Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Keep your eye on the ball: Globalisation
Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Wood panelling
Saturday, 27 January 2007
Australia Day
Dear Matt
As you no doubt realise, on 15 January [Matt's birthday] in 1832, Lord Ablemerle, travelling from Nepal, released a pair of Nepalese tigers (pictured on the front of this card) in Victoria for the anticipated sport of hunting them. The tigers, however, did not thrive in the Victorian
climate and migrated instead to Queensland [Matt is a Queenslander], where they multiplied until a remarkable thing happened. On Australia Day 1850, a mild-mannered Queenslander returned from the bog to find a Nepalese tiger drinking his beer. The man was natually outraged, and the story of the tiger spread quickly throughout Queensland, until hunting parties were organised and the Nepalese tiger was completely eradicated from that part of the world.
In consequence of these two dates, it struck me that no card or day could be more appropriate than this card and today to wish you a happy birthday and a happy Australia Day.Many happy returns
Sam
It did not take Matt long to work out that there never was a Nepalese tiger in Queensland.
Now, in the course of yesterday, I attempted to learn, by asking Australians, what Australia Day commemorates. I had initially mistaken Australia Day for Federation Day, when Queen Victoria (pictured left) in 1901 ratified an Act of the UK Parliament which granted Australia the right to federate (the act has not yet been repealed). Clearly, Australia Day does not celebrate the more recent Australia Act 1986, the British Act which finally gave Australia judicial independence from the Privy Council in Westminster. And as the Queen is still the head of state in Australia, there is no question of Australia Day celebrating the birth of a republic.
One Australian suggested that Australia Day was the day in 1770 when Captain Cook (pictured right) sailed into Botany Bay. As it happens, and as I'm sure you knew already, Australia Day was the day in 1788 when the First Fleet (pictured below) sailed into Sydney Cove to settle New South Wales (today known as New South Wales).
Sadly, our Australia Day celebrations were marred by Matt being required to work late and by the rest of us being unable to get into any of London's many heaving Australian bars, and so the evening's festivities were spent in English pubs, and a bar called Jack's in Southwark. And although the evening was eventful, I will stop here and simply say 'The end'.
Friday, 26 January 2007
Kaprun
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Snow!
Monday, 15 January 2007
London Underground
I was out for a friend's birthday party on Saturday night, and after the party broke up, sometime after midnight, I meandered down Oxford Street to Bond Street Tube station (pictured above) with friends who were in search of a kebab (http://www.naks.org.uk/about_detail.htm).
Wednesday, 10 January 2007
Resolutions
So when I toyed with the possibility of discussing my New Year's resolutions, I experienced a bit of thought reflux as my friend's remark recurred to me like the fenugreek in last night's curry. My blog isn't meant to be a showcase for self-indulgent posturing (see previous sentence for an instance of the sort of writing which is banned in this blog). So rather than surrender the high ground, I have resolved not to write about me and my New Year's resolutions, but instead to help other people. More specifically, I want to write about what your New Year's resolutions this year should be.
As I said in my initial posting, this blog is written for the benefit of a small audience; but as Ben has reminded me, one must expect one's employer (if one is employed) to be reading the blog as well, so I've tailored the resolutions appropriately according to the demographics of my audience.
Family
I resolve in 2007:
- to visit Sam once a year
- to take Sam out for a nice meal at least once a year
- to send Sam care packages
- to name my children Sam, be they masculine children or feminine children
Rachel Weisz
I resolve in 2007:
- to ring Sam up and ask him for a date
- to go on at least two mini-breaks with Sam
- to say "yes" to Sam when he proposes
Employer
(if I had one)Never change. Keep doing a beautiful, thoughtful, sensitive job.
Monday, 8 January 2007
Unemployed
Thursday, 4 January 2007
New beginning
I'll say right now that notwithstanding the fact that this is posted on publicly-available website, these musings are intended for the benefit of family only (and Rachel Weisz).
I will post something every now and then, as and when I remember to bring pictures from home.
There should be a picture on here of me with my work roommate, Matt. Given that I will be writing these entries from work (outside normal office hours, of course), you might as well see what I'm seeing as I type.