changes, swapmeets, pot luck, and 10-pin bowling

I've recently gone back to working for Novell (Australia) at their Sensis engagement. This is because I was made redundant last month on the 19th of May from my old place of employment: BearingPoint Australia. To be honest with you, it was a bit of a surprise that it happened. But I wasn't entirely shocked about it, and I can understand the circumstances behind their decision. At least I wasn't the only one chopped.

It's good to be back working with people that I know and who also appreciate the skill and ability that I bring to the job. That and getting paid contract-rates is pretty nice too. Especially in these times of uncertainty. I was also offered a role with DWS, but declined it after weighing up the two options. It was not a light decision, and perhaps there will be opportunities in the future to work with them.

I've also been helping out a friend on Sundays at the Computer Swapmeets. Little did I know, I make a reasonably good salesman. Especially when it comes to PC systems. If you're looking for a PC, look me up and I'll spec-up a nice system for you. ;) Anyways, it's good to know that I'm also good at something else other than my primary source of income. And computers have always been somewhat of a passion of mine as well.

However, I decided to take off the Sunday that just passed (the 21st). A friend wanted to hold a pot-luck at his place cos his better half was overseas on training. So a group of us brought over our home-cooked dishes and we made merry and ate great food. I brought - or rather, cooked it at my friend's place - my "Mum's Special Recipe" Siew Yuk (Crispy Pork), which was a hit, cos there was absolutely nothing left on the dish! It was great to catch-up with friends, drink beer and have a laugh. Speaking of beer, I am really liking Hoegaardens of late.

Finally, I want to end this post on a hobby I've picked up of late. Ten-pin bowling. We play everyone Monday night, and it's great! It's exercise (well not really, more like an activity, but I use it as an excuse for 'exercise') and a chance to be destructive at the same time. :P I don't know what my average is, but I think it's about 100. Which isn't great, but it's more due to inconsistency than being sh!te. When I feel good, I get good scores. And when I feel lame, well I get rubbish scores. But tonight I tried using my father's 12-pound hook (uneven core) ball. It's drilled for a left-hander, though, but that didn't deter me (I'm right-handed), cos really it's 3x better than the house balls - even if it doesn't fit the position of my fingers exactly. The highlight of my night was when I got a 7-9 split hooking the ball into the right-hand side of the 9-pin. Watching it slide to the left and getting the 7-pin was a thing of beauty! :D :D You could say I'm stoked! Frankly it's the best ever conversion I've ever done!