The Running Man

Surprise in store

Haven't really updated my blog for the past week...apologies it was out of my control :P Now got some time in office :P and I have got a surprise coming up which will be documented within this week (hopefully haha)...
As for office news, well yesterday I did my first ever digital dictation! Now apparantly every lawyer relies on this little device (ie. digital tape recorder connected to the computer) and dictates documents to his/her secretary or typing pool. I am terrified at the sound of my own voice and whether I would have read clearly enough (with instructions) for the person at the other end to understand and not make a total mess of the (ASIC) document haha...
Oh and today I also got my flu vaccination provided by the firm :P yes I know its totally boring stuff that I am posting here, but at least now I am prepared for the coming winter :P heeh
Well thankfully, it all turned up good and it was just another one of those new legal experiences (using the digital dictation device haha) that was at first seemed daunting but in the end was good practice :)

posted by Darren at 2:31 AM | 0 comment(s)

Email from Steve

My good friend Steve (whom you may have read about in my previous posts) is now in Asia (on the way back from his year long European odessey). Here is an account of his adventures...pretty interesting stuff for those who have never been to those places ;) I think he was going through S'pore (but too bad I wasn't there anymore :P)

Hey Team

I trust that you are all well.The last months have seen me through some tough terrain in China, Nepal, India and Cambodia.

China

Borrowing words from the wise Slim Shady, completely out of context, "[The Chinese] were acting like [they] never seen a white person before, jaws all over the floor as…" Thanks to Erika's blonde hair, a photograph of Erika and I must be on the mantle piece of at least 1000 homes around China, they must be really looking forward to all the white flesh coming in 2008. Apart from the constant pool of mucus with which the Chinese so generously, and loudly doused the footpaths, roads, trains and even bus floors with – China beat the former leading nation Laos hands down in the 'Hocking awards', - China was an OK country. The Sweet and Sour Pork as well as the Gungbao chicken were great (just like at home) but in spite of all the good food they did eat a lot of 'Maggi' cup noodles. Highlights. Climbing up the big wall near Beijing, saying hi to Mao and getting a gun (AK- 47) pointed at me in the process for having my hands in my pockets, checking out the crazy art and the zany, superfluous display of commercial structures in Pudong, Shanghai and the cultural Taoist temples of Ping Yao. Another must-mention experience involved a communal bath, an exfoliation glove, a short Chinese guy who smoked in the shower and a bucket of dead skin. Lowlights. Everyone trying to rip us off, the Terracotta Warriors of Xian, (there is a reason why they were kept underground for 2 millennia) and the Forbidden City in Beijing, I don't understand why is was forbidden, I wouldn't go there again if I didn't have to, although nice at first the monotonous red paint would eventually burn holes in one's retina. Fine print: My viewpoint may have been different if the concubines were still around.

Tibet

If chillin' out in blistering temperatures of 20 degrees below zero with burning yak defecation in a 'pot belly' as your only recourse and having yak and potato as your sole source of food sounds like fun to you, then Tibet is your kind of place. At least the cold slowed down the bed bugs and froze the aroma of a population that did not bath - who would at minus 20? Lack of creature comforts aside, the 4-wheel drive from Lhasa to Kathmandu was probably the most memorable – in a good way- of all my experiences over the last year. Seeing Everest from its base camp on the Tibetan side, 5200m above sea level as well as the picturesque turquoise lakes that swathe the base of the great Himalayan mountains was awing. The Buddhist monasteries including the Potala Palace in Lhasa are a testament to the rich religious culture that, despite Chinese efforts to destroy it, still thrives throughout the region. The people of Tibet were the loveliest folk I have met, greeting foreigners with a more innocent curiosity than their eastbound occupiers. Still in the native dress as rich in colour as the Incas of Peru and Bolivia the Tibetans made us feel at home without the need of any verbal communication. However, if a Tibetan man, most likely in a cowboy hat asks you to drink Tibetan moonshine mixed with lemon juice outside a monastery in a place call Sigatse, just pretend to drink it, that is unless you have a desire to reacquaint yourself with your last meal.

Nepal

In contrast to the desolate isolation of the Tibetan plateau, Nepal was a welcoming sight, but even the dense jungles surrounded by the great snow- capped conical towers of the Everest Range were not enough to distract us from what we were the most happy to see; fresh fruit and vegetables, and being a Hindu country Nepal did not fail in making them taste phenomenal. Apart from having to pay off a few Maoist party members purely because of the fact that they had guns and we didn't, the trek through Pokhara was fantastic. The 5-day walk saw us though terraced rice paddies, dense jungle and alpine environs always with the awesome backdrop of the snow-capped Annapurna Mountain Range. The sunrise on Poon Hill 3200m above sea level with a 360-degree view of the Range was the most sensational sight. Despite one close call that involved being stuck on a mountain at dusk with a broken torch thirty minutes downhill walk from the next settlement, Nepal was only highlights.

Sorry about the long-winded email folks, I am thinking of giving up my day job to write poetry.

Take it easy.

Steve

Email 2

Hey again Team,

It took 4 months for me to send my last email after the previous one, and now this one comes only 4 minutes since my last one. Talk about consistency. In any case, this will be last group email for a while. I will be home today.The last 2 months have seen me through India and Cambodia.

India
Highlights
Catching up with my old man and seeing the rest of the Raman clan
Going to a crazy South Indian wedding that involved some great dancing down the street and eating off a banana leaf.
The Taj
The Pink Palace in Jaipur
Dirty street food

Lowlights
Cutting my hand open so that it required stitches at Periyar wild life sanctuary in Kerala after not seeing any of the elephants I wanted to. I saw a bison though. Yay.
Seeing a rat run under the operating table whilst getting the above mentioned stitches.
Having 7 of my 7 flights in India delayed
Sneaky little Indians always jumping the queue
Being ripped off as soon as I opened my mouth and spoke English

Cambodia
Highlights
Playing Hide-and-seek in Angkor Wat after closing time. Good work team Mekong Dragon (Long story) I will explain it to you one day when inebriated.
Visiting the Killing fields of Phnom Penh. Quite and eye opening experience.
Cambodian people

Lowlights
Not being able to buy post cards from all the kids selling them.

I will see you soon. Fly home to real life in a few hours. How exciting.

Signing off
Steve

posted by Darren at 9:35 AM | 0 comment(s)

A Bet Won...

posted by Darren at 4:36 PM | 1 comment(s)

District Court

Last Thurs, I went to the District Court of NSW for the first time! Whilst it wasn't for anything exciting like a trial or summons or anything (rather just some minor admin matter), I still felt pretty excited and at the same time apprehensive about Court procedure (there are lots of proper procedure..which I guess I am expected to know...but I don't :P haha). Plus I would be surrounded by my fellow lawyers (with tons of legal experience). I could even take a cab and charge all my time to client :)

What the inside of the DC looks like...not like the Supreme Court (which you might see on TV series)...

posted by Darren at 12:51 AM | 4 comment(s)

Tasmania '07

As mentioned previously, last weekend (10-12 Mar) the PwC Melb and Sydney people (plus one ex-auditor...myself) went to the 'Apple Isle' Tasmania! On the Fri night, us Sydney people all met at Oscars (not all of us were going on the trip) for Ribs!!! (I have made lots of mention about these famous ribs in my previous posts) haha... After dinner we (HY + Haz, Eugene, myself) went to Max's (actually Chris's) place @ Bankstown 1 of the 'safest' suburb in Sydney..to play...Mahjong!!! This is my first time I have played this great game whilst I was in Sydney! Now I can almost write an entire post on the game play...but to cut a long story short...the very first game I lost maximum (5 tai) to Haz :P @ 40/80 needless to say I was in shock haha...that pretty much set the trend for the rest of the night (I was thinking at one point...that there goes my Tassie spending money :P) thankfully (probably luckily) I got on some small runs near the end of the game and pretty much minimised my losses :P phew...haha. Anyway we slept at 2am (our flight the next day was at 8am). Now here is something funny...to catch our flight, we all had to wake up by 6am however no one set their alarms!! thankfully again...someone had their internal alarms working (typical auditors) and woke up and hence woke the rest of us up! Here is a picture of us at Sydney airport...
Finally at about 10.30am, we arrived at Hobart Airport...to link up with the Melbourne people who left on an earlier flight...only to discover (sorry Mich! :P haha..but its my blog) that Mich has missed her flight!!! Only Yish and Darrel made it because they were dropped off at the airport by Mich whilst she parked the car...as a result of some VERY last minute packing, the gate closed before Mich could get back to the airport. The result...haha...ask Mich...she now knows Melbourne airport very well :P (having spent over 6 hours there waiting for the next flight). Drama has already started! Our first location was Salamanca Market..(for the rest of the pictures please refer to slideshow below)..minus Mich :P we had lunch whilst walking through the market. It can be described as 3 rows of little stalls on a large street (Salamanca Place). Throughout the trip we would be driving through, around this place quite often (as its pretty much the centre of Hobart). Lunch was this huge German hot dog with sauerkraut (picked cabbage), fried onions, tomatoe sauce and mustard sauce...with an actual German sausage (bratwhurst) :)
On recommendation from HY (whom was advised by a senior who went to Tassie)...we also had to try Scallop pies! This can be described as scallops in a light curry sauce...not bad :P quite tasty and its something that you just have to try (dont' seem to be able to find this sort of pie in Melb or Sydney :P...must be a Tassie thing) haha

We stayed in the Salamanca area (and wharf) until about 3pm and went to pick up our guest of honour...Mich at Hobart airport. After that slight detour, we headed off to one of the highlights of Hobart...Mt Wellington...this is bascially a very high mountain (trust me...the drive up a steep and narrow slope up a mountain...as any one of the passengers can attest...was interesting ;) with views overlooking Hobart (see slideshow). The views were spectacular and amazing...being 1.2km up in the clouds haha...really could see the whole of Hobart and the river region (just like the brochure)

After the equally long drive down the mountain, we went to Hobart wharf...for Fish & Chips...typically Aussie! the view of the wharf was nice and there was even a wedding occurring right beside us :P (in Tassie?). The fish and chips @ Fish Frenzy was ok...nothing terribly fantastic (but hey it is Tassie after all so it was one of the better places I suppose haha)...We were then faced with a situation: what to do in Hobart at night?! like any Aussie city..everything closed at 5pm (if not earlier)...so we decided to watch a movie!! Yes travel all the way to Hobart from Sydney and Melbourne to watch a movie...yeah well there wasn't much to do :P anyway haha...such a novelty. Prior to watching the movie, we went back to the Hostel to set up our beds in the bunk. Being a hostel, we shared the room (toilets are shared with everyone in the hostel...there was like only 2 toilets :P) with a German and Italian backpackers. The pictures below show us and our room

On the way back from the movie...we discovered something quite good...that Hobart police are quite nice. Found that out in a situation involving a one-way street in Hobart, an illegal U-turn and an unmarked police car :) phew! haha...my passengers would know the story (maybe) :P. Our first night in Hobart...and in a hostel (just like army days..but with girls..) haha...The next morning, our first destination was the famous Cascade Brewery! Here we signed up for an 11am tour of this historical site...the method of producing beer has not changed for hundreds of years! its still the same with the raw material being barley and converting (using yeast and enzymic processes) that to malt and adding hops to it until it becomes .... Beer! pretty interesting stuff...haha...wikipedia it!
After the tour, we the best part of the 'tour' started...the beer tasting...each of us was given 3 samples of beer each x 7 = 21 glasses of beer (actually they were 175ml glasses...so as you can drink 3 samples and not be over the alcohol limit...a bonus to the drivers!). Mich just loved the Apple Cidar, whereas the rest of us liked the Ginger Beer (brewed at Cascade)...non-alcoholic variety, and I like the 'Blondie' beer...the surprise of the day was Hazel enjoying the Stout sample (ie. Guiness like)...quite surprising as she finished off the entire glass by herself (because no one was really looking forward to finishing it haha). Darrel was a bit of an alcoholic and just drank his 3 beer samples in one shot (good stuff especially since your name starts with a "D")...whereas the rest of us mixed it around with Ginger Beer/Cidar/Apple Juice :). After Cascade (and a few drinks), we went by another place which Hobart is famous for...Oysters! Yes Tassie Oysters! Now we went to the one thats closest to Hobart...Barilla Bay Oyster Farm where the Oysters were grown in the ponds. Wasn't disappointed. Freshest oysters could be bought for $9 a dozen (would have been even cheaper - $6 if we had picked those that were not shelled). Now we stopped by here again for our morning fix (yes as some of you would be wondering...oysters in the morning?! ;) the following day. Anyway out of the group of us, only Maxy and Darrel (disappointing considering your name starts with "D") didn't eat Oysters..and in all over the two days we bought 4 dozen oysters for only $36!!! Can you believe that...usually you would pay $20-$30 per dozen at a resturant, but nothing can beat the freshness...Gobbled it down in seconds! A must try for any of my oyster loving readers :). Running out of daylight (it was about 1pm)...we headed off to our ultimate destination: Tahune Forest Airwalk at Geeveston (about 100km away)! This was basically something like a bushwalking trek and an airwalk set up high in the trees (Singapore has got something similar..)

Not a bad experience and you really do get to absorb the nature of Tasmania (also known for its wonderful views, nature, fresh air and of course...cold)..no big city, large shopping centres, or lots of people (Tassie's actual population is ~400K people...and its 16 times the size of S'pore...look at the atlas...you can actually see it). As it was getting late, we headed back to Hobart...stopping by a memorable (but not for the right reasons) 'Japanese' resturant...expensive (even more than Sydney standards) and tasted...hmmm...:P. At night we finally stopped by one of Tassie's many bars/pubs and had a drink to chill out and have a laugh amonst the 7 of us :)...mostly about audit ahaha. The day can also be remembered for some memorable moments all provided by Max: 1) the GPS incident - when the GPS receiver was facing the 'wrong direction' hence we were heading in the wrong direction...haha ;) a classic! 2) 'Special Equipment' - this was one of the more interesting conversations we had...and it concerns errrr...special equipment and care for it haha...don't want to go into too much detail except it was pretty funny subject; and 3) Yish forgetting to pack a jacket! - this is Tasmania you know...closest to Antartica! ;) blurr.... After our chill out session, we headed back to the hostel...where we played...Mahjong!!! (no money this time)...Kudos to HY and Haz for bringing their miniature MJ set (Note: to anyone coming from SG and visiting Sydney...I would be very grateful if you could buy a mini MJ set for me! ;)...see the size of the tiles...small!). Not a bad way to waste some time in Tassie...Our dear leader, Max, was tired and had to initially be forced to keep awake, but he slipped away and went to his room where he wasn't seen for the rest of the night :P haha. The next morning (our final day in Tassie), we headed off to the historic prison site...Port Arthur (yes this was initially used as a convict settlement so there was lots of historical significance here). Here is a picture of just us guys with our good 8 seater Toyota...was such a good trip because we could all sit together, talk together, and snack together whilst still all in the same car. On the way to Port Arthur, we stopped by the Oyster farm again (our daily fix of oysters...$9 per dozen!!) and Sorrell Fruit Farm (where there was apple trees, strawberries, and TAYberries!! no I am not making this up...needless to say Max was very interested :P)
So what does TAYberries taste like? Unfortunately they weren't in season...but we were told it was like a mixture between Raspberries and Strawberries...hmmm...haha..oh well another time (cannot seem to see TAYberries in the supermarkets of both Melb and Syd...must be a Tassie thing again haha).

Finally we reached Port Arthur...as the pictures can show it felt very historic with the old buildings which were once prison facilities over a hundred years ago...the feeling was very surreal (abeit the stinging cold wind...bring warm warm clothes readers! the wind is really cold)...its hard to describe it but it felt very surreal...with the wide open spaces, green grass, surrounded by forest, mountains and rivers (a natural prison...no need for walls here) with age old buildings around...it felt very peaceful and not like one of the harshest prisons known in Australia (at that time). Along with a 40min tour of the site, we also had a 20min harbour cruise...but pretty much stayed inside the boat (coz of the cold)...
You can see Yish being cold...poor thing :P
Outside what was once the hospital for the prison... After Port Arthur...we finally headed off back to Hobart Airport because the Melb people had to catch an earlier flight. Here is the typical waiting at the airport photo :)


Well Done to All for making it such a fun and enjoyable trip!!!

Thank you for letting this tourist tag along :)

posted by Darren at 5:47 AM | 2 comment(s)

Funny Email

Its Friday!!! Going to Tassie tomorrow :) Just thought I'd share with you a funny thing my colleague sent to me (maybe its the Aussie sarcasm/wit humour)...
Absolutely awesome mate

The questions below about Australia are from potential visitors. They were posted on an Australian Tourism Website and the answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have an excellent sense of humour.

Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? (UK).
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? (USA)
A: Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water.

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Australia? (Sweden)
A: So it's true what they say about Swedes.

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Hervey Bay? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?

Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia? (USA)
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not.. oh forget it. ..... Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross. Come naked.

Q: Which direction is North in Australia? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia? ( UK)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is...oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.

Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia? ( UK)
A: You're a British politician, right?

Q: Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? (Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers. Milk is illegal.

Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from. All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Australia, but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. (USA)
A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

Q: Do you have perfume in Australia? ( France)
A: No, WE don't stink.

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

Q: Can you tell me the regions in Tasmania where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy)
A: Yes, gay nightclubs

Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia? (France)
A: Only at Christmas.

Q: I was in Australia in 1969 on R+R, and I want to contact the girl I dated while I was staying in Kings Cross. Can you help? (USA)
A: Yes, and you will still have to pay her by the hour.

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first

posted by Darren at 6:14 AM | 2 comment(s)

Force v Warratahs

posted by Darren at 5:14 AM | 0 comment(s)