Clarkson hates computers

I have to agree with most of what he says.... :P

Mika Brzezinski of MNSBC rips Paris report

News from Down Under......

Hello again everyone...

Here's the news from sunny Brisbane! For the last week I have been running around with family and friends on this side of the pond doing the various tourist things that there is to do in the part of the world... Click the hyperlinks (highlighted for those who are tech challenged) to find out more about these places and to save me boring those you don't care:

We went to Dreamworld - a theme park on the Gold Coast

We went for a day to Noosa on the Sunshine Coast. We met up with my cousins Dave and Fiona and had a long walk around the Noosa Heads and through the town... What a beautiful place

We also went to Mooloolaba and Montville for another day trip and also popped in at Ettamogah Pub which is Australia's most famous pub mate...

We also went to the boarder between Queensland (QLD) and New South Wales (NSW). There are two towns which meet at the boarder, Coolangatta and Tweed Heads otherwise know as the twin towns. The funny thing is that during the summer NSW has daylight savings, the result being that during summer, the time on the one side of some streets is an hour behind the time of the other side of the street... It's histerical and I am assured at most times farcical.

Other thing is that AUS has warm water (avg of 25 degs) year round, so I have been doing some swimming in the sea here. Also, something interesting to note is that the sand is so clean, is squeeks when you walk on it. I can assure you that this is very off putting.

To end off, I will tell you about the interesting sport of Rugby Leage (NRL) which is the alternative to Rugby Union. It's a fast game, but looks a lot sillier if you don't understand the details. Basically each team gets 5 chances to use the ball. Every time a player is tackled, the opposing team retreats 10m and they restart (quickly mind you)... the object is to gain as much ground as possible with in the 6 phases, or achieve a break through to score a try. a try is 4 points, a coversion 2 and a drop goal 1. You cannot tie a match. If you cannot use the ball in 6 phases, then its a turn over and the opposing team has a go. there is no mauling or rucking and the scrum is uncontested, as well as no line out... pentalies are similar to rugby union.... Its very silly to watch and the players are much faster and athletic than union. All in all, I don't really get it and don't really see the point, but I went with my Dad to watch a match and enjoyed hanging out with my old man! :P

Cheers for now

Ryan

Quotes!

It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.
- Oscar Wilde

No opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.
- WH Auden

Emma's 21st Slide Show

This is the slide show I did for Emma's 21st.... Enjoy... It's quiet large, so ADSL/Broadband only....

Cricky! Australia is a Funny Country!

Well, its been 4 day so far in the land of Oz and I have much news to tell you. Firstly, the reason for coming to Oz for holiday was for my sister’s 21st birthday party, which was last night and went down swell! I met all the Aussie friends and we had a lekker jol, complete with dancing, speeches, a bar and cake... So all in all a good night had by everyone. Pictures are between each paragraph!

Arriving at Brisbane Airport

We (Grandpa and I) landed in Oz at 19h00 on Tuesday night. I was very tired on the plane, but once I saw the family I felt full of energy again. We when home for a much deserved cup of tea and my mate (Ryan Holm) come to see me with my sister's new boy friend, James Fox. Ryan and I picked up exactly where we left off 12 months ago and ended up catching a bus to 'The Paddo' (local watering hole with a wild west feel - you can roll your eyes now!), and only came home at about 2am.

The Birthday Girl

Wednesday was spent lazing around and taking a short trip to a shopping mall in the next suburb. That evening we when to see my uncle and aunt and family, who are funnily enough left for South Africa on Thursday. Thursday was spent trying to organize a play list for the party the next day, as well as allowing me time to finish off a short movie I made for my speech... I'm hoping to make it available on YouTube sometime soon. Ryan and I went out on Thursday night for supper (steak at 'The Hog's Breath' - again roll your eye's now...) which was like going to Spur, after which we went again to 'The Paddo' for some more beers.

Mom and Dad Dancing at the Party

At this point it might interest you to know what happens when you order a drink in Oz... Besides having a selection of bottled beer and ready mix rum and coke etc... most Ozzie pubs/clubs have a huge selection of beers on tap (usually around 10 - 15 on average). This not only perplexes the South African, who is used to a choice of Windhoek or Castle, but also the question was posed to me by the very forward barmaid, "Skooner, pot or pint?". Her accent was so heavy that I could hardly make out what indeed she was on about and since 'pint' was the only word that made any sense to me, i just said "Pint, please...". I learnt later that a 'skooner' is a 340ml glass and a 'pot' is around 250ml. So much or tact.... Another odd thing is that you DO NOT tip anyone in Australia... The general bar staff get an hourly rate of about $25 and this goes up depending on how long you've worked for particular pub/club and how old you are. Therefore they don't need tips to live off, however this backfires on Australian restaurants and pubs/clubs in general.... Because the service is (with exceptions, but these usually only serve drink) terrible in comparison to the South African standard!!!!

The Men!

Oh well, that ends this installment.... Tune in soon for the next exciting adventures of "Ryan - Down Under!" (And no that is not the title of some Australian blue movie......!)

The Boys!

I am an African

I love this speech.... I'm trying to find the full speech on Audio somewhere...