December 2004 Archives

I think this could be taking fish worship a little too far.

At least Nigel has nice new digs now - complete with sunshine views and indoor plants!

Anyone will tell you that the Christmas period is one to look forward to. I'm no exception. I've had a good time over the past couple of days, giving in to the 'spirit' of this time of year. It’s been great to be surrounded by my family & I have really enjoyed their company recently. Part of this has come about by a change in perception about my place in this world - again, things aren't as dire as what I had convinced myself it was.

It's Christmas Eve here at KD. It is a surreal feeling I'm experiencing at the moment. Strangely, despite a clear and accurate recollection of past 12 months (OK, excluding a few alcohol-influenced occasions), I still feel as though it has snuck up on me. Not in the sense that I didn't see it coming. More so about what this time of year represents. I think most people would agree that the December/New Year Silly Season is one of initial shock (yep, its that time of year), followed by frantic preparations for Christmas parties & arranging face-time with friends & family. This culminates on the big day of feasting, ruing the feasting, and eating prawns. And of course, not forgetting the pseudo-holiday time between Christmas & the New Year - where almost nothing gets done, or its is performed at a half-arsed rate.

I feel pretty dettached from this whole escapade right now. No, I'm not being a total scrooge or trying to bring people down around me - but I don't feel it. Yeah, I am feeling isolated from this part of the year (& yes, I'm really aware of my dismissive tone) So that's prompted me to think a little more deeply about why this is so.

I've been procrastinating again, man, I really need a kick in the pants.

Being separated with each other on Christmas wasn't what I (& Linda) really wanted. We decided to make the most of the situation, and have a quiet time together this weekend as a substitute.

After exchanging gifts (BDO here I come!), we had a tasty chicken dinner with all the trimmings accompanied by a fine dry white. We then drove over to the Balmoral to see Zach Braff's movie, 'Garden State'. It was pretty good, although it did tend to sway towards a Kevin Smith-style preaching towards the end of the movie (which I really don't have much time for these days). It was a really interesting idea for a movie and I did warm to it.

Sunday was spent (as usual) lazing around, and a foray into the CBD for a quick Christmas shop. We followed this by an excursion out to the Ashgrove Bowls Club for Sunday afternoon 'Barefoot Bowls'. Ron & his mates down at the club showed us the intracacies of the game, while a lot of the fellas down the club showed a little more interest in Linda, Mel & Jess. Dirty b*ggers. For $7, it was pretty good time. It also gave me an opportunity to dust off my trusty Minolta SRT-1 SLR and take a few snaps. I'll get them developed and submitted shorty - hopefully I can get a few images up soon.

Photos added - 2nd of January, 2005

Here's a few images from our day out at the Ashgrove Bowls Club.

I spent most of last night thinking about a job offer I have been presented with. It is a good job, in a really exciting location, but the pay is a little on the skinny side for my liking. When I started out job hunting, I made a pact with myself not to accept a job for a job's sake - take a good job with a good group in a nice location with good prospects for the future. This offer meets 2 of those criteria. However, after missing out on 5 positions so far, my resolve is starting to waiver. I said I'd get back to them sometime today.

It is time to start looking at those figures & doing the calculations in my mind. Listening to my head & my heart & choosing between them will be tough.

Linda graduated from UQ on Monday night - good one baby! Check out her blog link about her night...

By...Lin...Ed...

Mind you, it wasn't all that. Knowing that UQ graduations are a boring affair, I entered the night with a good idea of the procedings. My suppositions did not disappoint me. Although the UQ Centre is a fantastic venue, and much more comortable than old Mayne Hall, there was an efficient polish on the night, without some of the nostalgia that accompanied earlier grads I've attended. Gone is the old guy who repeated the same jokes, same routine over many years, and the organist is completely gone too. Add to that, the new UQ center grad comes with opportunities to purchase your graduation evening on DVD.

All getting a little too commercial for my liking. The wet weather of the past couple of weeks + Energex's random blackout rotation policy did taint the night. In all, a nice night, and a nice occasion for LindaE.

Alicia & Danny are back in town!

I can't really believe it. After 3 and a half years abroad, my sister and her fianc?© have finally made their way back to brisneyland! And it really has been a great feeling.

Of course, the most happy to see them both are the parental units (Bruce & Carol, and Kathy & Kerry). I don't think I have seen my M&D as happy as I have seen them on Saturday at the airport. We were all bubbling away with anticipation while waiting for them to leave Customs and making their entrance into the airport lounge. We all pretty much mobbed them.

As Vinnie Jones would say, 'It's been emotional...'.

I think I've missed them more than what I have recognised. I'm really happy to see them both again, & no doubt we will be hanging out a lot over the next few months.

It is a good time!

I think this is just a sign that I’m getting older, or just perhaps, I am starting to get busy again. I must admit, the time between returning from Magnetic Island with Linda to now has been a blur. Particularly the last 2 months that coincided with conclusion of the academic year at UQ.

It has been a strange couple of months – my writing has picked up considerably in relation to the first half of this year, but still I haven’t managed to submit my thesis. Currently it stands to be submitted in January, and I am making good headway towards it. I can’t wait to get this thing sorted out and submitted. It will be great to finally get this gorilla off my back. My progress has been stinted by my commitment to tutoring over the last couple of months – a welcome change from continuous writing, but still it has drawn me away from my work. The $$$$ were very welcome.

I have also been looking for work – I missed out on a promising research position with Colin Murrell at The University of Warwick in the U.K., which did knock me around a little. Mainly as one of my core referees failed to submit a reference to them. That hurt a lot. I did receive perhaps the most encouraging rejection letter my mates have ever read, but it still bites.

However, there is another opportunity on the horizon, which I am quite excited about. General Electric is hiring for a new research centre in Shanghai, China. The research is mainly focused around industrial microbiology and molecular microbiology, which is where I see myself working with in the near future. Being one of the world’s largest companies, GE presents a great opportunity. My [gf] is enthusiastic about me going there... with her (lucky me! :) ). I can’t think of a more exciting city to live in, and it should be a grand adventure. Mastering another language has been a long-term goal of mine, and I must admit that German was my initial choice. Given that roughly one-sixth of the world’s population speaks Chinese Mandarin, it would probably be a better choice. Fingers crossed on this one.

But as in all things, I must complete one thing before moving onto another. My PhD thesis is my main priority right now. And the clock is ticking.

December, Christmas, and the New Year are looking super busy. I am excited about my sister Alicia & her fianc?© Danny returning from England. They have finished their 3-year stay in London, and are currently making their way back to Brisbane via Europe and Hong Kong. I can‚Äôt wait to meet up with them at the airport on the 4th of December. The Beckenham‚Äôs & Sullivan‚Äôs are throwing them a welcome back party at KD, where a few jet-lagged travellers will probably be inundated by requests for stories & various other travel anecdotes. Plus, I finally get my revenge on my [gf]‚Äôs sister parade by having one of my own. I think they‚Äôll get along famously, but I do worry about Linda‚Äôs plan to extract my goofy history via sibling interrogation.

Willa also returns for Christmas and the New Year with BBH. I’d love to catch up with her & Paul a little more, but they’ll be super-busy driving around Eastern Australia doing the relative catch-up holiday. Bit of a bummer for them, but that’s the way it has turned out. The UQ Micro gang are having a big party on the 11th of December to welcome Willa’s return & her PhD conferral, BBH & Willa’s engagement. Last but not least, the party will also be a farewell to Colin & Lou who are returning Tasmania after 6 years in Brisbane. They will be missed (but at least I will have a place to crash in Hobart when I finally make it down there). It will be a great party. The only shortcoming of this holiday season is that Linda & I will not be together over Christmas, with family duties calling. We’re going to have a pre-Christmas together, but really, it won’t be the same. I’m sure they will be extended phone calls on December 25th.

Better go, there’s a lot to do.

timmyb