My Travels - Highgate Cemetary (October 2012)

I thought about naming this post travels #1 or something to that effect, then I remember having posted about our round the world trip some time ago as a stand-alone post. So we'll keep doing it that way, perhaps just prefixing each with "My Travels - " and leave it at that.

In  October 2012, a couple of months before ASN fucked me royally the first time - yes I allowed them to do it twice. But to be fair, around both rogerings was a period where we made a decent amount of money and lived a nice life in KL. So no regrets ok? Apart from the fact that the thieving arseholes still owe me big-time! Crikey, digressing here. So yes in October 2012, there was an event in London that drew my attention:

I had never been to a fan convention before, and seeing this, with some awesome Star Trek characters (Data and Worf where going to be there too) I just had to do it. So I kicked in the funds, and trekked my way over to the UK.

I'll write about the trip as a whole in another post, but while I was there I had some free time, so I decided to go check out some of London's cooler spots. One of those, that I had read about online before leaving, was Highgate Cemetery. What made it amazing is that it was essentially closed to the public (actually closed completely) for decades, and was almost declared condemned. Public interest and a dedicated group saved it, and now one side of the cemetery is open again. It is simply amazing. The cool part though is that the closed and unrestored other part can be visited, but only by booking a tour, which I did.

Some travel blog posts will be best served by more writing and less reliance on picture, but in this case, I think the opposite is true. So I have selected a heap of photos of my few hours at Highgate, which I will accompany with brief descriptions.

As with many London attractions, Highgate Cemetery is best visited via the Underground.

Within a few minutes of the station is a quaint little hamlet, where I managed to find a cricket-themed pub. A couple of pints and a bite to eat were in order before heading to the cemetery.

Interestingly, the cemetery is a good 10 minute walk from the town area, via a series of beautiful back-streets as shown below. I guess they have made it such so the meandering tourists aren't traipsing past the residents front yards. In any event, it's a lovely amble down to the main attraction.

As mentioned above, the half open to the public is actually a functioning cemetery, and there were a few people in attendance, caring for family graves and paying their respects I assume. The photo below was an interesting scene, with either a family cat joining the visit, or perhaps a local resident!

There is a wonderful mixture of traditional headstones, the more elaborate pieces, and of course mausoleums or crypts - not sure which is the correct term. Below is a prime example. The name caught my attention - Dalziel - that was the surname of my Aunty Chris's second husband Jock. Apparently he was famous for some navigational tool or method. Frankly I thought he was a bit of a wanker, but given the impressive boat he maintained on Sydney Harbour, perhaps he did come from old money, and perhaps this Dalziel family crypt is in some way related to him. Who knows? Alas nobody from that side of the family lives to tell the tale. Unless there are cousins involved. I might have to ask Libby or Louise...

There are truly some striking monuments in this place, and some very beautiful pieces of art.

Even though this half of the cemetery is operating and much of it is restored, there are still many areas that retain their wild, unkempt appearance. It is truly like nothing I have ever seen, and is simply amazing to witness first hand. There is kind of a feeling of reverence present throughout, and I imagine it would be rather spooky as the light fades at the end of the day!

More examples of nature wrestling with mankind's monuments to its own memories. At this point, this silent and sedentary struggle is something of incredible beauty. Fascinating history, and an ever-present subtle feeling of our own inevitable return to the earth.

Once again, simply magnificent views of this overgrown place of the dead. It is quite amazing, and I never, ever tire of looking at these photos. I doubt there is another place like it on Earth.

Ok pilgrims, so now we take things up a notch. This is a photo again from the open section, but check out the orb towards the left side. That ain't no normal orb. It's interesting, orbs were few and far between on this side, but simply abundant on the closed side. I don't know much about these things - are they dust, water blobs, who knows. But this one was kind of unique and very interesting to capture on film. Sorry, need XL for this to do it justice.

As with the earlier cat photo, I wanted to include this one. What a personal tribute! No names, dates or anything for the general public to identify the grave - just a moniker for Mum and Dad. This stood out, among the many and varied tombstones of grandeur, inter-dispersed with the ubiquitous marks of Christian and Catholic passing. Instead of those grand gestures, all we were faced with was a small, simple stone, commemorating Mum and Dad. I liked it.

So from the open side I eventually moved onto the entrance to the closed side, for my pre-booked tour. There were about 20 of us milling around, waiting to get into what promised to be a most amazing, closed section of historical London.

Now these next two photos, both from early on in the closed side, are also presented in XL format - once again because or orbs. This time however, not so much for clarity, but to clearly display the sheer number of orbs present here. Given there is no climate difference to the open side, I wonder why so many photos here are so orb-ridden?

Ok, so back to the normal photos. These next two showcase some of the grandeur of these gravesites, with their elaborate sarcophagi and attending statues. In many ways, these offerings are quite majestic;

So that pretty much covers the basic offerings of Highgate Cemetery. One could go into far more detail, particularly with family histories and such, and of course local folklore, which abounds. But for me it was the unmatched atmosphere of the place. I felt instantly transported back in time, and free to wander the memories of yesteryear. It is truly a unique and wonderful experience, and I highly recommend it to anyone - just be sure to book in advance so you can visit the closed section.

Footnote: I put most of the photos in this post in large rather than my usual extra-large size. I figured I'd do that because otherwise this post would be bigger than the rest of the blog put together! It'll be interesting to see what difference that makes in terms of presentation. I'd ask my readers, if I frigging had any haha!

My Family History - Part 5 - Cousin Phil

My cousin Phil - eldest son of Uncle Ted and Aunty Jan, both sadly deceased - has been close to my family for a long time. He is a clever man - a journalist - and an avid writer. In fact he has penned a few memoirs over the years, as well as books of poetry, and his many articles in Brisbane's media.

Phil romanticises his early life in Hong Kong in the 60's - it is a massive part of who he is, and how he sees the world. The fact that my family (pre-my time as I only came along later) was there at the same time, means that there are many shared memories. Plus I know Phil had and has a significant amount of devotion towards my father.

As life has gone on, Phil has put a whole lot of effort into putting the Brown's journey - particularly in SEA - into print, and my family has been a significant part of that, at least in terms of what has resulted on paper. Phil was devoted to my dad, and my dad to him. There were issues there, between the two families, that may or may not have been spoken about so much. But nevertheless, and perhaps because of that, Phil made a big effort to be a part of my parents life, especially after dear old Uncle Ted had passed on. Another couple of cousins - Libby and Louise (by marriage) - have also in recent years contributed significantly to the recording of the Brown's history. I have recently made contact with both, and look forward to getting to know them again.

The two photos below are of Phil first with my dad, and then with my eldest brother Mick, both of whom are now sadly enjoying celestial dim sum in the afterlife.

As you can see, Phil is a heck of a character, albeit a neurotic one. He has a fantastic wife and a now-grown son, and I have seen none of them in 10 years. Alas the last time we met I was not in a good place, and I am sorry they had to see that. But, life goes on. I don't believe everything happens for a reason, but happen it did. My side of the story is a private one, so people will have to believe what they may. Nevertheless, my behaviour wasn't the best, and I regret putting a downer on their visit to KL that year.

Luckily though, life provides many opportunities, both to fuck up and excel, and I am pleased that I have many fond memories of Phil and his family. From the early days when I accompanied him on a tour of his old HK hangouts, to a visit to Singapore in the mid-80's, and then a number of catch-ups from 2007-2008 when I was living in Brisbane. I was pleased to find the photo below, of us enjoying yum cha one day with one of Phil's old friends. I believe he is an old cricketer, but for the life of me I can't remember his name. Phil if you ever read this blog, please let me know!

It was after Phil's visit to Singapore, that he started sending me books. One of those is shown below - 50 Incredible Cricket Matches - and whilst I had already developed an interest in the sport, Phil's generous provision of numerous cricket books to me from across the waves, certainly had a major impact in turning my interest into a lifelong obsession. Thanks Phil! I still have this book and still enjoy flicking through it to celebrate some of the matches of yore.

Apart from books Phil has sent to me over the years - and I do recall sending him a couple at one point, following a discussion on our respective spiritual journeys at that time - I have enjoyed reading his own works. The last book of Phil's - The Kowloon Kid - in my opinion, is his best. His most well-written, and well-edited. Some fucktard on Goodreads criticised it for being too self-absorbed. I had to laugh, before I condemned said critic to hellfire and brimstone, because hey, it's a fucking memoir. If it's not self-absorbed then it's not doing the job right? Stupid prick.

Sorry for my appalling language, but you know what? It's my fucking blog, so if you don't like it, bad luck for you old cob. Anyway, I digress. Phil's latest book is superb. Here's a shot of the cover below:

It brought back some wonderful memories, and gave me an insight into Brown family life - including my own - in what is all of our favourite nostalgic destination - Hong Kong.

I have been scouring for photos of some of Phil's visits to us in HK and Sing, but can't find any at this point. Hence the need for a photo organisation project. So for now, I'll sign off on this one. Thanks Phil, I admire you mate, and have enjoyed our relationship over the years. Looking forward to the next yum cha!

NBN or NBSN

So I decided to write this post because in some ways, Australia fucking shits me. Why? Well yes we are the lucky country. That phrase was coined back in the 1960's by Donald Horne. He thought he was experiencing the death of the lucky country at that time. You poor bastard, look at us now! Frankly, in many ways I feel that we have not developed one fucking iota since then. What a slow, painful, managed-by-fuckwits-of-the-Bill-Shortern-mold kind of death. We are run by either old-money conservatives or left-wing don't-live-in-reality-and-don't-give-a-fuck lefties, who only care about votes and spending money to look good. We had a period, during the 90's when John Howard's Liberal government, actually gave this country a fighting chance of being at the pointy end of the stick, and for its inhabitants to become comfortable, if not necessarily wealthy. This followed on by great work done by Hawke and Keating - the only Labor government in my opinion to not be shit. Sadly, as usual for Australia and many democracies, the voters wanted a change, they liked funky Kevin Rudd more than ageing John Howard, and voted - mainly unknowingly - for economic disaster. Due to the now in-vogue practice of political-infighting and leader-ousting, we have not recovered since. I do, as a footnote, have some hope for ScoMo though. Time will tell.

One of Mr Rudd's numerous actions - and yes some of them were pretty good, particularly the apology - was to propose and put into action, The National Broadband Network, or NBN. What he should have done was to announce a public burning of $20 billion in cash and sell tickets to the event. I reckon the nation would have been better off financially as a result.

So my saving grace for this blog is that nobody at all reads it. So I am saved the hate mail. I will likely say a few things here that piss a few people off, maybe everyone at some point! Fuck it, it's my blog!

Australia is the 55th largest country in the world in terms of population, and we are currently the 61st country in the world in terms of broadband speed. This is a ranking that has changed little over the last 10 years. And let me tell you, after visiting a number of the countries higher on the list, Australia's internet performance is noticeably poorer.

The NBN was put forward as Australia's modern solution to integrating to 21st Century connectivity in 2007. I do understand that Australia is a massive country, with a relatively small population, so these kinds of nation-wide ambitions for development are not easy. The cost of infrastructure is high, particularly the labour component, because trade unions have and continue to try and play Robin Hood without a care for the economic consequences, and our viability to compete in global markets.

The real problem is though, that due to our size and our inability to complete major projects at the speed of someone like Hong Kong, by the time this NBN is completely rolled out, it's going to be obsolete technology. They are now talking that the new 5G networks are going to be able to provide world's-best internet speeds at cheap prices. If those prices can compete with NBN prices - and for me that's all about unlimited data, then goodbye me ever having a broadband account again. So given we've really only just started seeing the NBN get to any decent stage of completion, we have missed the boat. And our strategists should have seen this coming - this project should not have happened, not to this degree anyway. It's another case of buying votes by giving the average mug punter what at face value appears to be a huge investment in the future. Ok, maybe nobody could have predicted 5G and the like, but there are a lot more smarter people than me out there, so I'm betting that they did.

Anyway, that's my rant for the day. The National Bullshit Network. Take your $20 billion and run!

The Wolf

Specifically the quote "well, let's not start sucking each other's dicks quite yet". That has reference here. WTF I hear you read? Haha, well go watch Pulp Fiction again.

So, today I moved on from yesterday's phone interview to a request for a site visit back in Australia next week for Round 2. To meet the team in person, and particularly, the MD. It's a family owned business, 107 years and counting, and a key role they are seeking to fill. I think I fit the bill. I would certainly bring a host of skills and experience that could add benefit. Plus, it would give me stability, longevity (assuming I perform) and see me home each night.

That, dear readers, ticks all the motherfuckin' boxes, thank-you very much.

But, as I started with, we'll now quote The Wolf and not get too far ahead of ourselves. I don't have an offer in my hot little hand just yet. But it is a very positive development. Oh. Yeah. Baby.

Hotel Miramar

This is a bit of an odd post. I had a flashback pop into my mind the other day, regarding either the lobby or the basement of what I recall as The Miramar, on Nathan Road in Hong Kong. We're talking Nathan Road of the 1979-1985 era quite specifically. Here's a pic of it from just before that era below.

So I asked my journo cousin Phil about it (he of The Kowloon Kid fame), and he thought there was little importance of this place attached to our family, even though he remembered the place. I seem to remember going in there on a fairly frequent basis. To me, it always had a fairly darkened entrance/lobby, with lots of glass. Maybe we ate there? Anyway, I kept digging and came across this website - www.gwulo.com and was super impressed! It's a site about old HK specifically and has an amazing amount of content (although Phil says some of the data about our family is not correct). Definitely worth checking out if you're an old Hong Kong tragic, like Phil and me.

Anyway, I soon found reference to something in the basement of the hotel, but not attached to the hotel itself -The Miramar Arcade. Wow, that one resonated with me. But do you think I could find anything specific? Nada. So I was left wondering. The fact that the old hotel complex was demolished some time ago reminded me of the Hotel Equatorial in KL - I stayed there in the late 90's with a mate while on the way to Vietnam, and during the early days of my Penjom venture, stayed there often. I took a break from it when my now wife and I frequented The Westin instead for a while, as well as living in Lipis. So lo and behold, when I decided to venture back to the Equatorial and found it no longer existed, I was a bit shocked!.

So, not really being satisfied with what I'd found out so far, I went to that other huge deposition of old-Brown-story facts - my mother! She informed me that yes, we did venture to the Miramar basement from time to time, for dinners she thought. That SMS from her triggered another memory - I am pretty sure the memories I have of that place are of us as a family, having Korean BBQ there. I know that my childhood involved that meal, but I never knew where it eventuated. I could be wrong (family, please step in if you know better) but that's what I reckon it was all about.

Anyway, this was one of those flashback posts. It might resonate with some, might be utter nonsense to others. But hey, I call it as I see it. If, in the fullness of time, other family members read these posts, hopefully some additional information can contribute to their completeness. In the meantime, thanks for reading...

Top 40 Songs of All Time #6 Part 2

Farking hell. How am I going to rank these? I only have 40 to go on so far, with about 80 songs reviewed altogether. That's out of the roughly 1,500 I have, and probably another 1,000 to go on top of that.

So at this rate, I might have a Top 40 to play at my damn funeral. That's not what I envisaged. So we need to have another look at this. This is what I'm thinking. I am going to start with the song at the bottom of the list and rate it against songs above it. When it hits one it is not better than, it stops there. That may not be perfect, but I think it's a reasonable way to go right now. So, on that basis, first cab off the rank is: Take On Me - Aha.

Ok so that system is fucked from the word go. Yep, Take On Me beat the song above it - Who Made Who - but ran into a roadblock with Down Under. The problem is, if Down Under moves up the list when it does it's thing, Take On Me can't go with it, as it would need to also be assessed against the songs it passes on the way up. So let's change this. We go from the top down. This is hard, damn hard. But I'll give it a go.

Current #1 is When I Grow Up - Garbage.

Wow, so that changed quickly. It came up against Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds. And lost. Then against. Are You Still Having Fun - Eagle Eye Cherry. And lost.

So then AYSHF against DYFAM. The 80's song triumphed. Simple Minds on top of the 40, for now at least. Next on the list is Galvanised - The Chemical Brothers. A super song, but for me it doesn't trump Garbage. So the Top 4 remains, for now.

Next is Do You See What I See - Hunters&Collectors. Ok, that's going to smash Galvanise, and frankly make a fairly decent run for the title. I'll pause and have a listen...

1	Don't You Forget About Me	Simple Minds	1985
2	Are You Still Having Fun	Eagle Eye Cherry	2000
3	Do You See What I See	Hunters & Collectors	1987
4	When I Grow Up	Garbage	1998
5	Galvanise	The Chemical Brothers	2005

So there's our initial Top 5. That took a fair bit of work to get to. I'd like to think I can approach this parcel by parcel, but frankly, that isn't the case. It's going to have to continue to go song by song, with each one pitching itself against the existing hierarchy, and either supplanting one of them, or settling into the next position on the list. Let's have a crack with another five songs;

New Sensation vs. Galvanise - New Sensation win.
New Sensation vs. When I Grow Up - New Sensation win.
New Sensation vs. Do You See What I See - DYSWIS win. NS sits at #4.
David vs. Galvanise - David win.
David vs. WIGU - David win.
David vs. New Sensation - David win.
David vs. DYSWIS - DYSWIS win. David sits at #4. Top 3 proving hard to crack.
Just A Girl vs. Galvanise - JAG win.
Just A Girl vs. WIGU - JAG win.
JAG vs. New Sensation - NS win.
One Night In Bangkok (Vinyl Shakerz) vs. Galvanise - ONIB win.
ONIB vs. WIGU - WIGU win.

So, up until now we've seen a few moves on the list. My diverse tastes in music are coming to the fore, in David and the new version of One Night In Bangkok pushing a few others down the charts. But some of the classics are holding strong. It's interesting, as it is difficult to be objective in personal choice in music. Why? Well music can be very emotionally driven, at least in terms of what we want to listen to; while driving, while alone, while drunk, while working, who knows. It's not an easy choice to rank one song against another for all time. Nevertheless, we shall attempt it!

This next song is going to ruffle a few feathers I imagine. I always love it when it pops up on the old iPod. Introducing....

Take A Long Line vs. Galvanise - TALL win.
TALL vs. ONIB - TALL win.
TALL vs. WIGU - TALL win.
TALL vs. New Sensation - TALL win.
TALL vs. David - David win.

1	Don't You Forget About Me	Simple Minds	1985
2	Are You Still Having Fun	Eagle Eye Cherry	2000
3	Do You See What I See	Hunters & Collectors	1987
4	DAVID	Gusgus	2003
5	Take A Long Line	The Angels	1978
6	New Sensation	INXS	1987
7	Just A Girl	No Doubt	1995
8	When I Grow Up	Garbage	1998
9	One Night In Bangkok	Vinyl Shakerz	2006
10	Galvanise	The Chemical Brothers	2005

So there sits my initial Top 10. Fucking hell this is not easy, and I know for a fact that virtually none of these are safe in terms of likely being in the final Top 10. I suspect most of them will make the Top 40 cut, but then again who knows!

So I reckon I need to keep this frigging song vs. song going until the Top 40 initial version is established. Then I can keep doing groups of 10 or 20 new songs, and exploring how they fit. The way I am doing it now, the videos and songs are introduced, then the maths and such comes later, which is a disconnect I don't like. So Part #7 is going to be the next 10 in the Top 40, or maybe the next 20. We'll get there. Anyone who has read until now, fucking good on you my friend! It's worth the effort, I have wanted to do this for bloody years. Righto, next episode coming soon....


Location chosen based on where I was living when the current #1 was in that position on the world charts. Clementi Park, Singapore.

A Tale of Two Singapores

So over the last few days I found myself in Singapore. Well, it wasn't as if I just woke up there and said WTF am I doing here? I had to leave Malaysia on a visa run. The term visa run makes it sound like I am doing something illegal, and who knows, maybe I am. But the fact is that wifey and the knucks are all Malaysian citizens, so they are happily living here as locals. Me on the other hand, well without a work permit, I need to be a tourist, and leave every 90 days. In the ASN days that was a bit more of an issue, but I'm not going to say to much about that in the public space!

Anyway, so I had in mind that I wanted an American BBQ experience, and had honed in on a place called Decker BBQ. It was also close to an Aussie sports bar (Boomarang), and close to Chinatown, where I planned to explore and do some shopping. So I ended up picking a hotel in the area called Studio M. You can read my reviews on the Trip Advisor page, a link to which is on the homepage here. But I want to talk about a couple of very contrasting Singapore experiences, which I think provides a poignant reflection on the cultural situation on the island nation as a whole. At least in my experience.

So below is a photo of the "loft" hotel room at Studio M. Shame on you booking.com, I had no idea I had actually booked this style of room - it wasn't mentioned on the front page, and frankly, on the second page when 80,000 options are presented, I just go for the cheapest and go ok - I have already made up my mind at this point, so the extra step is meaningless to me. Alas in this instance, I should have looked a bit more closely, because the loft experience was, frankly, shithouse.

image from milleniumhotels.com

A lot of the detail of why is in my Trip Advisor review, but to put it bluntly, consumer comfort was put in second place, behind the need to be chic, unique, funky and providing a hipster selling point to the hotel. Of course it also has all the usual mod-cons of any hotel room, but because most of the space is taken up by the loft and the stairs, it ends up trying to be something to everyone, but ultimately ends up pleasing nobody.

Just to point out the key issue to me is that the toilet is so small that anyone who is a little on the bigger side or has any kind of disability, would seriously struggle. Add to that the fact that the fucking toilet door is a weapon and slams shut when let go, I seriously hated it. The bathroom is not much better. You have to get in, close the door, turn the shower head to the wall, and then turn it on, to avoid getting sprayed with cold water immediately while it warms up.

Then there's the curtains. To open and close them you have to walk along your mattress. Ok, it can be done, but is it a logical method? To me no. So everything about this fucking loft room is loft first, and lets fit everything else in as best we can. What do I say to that? Fuck you. I won't be back. Funky is good, but that's not why I choose a hotel room.

So Studio M can be written off the list for me, but it's kind of symptomatic of modern Singapore. We need to be hip, upbeat, super modern, and techno-jizzed up. That all comes with a price, and for most of the modern areas of Sing, well bring your bloody credit card. Hey that reminds me, there are no fucking ATM's within cooee of Studio M. What a pain in the arse. I know the modern world is moving away from cash, but newsflash motherfuckers - we're not there yet!

image from thefinder.com.sg

That next photo is a street shot from Chinatown, a quick 10 minutes walk from hipster-ville. Sorry, I know it's not great quality, but I couldn't be bothered uploading more shots from my phone (I wanted to write this tidbit while it was still fresh in my addled mind). It conveys the message anyway. And that message is, character, a bit of old-school and something that conveys an image of Singapore's roots. I love the variety, the colour, the individuality, the familiarity with times gone by. Hey I know the world is moving on, I know cities are growing and modern. I know Singapore is a blend of east and west and one of the pinnacles of development in SE Asia, but still, it's where you still see the blend of the old and the new that I believe it delivers its real charm. And Chinatown is a place where this still happens. That is, I believe, why it is so popular with tourists. I love wandering the streets, seeing all the different foods on offer, the quirky bars, the fabric shops, the tailors where they chase you down the street looking for your custom, the clothes, the toys, you name it. It's a great experience.

Further to all the above, below is a shot of the Chinatown Point mall. I went there for two reasons. Firstly, the Singapore Mint has a shop there. And yep, they have some absolutely beautiful gold and silver pieces. But FARK, the prices are unbelievable. I expect to pay somewhat of a premium, particularly for numismatics as opposed to straight bullion, but what was being asked for here was ridiculous - 5-10 x the spot price for silver anyway. Too much, way too much. Regardless, I enjoyed wandering the aisles and loved seeing so many beautiful pieces in person. Secondly, there was an LCS there too - a local coin shop. But the silly bastard running it only opens at 11.30am, which was when I went for lunch. When I returned at noon he was on a break. Now seriously, who TF does that? So I ended up leaving the mall without making a purchase. I ended up finding a LCS on the way back to Robertson Quay - a really nondescript joint, but so much cheaper and old-school than the mint shop, so I grabbed a couple of things, and loved the experience there. I'll post on it elsewhere.

image from dreamstime.com

So there we go, my tale of two Singapores. One part, clinging onto its roots, a beautiful and comforting blend of the old and the new - a reality present in many Asian cities, Hong Kong being a prime example. I don't apologise for my stance. I admit I am trying to channel some of the 80's when I visit either HK or Sing, as that was my contemporary period in both places, so in Sing at least, Chinatown provides that contrast, that blend of modernity along with a flashback to the past. The other part, modern to the nth degree, pushing boundaries in an attempt to stand out and grab a greater share of the hipster market. Yeah it's cool, but it ain't me. I do like Singapore, but next time I'm going to find a hotel in Chinatown, and stay there. I can travel to my Aussie sportsbars if needs be, but otherwise I'll be content to wander the side-streets, look for interesting and tasty local foods, check out quirky stores, and enjoy that feeling of nostalgia, mixed with the comfort that modern Singapore provides. It's a truly remarkable country, I just hope it digs in and holds onto its roots, in favour of developing everything.

Retiring Early - Part 2

So further to my initial post on retiring early, I came across an article today that inspired me. But first, a side comment:

For those that use iPads, I strongly recommend that you spend the time to customise the News app to your interests. It take a while for it to adapt, but when it does, it is a truly rewarding and interesting experience to read the news each day. I still read mainstream news too, but now I get my daily fill of sports, metal, Star Wars/Trek, paranormal, you name it. Usually, most of those fringe topics would get drowned out in mainstream news, if not ignored altogether. I honestly sometimes spend a good hour or more scrolling through the feed, and always find many fascinating and enjoyable articles.

Ok, so back to the main topic. Needless to say, the News app is where I found this article. It was by a guy who has his own blog:

Good Financial Cents

He was talking about the need to have multiple income streams if you really want to be both financially secure and free in this modern world. As a person who has had a long and fruitful professional career as an engineer, but who has also endured a couple of periods of unemployment and hardship, I can relate.

Frankly, some of the content of the article is beyond me: he is clearly a well-established and well-known guru, and as such he can use his celebrity to get media deals, to do online courses that people will buy, that kind of thing. But it still inspired me. He makes good money from his blog. Of course his blog looks like a website, compared to mine that looks like, well, a blog. But I suspect that's where it all begins. The design is a 1%'er I believe - what will get people talking about your blog is the content.

So given that this guy's multiple income streams came from his job, his consulting business, his blog, his online training and his media deals, I know need to ask myself this question: How have I ever made money? Well, interestingly, the answers are more varied than I was expecting:

Full-time employment - obviously as an engineer, this one tops the list. I have over 25 years experience in my field, mostly in full-time employment. It is during these periods that I have both made the most money in terms of salary, but also in terms of benefits - I have only ever been awarded benefits/bonuses twice, but together, they amount to almost $300k. So absolutely massive in the overall scheme of things.

Contracting/Consulting - this was a period from 2012-2016 and also right now (albeit in a much more underwhelming fashion) when I was working on a few different projects. At its peak, it was pretty damn good - some awesome work on a burgeoning cement project in Kelantan and re-development work on a nickel project on remote Wetar Island, Indonesia. But apart from the first year or so, it was inconsistent, and frankly I was unprepared for the downturn. That downturn, adding in my major client owing me a SHITLOAD of money still, lead to us having to return to Oz in 2016.

Making interest on investments - I have made money this way, but frankly we're only probably talking about a couple of grand total in my life to date. Clearly getting this number higher is part of potentially becoming a passive income person. But obviously, this requires a BIG amount of capital invested to make the returns anything that could potentially resemble an income.

Making profit on selling investments - frankly, this is a shit category, I don't know why it's here. Yes I have sold some shares and made a quid. However the amount of money I have tanked on failed investments puts that positive aspect well into the shade. I am no expert, and if you are reading this for financial insight, I strongly suggest you go elsewhere. Why? Well, because I believe the current financial system is failing, and is going to absolutely go belly up within the next few years. So I am investing now in things like bullion and cash. Cash only to get quick access, but bullion because history says it's the safest long-term investment. Who knows. I just know that I have lost 10's of thousands of dollars on the stockmarket over the years, so fuck. that.

Making money on dividends - a bit like interest, yes I have made money on dividends, but not enough to really even warrant inclusion on this list. Still it's there.

The punt - this is an interesting one. I imagine that overall I am about even on the punt, but it's hard to tell. I do believe that is has potential, if I can ever put together a system that takes advantage of the fact that you can put some science into sports betting.I have made 1000's on some bets, and lost a few 100's on others. I am still working on my system. If I can be disciplined enough to follow it long-term, it will be interesting to see if I can join the ranks of professional punters. Highly unlikely, but I am damn good with maths and statistics, so it's not impossible. Self-discipline is where I let myself down in this regard.

Gambling - yes yes, I hear the naysayers already. Go get a big black dog up ya ok. I, like millions of others, like to play Lotto on a fairly regular basis. I understand the odds, and the fact I have had a 4 grand result once back in 2013, means that statistically, I am probably unlikely to win again. But the maths gods tell me the odds reset with every single draw. There is an interesting paradox that suggests that winning numbers are not repeatable as much as non-winning ones, but that's just nonsense. So let's say it's ok to throw a couple of bucks at this, but never with any anticipation of winning.

So, apart from my mining career, so far I haven't made any money worth talking about from other ventures. In fact it's fair to say that if it's non-mining, I have generally lost money at it rather than made any! But does this need to be my be-all and end-all? 2016-2018 showed I can turn my hand at another trade and do well - I was damn good at flipping burgers and selling Lotto. Frankly, I was satisfied with the work of running the family business with my sister and her husband, it just didn't make money. Sadly, small business in Australia is fairly fucked, especially when said business needs to compete against any of the big boys. Throw in ageing infrastructure and an ageing commodity, such as newsagency, and you're staring at a hard road.

So clearly I am in the throes of finding myself a new mining job. Hopefully one this time that will provide longevity, assuming of course that I am mature enough to adopt a longer-term perspective. I think I am. I have been yearning for it for some time now, and am ready to give my all to a new employer, hopefully for the rest of my career. But, is there anything else? What else am I good at? What else could I do that perhaps someone might be willing to pay for? Let's list out a few potentials:

1) Freelance writing - look, I know I can write. I will never forget Darcel's words in English class in 1990 saying "this is the best essay I have ever read" about something I wrote about Happiness. Note to self - still need to get a damn copy of that!!! I don't think I am ever going to make money from this blog - it's too personal and too varying in content to appeal to enough people I imagine. But, the fact remains that I can write, and this guys blog above talks about websites where you can offer your services. I need to look that up.

2) Online consulting - I was recently approached by Gerson Lehmann Group to consult to one of their investor clients. I had a one hour conversation with a few guys in HK and made US$200 for my efforts. Wow! I thought at the time, look at me being paid to consult for a big global firm. They have approached me twice since, but neither topic I felt I was expertly qualified for. This one may well be a great little source of additional income for someone who is recently retired, but frankly it's never going to pay the bills. Still, good to keep going as a small drip feed income option.

3) Mining training courses - I am no expert on current use of software these days, but I do have a lot of knowledge. What made me think of this was an example from the blog mentioned earlier here, and also an experience from Penjom. I put together a tutorial on One Note for how to design batter blasts in open-cut mines. One of our senior engineers thought it was awesome. I never got the chance to do more, but perhaps I could? And then post them for fairly cheap prices for engineers looking for tips. You'd only need to sell a couple for people to show an interest in your work.

4) Punting - well as described above, this is something I have been pursuing for years, with limited success. Now that I think of it, maybe I should go back to the old days and review my data when I was trying to get lots of action. Perhaps that same data could be made to work for me in helping to fine tune the aspects of horse racing that make more of a difference in the long run. Who knows. I just know I need my trials to show consistency over a few months, and then maybe we can think about a live run.


5) Cooking - so I'm thinking about things I am good at, and cooking is one of them. I don't say I am an expert, but I think I do ok. And frankly, one of my favourite channels on YouTube - Greg's Kitchen - he is an amateur cook at best, but he does it with panache and makes it fun. I can do that. Maybe I should. It's worth a try, especially being a multi-cultural family, who can appeal to a wide variety of folk. I have proven it with the chicken wings recipe over the years - I've had Poms, Aussies, South Africans, Malaysians, Indonesians, Canadians, and no doubt one or two others gush praise for that recipe (thanks Mum, thanks Pete!).

6) Tutoring - this is an interesting one. Way back when, in 1991, when at uni, I enrolled to be a tutor. I didn't last long as both my clients, being teenage girls, felt that tutoring in other activities was also a good idea. Haha, far out, young me was so naive. So I ran away. But the fact remains that I was good at it, and with my recent homeschool experience, maybe I can do a bit of tutoring in my spare time. It is worth considering as an additional income option. It ain't passive by any means, but it's still interesting.

So there you go. I'm going to give freelance writing a serious bit of investigation in the coming week, as I continue to look for full-time work. Apart from that, maybe I can offer my services as a local tutor of English? It's an interesting thought. The fact is, there are many ways one can make a few bucks. Maybe few of them can make a lot of money, but altogether, it can make a difference. But managing one's time, especially when family is involved, is a challenge, and something to keep in mind. Anyway, let's see where this leads.

Homeschool

So, since we've been in Malaysia this time around, we've been staying in the in-laws house. Whilst this has been bloody good from a financial perspective - while I seek new employment - it has presented a challenge for the kids. All the schools around here do not teach in English. Look this might be ok for a longer-term commitment - we could overcome that with some additional resources thrown in, working with the school, etc. However, in this case, we intend for this to be a fairly short-term situation. So, the decision was made that while we are here, we would homeschool the two oldest kids; Lala and B. Plus we'd try to introduce babs to some basic ABC's and 123's too.

It's not an easy task to accomplish. For one, neither wifey or I are teachers, and two, we have no idea of how to establish a curriculum, run a classroom, do assessments, plan lessons, all that kind of stuff. So we went to some local bookstores to get some workbooks that cover the basics - maths, reading and writing in particular. There were some great resources, but some pretty crappy ones too. Frankly a lot of the local source material that in English is not that good. However the stuff that comes from Singapore is a lot more closely aligned to Australia, so we went with that.

It was still very intensive though - in terms of adult effort required - and a bit boring for the kids. I wanted to introduce some more flavour into their education, so I decided to go to what I consider the best bookshop in Malaysia, and quite possibly, the entire world - Kinokuniya. Anyone who loves books no doubt has their favourite place to buy, but seriously, if you haven't been there and are a book lover, you need to go. I could spend hours and thousands of bucks in there! It's so beautifully laid out, and with such great variety. What a magical place. Anyway, there I found books from the American system. I'm not well-versed on their system, but what they could provide for the knucks was simply awesome. These snaps are from amazon.com.

What they consist of is a whole variety of interesting worksheets. Colourful, full of pictures, and lots of fun for the kids. They also cover a host of topics, and complement our own already introduced topics very well. Plus both of them are avid Minecrafters, so the second book is seen more as fun than study (haha, well mostly anyway). As well as these, we have Kumon maths worksheets, some advanced comprehension and maths books for Lala, and alphabet and phonetics for B. We also have a pre-school Brain Quest book for Babs, with some nice colourful exercises in there for him to keep learning the basics.

We do this 6 days per week, for varying time-frames. Maximum is three solid hours of work. It may not be considered enough, but given that we cover P.E. and other more social topics outside the classroom, I think it's adequate. Of course the proof will be in the pudding, when we do finally move to our next location and enrol them in school proper again. Fingers crossed they're keeping up. I think they are largely. There are online resources to use to assess this, particularly in Australia, so if we are here more than another month or so, I'll start that process. It's also worth mentioning that they go to Kumon class locally twice per week. This class teaches them to take already known maths concepts, and become experts in using them. Right now it's addition only, and they have both moved ahead in leaps and strides, especially B. But Lala has also been rated at the top of her age group.

I guess the other aspect of homeschooling that needs to be mentioned is that it is not easy, not on anyone. We have days where everything goes well, everyone is attentive and productive, and we all pat each other on the back. We also have days where I end up being more of a military drill instructor, and I have to get very stern in order to keep things moving. Sometimes than ends up in tears for one or both of them, mostly B. Sometimes I am too harsh on him, and I admit I have even insulted him when he becomes a stunned mullet. He's 6, it's my fault that happens, not his. Yeah, sometimes he tightens up when he is stressed. But we always sit down and discuss it, and we always end up having a hug or high five. The missus does help too, especially with reading for B, and is a great calming influence. It has been a huge learning process for me, as well as both kids. But when I ask them, they both love home school! They don't like me pushing too hard, but it's too easy for kids to slack off in the home environment, especially when they're together. So I push, and keep pushing, all the while trying to show more empathy, and encouragement. I think we're getting there. I love them so much, these little troopers, and very, very clever children.

We will come out of this situation as better people I am sure. I am learning a lot from my kids :)

Treasure Hunting Malaysia - Part 2

Right, so hot on the heels of the first instalment - so much so that I haven't actually done any treasure hunting as yet - is the next lot of interesting and compelling information I have found on looking for old stuff, coins etc, here in Malaysia. It actually came to me on a platform I have not used in years, but apparently is still providing solid information to people on the topics that interest them - Pinterest.

I was seeking out maps of old Malaysia and old KL in particular. And in my Google search came a reference to a Pinterest search. Not sure how that all works, but ultimately I'm glad it did. Because now I get notified whenever anyone pins an historic map. Albeit most of these may be in other places in the world, but in any event, I enjoy looking at them, and once in a while, one that suits my treasure hunting aspirations might just show up.

The next few pics show various old maps of the KL area, and in different scales. All show a few spots that look interesting - buildings, schools, parks, barracks, etc. Particularly interesting are things like Lake Garden, which has obviously been around a long time!

 skyscrapercity.com

etsy.com

i654.photobucket.com

If we're still here once I am employed or financial again, I'll be printing some A3 or even maybe up to A0 copies of these, to cut into sections and put on my clipboard for some fieldwork. The missus actually green-lighted me to buy a basic metal detector the other day, so I can take the kids out for something other than classroom work. I'm not yet convinced about that, but we'll see. 

I have recently subscribed to Pinterest again, as that's where these maps all seem to come from. There are some wonderful examples of colonial era maps, both here and elsewhere. But what makes the above maps special is the detail of the various parts of the city. Most of the old maps are on country-scale, so not much good for localised treasure hunting. I got a pin suggestion for Old Subang Airport today - the international airport for KL before KLIA. It is still in use, so I'd probably find it difficult to do any detecting there. Still, it prompted another question - as it opened in 1961, where was KL's airport before then? Likely it has been re-developed, but if any of it - particularly the areas where passengers would be - is still open ground, it would be a bloody interesting place to have a look. I'm going to see what I can find out.....

Footnote: So further to the above, talking to the missus' dad, he tells me that prior to 1961, the KL airport was an old British airport at Sungai Besi, called Sempang Airport. Even after it was no longer used an the international airport, it was still kept operational for recreational aircraft, and as an air force base. ALAS, this all changed in 2018, when it was closed. I believe it is now being redeveloped. So I am tempted to jump in the car sometime and go have a look. Diggers and such turning over the soil? Who knows what they might uncover! I need to go check it out before the opportunity is lost forever..... Watch this space! Below is a photo of the airport in amongst the suburban sprawl - wow, I bet there are a lot of stories of this place.

 

Top 40 Songs of All Time #6

I write this latest iteration with the location of Singapore. One, because that's where I'm headed tomorrow, for a visa run. Two, because really, that's where I was, during my early teens, when my taste in music truly evolved.

I have probably mentioned it before, but my first ever album was the original Ghostbusters soundtrack. It was cool, but not monumental. Two albums I acquired in the years of 1986-1988 were very, very influential on me. One was INXS Kick, the other AC/DC Who Made Who.

So in honour of that, I am going to make this iteration of the Top 40 hunt an all-80's version. Yeah, yeah I know the previous INXS version was also largely all-80's, but at least this time I'll look elsewhere. Anyone who doesn't think the 80's were a HUGE decade for music, well you probably won't like the look of my finished Top 40 when it's done. Ok, here we go. Gonna go to YouTube, find an 80's playlist, and hit it baby.

Oh yeah, I'm also going to put some effort into my previous tracks, and rank what's already there as best I can. We already have 40, so hopefully it won't be that hard to fit the new tracks in as we go through them.

1) Sweet Dreams - Eurhythmics (1983)

2) The Final Countdown - Europe (1986)

3) The Best Thing - Boom Crash Opera (1989)

4) Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns 'N' Roses (1987)

5) Run To Paradise - The Choirboys (1988)

6) A-Ha - Take On Me (1985)

7) Another Day In Paradise - Phil Collins (1989)

8) Uptown Girl - Billy Joel (1983)

9) Down Under - Men At Work (1980)

10) Who Made Who - AC/DC (1986)

Wow, some absolute crackers on that list. What I need to do now is incorporate them into my existing list and produce the current Top 40 as it stands. Watch this space....

Padang

So I was flicking through my phone while waiting to pick up the kids yesterday, when I happened on a pic that brought back one of the great memories of Kupang - Padang.

Padang is a city in Indonesia, but it is also an eating style. The Malaysian version would be mixed rice. It's essentially a whole bunch of cooked dishes sitting in a shop window. You pick what you want, with a plate of rice (or bungkus in a leaf or paper) and pig out. Typical example is below:

There are a whole lot of dishes available: beef rendang, fried chicken, BBQ chicken, all kinds of fish, veggies, eggs, sambal, fried potato hash, you name it. I almost became addicted to this stuff when in Kupang - introduced to me by my team. I would bring it home at least once a week to share with the missus, and we loved it. Especially the sambal and curry sauce. OMG it was good.

The photo below demonstrates typically how I would eat it when with my team. When in a group, you can get the resto to bring over small plates of all of their dishes. You eat what you want and they return the balance. Possibly not the most hygienic practice (nor is keeping all of this food at room temp all day (hot here though)), but it works, and it's delicious. This photo was taken I think in Atambua, when we were on a road trip to East Timor.

The people experiences were the best part of Kupang. Overall, it was a bit of a hardship posting. But padang made it just a bit more bearable. God I loved that food! It was certainly not the healthiest food going around - a lot of fried stuff, and very rich gravies etc. But the variety, along with the awesome sambal (Padang 2 in Kupang had the spiciest) made it always a memorable experience.