Well it is Boxing Day the 26th of December we spent the last two days with Caroline's parents and it is very nice to come home to a house that is freezing.
An electrician has come out twice, but as the fault seems to be in the new meter that is sealed off and owned by the power company he cannot do anything. They will have to come and look at it. we hope it will be some time this year as we have been without heating for a week tomorrow, now
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
FIRE!!!!
Actualy it was a few nights before Christmas the night of the 20th-21st of December....
We were just about to go to bed when we smelled this electical fire smell. And I didn't think much of it, but thought it would be best to check the cabinet with the electricitymeter and the fuseboxes anyway. To my horror we discovered the cable shown above was charcoaled for a good 2 inches.
Our immediate reaction of course was to do a quick mental inventory of which items are worth saving (computer, photos, etc.) and where they were just in case...
then inform the landlord and when he came over he just yanked that cable clear out of the meterbox??!
Lucky for me the electrician of our powercompany came just before 3 AM to say he was unable to fix it that night. I was not amused when I had to go to work that morning. Coming home after work that day I noticed they had replaced the whole meter.......
Unfortunately now every evening at 23.32 exactly, on my watch, we have a power failure and the main fuse trips.
The only way to get the electricity back on is to turn the power off leading to the storage heaters (the white box on the right with all the little switches). We do have some electrical heaters but they are no way near capable of heating the whole house not to mention they are not very cost effective. We were heading not for a white Christmas but a freezing Christmas.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
P.E.T.A. -man
People Enjoying Tasty Animals
Here is a video of Roger Thoma a man who shares my surname and is a crayfishcrazy as well as I am but is from Ohio USA instead of Holland. I learned to know him while I was running my own crayfish site www.CrayfishInHolland.com (no longer existing) His crayfish enthusiasm is more on a professional level not shown in this particular video however =) . Unfortunately I do not have the time to pursue my crayfish enthusiasm at the moment, while I am living here in the UK, although I hope this will change again once we are granted a visa for Australia and we settle down there sometime in 2007? Anyway I think we both enjoy irony as much as we do sharing our name.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Man on the moon
Man on the Moon
After all these years NASA is finally planning to put a permanent base on the moon!!! (BBC News)
I am 29 yrs old and cannot believe that in my life time no (wo-)man has walked on the surface of the moon. Not again since December 1972 that is 34 years ago now, a timespan I cannot comprehent. I know it costs billions of Dollars/Pounds/Euros but I am sure we can all benefit from its scientific discoveries in the long run. All these years I have been wondering. Why? I never thought it was a hoax but....? Why haven't we gone back?
After all these years NASA is finally planning to put a permanent base on the moon!!! (BBC News)
I am 29 yrs old and cannot believe that in my life time no (wo-)man has walked on the surface of the moon. Not again since December 1972 that is 34 years ago now, a timespan I cannot comprehent. I know it costs billions of Dollars/Pounds/Euros but I am sure we can all benefit from its scientific discoveries in the long run. All these years I have been wondering. Why? I never thought it was a hoax but....? Why haven't we gone back?
Great Christmas Idea
Christmas is coming up quickly and that can only mean one dilemma.
What shall I get Caroline this year for Christmas?
Finally I thought of giving Caroline a large canvas print of a picture taken at one of the places we have visited when we were traveling for 10 months through Australia New Zealand and America together. From over two thousand digital photos I narrowed it down to around eight in the end. I couldn't just order any canvasprint as we have to like them both and it is her present after all.
Caroline narrowed those eight down to four. I wanted to give her an A1 size canvas so it wouldnt look lost on the wall but that became an A1 canvas and 1 panoramic in the end. Give her an inch and.... (just kidding).
Rick (the printer) helped us in the end choose from those four pictures which would work best when enlarged. And also informed us to what size enlargement they would still make a nice result. (That's when you realize it was false economy not to make those holiday shots in the highest resolution possible, just because you wanted to save some more space on your memorycard.)
The whole process of ordering went very quick from emailing the initial photos on Sunday evening, getting feedback to ordering them Monday evening and have the A1 in by Wednesday and the panoramic on Thursday. If you shop around you will find that the price isn't too bad either. Therefore I can higly recommend him: Rick's Printshop
Why Sydney?
Hopefuly this will be our home again as soon as our visa come through
sometime in 2007.
What shall I get Caroline this year for Christmas?
Finally I thought of giving Caroline a large canvas print of a picture taken at one of the places we have visited when we were traveling for 10 months through Australia New Zealand and America together. From over two thousand digital photos I narrowed it down to around eight in the end. I couldn't just order any canvasprint as we have to like them both and it is her present after all.
Caroline narrowed those eight down to four. I wanted to give her an A1 size canvas so it wouldnt look lost on the wall but that became an A1 canvas and 1 panoramic in the end. Give her an inch and.... (just kidding).
Rick (the printer) helped us in the end choose from those four pictures which would work best when enlarged. And also informed us to what size enlargement they would still make a nice result. (That's when you realize it was false economy not to make those holiday shots in the highest resolution possible, just because you wanted to save some more space on your memorycard.)
The whole process of ordering went very quick from emailing the initial photos on Sunday evening, getting feedback to ordering them Monday evening and have the A1 in by Wednesday and the panoramic on Thursday. If you shop around you will find that the price isn't too bad either. Therefore I can higly recommend him: Rick's Printshop
In the end Caroline choose these pictures both of Sydney:
Why Sydney?
Hopefuly this will be our home again as soon as our visa come through
sometime in 2007.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Hilarious Prank in Car
| If you're driving home after a bachelor party and your friend falls asleep at the wheel, there's only one sure way to wake him up. | |
Sunday, November 26, 2006
What not to buy from QVC part 1
what not to buy from QVC part 1
I wonder how many ladders they sold?
(although it was clearly operator trouble)
I wonder how many ladders they sold?
(although it was clearly operator trouble)
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Monday, November 20, 2006
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Saturday, November 11, 2006
IELTS
Caroline and I are currently applying for a skilled independent visa in order for us to live and work in Australia. You have to comply with lots of items in order to qualify. One of those items is that I have to prove my English skills by taking an English test as a non-native speaker as I am Dutch. And the way to proof this is through IELTS.
IELTS is the International English Language Testing System. It measures ability to communicate in English across all four language skills – listening, reading, writing and speaking – for people who intend to study or work where English is the language of communication.
I didn't think much of the test as I have accumulated a lot of time in English speaking countries. It counts up to 4 years now where the main language I used was English. I spent approximately a total of 1 1/2 year in the United States (including a year as an exchange student attending the 11th grade at Richland High School) another 10 months in Australia a month in New Zealand and finally I have been living and working here in the UK for the last 18 months.
I found the test to be quite hard in the end. On a Friday I had the speaking test which took about 1/2 an hour. And I was asked various questions. Most of them concerning sports. A subject matter I don't know anything about and therefore probably the right subject for my examiner to choose from to test my English on. My favorite question the examiner asked me was: Do you think there is too much sports on TV? My reply: Not when I am holding the remote.
So far so good I thought..... Then on Saturday I had to get up at 8.00 to be at the school in Oxford by 8.45. I have recently developed severe symptoms of Asthma (mainly coughing). This morning my coughing was to such an extend it made me nausea for the rest of that morning.
After registering etc etc. the tests finally started at 10.00. From 10 o'clock until 13.00 we had the listening, reading and writing all back to back. No breaks in between. I found it quite hard concentrating on the tasks and questions in front of me for that duration.
Also I had doubts with some questions as to how they would have liked to see them answered as I had no training for or experience taking the test. For example we had to read this article about demography. A statement made in the article was the birthrate in Britain in the 60's was higher than the 70's. The question that they had for it was: Were there more babies born in the 60's than in the 70's? Yes, No , Not Given.
The answer I had in my head was, not given as they hadn't put down any exact figures. In the end I did choose Yes because reading the above that may be the logical answer they were looking for.
Anyway overall I thought I did pretty well, but you never know ....... There is always something in the back of your head that says you could have blown it by saying this, giving that answer and so on.
Too my delight I am pleased to announce the following score:
(Initially I thought scores were 1-10 , 10 being the highest they are actualy 1-9, 9 being the highest)
Listening: 8.5 hard to believe for Caroline; just kidding
Reading: 8.0
Speaking: 8.0
Writing: 7.0
Overall Score: 8.0
And I am even more pleased to know this is way above average for most candidates.
IELTS is the International English Language Testing System. It measures ability to communicate in English across all four language skills – listening, reading, writing and speaking – for people who intend to study or work where English is the language of communication.
I didn't think much of the test as I have accumulated a lot of time in English speaking countries. It counts up to 4 years now where the main language I used was English. I spent approximately a total of 1 1/2 year in the United States (including a year as an exchange student attending the 11th grade at Richland High School) another 10 months in Australia a month in New Zealand and finally I have been living and working here in the UK for the last 18 months.
I found the test to be quite hard in the end. On a Friday I had the speaking test which took about 1/2 an hour. And I was asked various questions. Most of them concerning sports. A subject matter I don't know anything about and therefore probably the right subject for my examiner to choose from to test my English on. My favorite question the examiner asked me was: Do you think there is too much sports on TV? My reply: Not when I am holding the remote.
So far so good I thought..... Then on Saturday I had to get up at 8.00 to be at the school in Oxford by 8.45. I have recently developed severe symptoms of Asthma (mainly coughing). This morning my coughing was to such an extend it made me nausea for the rest of that morning.
After registering etc etc. the tests finally started at 10.00. From 10 o'clock until 13.00 we had the listening, reading and writing all back to back. No breaks in between. I found it quite hard concentrating on the tasks and questions in front of me for that duration.
Also I had doubts with some questions as to how they would have liked to see them answered as I had no training for or experience taking the test. For example we had to read this article about demography. A statement made in the article was the birthrate in Britain in the 60's was higher than the 70's. The question that they had for it was: Were there more babies born in the 60's than in the 70's? Yes, No , Not Given.
The answer I had in my head was, not given as they hadn't put down any exact figures. In the end I did choose Yes because reading the above that may be the logical answer they were looking for.
Anyway overall I thought I did pretty well, but you never know ....... There is always something in the back of your head that says you could have blown it by saying this, giving that answer and so on.
Too my delight I am pleased to announce the following score:
(Initially I thought scores were 1-10 , 10 being the highest they are actualy 1-9, 9 being the highest)
Listening: 8.5 hard to believe for Caroline; just kidding
Reading: 8.0
Speaking: 8.0
Writing: 7.0
Overall Score: 8.0
And I am even more pleased to know this is way above average for most candidates.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Lyrebird; Sir David Attenborough
| Lyrebird found in South Australia, can mimic just about any sound they hear. | |
Foggy
It was very foggy here last Tuesday. I took this photo with my mobile at 13.30 walking home for lunch the other day.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Flight Into Mariner Valley
| Flight Into Mariner Valley is an exciting aerial tour of Valles Marineris, the largest, longest, and deepest canyon in the solar system. This narrated and computer-animated movie uses a new, high-resolution image of the canyon to provide hold-your-seat thrills. | |
Thursday, November 02, 2006
How was your halloween?
We 'd only had one trick or treater this year. Which is still more then last year, when we had none. So we gave her 2 chocolates, and we will just have to eat the rest.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Monday, October 23, 2006
Sunday, October 22, 2006
The Amazing Race
Caroline and I are hooked on the Amazing Race at the moment. Wikipedia describes the Amazing race as follows.
Last Friday 20/10/06 we were invited to a corporate blacktie affair by Caroline's work with accomodation arranged for. They had turned it into a whole day event for Caroline and the partners (me) were invited to attend dinner. This meant I had to make my own way to Birmingham. Using my mobile's multimessaging as a blog I decided to turn my journey into an episode of the Amazing Race.
Last Friday 20/10/06 we were invited to a corporate blacktie affair by Caroline's work with accomodation arranged for. They had turned it into a whole day event for Caroline and the partners (me) were invited to attend dinner. This meant I had to make my own way to Birmingham. Using my mobile's multimessaging as a blog I decided to turn my journey into an episode of the Amazing Race.
THE AMAZING RACE
Teams must make their way to this shop in Witney, Oxfordshire. Finding this shop looks easy but might prove to be more difficult then it seems.
.....having arrived at the shop teams must purchase a Euro Lottery ticket with an estimated jackpot of 64.8 million pounds, before receiving their next clue.
With their next clue, teams must now make their way to the Oxford train station, by bus. Although many buses leave Witney for Oxford only one stops at the train station.
Team Thoma (married couple /experienced globetrotters) find themselves stranded in a bus just at the outskirts of Oxford when it suddenly dies on the driver. If teams find themselves stranded because a vehicle malfunctions through no fault of their own, teams may request a replacement vehicle. Fortunately after a few anxious minutes the bus springs back to life. (We timed 5 minutes. Arnie says: 'We lost 30 minutes, this could've cost us the Race' )
Arriving at the train station teams must choose the right ticket counter before receiving their next clue. Each team has been allocated a specific window. If a team fails to choose the right ticket counter, they will have to return to the end of the queue. This can potentially turn into a very time consuming task.
When teams have found the right counter they receive a train ticket to Birmingham International. At Birmingham New Street Station they have to find their last clue at a 'freehouse' before the final pitstop for this leg of the race .
When the teams arrive at Birmingham New Street Station teams will have to transfer trains to go to Birmingham international when doing so they will run into this 'freehouse' named the Shakespeare.
Here teams will have to perform a Roadblock. A Roadblock is a task which only one team member may perform with a maximum of six times during the entire race. In this case order and drink 1/2 a pint of lager within the 5 minutes before the train is due to depart. Again the task seems easy but ordering a drink at a busy bar might cost teams valuable time.
Teams must now continue their journey to Birmingham International. From here they will have to take a taxi....
......to the De vere Belfry the final pitstop for this leg of the race. Last team to arrive will be eliminated......
.....having arrived at the shop teams must purchase a Euro Lottery ticket with an estimated jackpot of 64.8 million pounds, before receiving their next clue.
With their next clue, teams must now make their way to the Oxford train station, by bus. Although many buses leave Witney for Oxford only one stops at the train station.
Team Thoma (married couple /experienced globetrotters) find themselves stranded in a bus just at the outskirts of Oxford when it suddenly dies on the driver. If teams find themselves stranded because a vehicle malfunctions through no fault of their own, teams may request a replacement vehicle. Fortunately after a few anxious minutes the bus springs back to life. (We timed 5 minutes. Arnie says: 'We lost 30 minutes, this could've cost us the Race' )
Arriving at the train station teams must choose the right ticket counter before receiving their next clue. Each team has been allocated a specific window. If a team fails to choose the right ticket counter, they will have to return to the end of the queue. This can potentially turn into a very time consuming task.
When teams have found the right counter they receive a train ticket to Birmingham International. At Birmingham New Street Station they have to find their last clue at a 'freehouse' before the final pitstop for this leg of the race .
When the teams arrive at Birmingham New Street Station teams will have to transfer trains to go to Birmingham international when doing so they will run into this 'freehouse' named the Shakespeare.
Here teams will have to perform a Roadblock. A Roadblock is a task which only one team member may perform with a maximum of six times during the entire race. In this case order and drink 1/2 a pint of lager within the 5 minutes before the train is due to depart. Again the task seems easy but ordering a drink at a busy bar might cost teams valuable time.
Teams must now continue their journey to Birmingham International. From here they will have to take a taxi....
......to the De vere Belfry the final pitstop for this leg of the race. Last team to arrive will be eliminated......
Alive In Johannesburg
| This short by Neill Blomkamp depicts a fictional world where extraterrestrials have become refugees in South Africa. Producers: Neill Blomkamp, Simon Hansen, Sharlto Copley, Shannon Worley. (strange/weird) | |
What does US$17.02 look like?
| He used 1,702 pennies to make a portrait of Lincoln. Sorting the coins took about seven hours, and making the image took just under six. May 2005. | |
Help your mom/wife/girlfriend
| Help your mom/wife/girlfriend out with folding up your laundry. Show her this video. I am sure she will appreciate your help =) | |
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Time to consider a career move
| Remember when you got a McD Happy Meal for washing your dad's car, if you were lucky? If you become the ultimate Car Wash -er like Paul Dolton - The Worlds Best Car Cleaner you can buy yourself and your family a whole lot more for just one carwash. | |
Son, we sold your bike
| Son, for the last time. Stop fooling around with that bike!!! Your mom and I decided to put it on eBay when you broke your arm last week. And they are here to collect it. | |
Jogging
| In our attempt to stay fit and healthy Caroline and I decided to start running.......well fast walking at the moment. Half an hr a day during the week and gradualy working our way up to an hr of full running in a few weeks. After seeing this clip we decided NOT to go for a treadmill. | |
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Drop Bears!!!
| Drop bears are the most dangerous animals of ALL animals in Australia. Forget Sydney Funnelweb Spiders, forget Death Adders, forget Taipans, Tigersnakes, Box Jellyfish. Drop bears are a type of marsupial that fall out of the trees and rip your head clear off. No one really knows what they look like, because everyone that has ever seen them, never lived to tell the tale. | |
Pink Floyd - High Hopes
| High Hopes Music Video I was fortunate enough to see Pink Floyd perform "The Division Bell" live in Texas, USA at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, back in 1994, together with my hostparents (Keith and Kathy). When I was an exchange student and stayed with them for a year while I attended a local High School "Richland High". And just this last year 2006 Caroline and I saw Roger Waters perform "Darkside of the Moon" in Hyde Park, London UK at a music festival Hyde Park Calling 2006. Caroline and I were a bit more centred in comparison, unfortunately at the time I thought more about listening to it, then trying to record it either on my mobilephone or on my digital camera. | |
Underground Nuke Testing
| United States of America; French Polynesia; North Korea.......Soon in a country near you!!! | |
Saturday, October 14, 2006
High speed camera of bullets going through several objects
| Ever wondered what happens when you fire a round into ...an egg? Neither did I but here it is. | |
Friday, October 13, 2006
Our Swedish Chef!!!
Caroline and I are fortunate enough to have our own Swedish Chef.
(made on mobile phone)
Einstein The Parrot
| If they had given him enough time I am sure he would have explained E=mc2. | |
We can always listen to Einstein himself explainig it.
Mp3 located on this site
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Steve Irwin at Australia Zoo; Beerwah Australia
| Steve Irwin - Crocodile Hunter at Australia Zoo. After showing one of Caroline's favourite animals, I think it is only fair to show one of mine. The Crocodile, in this case a saltie. Who better to show you then the late Steve Irwin in his beloved Crocoseum. A place Caroline and I visited seperately just before and just after we met in Brisbane Australia. www.australiazoo.com.au | |
Wombat
| Archie the common wombat at the Coffs Harbour Zoo NSW Australia (this is Emma by the way) | |
Caroline's favourite animal the wombat,
if you like adult wombats, you'd love seeing a baby wombat.
See no evil, hear no evil...
| There is an old Chinese proverb that says: 'See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' the latest amendment to it should be.... tease no evil. unless......you're this Gibbon. | |
The Fish Slapping Dance
| Caroline and I took up dancing recently. Two fellow students are demonstrating our latest moves. | |
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Technorati
I just learned Tecnorati.com has been linking to my blog. I am a bit skeptic as how they found me but nevertheless I will join them. If you can't beat them join them =)
Technorati Profile
Technorati Profile
Monday, October 02, 2006
In the beginning
In the beginning.....there was nothing .....
and then all of a sudden something happened
The start of my very own Blogspot!!!
I'll just have to see how it goes.
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