We had a great weekend, except maybe Friday night. It started out really well. I got home just a bit after 5.30. I could really get used to this home early business. After my usual routine of putting everything away I settled down with a beer and talked to Kiddo while waiting for Tress to get home. We were talking about Kiddo’s lunch excursion to the Crown with her friends. It sounded like a good lunch so I thought she didn’t mind what we did for dinner. We decided to just wait for Tress.

She got home, and said she was thinking of that dish in the fridge I had cooked a day earlier so she got it out and warmed it up.

So there I was, not really sure what to do. I started to feel tired and unwell as both Tress and Kiddo prepared to leave for a crèche meeting way yonder in Keysborough. I was supposed to also go for another meeting, at the other end of the eastern side of Melbourne, way up in Warrandyte. That suddenly felt very tiring so I decided to skip that meeting – we just had a late Board meeting the night before and another long night didn’t appeal at all, especially one that requires a long drive away. Warrandyte is probably half an hour away from where we are. So I “called in sick” and stayed home to watch the tennis between Murray and Ferrer.

Tress and Kiddo got back from their meeting late and we just watched tv for a while more before calling it a night, as Tress and I had planned for a big day the next day.

After our usual coffee at our local Tress and I got home and got to work. The hedge plants had grown again since I last trimmed them late November. These “James Sterling” varieties grow really quickly and the constant rains we’ve had are both fuelling the growth even more as well as carrying water on the branches and leaves which cause them to bend, sag and grow out of shape. Constant trimming was the key.

As much as I trimmed them however, they have continued to grow – steadily but substantially that’s for sure. On Sat morning I was looking at 9-10feet tall James Sterling all around my eastern and northern fences. The Ozito trimmer was starting to look inadequate to be honest, but we managed – Tress and I managed to get them “cut down to size”, I mowed the lawn after, gave the deck a bit of a clean-up and fixed a side door which had a panel coming off a week earlier.

I have to google how tall these JS grow and if they grow any taller, I’d have to think about getting a taller ladder and maybe bigger tools…

We finished up just after 2.30, and we went out for some sushi and shopping. Later that night we caught up with Gerry and Jesslyn and little Sheanne, together with Jason, Mel and Sammy for dinner at this Szechuan place on Canterbury Road. The food was alright but all dishes tasted the same – they probably used the same basic spiced salt with loads of chillies – dried ones – and we needed loads of liquid to put out the fires. After dinner we adjourned to our home to cheer Li Na on in the Women’s Final s but Aussie Kim prevailed, which wasn’t a bad outcome either, so all in all, it was a wonderful evening.

Sunday was going to be a stinker of a day – with an expected high of 40 deg. I decided to go to church in shorts, something I rarely do. We were supposed to look after a member who is an elderly stroke victim and I wasn’t sure how the heat was going to affect him and thought I’d be better as comfortable as I can get myself, to ensure we look after him as well as we could.

After church Cheng Hsian came up and said he’d look after that member and asked that we do so in the next few weeks as he and Bernie were going away. I said no problems and proceeded to enjoy the EGM which took place, with a vote to rename our new church “LifeGate Church of Christ”. A few of us adjourned to the Glen to hide from the heat and parked ourselves there for a couple of hours, lunching and chatting to while away the arvo.

We got home later in the arvo, lazed around some more and dozed off on the couch – the heat is great in that it gives us the perfect excuse to just snooze away. The Four-X didn’t help with alertness either – I thought I’d give the Queensland flood relief my contributions by having their favoured brew – tasted more like the VB, which isn’t all bad. Really. Kiddo watched a really awful teenage flick called Mean Girls. For some inexplicable reasons, maybe the mind was numbed by the northern brew and the heat, I found myself watching with her and laughing at some of the scenes. It was an awful movie but I got on with the program.

Anyway, soon after it was Novak versus Andy and it soon became obvious Andy was a fiery Scott anywhere except Centre Court in the Rod Laver Arena and Novak was going to win his second Aussie Open title relatively easily. To be fair Novak was very good but Andy did all he could to make him look even better.

Right through the whole weekend – from a subdued Friday night to an exciting Aussie Open finale, the little black jedi master was in attendance. Scruffi is increasingly into our lives. The cute ebony furry ball was constantly at our legs, be it in the garden around the hedges and lawn clippings, on the deck, or on the couch in front of the tv. Sunday arvo we got home just for Tress to change her togs and for us all to get some water before going out again to get Kiddo a bag, so after being out for something like 6-7 hours we came back for less than 2 mins. That must have upset him heaps because he was thoroughly excited when we got first got home but when we returned again less than an hour later we found him chewing Tress’ shoes. Thankfully that wasn’t a pair she liked but that little jedi master hadn’t chewed on footwear for a long time now and we all thought it was probably because he was distressed at us leaving him the second time around, as we mostly came home and had time for him, unlike yesterday arvo.

The whole is expected to be stinking hot. Today’s 39 deg max and it would be in the 30’s for the rest of the week. Not good. Officially there are only 4 weeks left in the summer but somehow it feels like it will go on for a bit more.

And so it comes down to this: the Joker v Murray the great Brit hope. Are they the new guard?

It makes for exciting tennis all the same I guess…

Life without laptop or blackberry – this job is brilliant for those absentees alone. Oh and no tramming. I get off on Parliament Station and it’s a 5-minute walk to the office. That is brilliant too. The office is bright, modern, has a huge kitchen/meals area with a few fridges, dishwashers and vending machines etc. A bit like in AIA except the number of people using them is much less. AIA felt like so many were crammed into whatever space there was. The facilities felt over-used and in my floor where the Legal team was, the kitchen was small and Spartan. This morning, I found out that one huge benefit remains unaffected – Friday casual! I turned up in my usual suit and tie but that’s ok – Fridays would be as before now.

To maximise the benefit of proximity of the train station to the office, I decided to switch back to the gym at Blackburn station. Otherwise I’d have to head in Melbourne Central and then either walk or tram the 3 blocks plus into the office, which is a waste of time.

So it’s back to the gym I used about 3 years ago. It used to be called the Beach House gym but now it’s Global One. Other than moving the machines around and creating an area/room for Pilates or yoga or something like that, the place remains unchanged from 3 years ago, which isn’t great as stuff look old and dated. The showers especially look even grottier now, but it is a price I’m willing to pay to make the most of the other advantage(s).

It’s the same on the return journey too. I’d take off about 10 minutes before 5 (yes!!!) and I’d be walking through my front door a little after 5.30. It feels crazy. This is easily 2 hours saved compared to my previous job. Last night, after getting home, I cooked dinner, washed up and had time to browse over some notes before the Church Board meeting. Tress and Kiddo had freshly cooked dinner – I can’t remember the last time they had this on a weekday. I have had to get from work straight to a Board meeting in the past, either grabbing some sushi rolls on the way or stopping home just for a quick bite and quite often rocking up late, after the meeting had started.

So, serious and major financial damage aside, taking on this job has been good in numerous other ways.

I am looking forward to having more time for studies to understand the Scriptures better, and to spend more time with people. Hopefully I don’t slide into a lazy contented mode with that extra time I am paying for. Life without laptops or blackberry is great provided the absent elements are appropriately replaced with things that matter more.

Murray, Ferrer or The Joker now, huh? The Australian Open is the true winner here, with both Nadal and Federer out…

Strange to see Rafa struggling

Just goes to show how hard it can be to do a true slam

Another good return from Berba, he ain’t no Gary Birtles. I’m very thankful for that! Looks like a 3-2 finish against Blackpool now, even with a 10min injury time!

How does Berbatov transform himself from hat-trick hero to a Gary Birtles replica inside 3 days? Frustrating to watch. One nil down to Blackpool inside 25 mins; what a start to my Aussie Day 😦

Tomorrow’s Australia Day. What we need in our house is something like this:

It is a fair dinkum beefmaster, not your put-put charcoal kettle, but a real master blaster of a grill machine. But I am not allowed to have it 😦

Now THAT is so unAustralian…

I finish up with AIA today; new role at SRO on Monday. I hope it works out well – really want to give BCV – MST now – studies a more fair dinkum effort.

It has been a dark 24 hours Down Under. In fact this summer has felt distinctly gloomy. It was cool and cloudy for many days, the Ashes was a wash out and now the catastrophic floods in Queensland with the spectre of the same scenario in parts of Victoria.

True to form, Danny Nalliah has delivered as expected and penned some pretty amazing stuff linking Rudd’s impulse calls to Israel re nuke facilities inspection, to the Queensland floods. When will this brother cease to provide ammunition to his critic? I hope anyone who has Danny Nalliah’s ear to counsel him. He would not permit adverse comments on his blog so he needs someone to speak to him directly. Danny Nalliah needs to seek the Lord on what his ministry is and be obedient to that calling and not stray outside his area because when he does, it tends to bring shame to the name of the Lord, not glory.

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Last night Gerry, Jesslyn and little Sheanne and ourselves went to this restaurant on Middleborough Road, and enjoyed very delicious Peking Duck. Simon’s Duck has a tremendous reputation and it was well deserved. The service was quick and friendly, the atmosphere in the restaurant was bubbly but not overly loud, and the duck was really good. We ordered a couple of other dishes (beef and flounder fillets) which were alright but the by far the duck was the main attraction.

To Tress and my surprise, Simon’s Duck was the new place, replacing “Natraz”, an Indian restaurant we had been to several times. Natraz served very good north Indian food but for some inexplicable reasons, the place was always quiet. Simon’s Duck was by far a lot busier last night.

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It was a pleasant surprise when I looked up Malaysiakini this morning. 5 police officers have been charged (http://malaysiakini.com/news/153096) for the bloody-minded assault of a man (http://godsmustardseed.com/2011/01/05/malaysian-police-when-is-it-enough/). I am hoping this isn’t triggered by the general elections which have been rumoured to be just around the corner, and is an indication of sorts, that the police in Malaysia recognises this simply can’t go on and someone has to be brought to book.