So this made me laugh a lot whilst I'm chained to my desk
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
House Mates ARE GO
Well ladies and gents, the stressful situation that is moving (or in my case, not moving) house has come to an end, it seems. Whilst it is not yet set in stone, and things could still go wrong, I do indeed now seem to have found two good people to live with. Along with a death in the family and divorce, moving house is apparently just about the most challanging time in life - so I am glad its coming to an end! Now I just need to find me a new job - one that I actually like! Any suggestions, postcard please. Especially if they allow me to become a fabulously successful and worldly travelled photographer. That would be ace, thanks.
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Reflections on Returning
To be honest, when I left Sydney, I was fairly certain I had seen the last of eBay, or, at the very least, the last of the endless data design work that I had spent over a year doing. At least then, I was basically on holiday, and in any case always had a goal, my road trip up the east coast. Coming back to the UK exhausted and essentially broke, thanks to the help of one very persausive Hong Kong tailor, I found myself talked into returning, once again, to the Data Design Hell Hole.
Of course, it was never meant to be like this. I wasn't even meant to be doing this kind of work, and let me assure you, at no stage did I ever say I was an analyst. I design things, I look at crappy classification and make it better - thats it. I'm an information mercenary, and the only thing that keeps me going is the money. And yet, even that is starting to fall far short of what I want to keep doing this - the endless stream of emails demanding status updates, metrics, financials, analysis and all other manner of endlessly circular logic and no little or no action. The ever shifting goal posts of work loads, and the consistent failure to ever define or explain the project or my role.
These are the shackles of the Data Design Hell Hole, dear readers.
Of course, it was never meant to be like this. I wasn't even meant to be doing this kind of work, and let me assure you, at no stage did I ever say I was an analyst. I design things, I look at crappy classification and make it better - thats it. I'm an information mercenary, and the only thing that keeps me going is the money. And yet, even that is starting to fall far short of what I want to keep doing this - the endless stream of emails demanding status updates, metrics, financials, analysis and all other manner of endlessly circular logic and no little or no action. The ever shifting goal posts of work loads, and the consistent failure to ever define or explain the project or my role.
These are the shackles of the Data Design Hell Hole, dear readers.
Thursday, 11 October 2007
Alice Springs
Hi all, sorry for the delays, things have been busy! Well yes, I am now in Alice Springs, I just took the 'legenday' Ghan train down from Darwin and got in a few hours ago.
Darwin was hot, wow, so hot and so humid. There isn't a tremendous amount to see or do there to be honest, but I went on a 3 day safari round Kakadu National Park, and that was just great - good people, good tour guide, loads of fun - inspite of the mumidity and the 41c weather! Thoroughly enjoyed it, and some of the scenery really is just unbelievable, I'll try to get some pics up once I have a chance, but you'll be blown away.
So yes, alice springs for a week and then i'm off to adelaide!
Darwin was hot, wow, so hot and so humid. There isn't a tremendous amount to see or do there to be honest, but I went on a 3 day safari round Kakadu National Park, and that was just great - good people, good tour guide, loads of fun - inspite of the mumidity and the 41c weather! Thoroughly enjoyed it, and some of the scenery really is just unbelievable, I'll try to get some pics up once I have a chance, but you'll be blown away.
So yes, alice springs for a week and then i'm off to adelaide!
Saturday, 6 October 2007
Photo links!
Karunda
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4534&l=21b73&id=508109359
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4534&l=21b73&id=508109359
Cooktown Vol. 2
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4533&l=86804&id=508109359Cooktown Vol. 1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4532&l=b4530&id=508109359Cape Tribulation Vol. 2
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4531&l=bed95&id=508109359Cape Tribulation Vol. 1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4530&l=83443&id=508109359Port Douglas & Mossman
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4529&l=40ee9&id=508109359Paluma Range
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4528&l=e626f&id=508109359Cairns
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4527&l=87fc0&id=508109359Johnson River Crocodile Farm Vol. 2
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4526&l=36a25&id=508109359Johnson River Crocodile Farm Vol. 1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4525&l=33898&id=508109359Mission Beach
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4524&l=1acb8&id=508109359Magnetic Island Vol. 2
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4523&l=fc49b&id=508109359Magnetic Island Vol. 1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4251&l=11121&id=508109359Townsville
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4522&l=538cb&id=508109359Roadtrip from Airlie Beach to Townsville via Bowen
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4521&l=51c77&id=508109359Sailing the Whitsundays
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4520&l=b911f&id=508109359Airlie Beach
link:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4519&l=37397&id=508109359Eungella National Park
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4518&l=d1c54&id=508109359Roadtrip from Agnes Water to Eungella via Rockhampton
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4517&l=b380f&id=508109359Agnes Water
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4516&l=35fbf&id=508109359Bundaberg
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4515&l=e5900&id=508109359Fraser Island Vol. 2
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4513&l=1d697&id=508109359Fraser Island Vol. 1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4046&l=93c69&id=508109359Rainbow
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4511&l=1414e&id=508109359Noosa
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4510&l=35606&id=508109359Brisbane Vol. 3
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4508&l=f7fd2&id=508109359Brisbane Vol. 2
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4507&l=faf3b&id=508109359Brisbane Vol. 1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4506&l=77c50&id=508109359Bundagen
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4505&l=b5d4d&id=508109359Brisbane Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4504&l=40490&id=508109359Bellingen
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4495&l=72ae4&id=508109359Friday, 21 September 2007
Great Barrier Reef tomorrow
Hey guys,
Just a quick note as I'm fairly knackered right now, but then, after two days of 6.30am starts and dive courses, its little wonder. So, today we finished off most the pool session stuff today, and tomorrow it is out to the reef for four whole days of diving - i'll even be doing some deep dive stuff at 30metres, and a night dive too, so as excited and nervous as i am, I can't wait. The first few times with the kit seemed a little strange, but its all quickly come into place, and if i can just keep the thought of violent decompression sickness and exploding nitrogen bubbles in my brain at a distance, it could just be fun ;) I'm planning to hire a underwater didigtal camera too, so that should be pretty rad too. Anyways, a pimpelly curly haired aussie youth is attempting to turf me out of the internet cafe, so i best go - but thanks for all the comments on the car sale - good news all round, seriously. So, speak to you all laters.
Just a quick note as I'm fairly knackered right now, but then, after two days of 6.30am starts and dive courses, its little wonder. So, today we finished off most the pool session stuff today, and tomorrow it is out to the reef for four whole days of diving - i'll even be doing some deep dive stuff at 30metres, and a night dive too, so as excited and nervous as i am, I can't wait. The first few times with the kit seemed a little strange, but its all quickly come into place, and if i can just keep the thought of violent decompression sickness and exploding nitrogen bubbles in my brain at a distance, it could just be fun ;) I'm planning to hire a underwater didigtal camera too, so that should be pretty rad too. Anyways, a pimpelly curly haired aussie youth is attempting to turf me out of the internet cafe, so i best go - but thanks for all the comments on the car sale - good news all round, seriously. So, speak to you all laters.
Wednesday, 19 September 2007
Sold the car!
Yes awesome news, Le Tank, aka the hunk 'o' crap money hole, has some how miraculously been sold! its been a strange old few days what with emilie leaving, and me in cairns on my own after so long, and the car giving me one problem after another - i'm so happy to have sold it and minimised my losses on it! So tomorrow I start a 6 day dive course out on the Barrier Reef! Awesome! Can't wait, should be great stuff. From there i get back and the next day i fly back to Sydney for work, so its all coming out quite nicely to be honest. Anyway, times up so have to dash, but looking forward to seeing everyone again very soon!
Wednesday, 12 September 2007
Back in Cairns
Just a quick post, but here is a link to some pictures from Lady Musgrave Island
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4250&l=dcaa2&id=508109359
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4250&l=dcaa2&id=508109359
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
Karunda
Hey guys,
Back from a brief trip into the outback - we drove from Cape Tribulation through the inland road, about 300km in total, up to Cooktown - basically as far north as you can get on a normal road on the east coast.
And wow it was pretty crazy stuff, real outback and no mistake - baking hot scrub and savannah land, kangrooes, massive termite mounds everywhere and endless flat roads. We passed through a few one pub towns (no really, mt carbine has one pub and one road house gas stations, thats it) and what seemed like a eternity later got into Cooktown - a weird place. Very remote and really with nothing happening, despite the virilent invasion of germans (seriously, it was unbelieveable, of the 20 or so people we met, all were german. And fucking annoyingly so I'm afraid to say). We stayed just a full day, and really, that was plenty - 'Cooktown, where we make the most of the miserable history we have!' could easily be the slogan. Still, it was good to see something authentic like that.
Still, its very very much made me question the whole outback leg of my travelling - the drive back in particular. We foolishly did some 30kms on some pretty rough unsealed road to get to an admittadley nice waterfall, and on the way back everything seemed fine - until we almost hit two wallabies. And then a massive white cow, standing in the middle of the road. And then two kangerooes. After all that, the car has been making a weird tapping noise. Mechanic assures me that its a tappette thats not quite closing properly, suggests an oil change and some lubricant stuff. Thing is, we didn't know all that last nigth when we limped into the 'functional' ('crap') two on Mareeba, where incidentally there was no accomodation other then a room in a bearded truckers house. Of course, his mates all tried to help fix the car, up to the point of 'come back tomorrow with a case of piss, i'll bring my tools and we'll be right'. I can't beleive we were actually half considering all that as an option even! Thankfully we decided to keep on going to here, and the mechanic says the guys would have trashed the car (still further) if IU had let them anywhere near the thing. So I'm glad we made a good decision under the stressful circumstances.
So, whats next? Still weighing up the options in my mind to be honest. Maybe work back in Sydney, maybe learn to dive in Cairns, maybe go to Perth. Probably a combination of all three I suspect. Its hard to know whats best, but I am sure the answer will as ever present itself to me. Anyways, until then speak laters.
Back from a brief trip into the outback - we drove from Cape Tribulation through the inland road, about 300km in total, up to Cooktown - basically as far north as you can get on a normal road on the east coast.
And wow it was pretty crazy stuff, real outback and no mistake - baking hot scrub and savannah land, kangrooes, massive termite mounds everywhere and endless flat roads. We passed through a few one pub towns (no really, mt carbine has one pub and one road house gas stations, thats it) and what seemed like a eternity later got into Cooktown - a weird place. Very remote and really with nothing happening, despite the virilent invasion of germans (seriously, it was unbelieveable, of the 20 or so people we met, all were german. And fucking annoyingly so I'm afraid to say). We stayed just a full day, and really, that was plenty - 'Cooktown, where we make the most of the miserable history we have!' could easily be the slogan. Still, it was good to see something authentic like that.
Still, its very very much made me question the whole outback leg of my travelling - the drive back in particular. We foolishly did some 30kms on some pretty rough unsealed road to get to an admittadley nice waterfall, and on the way back everything seemed fine - until we almost hit two wallabies. And then a massive white cow, standing in the middle of the road. And then two kangerooes. After all that, the car has been making a weird tapping noise. Mechanic assures me that its a tappette thats not quite closing properly, suggests an oil change and some lubricant stuff. Thing is, we didn't know all that last nigth when we limped into the 'functional' ('crap') two on Mareeba, where incidentally there was no accomodation other then a room in a bearded truckers house. Of course, his mates all tried to help fix the car, up to the point of 'come back tomorrow with a case of piss, i'll bring my tools and we'll be right'. I can't beleive we were actually half considering all that as an option even! Thankfully we decided to keep on going to here, and the mechanic says the guys would have trashed the car (still further) if IU had let them anywhere near the thing. So I'm glad we made a good decision under the stressful circumstances.
So, whats next? Still weighing up the options in my mind to be honest. Maybe work back in Sydney, maybe learn to dive in Cairns, maybe go to Perth. Probably a combination of all three I suspect. Its hard to know whats best, but I am sure the answer will as ever present itself to me. Anyways, until then speak laters.
Friday, 7 September 2007
Day Whatever - Cape Tribulation
Morning all,
Yes, by some bizarre twist of fate, I seem to have awoken at a ashcokingly early 7.30am this moring, bright eyed and cheery, so I thought I would plunge into the cyber realm for an hour or so, listen to some banging psytrance on my ipod in this tent in the middle of the oldest rainforest on earth. Just to mix it up a little.
So, we've been in Cape Tribulation for three days now - this is real wild country, about two hours north of Cairns, into the old old rainforest. Its very beautiful and, after the holiday resort hell hole that is Port Douglas, quite a nice change. We're staying in cabins out in the rainforest, which is great, and went on a night walk through the forest with a guide the night before last, which was also a lot of fun. Yesterday we went horse riding through the rainforest, which was also a pretty amazing experience, so its another great thing to tick of the list (skydive, snorkelling, white water rafting etc).
In a few hours we're going to drive north still further, up to Cooktown, which is just about as far north as you can get in Oz without a 4x4, so I'm excited. We'll be going through the outback and over some mountain ranges too, so it should be fantastic drive - Emilie is even doing some of the driving! ;)
My longer term plans still remain a little unclear, despite furious thinking on the issue day and night in the back of my mind. I could sell the car in Cairns and go back to Sydney for a months worth of work, and save over a thousand pounds (no small amount), but then again, when am I going to be in Oz like this again, with my own wheels and 40 days to spare? Right now I am thinking I want to keep on roadtripping, and having looked at the available time, I think I have more then enough time to hit Darwin, Alice Springs, Adelaide and then Sydney - and still have time to sell the car. There is just so much out there, and I'm desperate to see it - and I know the sense of acheivement and satisfaction that I will feel when I drive back into Sydney in the same car I left in, having done 5000km, will be something I'll take with my for the rest of my life. So, its looking like thats the plan at the moment! ;)
Yes, by some bizarre twist of fate, I seem to have awoken at a ashcokingly early 7.30am this moring, bright eyed and cheery, so I thought I would plunge into the cyber realm for an hour or so, listen to some banging psytrance on my ipod in this tent in the middle of the oldest rainforest on earth. Just to mix it up a little.
So, we've been in Cape Tribulation for three days now - this is real wild country, about two hours north of Cairns, into the old old rainforest. Its very beautiful and, after the holiday resort hell hole that is Port Douglas, quite a nice change. We're staying in cabins out in the rainforest, which is great, and went on a night walk through the forest with a guide the night before last, which was also a lot of fun. Yesterday we went horse riding through the rainforest, which was also a pretty amazing experience, so its another great thing to tick of the list (skydive, snorkelling, white water rafting etc).
In a few hours we're going to drive north still further, up to Cooktown, which is just about as far north as you can get in Oz without a 4x4, so I'm excited. We'll be going through the outback and over some mountain ranges too, so it should be fantastic drive - Emilie is even doing some of the driving! ;)
My longer term plans still remain a little unclear, despite furious thinking on the issue day and night in the back of my mind. I could sell the car in Cairns and go back to Sydney for a months worth of work, and save over a thousand pounds (no small amount), but then again, when am I going to be in Oz like this again, with my own wheels and 40 days to spare? Right now I am thinking I want to keep on roadtripping, and having looked at the available time, I think I have more then enough time to hit Darwin, Alice Springs, Adelaide and then Sydney - and still have time to sell the car. There is just so much out there, and I'm desperate to see it - and I know the sense of acheivement and satisfaction that I will feel when I drive back into Sydney in the same car I left in, having done 5000km, will be something I'll take with my for the rest of my life. So, its looking like thats the plan at the moment! ;)
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