reflections

Mr FixIt

Clare had been complaining for a few weeks that her iPod had stopped working. She wanted to take it in to be repaired. Before we headed out I thought I would take a look at it to see if there was an obvious problem that I could easily fix.

She told me that the device worked when it was plugged into the laptop, but otherwise was completely unresponsive. She proceeded to demonstrate how the screen was dark and how the buttons elicited no response. When she finally handed it to me, my first instinct was to check the "on/off" switch at the bottom of the iPod and to toggle it. To my surprise, the screen came alive and everything seemed to work perfectly.

Slightly incredulously I asked Clare if she had tried switching it on. I won't tell you her response, but rest assured that we were spared a trip to Harvey Norman and the iPod is working perfectly.

Martial Arts

Last weekend, Ophalemu had his first grading. He was trying out to become a yellow belt. The grading was held in North Sydney and there were many kids from different dojos there. The hall was packed with students and parents. As we walked in, I was hit by the overpowering smell of Deep Heat and it brought back memories of my own martial arts training.

It was an impressive display by most of the kids. They may lack the power, but already many of them are mastering the techniques quite well. I was very proud to see Ophalemu go through his paces and earn his yellow belt.

Although the grading was for kids, the adults were also put through their paces. There were impressive displays of board breaking. I am tempted to start training again.

Kids

When I was a kid, I always stuck to my own age group. At school, I never played with kids in different years. The younger kids were annoying and the older kids were simply too serious. I do remember that in year 12 we did pay some attention to the cute girls in year 11, but not much, not really. The age barrier didn't disappear until uni days. Then it magically evaporated. 

These days the age barrier seems non-existent even in primary school. Recently Ophalemu had a slumber party. He invited one girl from his year, but the other two (a boy and a girl) were both from year five. His friends at school range from kindergarten kids to year six kids. There is no age divide. I struggle to understand what an year six kid would have in common with him or what he has in common with a kid in kindergarten. But they seem to make it work.

Sizzler

In the early nineties, I remember that Sizzler was a very popular destination for dinner. My school friends generally had a weekly night out to eat at Sizzler. The all you can eat buffet was very popular and excellent value for money.

Out taste buds must have matured as we got older because we slowly stopped going. The Sizzlers also started to close down one by one to the point that I hadn't seen one in long time. 

Last month as we landed in the Gold Coast, we spotted a Sizzler. It was time for lunch and we thought we would rekindle old memories by eating there. The all you can eat buffets were still there and it was kind of fun. The food was rather ordinary, but Ophalemu had a great time eating ribs and getting sauce all over his hands. He had never been to a Sizzler before. I guess Sizzler still has a market. I have to say the place was packed. I guess there is still a market for Sizzler in the Gold Coast.

Congratulations!

Ranjan recently joined the growing group of parents among my friends. I think the photo says it all, pride and exhaustion already showing on his face. 

Horror Flight - Take 2

My transport dramas during the storms left me in a grumpy mood, but my boss' dramas that same afternoon cheered me up. After finally getting to Canberra and attending some meetings, my afternoon meeting was in Batemans Bay. It was a two hour drive, but I left with time to spare. My boss was flying into Moruya specially for the meeting and was going to catch a cab from Moruya and meet me.

During the drive he called me to inform me that his flight was also being delayed. Apparently lightning had struck the control tower at Sydney airport. However, they were still expecting to depart in time to enable him to get to the meeting. It was an important client, we were hopeful. When I got to Batemans Bay there was no sign of him. I assumed that he was in mid-flight and not wanting to hold up the client, decided to start the meeting.

An hour into the meeting I got a call saying that my boss was Moruya airport, but waiting for a cab. Half an hour later, he was still waiting. There are two cabs in Moruya. They were both busy at the time and my boss didn't get on his way until almost 3:30pm - the meeting had started at 2pm. The client was gracious enough and we prolonged the meeting as much as we could, but by 4pm we had to call it quits.

As I walked out of the building, the cab finally pulled up with my boss in it. The final drama had occurred when the cab driver informed my boss that she didn't have the facilities to accept credit cards. They had driven to the nearest ATM. My boss got into the queue only to get right to the front and have the person in front of him turn around with a sheepish grin to inform him that they may have broken the machine. Onto the next ATM, which was also out of service.

It was third time lucky however and he finally got to the client premises two hours late for the meeting. I doubled up laughing at the look of resigned frustration on his face. I did briefly introduce him to the client before driving him back to Moruya airport. Needless to say we enjoyed a few beers on the flight back to Sydney.

Photo originally uploaded by Zakkoliciousness.

Congratulations Brian and Irene!

Last weekend Clare and I went to Brian and Irene's wedding. I think Lilanee described the event best when she said that everything seemed to be laced with effortless elegance. The ceremony was at Aqua in Milsons Point - against the backdrop of beautiful Sydney Harbour bathed in glorious sunlight - followed by the reception at the Establishment.

It was also great to see old friends Sam and Adam who we haven't seen for a long time. Clare, Lilanee and I all enjoyed catching up with them and meeting their photo loving 2 year old son.

I did have my moment of amusement when I spotted the TV screen at the Establishment showing a rugby game during pre-reception drinks. It seemed a little out of place in the midst of the elegance of the decor and guests. Someone at the venue must have also noticed because before long the rugby was replaced by images of flowers. I guess even the Establishment makes mistakes.

The Da Vinci Code

My cousin Thanuja and her family were visiting Sydney this weekend. Clare, Josh and I took them and my parents out to dinner in Summer Hill. The restaurant is called "Da Vinci's Italian Restaurant" and before we went I had a look at eatability.com.au to read a few reviews.

The different reviews posted by diners were almost schizophrenic. Half were full of praise for the service and food, others were scathing in their criticism. I was certainly curious to experience it myself.

I came away with mostly positive feelings. The service was excellent, but the quality of the food varied. Some meals like my risotto marinara were delicious. Others were ordinary. On the whole however, it was a nice experience. I specially enjoyed the Affogato with vanilla gelato instead of ice cream. 

It was also nice to spend some time with my cousin and her family because I don't see them very often. In fact it was the first time I met their young daughter. My parents are also thinking of returning to Sri Lanka soon, so I will be trying to see them as often as possible over the next few weeks.

Welcome Anthony

I will always think back to my Uni days as one of the happiest periods in my life. I got my first job, met my first serious girlfriend, met Clare - although we didn't really like each other back then, learned about dirty politics and in many ways I changed from a boy to a man. Well, kinda.

My cousin Anthony is about to start his second year at Uni. Check out his new blog to read about an interesting perspective on life. 

Photo originally uploaded by thepretenda.

Happy Birthday Cuz!

A belated happy birthday to my cousin Anthony! Amid the tragic family events in December, I completely forgot to pass on my well wishes. Clare, Josh and I hope that the coming year brings you a lot of opportunities and experiences.