Next to Godliness

My house is spotless; spiderwebs that once wouldn't have raised my ire have been banished and my bathrooms smell ever so slightly of chlorine bleach.

My parents arrived last night.

After surveying all this "clean" in front of me I've decided that I need to invite people to stay more often.

Requests for catch-ups have already arrived on my cellphone. It appears my folks are in demand, and by association myself included (well hopefully) :-)

I'm taking a long weekend; there is much swanning around Auckland to be done, and so little time.

Mona Lisa Outcomes

This song has skirted around the edges of my subconscious for some time now.

Until you've seen this trashcan dream come true
You stand at the edge while people run you through
And I thank the Lord there's people out there like you
I thank the Lord there's people out there like you

I miss you NFG.

It's simple

I feel the need for a perfect beach
on a perfect day; not too hot or cold.
With a constant cooling ocean breeze
we jibe and tack amongst the kelp and driftwood
in search of something we had all along.

Rock Stars for a Day

At the end of the my eighth year at school I was awarded a Merit Award in Engineering.

You might think that such an award would do wonders for an awkward thirteen year old. You would be correct, but it was also a curse of sorts. You see - one had to collect the award in front of a full school assembly of 1200 students and board members.

I vividly recall the stairs leading to the stage; the trip wires and claymore mines to trap those who dared step in the wrong spot. I recall the practices for the junior students, so they wouldn't fall and ruin the look of the whole prize giving event. Such was their faith in us.

No matter how hard they instructed there was always someone who failed the test; someone who didn't follow the teachers instruction to the letter, someone who walked a little too quickly, or didn't watch where they were stepping and caught the wire. Many people died during the Taieri High School ceremonies over the years.... or so it seemed...

I believe it was fair to say that after that initial experience, I shunned any possibility of overachieving again during my school years - which was a pity, as I really could have done much better.

When I moved onto my career in Telecommunications I gravitated to working with the most intelligent technician in the group. He didn't suffer fools, which was unfortunate, as I was quite foolish in those days. I did, however, survive the process to become "adequate" by my "Sensei's" opinion - which actually meant I was immanently employable when my employer decided we were both no longer required.

I've grown in my current job - my second real job - in some ways it has taken time to step out of the shadow of my origins, and with a little help from a brilliant manager, given a voice that is finally heard.

A lifetime away from booby trapped stage stairs, today my name was called and a walked up the stage in front of my peers. The trip wires were gone, replaced by spotlights and television cameras. I shook the hand of my GM and CEO, and along with others, thanked for going the extra mile.

I'd like to say the horrors of the past were gone, and with them the fear of success; but upon reflection I've come to realise all those events have only contributed to the mosaic that is my life.

For better or worse I am who I am...

OK there were a few Bacardi's as well :)

Money

There are levels, and there are levels. I admit on most days that I can play a guitar well enough to get by, but when I see a guitarist playing a left handed guitar with strings upside down, and it sounds this good, I wonder if I shouldn't face reality and just give it all up.

I mean - hard as it is to find someone to teach you to play left handed, imagine taking that one step further to play all your chords upside down as well. No-one teaches that.

Look at the guy with the red guitar, and witness something unique. His name is Doyle Bramhall.

Beautiful World

I threw this on a cd last week, and heard it for the first time on my way to work....

It's a simple little song that doesnt take itself so seriously; a lesson we could all learn on occasion. :)



I'm not sure Youtube will do this justice: the song is sublime, and so me right now :)

Chocolately peace

Things must have been bad today - in the middle of a meeting I made an excuse, and left to fill a water bottle.

Once outside I seriously contemplated not going back.

In what must have been a weak moment I grabbed a Snickers bar out of the vending machine while I waited for my water bottle to fill.

So ashamed am I :)

I know; it's my cross to bear, but i keep reminding myself that that chocolate bar saved some lives today, even if the warmongers in that meeting had no idea whatsoever.

I Need your Lovin'

Brilliant version from 2004 :

Dreams

I don't have many dreams of what the future may bring, but recently I have had a desire to retire near the sea.
I love walking on the beach, watching the waves meet the shore, no matter what weather.

Inside, behind my double glazing, and open fire, I'd love an open plan home with mezzanine floors from bedrooms above, creating the antithesis of living in a home where every room is closed to the one before.

I love the grandeur of vertical spires, and horizontal adjuncts that serve little purpose but to frame a desire; a desire to make something beautiful as well as functional.

This house has always moved me, and although my budget may not extend to this exactly :) , the ideas that went into its design, still live on in my heart.

OK - It was me

Richard Hammond - Telecom's new ad man

Now it's over, and the stress levels have dropped, I feel strangely weak - like I've just recovered from a nasty bug.

Telecom management (basically a pact of soul-less arseholes), have fessed up and admitted they "made a mistake" (not that they'd actually say that in so many words).

Having them call me and my fellow workmates incompetent was hard to take, as were their calculated mis-truths in the media. Make no mistake, we were right, and they were wrong.

How can I be certain ? I know this because "I" was a part of the team that discovered the problem...

While they're sitting on their nice leather chairs, icing their bruised crotches... I wonder if they ponder who the hell trained those bloody Vodafone Engineers that finally made them listen to the truth of the situation....

The irony is .... they trained us themselves ... It turns out most of us are ex-Telecom.

I really hoped over the last seven years they'd changed; that they'd finally turned a corner - but lifting the polished veneer, you can still expose the infection that breeds unchecked, and you sadly realise they really haven't changed at all.

So Telecom ...

No more stress working night and day to prove you wrong, when you wouldn't admit it yourself .
No more sleepless nights wondering what truth you would distort next.
No more selling myself short...

Tonight I'll sleep like a baby :)

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Vodafone goes to court alleging Telecom network interference

5:57PM Friday May 01, 2009

Vodafone is off to court to protest at Telecom's new XT mobile network, in the belief it is the source of interference on the Vodafone network.

....

Vodafone said it had begun the legal action following a significant rise in the number of customer complaints about interference on its network.

Testing showed serious interference to Vodafone's network caused by Telecom's network, which was still under construction.

and then finally after the dust settled

Vodafone says call quality will improve now Telecom 3G fight over

4:15PM Thursday May 07, 2009

Related links:

• Telecom delays XT launch after Vodafone settlement

Vodafone says its customers should notice improved call quality after sorting out its scrap with Telecom over the latter's new mobile phone network.

Vodafone yesterday sought an injunction to stop Telecom rolling out its new XT network on May 13, claiming its transmitters were causing interference to the Vodafone network.

But the parties reached an agreement last night which will see Telecom extending its programme installing filters to its new transmitters while putting back the network launch until late May.

Vodafone chief executive Russell Stanners said the agreement was good news for its phone users, who he said had reported call quality problems since Telecom began testing its new transmitters early this year.

Double negativity update

Normal service will resume when the only time not spent at home does not revolve around sleeping and showering.

I suspect - maybe Wednesday night I can elaborate, and "Yes" I am still sworn to secrecy...