In my usual fashion, just a quick one...
We got in to japan this evening after almost 12 hours of flying time...
My butt is shockingly sore... even with all the padding...
Weighed myself before we left for the airport... let's just say "Heavy Evvy"...
But by the time we've finished with europe, i'll be slimmer ... well i hope so anyway!!

sorry to all about not having a bit of a fling before we left, but time was a bitch on the lead up to departure so didn't happen... :(

we just had some of the best ramen in my life...
probably cos i haven't had decent ramen in the last three years, but all i craved was a good steaming bowl as soon as we landed...
had to wait till midnight... but it was DAMN WORTH IT!!!!

It was a garlic ramen shop and they had cloves of garlic on the counter with a garlic crusher (a good solid stainless steel one that I'd be proud to sell at Cookaholics!) and you could add as much or little as you wanted! Three cloves later with some sesame seeds and a bit of pickled ginger and i was in ramen heaven!! if you ever find yourself on the keio line get off at horinouchi station and look for Ramen Ninnikuya...

well this is getting longer and longer and we have to hit the sack so i'll say Oyasumi Nasai!!

10 minute break from study... honest...

Final exam tomorrow... YAY!!!
Home internet contract finishes tomorrow... BOO!!!
Socceroos get into final 16 when they beat Croatia on Friday morn... YAY!!!
Moving on Saturday... YAY and BOO!!!
Flying outta the country on the 29th... YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!

When I have time and internet access again, I'll post the Saga of the Ear and Swotvac.

God I hate exams...

A day of joy... A day of pain...

Tuesday the 13th of June was full of highs and lows...
It started in the early hours of the morning when Australia's Socceroos smashed Japan in their first game for the World Cup in 32 years.
Cahill scored the first (and second) ever World Cup goal for Australia and Aloisi finished the game off with a third.
Beautiful "moments in history" kinda stuff.
Oh the screams that echoed from Seventh Ave in Ascot Park!!
All slept well and all was right in the morning.

Then came the suffering...

Suffering for Australia... no... just one little Australian...
a boy... and his phone...

My Nokia 6680 (see past post regarding the famous soup swimming phone!) bit the frickin dust...
It started by not taking calls... I rebooted the phone... but it wouldn't boot back... :(
It just comes up with the NOKIA logo and the words: "Test mode" above it...


This is the official info from Nokia:
"unfortunately our techs are not able to repair any phones that have been in contact with a liquid. the internal component of your phone will corrode once it comes in to contact with any form of liquid. this makes the phone beyond repair."

Punks... hide behind their liquid shield... is soup really a liquid?? I'd soaked up so much of the liquid component of it with my bread, that it was more like "paste" by the time the phone decided to go kamikaze into it...
Luckily I backed up all my phone info onto the computer just a week ago, but I can't seem to access that at present. Hopefully Nokia will be able to sort me out with that.
Why am I taunted like this?? My phone appeared to survive its Thai Tomato and Lemongrass Soup ordeal... it lived on for a week and a half... we were content... happy even!!
But no... its time was up...

Now I'm stuck with using an old phone of Jee's... dodgy NEC e616... chunky... lacking in functions... crappy menu system... shitty low rez camera... the philistines out there will be saying "Who cares? A phone's a phone!"
Fools...
I had emails, phone numbers, banking details, notes, birthday reminders (YOUR birthday I tell you! How am I gonna remember YOUR birthday now without my phone??), debt reminders (Mr Bond!!), photos, music and love... never forget love... stored in that phone... and now gone... washed away in a moment of passion with Thai Tomato and Lemongrass Soup...

There's but one word to sum up this situation:

Supercalifuckalisticexpealidocious!!

And now, after all the doom and gloom, I leave you with some entertainment...
Lord knows I need something to put a smile on my face...
I give you The Adventures of Big Jeff (find more at www.bigjeff.tv)

If you are a pansy, don't click these links...









P.S. - Anyone with a spare 3G phone sitting around (a decent one!) I'd be more than happy to take it off you hands!! Just msg me!

Just a quickie... though there is SOOO much I wish to rant about right now (how bout them 'roos?), there is no time!!!

So if you're not excited about this, then you're not even human...

Just watched this and had to share it with everyone.
It has got to be one of the biggest WTF!? moments I've had in my life!!

Always remember that Lobster sticks to Magnet...

What addiction??

I remember last year when I failed my exam and I looked up on the Uni website. They had hints and tips for better study and sleep patterns etc.
They also listed problems that students might be facing in their personal lives: bullying, drug abuse, internet addiction etc.
It was when I read the words "internet addiction" if felt like I had been bitch slapped backwards with a mocha-latte. And I thought to myself... hmmm maybe that's me... then I thought nah bugger that and continued surfing the net! ;)

Anywho, just came across this interesting article on the net and thought I'd share it. I wouldn't say I'm personally addicted to gaming, but it definitely is one of my main hobbies. I know one person who felt they were addicted to one particular game and after he realised he was spending so much time playing, he actually deleted the game. One part of me screams "FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!" (that would be the gamer speaking), another part of me nods and says "Much Respect" and the last part of me wonders why I was distracted from playing Halo2 for the last five minutes (the other gamer). I personally don't know if I could do that. Sure he's still got a copy lying around that can be reinstalled at any time, but that deletion took a F#%@ of a lot of will power... much respect...


Last year at exam time I unplugged every unpluggable cord from my xbox so that if I had the desire to play, I'd have to go to a heck of a lot of effort to play. And I didn't play in the end... it was a good thing. Thanks to last Sunday's Kev's Renovation Rescue, the Xbox is still in disarray as I haven't had time to play or set it up. And it will stay this way for the next 10 days and maybe then I'll pass it on to Chris who shall hopefully baby sit it with the greatest of care while we're in Europe!

This is one lucky man. I haven't even read the whole article (tis a long one but it has pretty pictures) but the general gist is that he's one lucky sonnuva.
If I spend $800 on a bike with various accessories, I'm sure everybody's happy.
If I spend the same amount on an Xbox360, I've got a feeling only the fellas will be jumping for joy...

And now that I've pissed all this time away typing this blog, I should probably get down to some study!
Hope you're having more fun than I am! :)

Check out what happened to Baz!
Good bit of Aussie animation!

Uni bollocks...

Student diary says that this is the last week of the semester.
Next week is swotvac.
But my course guide indicates that last week was the last week of lectures.

So what does one do??
Rock up to a 9am lecture to be greeted by an empty lecture theatre.
Yee haa...
Of course I didn't confer with any Uni friends first as I don't have any "uni friends" this year.
Seeing as I'm not participating in any social activities like pracs, I decided to do the social leper thing and just rock up to lectures (sit nearish the front - I'm a mature age student, but not THAT mature) and not talk to anyone.
This of course means that I don't have anyone else's brains to pick about the lectures, but you'd think that doing the same subject for the last three years in a row might have drilled something into me!!
Only time - and June 21st - will tell...

Countdown to Europe: 21 days...
Countdown to Moving: 16 days...
Countdown to Exam: 13 days...

AARRGGHH!!

Man that last post about the arrogant prick was a long one. Sorry to bore you guys.
As an apology, here's some entertainment!

ARROGANCE INCARNATE!

**Warning: The following blog may contain high level coarse language and depictions of violence.**
Some of the facts to this story may also have been twisted by rage. Where memory serves correctly, the truth is told...

I've worked at Burnside Village for about two and a half years now. I've put up with a lot from customers and I do often go out of my way to help them as much as possible. I'm a patient man and very accomodating. Heck, in this kinda line of work in this kinda area, one has to be. One has to remember that one is in the one and only Burnside Village after all (reputed to have the highest land value per square metre in Australia! Or something like that anyway!).

But on Saturday the 3rd of June 2006, I met the single most arrogant son-of-a-bitch in my life!
The time was 4:30pm, only half an hour from closing time.
In strides a gentleman (i utilise this term very loosely) who appears to be around 50 and quite well off. Nice leather jacket, heavy gold chain and what appears to be a gold Rolex upon his wrist.
I ask "sir" if I can be of assistance. He's looking for some plates. From his initial verbal descriptions and hand gestures I think he means some kind of platters. But eventually he shapes his words into something more articulate to convey that he requires Maxwell & Williams Rim Pasta 30cm Plates.
These are nice plates. I cream myself when I hold one in my hand.
The kinda plates you eat pasta out of at decent restaurants.
They can be quite popular with customers looking to impress guests at their next dinner party.
And he's obviously looking to impress. He says something about lamb shanks will look great on these plates. So would his head...

He's after 10.
They cost $9.95 each. So I'm looking toward a $99.50 sale which would be a nice way to finish the day.
We only have five on the shelf and I offer to have a look out the back for some more.
At this stage he seems like a fairly average customer. Fuck me was I ever wrong!

There are no more out the back.
He's unimpressed. Bite me! See if I care!
I tell him that our North Adelaide store possibly has some more.
His response: "I buy things. I don't hunt things."
I pause at this comment. I think I initially didn't understand what he meant.
Then it dawned on me: he's a lazy, arrogant bitch.

I say to him: "If it's more convenient, I can have them sent down here."
He tells me (tells, not asks) to call them and check whilst he puts his shopping in the car.
He also mentions that if he can't get them here, he'll go somewhere else and buy them. Good riddance and good luck on a Saturday at closing time fucker!

My blood has started to boil.
I can't tolerate people who think they're above others just because they've got money. Especially the ones who act like this.
The boss happens to be around and I quickly explain the situation and how pissed off I am.
I also ask that even if North Adelaide has more of these plates, if I can tell the arrogant prick that we don't have any. She says I can do what I want, but if necessary, she'll pay the girls to stay open 15 minutes longer so he can pick them up.

I call our North Adelaide store.
Bev informs me that they have 10 on the shelf and maybe more out the back. I explain and tell her I'll call her back if need be.
The prick walks back into the store.
I tell him that N.A. has 10 plates and that they're willing to stay open for an extra 15 minutes, just for him.
His response: "Get them here by tomorrow or I can just go somewhere else and buy them." He walks off to the back section of the store. Hope he trips on a mortar and pestle and cracks his head open.
Our N.A. store isn't open on Sundays, and nobody is going to be willing in the mean time to bring 10 plates across.

Something has snapped in my head at this stage and I'm seeing red.
Luckily before I can throw something at him a lady walks up the counter with some cups.
I greet politely and put her items thru the till.
King Dick saunters back to the counter with an 11L stock pot ($119.95) and plonks it down next to the five pasta plates.
"So what's happening about these plates?" he questions.
"Either you can pick them up now from N.A. or the earliest they'll be here is Monday morning. That's the best I can do," I reply with a forced smile.

Without saying a word, he walks out of the store...

I'm flabbergasted.
The lady I'm in the middle of serving looks at me quite shocked.
I think I muttered to her: "What an arrogant - `scuse my language - bastard."
She asks if I could wrap some tissue around the cups for her as they're for a present.
I tell her that I'd do anything cos compared to him she's the brightest ray of sunshine at present!
Once she'd left I ranted and raved to the other staff and called N.A. and told them that if he does turn up to tell him that a customer had just bought the entire lot.

I couldn't give a flying fuck if I'd just lost a sale for over $200. I didn't want his dirty cash anyway.
I was thinking of describing ways to torture him (ie. stick his Rolex down his throat and garrot him with his gold chain) but that would equal premeditation and we wouldn't want that if his body ended up floating down the Torrens one day would we now... :)

Thai Tomato and Lemongrass soup, THOU ART MINE ENEMY!

Thursday evening. During my dinner break at work.
I'm making a few calls to friends. Organizing where and when we'll be watching Friday night Footy (Crows [30 goals 8 points - 188] absolutely whooped the mother loving hell outta Essendon [6 goals 14 points - 50] by the way)...
I'm dining upon Thai Tomato and Lemongrass soup at T-bar. Wonderful stuff. Gotta nice kick of spice to it. I butter up my second of three petite bread rolls (Kate spoils me so). I consume. Wunderbar! Try T-bar's soup of the day if you have the chance. The pumpkin's great as well as the T.T.L. but I'm yet to try the others.
I reach for my mobile phone. Have to call Dat(vid) and see if he's up for Footy.
And at that moment I truly understand the meaning of the words "butter fingers".
In a scene of pure slow motion, I watch my Nokia 6680 (R.R.P. $650 and only about 9 months into the payments) drop into my Thai Tomato and Lemongrass soup. It seems to freeze for a moment and then, just to rub it in, it sinks below the surface!
Panic sets it and life returns to normal speed.
I snatch now-orange-goo-covered phone (click for reenactment) out of soup and furiously try wiping it down with my napkin. After that napkin was satched, I rushed into T-bar and utilize more napkins. During all the action, I'd failed to notice that there had been "splash damage" and the right side of my jacket (only purchased 2 weeks prior) was nicely splattered with soup too. Kate attended to my jacket (with latex gloves) whilst I attempted to resurrect the mobile. Then it starts to ring. Dan "Boy Wonder" Gammon is calling. I pick up and I believe my words were "Dan! I've just dropped my phone in some soup! I'll call you back tonight!". He replied, but it was quite muffled due to the soup clogging the speaker. I repeated, but of course the microphone of the mobile was also nicely clogged up too!

I boohoo about my Love is going to die and Kate berates me about loving inanimate objects. But there are so many inanimate objects in my life that I love! Xbox, mobile, iPod, DigiCamera... the list goes on... and with such joy that they bring to my life, how can one not "love" them???
Heck if my phone had packed it in right there and then, I probably would've broken into "Goodbye my Lover" by James Blunt! :)

My dinner break was basically over so I headed back over to work and spent the next 20 mins trying to clean out the insides of my precious. Buggered up the slide on the back of the phone, but luckily fixed that the next morning.
So far all seems well. Had a bit of trouble charging it last night, but it did eventually.
We'll have to wait and see I guess. Might take it into Nokia on Monday and see if they can have a squiz at it. I'm just thankful that the Thai Tomato and Lemongrass soup was nice and thick so that water didn't just flow straight into everything.
Bugger...

Well this is the beginning...
May it hopefully not end with this post too!!
:)
The countdown to Europe has begun... as have the pains in the butt!

To get the ball rolling (and to see just how this whole blogging thing works) we'll chuck in a pic of a recent purchase of mine...
Wow! Hopefully it'll look that good when I publish the post!
This critter is a testament to my rabid fascination with dragons! Preferably with big wings!! Sure wingless Asiatic dragons are great, but there's nothing sexier than a pair of wings!

Current plans are:
21st of June - Kick ass in Biochem3 exam. Or just scrape through with a pass. Either which way is fine. Just remember the old mantra: P's make degrees!! :)
24-25th of June - Move out of apartment :( with the help of manly men (and any chicks with di... *ahem* muscles).
29th of June (6am) - Get on an aeroplane and skip the country!
29th of June (6pm) - Get off an aeroplane in Japan!
29th of June (6:30pm) - Find nearest vending machine with alcohol!
5th of July - Jump on plane outta Japan.
5th of July (12 hours flight time later and yet only 5 hours clock time later!) - Get off plane in welcome to Amsterdam Mr Bond.
5th of July (5th of July is gonna be a bloody long day!) - Get on plane.
5th of July (10pm) - Get off plane in Madrid, Spain!!
5th of July (well hopefully still 5th of July and hasn't ticked over to 6th of July by this stage) - Collapse in bed in hotel or hostel.

Ahhh... the adventure beginneth...