So, I've got a wedding to go to in the afternoon. Sometime beforehand I need to get them a card and gift. Don't get me wrong - It's not like I've only just started to think about this now, I have been brainstorming for a while.
I hate buying presents in general. It was easy to buy your mates a decent present as a young kid - there are a million things a kid wants, and you can guarantee they can't afford to buy them all. Even if you couldn't decide, a $10 or $20 dollar note slipped into the birthday card was always more than enough to please.
Once you grow up, you get to the stage where people get jobs (ie. a decent income) and don't exactly want most of the toys found in the latest Toyworld catalogue. The few things that they really want are usually too expensive for them too afford (and hence is also the case for you too). When you get to this point in life, you have to start being creative to find some kind of gift that has some kind of sentimental value. Or you just go get them a photo frame or jewellery (for a female anyway)...
Anyway, back to my current problem - if I had group of closeish friends who also knew this soon-to-be-wed couple, I'd talk them into throwing a bit of cash in each and getting a group present, which would most probably be selected by the females in this so-called group. Unfortunately this isn't the case, so I'm on my own. I've decided that there's no point buying them some random gift that they'll most probably never use. Pretty sure they've already got a toaster too.
That leaves me with two options:
(a) cash; or
(b) a gift card.
At the moment I'm leaning towards option (b) - purely because that way, I feel as if I've gone to at least some effort. Having said that, I've never been a fan of gift cards - why give someone money that can only be used at a certain store, when you can just give them cash that they can spend anywhere?
After writing that last paragraph, I am now leaning towards (a). Putting cash into an envelope just seems a bit lazy, you know... Not that I'm complaining, I love to take the lazy option, just feels like I haven't put any thought into their special day, that's all.
The problem with both (a) and (b) is that the couple will know exactly how much I'm spending on them, as opposed to a gift of unknown value (assuming you remember to peel the price sticker off before wrapping it). Having said that, they both know that I entered the unemployed ranks recently and aren't the type of people who would judge me on how much I spend on them anyway.
Argh this is too hard, I'm going to bed and will work it out when I wake up. Damn my indecision...
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
bludging
Wow. What a shocker - only one post last month. I must really be getting lazy.
You haven't really missed much. Not too much happening these days. Taking life easy. Got bits of tutoring work to do at uni a few times a week, but besides that I'm just chilling out. Quite a bit of assignment marking to do coming up in the next few weeks, but hopefully nothing too stressful.
Using all this spare time to do lots of sleeping in. Started running again. Not often enough, but still a start. Also begun swimming in the uni pool. A lot of other things I want to do (regularly blogging, for example) aren't getting done though, something to do with my laziness I think.
It is kinda like being a uni student again without all the stress. Jealous much? At least you probably have a decent income, but you can't have everything I guess.
You haven't really missed much. Not too much happening these days. Taking life easy. Got bits of tutoring work to do at uni a few times a week, but besides that I'm just chilling out. Quite a bit of assignment marking to do coming up in the next few weeks, but hopefully nothing too stressful.
Using all this spare time to do lots of sleeping in. Started running again. Not often enough, but still a start. Also begun swimming in the uni pool. A lot of other things I want to do (regularly blogging, for example) aren't getting done though, something to do with my laziness I think.
It is kinda like being a uni student again without all the stress. Jealous much? At least you probably have a decent income, but you can't have everything I guess.
Monday, April 20, 2009
loitering in the hallway...
Sorry about the long time between posts. Life has been flying by and I'm struggling to keep up with it all...
Anyway, as I mentioned in the previous post, I had 4 weeks left of work before I was unemployed. That 4 weeks went way too quickly. Mind you I helped that along by packing my weekends full of activities:
- a trip to Melbourne involving a Rise Against gig, my first AFL match, catching up with old friends and of course, the main attraction which was the Formula One Grand Prix.
- a cultured day spent at QPAC in Brisbane, featuring the Queensland Ballet's performance of A Streetcar Named Desire and Chicago the Musical (both of which I thoroughly enjoyed... surprisingly!)
- an Easter long weekend where I only returned home to sleep and eat before I took off yet again.
Anyway, Friday was my last day at work. It was sad saying goodbye to everyone, though it was a small office and a few people were on holidays earlier so a lot of the farewells were spread out over the last week and a half. It was always awkward though, there were a few who I would probably catch up with over lunch or go see a movie with every now and then, but then there were also the ones whose interaction with me would probably only involve occasional glimpses of status updates on Facebook or awkward moments crossing paths at the local shopping centre.
After clearing out the desk and the final farewells, it was off to Skilled Park to watch my beloved Canberra Raiders take on the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL. We lost. Bought yet another camera lens on Saturday (that little piece of retail therapy bringing my lens tally up to 4) before heading up to Suncorp Stadium to watch the Reds in a disappointing performance against the Lions. Went to a late (and packed) screening of Fast and Furious to try to ease the pain of the losses before heading home.
Since then I've kinda slowed down and the truth of it all is starting to sink in. I'm unemployed. I'm putting off organising and commencing the postgraduate research at uni I am planning to do next because I just want time off to do nothing. All I need is some of my friends to lose their jobs too so that I've got people to hang out with during the week other than my mother...
One door has closed, countless others have opened. But for now, I'll just hang around in the hallway for a bit.
Anyway, as I mentioned in the previous post, I had 4 weeks left of work before I was unemployed. That 4 weeks went way too quickly. Mind you I helped that along by packing my weekends full of activities:
- a trip to Melbourne involving a Rise Against gig, my first AFL match, catching up with old friends and of course, the main attraction which was the Formula One Grand Prix.
- a cultured day spent at QPAC in Brisbane, featuring the Queensland Ballet's performance of A Streetcar Named Desire and Chicago the Musical (both of which I thoroughly enjoyed... surprisingly!)
- an Easter long weekend where I only returned home to sleep and eat before I took off yet again.
Anyway, Friday was my last day at work. It was sad saying goodbye to everyone, though it was a small office and a few people were on holidays earlier so a lot of the farewells were spread out over the last week and a half. It was always awkward though, there were a few who I would probably catch up with over lunch or go see a movie with every now and then, but then there were also the ones whose interaction with me would probably only involve occasional glimpses of status updates on Facebook or awkward moments crossing paths at the local shopping centre.
After clearing out the desk and the final farewells, it was off to Skilled Park to watch my beloved Canberra Raiders take on the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL. We lost. Bought yet another camera lens on Saturday (that little piece of retail therapy bringing my lens tally up to 4) before heading up to Suncorp Stadium to watch the Reds in a disappointing performance against the Lions. Went to a late (and packed) screening of Fast and Furious to try to ease the pain of the losses before heading home.
Since then I've kinda slowed down and the truth of it all is starting to sink in. I'm unemployed. I'm putting off organising and commencing the postgraduate research at uni I am planning to do next because I just want time off to do nothing. All I need is some of my friends to lose their jobs too so that I've got people to hang out with during the week other than my mother...
One door has closed, countless others have opened. But for now, I'll just hang around in the hallway for a bit.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
another one (me) bites the dust
I am now a victim of the Global Financial Crisis. Score one more for unemployment. Damn you, Recession.
Actually, I am kinda looking forward to it. One door closes, and another opens.
More to come, but for now this is all I could be stuffed writing. Still gotta rock up at work tomorrow morning.
Actually, I am kinda looking forward to it. One door closes, and another opens.
More to come, but for now this is all I could be stuffed writing. Still gotta rock up at work tomorrow morning.
Monday, March 16, 2009
in search of maccas
Had a fun adventure with Ray on Friday night. Won't bother retelling the story in detail - as I found out later, it doesn't actually sound as great in story form. It basically involved hanging out at the The Normanby Hotel after the Broncos game at Suncorp Stadium, catching up with mates and running into an old friend of a friend I'd really only met once (and several years ago at that, probably around 2003 - shame my short term memory is nothing like my long term one). From there it was a lot of walking, not being able to get a car out of a carpark due to someone else breaking a garage door, lots of walking, forgetting house keys in said car, more walking, camping out at a couple of different deserted bus stops waiting for late night buses passing by very occasionally at early hours of the morning, amusing conversations with bus drivers and security guards, ignoring the rambling folk in the back seat of the bus...
The whole time we just wanted some Maccas. Many hours (and a drive thru) later, we found ourselves eating said Maccas and watching infomercials at 3:30am. And then I got a phone call at 7am, waking me from my slumber on the floor. Eat your heart out, Harold and Kumar. This was Wahoo and Ray in search of Maccas. Kinda similar, but without the sex, drugs and Neil Patrick Harris... In other words, nowhere near as cool. But still amusing. Well, to me anyway.
The whole time we just wanted some Maccas. Many hours (and a drive thru) later, we found ourselves eating said Maccas and watching infomercials at 3:30am. And then I got a phone call at 7am, waking me from my slumber on the floor. Eat your heart out, Harold and Kumar. This was Wahoo and Ray in search of Maccas. Kinda similar, but without the sex, drugs and Neil Patrick Harris... In other words, nowhere near as cool. But still amusing. Well, to me anyway.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
3 jerseys, 2 days
I decided to follow up last weekend's musical weekend with a sporting one. Well, that's how it worked out anyway.
#1 - NRL - Canberra Raiders jersey
Saturday arvo/evening saw me at an NRL trial match - my beloved Raiders were playing the Canterbury Bulldogs at Meakin Park, Logan. So I dusted off the old viking helmet, threw on my jersey and off I went. Atmosphere was really good, as was the turnout. Both teams seemed fairly evenly represented. The ground itself was average, but that was expected given that it isn't really purpose built for big games. I'd seen much worse anyway.
Viking helmet got a lot of attention - two photographers from the local paper approached me over the duration of the night to ask for photos, and little kids kept pointing at me. Well, I hope they were pointing at me because of the helmet anyway. People asked where I got it. They seemed a little disappointed when I answered with "eBay".
The game itself was a bit scrappy, the teams still showing signs of rustiness. We had a great vantage point, standing just off the sideline. I've never been that close to a match before - you could easily hear the players talking amongst each other, and really feel each tackle.
The highlight had to be the crowd invading the field afterwards. Got to say hi to a few of my heroes and pose for some photos. One of those situations that make you realise they're just normal people really - the players were chatting to friends who had come along to watch them.
#2 - Sheffield Shield Cricket - QLD Bulls jersey
Sunday morning it was off to the Gabba to watch the final day of the last home game of the QLD Bulls for the season against NSW. Sheffield Shield doesn't really have large crowds at all, so to increase popularity entry to the final day is free. There were probably only about 70 people there to watch. The final day only lasted about an hour - the Bulls only needed to take 5 more wickets to win, which they did with ease.
The main reason for going (it was my first domestic test match) was that it was Martin Love's final home game before retiring - he is the final remaining member of QLD's famous title win of the 1994-95 season. And what a way to say farewell to the Gabba than with an unbeaten 219 with the bat. Got to meet a few of the players afterwards, including the man himself. It was good to be able to shake his hand and congratulate him on his successful career (oh, and get a photo and an autograph too of course).
#3 - Super 14 Rugby - QLD Reds jersey
After grabbing some lunch, killing some time and a jersey change, it was off to Suncorp Stadium to cheer on the QLD Reds against South African club Central Cheetahs. We sat in the Reds Zone - basically where the fanatics sit - and had pretty good seats up the front and behind the goalposts. There was a fairly decent turnout - generally more people tend to turn up when we play another Aussie team.
We did pretty well and won our first game of the season, which was great. We dominated but blew a lot of chances to really blow them away. Not to mention a couple of dodgy calls going against us - one referee definitely didn't make any friends in the crowd after disallowing a try due to an incident a few minutes beforehand.
Anyway it was great to see one of my old Canberra Raiders favourites Mark McLinden playing for the Reds at fullback, and score the first try of the match. And from the sounds of the cheers from the crowd, I wasn't the only one.
#1 - NRL - Canberra Raiders jersey
Saturday arvo/evening saw me at an NRL trial match - my beloved Raiders were playing the Canterbury Bulldogs at Meakin Park, Logan. So I dusted off the old viking helmet, threw on my jersey and off I went. Atmosphere was really good, as was the turnout. Both teams seemed fairly evenly represented. The ground itself was average, but that was expected given that it isn't really purpose built for big games. I'd seen much worse anyway.
Viking helmet got a lot of attention - two photographers from the local paper approached me over the duration of the night to ask for photos, and little kids kept pointing at me. Well, I hope they were pointing at me because of the helmet anyway. People asked where I got it. They seemed a little disappointed when I answered with "eBay".
The game itself was a bit scrappy, the teams still showing signs of rustiness. We had a great vantage point, standing just off the sideline. I've never been that close to a match before - you could easily hear the players talking amongst each other, and really feel each tackle.
The highlight had to be the crowd invading the field afterwards. Got to say hi to a few of my heroes and pose for some photos. One of those situations that make you realise they're just normal people really - the players were chatting to friends who had come along to watch them.
#2 - Sheffield Shield Cricket - QLD Bulls jersey
Sunday morning it was off to the Gabba to watch the final day of the last home game of the QLD Bulls for the season against NSW. Sheffield Shield doesn't really have large crowds at all, so to increase popularity entry to the final day is free. There were probably only about 70 people there to watch. The final day only lasted about an hour - the Bulls only needed to take 5 more wickets to win, which they did with ease.
The main reason for going (it was my first domestic test match) was that it was Martin Love's final home game before retiring - he is the final remaining member of QLD's famous title win of the 1994-95 season. And what a way to say farewell to the Gabba than with an unbeaten 219 with the bat. Got to meet a few of the players afterwards, including the man himself. It was good to be able to shake his hand and congratulate him on his successful career (oh, and get a photo and an autograph too of course).
#3 - Super 14 Rugby - QLD Reds jersey
After grabbing some lunch, killing some time and a jersey change, it was off to Suncorp Stadium to cheer on the QLD Reds against South African club Central Cheetahs. We sat in the Reds Zone - basically where the fanatics sit - and had pretty good seats up the front and behind the goalposts. There was a fairly decent turnout - generally more people tend to turn up when we play another Aussie team.
We did pretty well and won our first game of the season, which was great. We dominated but blew a lot of chances to really blow them away. Not to mention a couple of dodgy calls going against us - one referee definitely didn't make any friends in the crowd after disallowing a try due to an incident a few minutes beforehand.
Anyway it was great to see one of my old Canberra Raiders favourites Mark McLinden playing for the Reds at fullback, and score the first try of the match. And from the sounds of the cheers from the crowd, I wasn't the only one.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
musical weekend
Ankle status: Sore. Can walk though. Its a bit of a shuffle though.
Didn't stop me having a cracker of a weekend.
Friday night saw me go see Fall Out Boy play at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, who were supported by Hey Monday and the All-American Rejects. You see, I managed to win a double pass to meet them online, including access to an exclusive 'money can't buy' session with the FOB boys before the actual concert, involving a question and answer session. However, the kind folk I won the tickets from sent me two lots of tickets. Hooray for me.
The pre-concert session was good - it felt pretty personal and made the guys seem 'human'. As you could probably imagine, the small crowd was made up mostly of teenage girls asking the kind of questions that they do.
Anyway following that, the concert started. With the tickets being in the front general standing section - the mosh pit - I wasn't allowed to have my crutches with me. I could only just shuffle along, but I decided to go without crutches and just hop on one leg in the mosh pit rather than take up the offer from BEC management for a seat.
It was a good (yet exhausting) night - Hey Monday did a fantastic job first up (and isn't that Cassadee Hope a sight to behold with a voice to suit), and AAR followed that up with an entertaining show of their own, playing a lot of the older stuff that I know. I must say though, I swear their lead singer has gotten a lot more eccentric than I remembered him being.
Not to be outdone, the act of the night was of course Fall Out Boy. Admittedly it wasn't very different to what they did at their last show in the country (some time lateish 2007 from memory), but still very enjoyable and threw in a few songs from their new album without simply flogging it for the whole gig (a pet hate of mine) - there was an even distribution of old stuff, new stuff and everything in between. Highlight had to be the point where most of the lights went off, and the many little LEDs on the guitars being switched on - it looked unreal (my description really doesn't do it any justice...). The gig finished the exact same way as last time - with the song 'Saturday' and crowd fave Pete Wentz taking the mike and climbing into the crowd - except that this time he didn't throw his shirt into the crowd afterwards. So that was a bit predictable, but still good fun. Worth every cent...
I followed that up the next day with the Soundwave festival at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane. Without going on too much, I saw the following bands play:
Negatives from the day: Less Than Jake had flight issues and didn't make it in time to play. Jack's Mannequin (who I had seen before when they supported Fall Out Boy in '07) had issues setting up and there was a ridiculous delay (about 40 minutes maybe?) and didn't start until the time they were scheduled to finish. Shame I didn't know this would happen - Finch were playing at the same time so I had to make a choice, turns out I could've seen both. Also, the setup at Stage 5 where JM played was shocking, it was as if they had a spare stage and nowhere to put it, so just chucked it anywhere.
Positives: I met some of my heroes - Andrew McMahon from Jack's Mannequin, Mike Herrera from MxPx and the boys from New Found Glory. Got to shake hands with them all, say hi and have a quick chat as they signed some of my stuff. Great guys, all of them. Had a decent chat with Mike Herrera (he was the least rushed of the lot) and even bought a record off him, from his very hands into mine (an actual record, not a CD... shame I don't have a record player). Absolute legend.
My pick of the gigs were:
Dillinger Escape Plan, who put on an intense show (lead singer climbing around, guitarist breaking guitar and hurling it into the crowd);
Bloodhound Gang with their ridiculous humour, show that included random acts like juggling, and displays of local knowledge with a Woodridge joke thrown in; and
Billy Talent, who seemed to perfect their setup and just sounded terrific.
Having said that, they were all great. There wasn't really a single bad gig, though I must admit that I preferred seeing Underoath late last year at the Tivoli.
Sunday was spent resting. It was quite the awesome weekend. Unfortunately my right foot was quite swollen, and my left foot was incredibly sore from standing on it so much.
Didn't stop me having a cracker of a weekend.
Friday night saw me go see Fall Out Boy play at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, who were supported by Hey Monday and the All-American Rejects. You see, I managed to win a double pass to meet them online, including access to an exclusive 'money can't buy' session with the FOB boys before the actual concert, involving a question and answer session. However, the kind folk I won the tickets from sent me two lots of tickets. Hooray for me.
The pre-concert session was good - it felt pretty personal and made the guys seem 'human'. As you could probably imagine, the small crowd was made up mostly of teenage girls asking the kind of questions that they do.
Anyway following that, the concert started. With the tickets being in the front general standing section - the mosh pit - I wasn't allowed to have my crutches with me. I could only just shuffle along, but I decided to go without crutches and just hop on one leg in the mosh pit rather than take up the offer from BEC management for a seat.
It was a good (yet exhausting) night - Hey Monday did a fantastic job first up (and isn't that Cassadee Hope a sight to behold with a voice to suit), and AAR followed that up with an entertaining show of their own, playing a lot of the older stuff that I know. I must say though, I swear their lead singer has gotten a lot more eccentric than I remembered him being.
Not to be outdone, the act of the night was of course Fall Out Boy. Admittedly it wasn't very different to what they did at their last show in the country (some time lateish 2007 from memory), but still very enjoyable and threw in a few songs from their new album without simply flogging it for the whole gig (a pet hate of mine) - there was an even distribution of old stuff, new stuff and everything in between. Highlight had to be the point where most of the lights went off, and the many little LEDs on the guitars being switched on - it looked unreal (my description really doesn't do it any justice...). The gig finished the exact same way as last time - with the song 'Saturday' and crowd fave Pete Wentz taking the mike and climbing into the crowd - except that this time he didn't throw his shirt into the crowd afterwards. So that was a bit predictable, but still good fun. Worth every cent...
I followed that up the next day with the Soundwave festival at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane. Without going on too much, I saw the following bands play:
- Goldfinger (I got there later than I wanted)
- Jack's Mannequin
- Forever the Sickest Kids
- Underoath
- Anberlin
- The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
- Dillinger Escape Plan
- Funeral For A Friend
- Bloodhound Gang
- Billy Talent
- New Found Glory
- Alkaline Trio
Negatives from the day: Less Than Jake had flight issues and didn't make it in time to play. Jack's Mannequin (who I had seen before when they supported Fall Out Boy in '07) had issues setting up and there was a ridiculous delay (about 40 minutes maybe?) and didn't start until the time they were scheduled to finish. Shame I didn't know this would happen - Finch were playing at the same time so I had to make a choice, turns out I could've seen both. Also, the setup at Stage 5 where JM played was shocking, it was as if they had a spare stage and nowhere to put it, so just chucked it anywhere.
Positives: I met some of my heroes - Andrew McMahon from Jack's Mannequin, Mike Herrera from MxPx and the boys from New Found Glory. Got to shake hands with them all, say hi and have a quick chat as they signed some of my stuff. Great guys, all of them. Had a decent chat with Mike Herrera (he was the least rushed of the lot) and even bought a record off him, from his very hands into mine (an actual record, not a CD... shame I don't have a record player). Absolute legend.
My pick of the gigs were:
Dillinger Escape Plan, who put on an intense show (lead singer climbing around, guitarist breaking guitar and hurling it into the crowd);
Bloodhound Gang with their ridiculous humour, show that included random acts like juggling, and displays of local knowledge with a Woodridge joke thrown in; and
Billy Talent, who seemed to perfect their setup and just sounded terrific.
Having said that, they were all great. There wasn't really a single bad gig, though I must admit that I preferred seeing Underoath late last year at the Tivoli.
Sunday was spent resting. It was quite the awesome weekend. Unfortunately my right foot was quite swollen, and my left foot was incredibly sore from standing on it so much.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
dodgy ankle
Well, there you have it - my marathon training has been derailed already. Sprained my ankle last night playing touch footy.
I've been keeping an eye on my troublesome right knee lately, making sure I was strapping it before each run. Turns out it wasn't what went first.
Ah well, looks like no running for the next couple of weeks. Off to see the doctor about it very soon, hopefully it isn't too bad...
I've been keeping an eye on my troublesome right knee lately, making sure I was strapping it before each run. Turns out it wasn't what went first.
Ah well, looks like no running for the next couple of weeks. Off to see the doctor about it very soon, hopefully it isn't too bad...
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
and the training begins...
Two Saturdays ago I started a marathon training program. I think I'm crazy. Others agree.
So here's the deal - the plan is to go from my current state of no running whatsoever (unless you count the struggle that is my Wednesday night touch footy games) to running a full marathon early July. Just for the record, that's 22 weeks away.
The odds are against me. I really should have a solid year of running under my belt before I start a program like this. I've got dodgy knees. Hate to be negative (not the mindset I should have if I want to succeed), but I probably won't make it...
...but it is worth a try, couldn't hurt (though actually, it could... a lot...). Might as well aim high. If I really do struggle and get nowhere near where I should be, I can always drop my goals and work towards beating my half marathon PB time (which, quite frankly, shouldn't be very hard at all...).
Knees are already hurting. Struggling with my runs. Gee, the next 22 weeks are going to be fun...
So here's the deal - the plan is to go from my current state of no running whatsoever (unless you count the struggle that is my Wednesday night touch footy games) to running a full marathon early July. Just for the record, that's 22 weeks away.
The odds are against me. I really should have a solid year of running under my belt before I start a program like this. I've got dodgy knees. Hate to be negative (not the mindset I should have if I want to succeed), but I probably won't make it...
...but it is worth a try, couldn't hurt (though actually, it could... a lot...). Might as well aim high. If I really do struggle and get nowhere near where I should be, I can always drop my goals and work towards beating my half marathon PB time (which, quite frankly, shouldn't be very hard at all...).
Knees are already hurting. Struggling with my runs. Gee, the next 22 weeks are going to be fun...
Monday, January 19, 2009
saved!
I am suddenly in an awesome mood. After hairdrying the crap out of my apparently water damaged Canon 40D (which decided to go for a swim in a creek) and leaving it in a bag full of rice for a week, I just remembered about it and figured it was worth a shot turning it on now to see what happens.
SUCCESS!!!
It turns on. It takes photos. Hell yeah!
I'll probably run into problems down the track, but hopefully when/if that happens I'll be ready to upgrade to the 5D anyway, so it will be a good excuse to do so.
I'm stoked. Feel like going crazy taking photos now. But I won't. I'm way too exhausted after the Big Day Out yesterday. Not to mention the fact that I'm sick...
SUCCESS!!!
It turns on. It takes photos. Hell yeah!
I'll probably run into problems down the track, but hopefully when/if that happens I'll be ready to upgrade to the 5D anyway, so it will be a good excuse to do so.
I'm stoked. Feel like going crazy taking photos now. But I won't. I'm way too exhausted after the Big Day Out yesterday. Not to mention the fact that I'm sick...
Monday, January 12, 2009
bush walk disaster :(
Yesterday morning I had a shocker. I had headed out to Binna Burra (Lamington National Park), where we did the 16.6km Illinbah circuit. It was pretty challenging (according to the visitor's guide it requires a high degree of fitness and experience, which kinda scared me a bit) and we managed to do it in about 5 and a half hours despite getting momentarily lost (the guide recommended we allowed 8 hours).
Anyway it would've been a good (and tiring) day, if it weren't for one little mishap during the trip.
I was crossing one of the many creeks along the way, when, as I jumped between some rocks to avoid getting my feet wet (which I didn't find out until a bit later would've been unavoidable anyway) when I heard a big splash beside me. Wondering how the hell a rock came out of nowhere and landed beside me, I looked down to see, in my horror, a familiar sight - the strap of my camera.
Yes, that's right. My freakin' Canon 40D SLR camera fell into a rocky creek, with water about half a metre or so deep.
Somehow it fell out of my zipped bag. I blame momentum - the (heavyish) camera was in the top of my bag, with the zippers both at the top. Jumping and then coming to an abrupt halt must've pushed the camera up with enough force to pull the zippers apart enough for the darned thing to escape.
Anyway, after overcoming the shock of it all and staring at the camera for a couple of seconds, I fished it out of the creek and got to the other side of the creek. In my stupidity, I turned it on to see if it was still working (a better move would've been to pull out the batteries and try to dry the thing out as much as possible). It did switch on, but did some weird stuff, like randomly taking a flurry of photos and turning on the flash. I quickly turned it off, wrapped it in my jacket and tried to forget about it. At this point, I couldn't help but laugh, it was just one of those things.
The reality soon set in when I got home and hit hard - my camera was ruined. Even if I did manage to "fix" it in the short term, I most probably will stumble across problems somewhere down the track...
So I did my best to dry it out last night (I am sick of the sound of hairdryer), and today I called around to some camera repair places. Unfortunately, they didn't want anything to do with water damage because of the probability of more issues occurring later on. Plus, with the costs involved I was better off getting a new one. One of the frustrating things is that I only got two months use out of it. Wouldn't have been so hard to take if I had gotten several year's usage out of it.
It looks like it is down to me trying to dry it out myself and seeing what happens, otherwise it is $2k down the drain (or down shit creek... c'mon, you gotta turn to humour at times like this). I think I'll give it a week to totally dry out before the battery goes back in and I give it another shot.
Will keep you posted - wish me luck. Looks like I'll need it...
Anyway it would've been a good (and tiring) day, if it weren't for one little mishap during the trip.
I was crossing one of the many creeks along the way, when, as I jumped between some rocks to avoid getting my feet wet (which I didn't find out until a bit later would've been unavoidable anyway) when I heard a big splash beside me. Wondering how the hell a rock came out of nowhere and landed beside me, I looked down to see, in my horror, a familiar sight - the strap of my camera.
Yes, that's right. My freakin' Canon 40D SLR camera fell into a rocky creek, with water about half a metre or so deep.
Somehow it fell out of my zipped bag. I blame momentum - the (heavyish) camera was in the top of my bag, with the zippers both at the top. Jumping and then coming to an abrupt halt must've pushed the camera up with enough force to pull the zippers apart enough for the darned thing to escape.
Anyway, after overcoming the shock of it all and staring at the camera for a couple of seconds, I fished it out of the creek and got to the other side of the creek. In my stupidity, I turned it on to see if it was still working (a better move would've been to pull out the batteries and try to dry the thing out as much as possible). It did switch on, but did some weird stuff, like randomly taking a flurry of photos and turning on the flash. I quickly turned it off, wrapped it in my jacket and tried to forget about it. At this point, I couldn't help but laugh, it was just one of those things.
The reality soon set in when I got home and hit hard - my camera was ruined. Even if I did manage to "fix" it in the short term, I most probably will stumble across problems somewhere down the track...
So I did my best to dry it out last night (I am sick of the sound of hairdryer), and today I called around to some camera repair places. Unfortunately, they didn't want anything to do with water damage because of the probability of more issues occurring later on. Plus, with the costs involved I was better off getting a new one. One of the frustrating things is that I only got two months use out of it. Wouldn't have been so hard to take if I had gotten several year's usage out of it.
It looks like it is down to me trying to dry it out myself and seeing what happens, otherwise it is $2k down the drain (or down shit creek... c'mon, you gotta turn to humour at times like this). I think I'll give it a week to totally dry out before the battery goes back in and I give it another shot.
Will keep you posted - wish me luck. Looks like I'll need it...
Friday, January 9, 2009
kiva
Ok, so I've been super lazy lately (Happy New Year by the way folks). However, I did something today that made me feel the need to post about.
I lent US$25 to José Dolores Urtecho, a convenience store owner in Chinandega, Nicaragua. He wants to borrow US$325 in order to buy the necessary products for his store, which he has owned for two years, to improve his and his family's quality of life.
I did it through kiva, a not-for-profit website which allows you to lend to an entrepreneur in the developing world, helping them to lift themselves out of poverty.
Brilliant idea.
Basically you pick an entrepreneur and lend them money, along with other lenders who contribute. They use it and eventually pay you back based on a repayment plan. Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else in need. You could withdraw the money back if you felt the need to, but I don't see the point of that when you can pass it on to the next person.
Anyway just felt like sharing. For anyone interested, check out the website for more info.
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
I lent US$25 to José Dolores Urtecho, a convenience store owner in Chinandega, Nicaragua. He wants to borrow US$325 in order to buy the necessary products for his store, which he has owned for two years, to improve his and his family's quality of life.
I did it through kiva, a not-for-profit website which allows you to lend to an entrepreneur in the developing world, helping them to lift themselves out of poverty.
Brilliant idea.
Basically you pick an entrepreneur and lend them money, along with other lenders who contribute. They use it and eventually pay you back based on a repayment plan. Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else in need. You could withdraw the money back if you felt the need to, but I don't see the point of that when you can pass it on to the next person.
Anyway just felt like sharing. For anyone interested, check out the website for more info.
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
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