It's been a month since I rode a motorbike, so I decided to get back on tonight and get a feel for it again. My mate and I headed down to a local shopping center car park. It was a really good place to learn to ride. It's smooth, no cars and has turns. Suddenly, out of the darkness rolls a police van with no headlights on. All I could see was the blue and white squares on the side. Wow, I started to panic. You see, my friends bike recently got a canary, so it's unroadworthy. I'm still on my learners, but the bike is high powered, way out of my range. I also didn't have 'L' plates on. If I got stopped I was a goner.
After rolling past in the next isle I headed straight for the exit. If they wanted they could have turned around right then and busted me. Meanwhile, my mate is standing at the car. I headed out through the back streets expecting to see blue and red lights flashing behind me and sirens. There were none. I started to think about my friend back at the car. They must be interrogating him. My conscience got the better of me, so I decided to face the music and returned to the car park. This was it. I couldn't leave my mate back there while I did a runner. To my surprise, the police had left. My mate was standing there. I was shocked, but we were out of trouble. They took his details and asked him questions like, 'Where's your mate going?' his reply, 'I dunno, he goes where he wants to'. I couldn't believe our luck. We were so lucky today.
I feel like a criminal. Does that count as running from the law?
The thrill of the ride just increased ever so slightly.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wedding of the Year
Congratulations to Ky and Phuong. A wedding I have been waiting years for. The bride and groom looked stunning. The food, was delicious. I love asian weddings because of the food. Crab claw and lobster were to die for...droolz...not a fan of abalone or fish though. So how long until I'm an uncle?
Went to see the golden compass after dinner with friends on Monday. I highly advise skipping this one. It has a good concept, but it goes into such detail in some parts then rushes to the next scene. The lines are so corny and the end, well I'm still waiting for it. I give it 2/10.
I decided to go for a second run last night. I was on such a roll I couldn't stop, so I pushed out another 1/2km which is a huge effort when you have reached the end. The only thing stopping me going on is I know the strain my body is going through and I want to be able to run every day without injury. By far the best run I have ever had. My daily total was almost 13kms. Watch out Craig Mottram, here comes Wayne.
Went to see the golden compass after dinner with friends on Monday. I highly advise skipping this one. It has a good concept, but it goes into such detail in some parts then rushes to the next scene. The lines are so corny and the end, well I'm still waiting for it. I give it 2/10.
I decided to go for a second run last night. I was on such a roll I couldn't stop, so I pushed out another 1/2km which is a huge effort when you have reached the end. The only thing stopping me going on is I know the strain my body is going through and I want to be able to run every day without injury. By far the best run I have ever had. My daily total was almost 13kms. Watch out Craig Mottram, here comes Wayne.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Back In Uniform
It felt great to be back in uniform. I really missed it. I spent the last week learning how to drive a 6 wheel off road vehicle. Driving was fun. We took them through an obstacle course, which is one of my best experiences in the Army. I would even pay to do it, except I can do it and get paid, which is even better. We also went for a road trip to Apollo Bay along the great ocean road. Mountains on the right, cliffs and ocean on the left with tight winding roads in between. Every guy's dream road.
This is the first course I have attended since my promotion, which made me feel a little weird. I was more senior than most of my instructors. I even had to tell them to stop formally addressing me. I made some good friends on course, Jie and Mick in particular. Without those guys I would have died from boredom.
The course was good, but the final night really troubled me. The Army is very stringent about its non-fraternization policy and I strongly support this. At the end of each course we have a drink up and let our hair down. It kind of got out of control though. Instructors mixing with students, senior and junior ranks getting very close in the bar. I felt like I really shouldn't be there.
I left with a couple of mates, but decided to go for a run before bed. I got another 6km's up, before bumping into someone from another course being run at the same time. Over the space of an hour chatting we easily saw five cars come back to the car park at around 3am where a male and female got out. As we went back to our rooms, we could hear them in buildings that were declared off limits because of asbestos. It's so wrong. With my rank it makes it even harder. I even know some of these people have family's, kids, soldiers with partners in the military. If there is anyone that knows the demands the Army has on relationships it should be those that also serve. I was very disillusioned at the end of it all.
I managed to get away yesterday in time for my friends engagement. My friends fiance is also in the Army. They look so sweet together and I truly hope they succeed. It was comforting to see that someone in the Army can have such a good relationship. Perhaps something I can aspire for one day.
This is the first course I have attended since my promotion, which made me feel a little weird. I was more senior than most of my instructors. I even had to tell them to stop formally addressing me. I made some good friends on course, Jie and Mick in particular. Without those guys I would have died from boredom.
The course was good, but the final night really troubled me. The Army is very stringent about its non-fraternization policy and I strongly support this. At the end of each course we have a drink up and let our hair down. It kind of got out of control though. Instructors mixing with students, senior and junior ranks getting very close in the bar. I felt like I really shouldn't be there.
I left with a couple of mates, but decided to go for a run before bed. I got another 6km's up, before bumping into someone from another course being run at the same time. Over the space of an hour chatting we easily saw five cars come back to the car park at around 3am where a male and female got out. As we went back to our rooms, we could hear them in buildings that were declared off limits because of asbestos. It's so wrong. With my rank it makes it even harder. I even know some of these people have family's, kids, soldiers with partners in the military. If there is anyone that knows the demands the Army has on relationships it should be those that also serve. I was very disillusioned at the end of it all.
I managed to get away yesterday in time for my friends engagement. My friends fiance is also in the Army. They look so sweet together and I truly hope they succeed. It was comforting to see that someone in the Army can have such a good relationship. Perhaps something I can aspire for one day.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
If it ain't raining, it ain't training
I decided to take up Bobby's offer of going for a run yesterday. We ended up heading down to Footscray Park to run along the Maribyrnong river. There was no set distance, but we knew neither of us wanted to stop first.
We did about 5km's to start with. From Footscray Park to the Anglers Tavern. For the record I stopped first, but I'm sure we were both feeling it as much as the other. We power walked for about another 2km and came back on the other side of the river and began running again.
It started to rain and very quickly began to pour down monsoon like. For a moment I felt like I was back in the jungles of Malaysia. The rain made our clothes and especially our shoes much heavier. Running really was a challenge at this point. We used this difficulty to our advantage, as motivation. We had to push our limits but the feeling of reaching our target through adversity was terrific. Doing it with a mate was a very satisfying feeling.
Over the last 2 weeks I have been watching what I eat and trying to run everyday. When I started this I weight 85kg's. The most in my life. Over 2 weeks I have dropped to 79kg's. I lost 6kg's! My pants no longer fit me and my belts have become mere fashion accessories. Pat on the back.
I will be away with the Army for the next week or so. Will post again then. Cheers.
We did about 5km's to start with. From Footscray Park to the Anglers Tavern. For the record I stopped first, but I'm sure we were both feeling it as much as the other. We power walked for about another 2km and came back on the other side of the river and began running again.
It started to rain and very quickly began to pour down monsoon like. For a moment I felt like I was back in the jungles of Malaysia. The rain made our clothes and especially our shoes much heavier. Running really was a challenge at this point. We used this difficulty to our advantage, as motivation. We had to push our limits but the feeling of reaching our target through adversity was terrific. Doing it with a mate was a very satisfying feeling.
Over the last 2 weeks I have been watching what I eat and trying to run everyday. When I started this I weight 85kg's. The most in my life. Over 2 weeks I have dropped to 79kg's. I lost 6kg's! My pants no longer fit me and my belts have become mere fashion accessories. Pat on the back.
I will be away with the Army for the next week or so. Will post again then. Cheers.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Cooking with Wayne
Being home alone today, I decided to jump into the vacant kitchen and have a go at cooking. It pays to know how to make at least a couple of meals and it's something I am interested in developing. There are many people out there who don't believe I should even set foot in the kitchen and sometimes I agree with them, but that doesn't mean I can't give it a go every now and then. As I said before, it pays to know at least a few meals for times like today. Today's meal was Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry. I didn't know exactly what to add, so I checked online and pinched a few ideas from a few recipes and had a go at making my own.
Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry
Ingredients used:
Beef Steak
Red Capsicum
Onion
Garlic
Coriander
Baby Corn
Snow Peas
Soy Sauce
Hoi Sin Sauce
Hokkien Noodles
The beef was difficult to slice. I could have bought it pre-sliced, but thought it would be fun to do it myself. I didn't realise we have no sharp knives at home, so I had to cut it with scissors. This took much longer than I expected, which was a problem since I already started browning the onion. I decided to use a combination of soy and hoi sin sauces. Hoi sin sauce is commonly used as a dipping sauce for rice paper rolls, I love it. I was a little tired of using soy by itself, so I mixed it together. A little big strong at the end, but not too bad. Perhaps I will leave the hoi sin sauce for the rice paper rolls next time. I added crushed garlic, red capsicum, baby corn, snow peas and coriander once the meat was cooked, but only for a short amount of time, in order to retain the fresh crisp taste. Boil the hokkien noodles for a minute to warm them up and wha-la, beef stir fry on hokkien noodles.
Lessons learned:
Prepare your food before you begin cooking.
Have sharp knives in the kitchen.
Tip:
Clean as you go. It lets you enjoy eating without worrying about cleaning the dishes afterwards.
Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry
Ingredients used:
Beef Steak
Red Capsicum
Onion
Garlic
Coriander
Baby Corn
Snow Peas
Soy Sauce
Hoi Sin Sauce
Hokkien Noodles
The beef was difficult to slice. I could have bought it pre-sliced, but thought it would be fun to do it myself. I didn't realise we have no sharp knives at home, so I had to cut it with scissors. This took much longer than I expected, which was a problem since I already started browning the onion. I decided to use a combination of soy and hoi sin sauces. Hoi sin sauce is commonly used as a dipping sauce for rice paper rolls, I love it. I was a little tired of using soy by itself, so I mixed it together. A little big strong at the end, but not too bad. Perhaps I will leave the hoi sin sauce for the rice paper rolls next time. I added crushed garlic, red capsicum, baby corn, snow peas and coriander once the meat was cooked, but only for a short amount of time, in order to retain the fresh crisp taste. Boil the hokkien noodles for a minute to warm them up and wha-la, beef stir fry on hokkien noodles.
Lessons learned:
Prepare your food before you begin cooking.
Have sharp knives in the kitchen.
Tip:
Clean as you go. It lets you enjoy eating without worrying about cleaning the dishes afterwards.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Mystery Event
Today was a Mystery day, organised by Phuoc for uni people to catch up before school starts again. We went to the Melbourne Zoo and had dinner at Mambo's. It was supposed to be a surprise, except 5 of the 6 people who went knew what we were doing. Sorry Ben.
Positives of the day:
One cheeky monkey in particular who hangs from the window ledge and puts his feet on the window where the public are for over 5 mins. Such an attention seeker, but oh so cute too.
AJ getting half of his face painted like a tiger with glitter. He had to where it all day, even when we left the zoo and went to dinner. Looking at him, no-one could take him serious. Even the waitress (Maria Maria...you remind me of a westside story).
Negatives of the day:
Busted the screen on my 1 month old phone =(
Animals in cages should be forbidden to sleep during the zoo's open hours.
Mambo's
I have to recommend the the Mambo Ceaser. Grilled chicken on a ceaser salad...delicious.
Positives of the day:
One cheeky monkey in particular who hangs from the window ledge and puts his feet on the window where the public are for over 5 mins. Such an attention seeker, but oh so cute too.
AJ getting half of his face painted like a tiger with glitter. He had to where it all day, even when we left the zoo and went to dinner. Looking at him, no-one could take him serious. Even the waitress (Maria Maria...you remind me of a westside story).
Negatives of the day:
Busted the screen on my 1 month old phone =(
Animals in cages should be forbidden to sleep during the zoo's open hours.
Mambo's
I have to recommend the the Mambo Ceaser. Grilled chicken on a ceaser salad...delicious.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Beach BBQ
Here's the deal. I get a message to meet up for a beach bbq at 3pm with Bobby and the boys. Today's destination was sunny St. Kilda beach, one of the more popular beaches in Melbourne. With the expectation of others to meet, Bobby, David, Thien (Mikey) and I headed down to the beach with enough food to feed an army. The view, superb. Wind surfers and boats with a sun set behind it was incredible. There was also play equipment directly behind us. This is where it got interesting.
What do a bunch of bored guys do when waiting for a there food to cook with a playground behind them? Try to recapture there youth!!!
The Spinning Wheel of Death
Description: It's a circle, about 50cm above the ground, fits about 3 people laying down around it and it spins and spins and spins.
We took turns trying to scare the life out of each other, pushing it faster and faster, it was fun. but it didn't really quite do it though. However, when Bobby made the fatal mistake to stand on the Spinning Wheel of Death, I saw an opportunity, a chance to get one up on him and so gave an all mighty thrust on the wheel. He looked like he was balancing, at least for a moment. That moment he was king of the wheel, until his life flashed before his eyes and he jumped/fell (open to debate) and crashed into the ground. Not only a laugh, I got one up on him.
The mini Spinning Wheel of Death
Description: a 2 meter pole in the ground with a small platform 40cm above the ground.
It looked innocent. How could anything happen to me on such a simple piece of play equipment? Not knowing what it was I stood on the platform trying to find out what it does. It spins. It spins at such a fast rate that before I knew it I was revolving to the point of not being able to hold on anymore with my hands, I was 100% reliant on my 1 leg that I struggled to wrap around the pole until it stopped. That was my payback, with interest! Karma.
Superman Swing
I decided to give David a 'helping hand' as he swung on the swing. It looked so wrong, a guy in his 20's being pushed by a guy in his 20's. So so wrong. Wanting to make sure David enjoyed the swing I pushed it higher and higher until he couldn't go any further, I was ready to stop, but for some reason he decided to become superman and leaped off in mid air, landing 6-8 meters away. I never knew my friend could fly. David, your my hero.
It was a great afternoon with great mates. The food was good and no-one got injured. Two out of two in my book.
What do a bunch of bored guys do when waiting for a there food to cook with a playground behind them? Try to recapture there youth!!!
The Spinning Wheel of Death
Description: It's a circle, about 50cm above the ground, fits about 3 people laying down around it and it spins and spins and spins.
We took turns trying to scare the life out of each other, pushing it faster and faster, it was fun. but it didn't really quite do it though. However, when Bobby made the fatal mistake to stand on the Spinning Wheel of Death, I saw an opportunity, a chance to get one up on him and so gave an all mighty thrust on the wheel. He looked like he was balancing, at least for a moment. That moment he was king of the wheel, until his life flashed before his eyes and he jumped/fell (open to debate) and crashed into the ground. Not only a laugh, I got one up on him.
The mini Spinning Wheel of Death
Description: a 2 meter pole in the ground with a small platform 40cm above the ground.
It looked innocent. How could anything happen to me on such a simple piece of play equipment? Not knowing what it was I stood on the platform trying to find out what it does. It spins. It spins at such a fast rate that before I knew it I was revolving to the point of not being able to hold on anymore with my hands, I was 100% reliant on my 1 leg that I struggled to wrap around the pole until it stopped. That was my payback, with interest! Karma.
Superman Swing
I decided to give David a 'helping hand' as he swung on the swing. It looked so wrong, a guy in his 20's being pushed by a guy in his 20's. So so wrong. Wanting to make sure David enjoyed the swing I pushed it higher and higher until he couldn't go any further, I was ready to stop, but for some reason he decided to become superman and leaped off in mid air, landing 6-8 meters away. I never knew my friend could fly. David, your my hero.
It was a great afternoon with great mates. The food was good and no-one got injured. Two out of two in my book.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
My first party with the parents gone
Ok, so it wasn't exactly a party, more a gathering of several close friends for movies with food and drink. It doesn't sound like much, but no-one visits me at home, I live far away, so last night felt really special, I had to make it go well.
It was a 'movie night', but really an excuse to catch up and send our friend Linh off before she goes on holidays. I want a rice hat gorgeous.
Fel had a few drinks and well girls + skin + pens = Fel having numerous artistic designs on his arms and back, lol.
Lisa, still on her p's couldn't drink, but made up for it by eating all the food - Lisa, what am I going to eat today? =P
Let's not mention the pins and needles incident aye Lisa =P
Xil and Linh opened a mind game that Linh got me for my 21st. I had no idea how to do it so i left it neatly in its little box for a year and a half. Xil opened it without looking how it's meant to go, Linh and Fel try to put it together for the next 2 minutes but to no avail. Lets just say it was time to let the mind game rest in peace.
Well I had fun hosting, it felt good preparing the food and drinks for everyone, I intend to do it another time, hopefully before I have my own house. Thank you to everyone that came, I know Phouc wished he could come, but next time wont be far away. By the way, we watched the Born Identity, never made it to the second movie.
It was a 'movie night', but really an excuse to catch up and send our friend Linh off before she goes on holidays. I want a rice hat gorgeous.
Fel had a few drinks and well girls + skin + pens = Fel having numerous artistic designs on his arms and back, lol.
Lisa, still on her p's couldn't drink, but made up for it by eating all the food - Lisa, what am I going to eat today? =P
Let's not mention the pins and needles incident aye Lisa =P
Xil and Linh opened a mind game that Linh got me for my 21st. I had no idea how to do it so i left it neatly in its little box for a year and a half. Xil opened it without looking how it's meant to go, Linh and Fel try to put it together for the next 2 minutes but to no avail. Lets just say it was time to let the mind game rest in peace.
Well I had fun hosting, it felt good preparing the food and drinks for everyone, I intend to do it another time, hopefully before I have my own house. Thank you to everyone that came, I know Phouc wished he could come, but next time wont be far away. By the way, we watched the Born Identity, never made it to the second movie.
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