing out of this world. It was a good chance for me to spend some time chatting with some colleagues & getting to know them a little better. Then "the race that stops a nation", as the Melbourne Cup is known, kicked off. The Cup was won by the horse named Viewed (strange name?). A few colleagues had put some money on some of the horses, & some of them won money. I didn't place any bets (I know nothing about horses), so no pain no gain for me.

is apparently trying to boost the economy & avoid further slumps. The And meantime, today, the Reserve Bank of Australia slashed the interest rate by 75 basis point (i.e. by 0.75%). Good news for those looking to buy a home, but not so for those investors with sizeable cash savings. The interest rate cut comes in the wake of the global financial crisis, & RBARBA's actions raise a couple of questions. Firstly, is the massive correction an admission by the RBA that they made an error when they originally increased the interest rate around the end of 2007 & the start of 2008? Secondly, will the banks pass on the interest rate cut to the consumers? The banks were quick to raise their loan interest rates when the RBA increased the official interest rate in 2007 & early 2008 - but not so quick to raise deposit rates. But now that the RBA has gone the other way, will the banks follow quickly? I doubt it. It's all self-serving behaviour by the banks - which is not good for us customers.

Qld Roar - winless at home, unbeaten away

So far, the story of Queensland Roar's inconsistent season reads: no wins at home, no losses away. I dunno whether to laugh or cry. So far, they have played 4 home games at Suncorp Stadium. The first one was against Adelaide & ended 1-1. I went to that match. I skipped the subequent 3 homes games, all of which were lost. It's a good thing I skipped those matches.

I just cannot understand it. How can a team struggle so much to win a match at home? Aren't teams meant to do better at home than away? Not it seems when your team is called Queensland Roar. Ok, the fact that they're unbeaten away is definitely commendable. Yet, the inescapable lament is that they cannot even win ONE home game. In the European leagues, teams with the same dismal home record as Qld Roar will most likely be around the bottom of the ladder. But hey, this is the A-League & things are different here. That's why Qld Roar's season is not over yet. Not by quite a way. There's still plenty to play for. There's still a chance for the Roar to make the A-League playoffs. But whether they are good enough to take it remains to be seen.

Drunk Halloween

Happy Halloween to those in North America, & others around the world who are into Halloween.

Here is what it might look like if the Halloween celebrations are taken too far:

Maradona is Argentina's new coach!

Newsflash! Football headline of the day, possibly the month, & possibly the whole year: Diego Armando Maradona is now Argentina's new coach! Yes, I cannot believe it either, but it has happened. Argentina's greatest ever footballer, possibly the world's greatest footballer of all time, has just been appointed by the Argentine Football Association as head coach of his beloved national team.

Maradona replaces Alfio Basile, who recently resigned after a string of poor results & performances by the Argentina football team. Basile has been under fire in recent months, during which Argentina's results have included a large number of draws against opposition that they are expected to beat comfortably, given the enormous amount of talent & potential in the Argentina players. The most recent result, the 1-0 loss away to Chile in a World Cup qualifier, was considered embarrassing & unacceptable enough to sound alarm bells & prompt much gnashing of teeth among Argentinian football fans. That result pushed Basile to the edge & he eventually resigned.

Quite what prompted the Argentinian football fraternity to appoint a man with limited top-level coaching experience, I don't fully know & might never fully understand. That lack of coaching experience is the main reason I'm not convinced that Maradona's appointment is the right move. I wouldn't have gone for him. There are a number of coaches with a lot more experience, who would seem more suited at present for the coaching position.

Carlos Bianchi: He's very experienced with solid track record, won plenty of Argentinian & South American club trophies with Boca Juniors.

Miguel Angel Russo: Like Bianchi, he has led Boca Juniors to become champions of South America. Before that, he won a number of titles with several other Argentinian clubs (Lanus, Estudiantes, Velez Sarsfield), so he knows how to build a side to success. He has also had spells coaching clubs in Spain, Mexico & Chile.

Sergio Batista: He coached Argentina to the gold medal at Beijing Olympics, so he knows how to relate to Argentina's talented young generation, though less experienced than Bianchi & Russo.

Hugo Tocalli: He won a couple of World Youth Cups for Argentina, so like Batista, he also has a rapport with the young Argentinian footballers.

Other names bandied around include Diego Simeone & Gabriel Batistuta, both of whom played for Argentina at the World Cup 1998. And then, some have suggested re-appointing past Argentina coaches like Daniel Passarella, Marcelo Bielsa & Jose Pekerman. On top of all that, there are a couple of other candidates who have escaped me. But Argentina are clearly not short of viable options for the coaching vacancy. Yet they went for Maradona. Nothing against him, but like I said, he doesn't have much coaching experience. Another thing is that his temperament can be questioned - he is never known for his calmness. Can he cope with all the intense pressure & scrutiny? If things turn sour, can he be relied on to make sound decisions?

For all my misgivings, there are some points that would appear to be in Maradona's favour.

One, his passion. He loves the Argentina team & fans can rely on him to do his utmost to bring success to his team. He will ensure his players play with the sort of passion that some feel has been lacking under Basile.
Two, his winning mentality. He has won the World Cup before as a player, so he knows what it's like to win & what it takes to win on a big stage. Yes, I know great players don't always (& often don't) make great coaches. But one cannot help but feel that Maradona's winning experience should be useful to "pass down" to Argentina's young generation.
Three, he will have the footballers respect. Due to his legendary status in Argentina, the footballers will all look up to him. People in Argentina simply will listen to him; he's got that presence about him. They might look to Maradona the coach & think: "He was my hero. Now he's my coach. He won the World Cup, gave a lot for Argentina & achieved much for Argentina. I want that success, too, I want to win the World Cup too & I will give my all for Argentina". Some observers feel that part of the problem faced by Basile was the "generational gap" - he could not relate to the young generation in the Argentina squad. Maradona should not have such issues.

Given the above, perhaps Maradona's appointment is not all bad. Perhaps. Who knows? I still would have preferred someone more experience to have been appointed. Personally, my top 2 choices would be Miguel Angel Russo & Sergio Batista. But we now have Maradona. Of course, as I'm a great fan of Argentinian football, I would love it if Maradona prove my misgivings wrong, & achieve great success as Argentina's coach. I wish Maradona the best of luck! Vamos Maradona, & vamos Argentina!

Women drivers

This morning on the Freeway,
I looked over to my left and there was a

Woman

in a brand new

Holden Calaise


doing 110 kms per hr

with her
face up next to her

rear view mirror

putting on her eyeliner.

I looked away

for a couple seconds


and when I looked back she was

halfway over in my lane,


still working on that makeup.


As a man,

I don't scare easily.


But she scared me so much;

I dropped

my electric shaver,


which knocked

the meat pie

out of my other hand.

In all
the confusion of trying

to straighten out the car

using my knees against
the steering wheel,


it knocked

my mobile phone


away from my ear


which fell


into the coffee

between my legs,


splashed,


and burned


Big Jim and the Twins,


ruined the phone,


soaked my trousers,


And disconnected an

important call.


bloody women drivers!!