Wednesday, January 31, 2007

skype

I am sure that i have said this before, but if you have a mic and speakers on your pc, then you can make free calls using 'Skype'
http://www.skype.com
The calls are free if they are only via the net, ie computer to computer. I now use it to call normal phones as well, as the rates are cheap. I call the Philippines(mobile) for 14p, or hong kong for 1p a minute.
I may sound like an advert, but the more people use it, the more people I can call.
I (and most civil servants)have been on strike today. My strike consisted of me messing about on my computer all day! Workers of the world unite!!

Monday, January 29, 2007

It's just a matter of time..

I have to decide now,when to give up on Europe and move back East. I did only ever say, that I would try the UK for 2 years.That 2 years finishes in 5 months!
It's funny how, once you get comfortable, the 'other' becomes a bit scary. When I came here, I wasn't sure if I could settle.
It would be very easy for me to get a mortgage now, and stay in the civil service until I retire.Job security, domesticity,boredom.
That just isn't me though.Yet, now that I have been away for a while, it is Hong kong that scares me a little!
It was great to have those couple of days back in HK over xmas and New Year, and I thought to myself-I must get back. I am lucky enough not to have to worry about visas for us, and I have never had problems getting work, even if it can be erratic.

Teosdee worries about me drinking too much in Hong Kong, and she is right-to a certain extent. I don't drink here, I drink too much there-but this year I was on holiday. I am 35 years old now, and it is time to find a happy medium-or I'll end up as a bloody civil servant for the next 30 years.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

second life




This is a screenshot taken from 'Second Life', a virtual world which is similar to the Sims except all of the people are real and you can get a job, earn money-which can be exchanged for US$ in the real world, and generally live out the rest of your 'real'life if you so choose! It is not quite the matrix, but you get the idea. Check it out, but remember-it is in essence, a game.
http://secondlife.com/

new link for videos

I thought this blog was becoming a bit pic and vid heavy, so I opened a new one, I'll put it in the sidebar later.

http://philippines2007.blogspot.com/

avatar

Yahoo! Avatars

Monday, January 22, 2007

Thursday, January 18, 2007

broken



This was Blackpool today, after the storm.
This is how I see the UK most of the time.An old broken down country with very little of interest.
All of the buildings may not have lost their roofs but the impression is the same. I have been back home for 4 days. The feeling I had on that first day, on my way to work, on the bus, in the cold, a feeling of despair.That feeling may dim as the days go on.
That feeling is only numbed, a necessity, to survive. I consider these my last few months here.It is time to prepare to go home.

persecuted

I sat down to have a smoke in one of my favourite places-Kowloon Park last week, and realised that smoking is not allowed.I met a friend in a bar in Central(Grappas) and realised it was non smoking. I stood outside my office in an 80mph gale today and did not enjoy my smoke.When i finish these duty frees, it really is time to give up-it's just not fun anymore!