Monday, November 24, 2008

Thoughtless

It's hard to blog when I'm finding it hard to think straight. Everything has ground to a halt as I wait. Wait for what will happen next.

It might be a great thing. It might be a huge mistake considering how I am and my natural affinity to things familiar. Even when those things hold nothing new for the future.

I guess that's all I have to say for now.

Meanwhile, here's a random Youtube video I stumbled on. I have no idea what the words mean but it was strangely soothing.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

FM2009!!!!!

Sorry. I've been quite busy lately. Not that there's too much to write about anyway. Except for more computer games stuff.

I've been playing FM2009. Let me say that this is THE best PC game to come out this year. This game also has the distinction of being one of the very, very few games that I would buy original.

My FM DVD arrived on Monday evening and I've been playing it like crazy since then.

It's utterly brilliant. The new 3D match engine is fantastic and the new tactical system is both simple and complex at the same time.

I don't have enough words to describe it.

If you're a football fan, buy FM. Seriously.

In other news... There isn't any new news actually. I've been busy preparing for my trip. I had one pleasant surprise. I had planned to buy clothes and things for my trip but as it turns out I already have all those things here at home. Even cold weather gear.

Ok so they're hand-me-downs from my dads more adventurous days but considering how much they cost new these days...

So yeah, the waiting around isn't easy. A lot of crazy thoughts enter your head.

Thank goodness for FM.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Oz

Well, I guess it took more than 24 hours to follow up yesterday's post.

Anyway, I'm going off to work soon. But not offshore.

I'll be leaving for Perth, Australia very soon. Maybe in as little as ten days. I'm going to work on a farm for the next 18 months. Maybe longer if I end up liking it there.

The pay is... quite good. Provided I don't get carried away I could make a hell of a lot of money.

The last few days have been spent doing research and asking around for tips and advise about living in Western Australia.

This is a huuuge deal for me. I've never gone this far away before.

Well, let's just say things will be very different for me very soon. Very, very different.

Today I went to see the placement agency responsible for the trip to hand in my details and paperwork. Things are almost ready and after all the necessary paperwork we are ready to go. There are ten of us in this group. There is a bit of a delay because 7 out of 10 have no passports.

Another thing came up today which could be considered very bad timing. Just as I'm wrapping up the Oz trip, a Radio Operator opening appeared out of nowhere. A pretty good one too from a very reputable offshore services company.

So yeah, unfortunately this caused a bit of a tense moment at home just now. My dad isn't happy at all about me not going to sea. His reason apparently is that it's a waste of all my documents and the courses that I took. I know this. I have plans to pay this back with my Oz job.

Another thing was we got help from a relative for this RO opening. I guess the parental units didn't want to offend them by telling them immediately that I've decided to get another job.

But I have a nagging feeling there is something else behind that. I'm not going to speculate on what it is.

We asked the youngest bro to pick up this job. Hopefully he will move to get it.

That's just the thing isn't it? Such a great moment blemished by bad timing. There you go, me and the dysfunctional unit that is my family...

So why did I decide to go to Oz instead of offshore.

Why wouldn't I go?

Here I have a chance to work in a country I've never been to and earn 300% more than I could if I had stayed in Kuching. Yes, there is that question about cost of living in Perth. I have plans to deal with this. Provided I don't live large this should not be a problem. I'm a very cheap person. Go ask my friends.

The job offer includes accomodation and transport. I have to pay for this out of my pocket but it's not so high.

Minus everything including rent and other stuff I should be bringing home a good amount of cash. Even after all this plus other expenses I put in my calculations, the final number is still more than what I would be making on a rig or a barge.

Plus it's on land and it's not as dangerous. There is no risk of the strawberry/apple/tomato/pear farm going Piper Alpha on my ass.

At the end of the day, the bottom line counts. I'm doing all this for two main reasons. One is money. A lot of it.

Two, is adventure. I'm 35 going on 36 and I haven't really done anything radical or very different.

So after all this at least once in my life I can say that I stepped out and did something with my life...

I hope to God it works out.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Detour

Just as when you think you got everything figured out, life throws in something completely unexpected. You're all set to go down a certain path when suddenly a new one appears out of nowhere.

Usually this is a bad thing. Occasionally, it can be a very good thing. Very good.

I'm talking about work if you are wondering. Something very... interesting is available to me at the moment.

I'll say more when I make my final decision in the next few hours or so. It's not something to be taken lightly.

I've been busy these last few days. Busy gaming.

I've been playing Fallout 3 as I mentioned before. Recently I got my hands on Call of Duty World at War. Nice game but too short. And some parts of it are very infuriating.

I'm also trying out the Football Manager 2009 demo. I love it. I will be buying it for sure when it comes out.

There will be another post coming after this one in less than 24 hours. For sure.

Stay tuned.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Change?

Obama wins. As expected. By me at least.

Ok, this isn't local politics but this is the USA and whether people like it or not whatever happens to USA will affect the whole world.

So, change. What will this do to the rest of the world? Will it help shore up the slowing global economies? This is going to be interesting no?

And I wonder how long will it be before euphoria wears off and his approval ratings drop.

On the home front, nothing's changed yet. I've been spending time playing and finishing Fallout 3 and downloading music. I don't go out much to save on cash. I have enough to live comfortably for awhile but I'm stretching it as much as I can. Doing ok so far.

At the present time, I honestly don't feel like working yet. So I'm not so concerned about getting a new job. I plan to relax and enjoy my free time as much as I can. It's been a long, long time since I've been this free.

I've only applied to a handful of companies so far. I'm planning to widen my search next month.

There's still time before my projected cut off date.

I'm in the midst of change myself. Interesting times...

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Very, Very Busy


...not that there's a lot to write about these days anyway. The seven posts in October would be an indication of that.

A lot of cool games coming out in the next few months.

Anyway in lieu of a proper post here is a song for your entertainment. A little ditty call I Don't Want to Set The World on Fire by The Ink Spots.



...as featured in Fallout 3.

Enjoy.