diaTribe » Out & About

The Peg Leg Tavern (ballad to a Sydney landmark)

Phil — Sun, 23 Jun 2019 00:45:11 +0000

Just returned from a short break to Oz.

Had a fantastic time as always; too many great experiences to recount but there is one in particular that I wanted to do a little rave about.
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Olympics British Style

Phil — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 03:17:10 +0000

DATELINE: LONDON

In view of the ongoing heavy rains in the UK, representatives of the British government and the London Mayor’s office have met with the emergency committee of the IOC to propose a number of 11th-hour changes to the upcoming London Olympic programme.

London’s Mayor Boris Johnson has announced that all Olympic staff will be undergoing SCUBA lessons this week and his office are currently in the process of buying up wetsuits, fins, masks and snorkels from every dive shop in and around the Red Sea. Supplies of diving equipment in the UK have already been appropriated and set aside for use by visiting dignitaries, due to their virtually-unused and near-new state.More ... »

All Blacks Take the Cup

Phil — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 23:45:00 +0000

For the second time in 24 years, New Zealand are the RWC champions, after a nail-biting final against France at Eden Park this evening.

Well done ABs! France is never a pushover and has a history of upsets. They’ve also been RWC silver-medal winners 3 times, so it’s a mistake to underestimate them.

Fortunately, the ABs didn’t make the mistake of complacency but it was still a damn close-run thing. Still, victory is victory and for the next 4 years at least, the cup is back where it belongs!

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Walking with Dinosaurs

Phil — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 08:34:41 +0000

Su and I took a short break away to Auckland to see the much-publicized Walking with Dinosaurs show at the Vector Arena.

We checked in to the nearby Barry Court motel (a weirdly shaped room, but handy to the arena an great harbour views) and after a bit of a stroll around, we joined a steady stream of people with tickets in their hands and kids in tow.

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Flip Grater days

Phil — Sun, 01 May 2011 08:26:10 +0000

Photo Credit: Justus Nussbaum (Own work) (CC-BY-SA-3.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Last winter, I wrote a review of Flip Graters' latest album of the time, called: While I'm awake I'm at war. It was a fairly dark and stormy night, all electric flashes and distant rumbles. I had a good fire going, a whisky in my hand and my feet up in a comfortable chair, listening to a few of the album tracks, while the rain fell in squalls on the tin roof. It was bliss!

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15 Years Young

Phil — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 18:29:41 +0000

Fifteen years ago today, I headed out to the sunny climes of Malta in the late summer, with three new friends. It was a trip that marked the beginning of an incredible bond of friendship, which is celebrated throughout the Bandanna Club website.

For me, it was a life-changing time.

It had been a tough year. My younger brother had recently passed away and his birthday which had occurred a few days earlier, was still a sharp and painful memory.

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Hangin’ in Hong Kong

Phil — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 09:11:46 +0000

Well, it’s almost time to fly again.

I’ve spent the last 5 days in Hong Kong, braving the drippy-wet humidity levels, the bursts of torrential rain that are always a part of the Typhoon season and for some reason a large influx of extremely fat, loud, crass aussies, in their “best” clobber (i.e. grotty old Bermuda shorts, tank tops and floppy sandals…Jeez, what’s with that?)

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Meandering in Macau

Phil — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 07:56:43 +0000

I’ve been to Hong Kong a number of times in recent years and every time I visit, a trip to Macau is usually on the to-do list. But somehow I always seem to run out of time.

This time was different. After getting settled in to the Eaton hotel on Nathan road, I started looking into the best way to visit Macau.

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