Today of all days ...

Q: What is the worst that could happen on a day like today when Perth sweltered on a 41.8 degree day?

A: My central evaporative air-conditioner decided to call it quits and stopped working.

[All together now ... "Aaaaiiiiyyyyyoooooooooohhhhhhhhh"]

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Aussie iPhone Released

Ok, the iPhone has been released. So what next? Figuring out the best value phone plan of course. Thankfully apc has already done the hard work here. Have fun!

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Aussie iPhone Update ...

The West Australian newspaper mentioned that Telstra will also be selling the iPhone. The best part is that Telstra will be selling the 8gb iPhone for $279 upfront on a $30 monthly plan, while the 16gb model will be $399. For those not wanting to pay an upfront fee, the cost of the plans are higher. Hopefully Optus and Vodaphone will be selling them at similar prices, if so I'll have to start saving up!

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Sacrifice ...

Due to changes the upcoming federal budget, my company has suspended the ability for employees to buy laptops using the salary sacrifice scheme. Apparently there must be greater assurances that the laptop will be predominantly used for work purposes. So no laptops until the situation is clarified ...

[Dang ... just when I was thinking of getting a laptop ... oh well, probably a good thing really ... stops me spending $$$]

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Threadless ???

What is the big deal with Threadless T-shirts anyway? Also, I have a bone to pick with their catch phrase 'Nude no more'. What's wrong with being nude? ... :)

[Hahaha ... a mindless post today ... oh ... some activity has resumed on my flickr ... have a nice Mother's day weekend!]

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Mother's love ...

Anyone whose heart isn't warmed by this post has ice in their veins. A wonderfully touching post by Karen, beautiful stuff.

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HD-DVD RIP...

Some of you may have already heard that Toshiba will stop supporting their HD-DVD format due to a lack of support leaving Blu-Ray the ultimate victor in this battle. I normally wouldn't care who 'won' except that my newly purchased (Dec 2007) computer does come with a HD-DVD drive. -sigh-, didn't expect it to become obsolete so quickly...

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I wish ...

I wish you much prosperity, not only in wealth and health, but more importantly that the relationships with your loved ones would deepen, your days will be filled with laughter, your heart brimming with joy. That you would find your passion in life and celebrate like there is no tomorrow. That you would be secure in His arms, His grace overflowing in your life.

Happy New Year!!! Gong Xi Fa Chai!!!

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Aussie Day

I'll be out of town [sorta] for some of the weekend so I won't be able to post any pictures. Rest assured that I'll continue to take photos during the day and will post them up when I'm back in town. Have a wonderful and safe Australia Day!

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Perth is hell ...

Temperature wise I mean ... other than that, a fine city it is. Check out the weather for the next few days ...

Forecast for Thursday
Very hot. N/NE winds, fresh and gusty for a period during the morning, becoming NW'ly by midday then fresh S/SW'ly during the afternoon.

Precis: Very hot.
City: Min 25 Max 40
Mandurah: Min 26 Max 36

UV Index: 11 [Extreme] UV Alert from 9:10 to 17:20
Fire Danger: Coastal Plain: VERY HIGH
Hills: EXTREME

Friday Fine. Min 21 Max 33
Saturday Fine. Min 16 Max 32
Sunday Fine. Min 18 Max 35
Monday Very hot, possible shower. Min 20 Max 40
Tuesday Fine. Min 25 Max 35
Wednesday Fine. Min 20 Max 29

[Stay cool and hydrated people! Even though I'm supposed to be on leave, I've decided to pop into work tomorrow. The air-conditioning is better there =)]

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Happy New Year!!!

Hello everybody, how was your New Year? Wishing you all a very joyous and grace filled 2008.

My New Year's Eve was spent at home, me & my brother being unofficial chefs over the BBQ during a small get together organised by my sister. After the rest of the family had gone to bed, I watched No Reservations, a romantic comedy starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart. Nothing like a heart warming movie to start the new year. While it wasn't the best movie I had seen, it had enough entertainment value to keep me interested.

Today was spent being lazy resting at home, finishing off the left-overs from the BBQ last night for lunch and dinner at Northbridge Chinese Restaurant [one of the better chinese restaurants in Perth I reckon] with my brother's in-laws.

Do anything interesting for your New Year's Eve / Day?

While I haven't spent much time evaluating the past 2007 and deciding what I'd like to achieve in 2008, I did decide to try to take 1 picture per day. This would force me to practice and hopefully improve my picture taking skills. If you're curious, the first picture is here.

Well, take care and enjoy this New Year!

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Record breaking ...

As much as I like 'breaking records' especially when it comes to the city of Perth, these 2 days have been very uncomfortable to say the least. For those who are away from our little city, let me just say 'I wish I was there with you'.

You see while the rest of the country was experiencing temperatures in the mid 20s, us 'Perthians' [yup, I just created a new word!!!] were BBQ'd in 40.7 degree heat yesterday and today was a record breaker at 44.7 degrees. Fortunately tomorrow will be a more decent 33 degrees albeit humid. Many will be seeking shelter in their local shopping centres with the year end sales commencing and senile shoppers eagerly exercising their plastic cards in search of the latest bargains.

What will I be doing? Not sure just yet, probably catch up on a few movies I've missed during the past year. Aaaahhh ... the joy of taking leave during the Christmas / New Year period. Wherever you may be and whatever you might be doing, hope you're enjoying yourselves!

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Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

That time of the year again when we look back and wonder where the year had gone. My 2007 was eventful with trips to the US, challenging work, blessed with a healthy family and and good friends. I hope your year was good too.

May this Christmas find you in good cheer with much to be thankful for, surrounded by family and friends, bathed in His Love and Grace ...

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6 truths of life ...

[Received this from a friend via e-mail recently.]

1. You cannot touch all your teeth with your tongue.

2. All idiots, after reading the first truth, try it.

3. The first truth is a lie.

4. You're smiling now because you're an idiot.

5. You soon will forward this to another idiot [who will do exactly the same thing].

6. There's still a stupid smile on your face.

Hahaha ... sorry for the lack in posts recently, having a writer's block at the moment. Once in a while I may have an interesting thought floating around in my head but by the time I sit down in front of the computer, I lose all interest.

Now to something totally unrelated. I have a question for you, do I frown a lot? You see, I woke up this morning and noticed a wrinkle on my face. So my knee jerk reaction was to frown which then made me realise that the wrinkle was due to frowning. I don't mind the wrinkle so much, just didn't realise I frown so much. Hhhhmmmmm ...

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Have you ever ...

Have you ever been in a stationary car at night which was rocking up and down?

I just did. Now before you fling accusations to condemn me, I was alone. [Eerrr ... that last statement didn't help did it?]. Ok ok ... let me clarify, I was trying to 'fix' my car. You see, my 15 year old Honda Civic [which has served me very well] is starting to breakdown. More recently, the clutch failed because the clutch fluid had all leaked. After a visit from our friendly RAC mechanic, he topped up the fluid and advised us to 'pump the clutch a few times a day' until it was time for our appointment at the repair shop.

So the appointment is tomorrow and just to make sure we could get the car to the where we needed it to go, I started the car to try it out. Alas the clutch didn't work probably because I forgot to 'pump the clutch' for 2 days straight. So after about 20 minutes in the car 'pumping the clutch' [which was causing the rocking motion], it is temporarily in working order. Hopefully it will hold out long enough for us to get it into the repair shop tomorrow.

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Scary place ...

I work in a very scary place ...

Is it the mean & unreasonable boss that I fear? Or back stabbing colleagues? Thankfully by managers are great and are never over demanding. Don't get me wrong, they can be demanding at times but for the most part are quite nice. My colleagues are good too. With the rather flat corporate ladder we have, prospects for promotions are slim which means no one is backstabbing anyone to get ahead.

The scary stuff happens in the kitchen ...

• A colleague opens the biscuit tin, takes a biscuit, smells it and then throws it back into the tin!
• Biscuit crumbs are left on the kitchen table. Another colleague places his hand on the table and proceeds to sweep all the crumbs from the table back into the biscuit tin!

I'm horrified ... [and now bring my own supply of biscuits to the office ... twisties anyone?]

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Hot and Bothered ...

Today was a smouldering 39.8 degrees. Fortunately I was able to hide from the heat within the walls of my office. Alas, I don't have the good fortune of air conditioning in my bedroom so tonight might be rather uncomfortable ...

So that covers the 'hot' part ... what about the 'bothered' part? Well, my computer which I'm at this very moment using to type up this blog is being rather 'moody'. Over the weekend it decided not to start-up which sent me on a 'frantic repair mode'. Was up till the early morning on Sunday [about 3am] trying to fix the darn thing. Ended up backing up my data and reformatting the computer. The frustrating thing is that even with a fresh install of Windows, my computer would continue to play up which may indicate a hardware problem ie. a 'terminal problem'. ~sigh~ .... I've had better days ...

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Life saver ...

It is that time of the year again where my company organises First Aid courses for those interested in attending. I'm due for a refresher course this year but I'll do it next year instead, just too busy with work and a deadline is looming.

During the training they do stress that you're the first point of assistance for those in need while the ambulance is on it's way. So assist where you can and leave the rest to the professionals [Pheewwww ... you mean I'm not meant to jump on top of a patient and perform surgery with scissors like in ER?]. So we learnt how to tie bandages, treat wounds, perform CPR etc.

While I did pass the training, please please please don't hurt yourself while I'm around. It has been two years since I last practiced CPR so my memory is a little fuzzy. "Soo ... is that 5 pumps then a breath or 15 pumps ... or 5 breaths every 10 pumps ... " ... you see what I mean? Also, even if I happen to fluke it and save your life, chances are you'd be wanting to commit suicide once you find out I've given you CPR. So please ... take care of yourself ... for both our sakes ...

[By the way, the course is worth doing if you ever get the chance.]

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3:16, The Numbers of Hope

Here's a link to the new upcoming book from Max Lucado, can't wait! First chapter and a few other resources are available for download.

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There it is ...

Blossoms, originally uploaded by ~g~.

The first evidence of spring. Every time the cherry blossom tree starts to flower, it signals the impending end of the winter season. Seemed like winter just flew by [well ... I was away for most of winter]. A shame really, I do like winter. Nevermind, spring is coming. A season representing new life and new beginnings. Wonder what is in store ...

[BTW ... I happen to have two cherry blossom trees in my backward which makes photographing them really easy ... took a few snaps last week before heading off to work. Too bad they flower for a very short time, then again ... that is what makes them special ...

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