You like me! You really really like me!!

I won an award!

I won an award for a video i made with my Upper Kindergarten Class which in all honesty was pathetic to say the least.

How this all came about was just before Chirstmas our supervisior Anna told Sab and I that our classes were entered into another competition. This time around the competition was based on a book that the class had to dramatise. The book was called "Oink Oink" and the story was based on a dirty pig who ran around the farm being chased by the frustrated famer and other animals. I had 9 boys to work with and these boys i can tell you aren't the best behaved bunch.

After practising for a few weeks we came to the day of the shoot. Well the day of the shoot was actually just under an hour and Anna in all honesty had no idea how to shoot. There was a little bit of dialouge (as i found out later, too little compared to Sab's Middle Level kids) I wanted to have the camera closer to the kids as you could hear them better but she filmed them from the other side of the room so two weekeds ago, Sab and I had to edit our films and hand them in Monday.

I thought great, i can jump on iMovie and get some special effects, subtitles and music together and make a fun little film. That didn't work out as it took 6 hours to move about 30 minutes of film from the camera to the computer so i bit the bullet and jumped on Sabs laptop. Her program is totally different to mine so it took a while to get the feel right which caused Sab to huff and puff a little watching me take my time.

So eventually i did a piss take on Star Wars called "Farm Wars" and it turned out as best as i could get it. The footage of the kids was terrible. They were too quiet, too loud, laughing too much or talking in the background. So i cobbled together a film and was happy to see the back of it.

Late last week Anna told Sab and I that Sabrinas Class had won through to the Final Four and they will have to perform on stage in mid March and i have to go and pick up an award for my crappy film as well.

What dissapointed me the most was that the best movie of the three from my Lower Kindergarten Class didn't get an award. I'll upload that film here in the next couple of days as it was far more deserving of an award.

Keep you all posted on the awards celebration.

What's the Story?

How did i end up at an Oasis concert in Hong Kong?

Whilst celebrating my birthday at a lovely Chicago-esque Bar and Grille the topic of the upcoming Oasis concert was mentioned. Gary, Candace's boyfriend mentioned that he wanted to go and i thought i might as well tag along.

Now anyone who knows me knows that Oasis isn't exactly being repeated on my iPod. In fact up until the time i got home last night, i had no Oasis songs on my iPod. They are a band whose music i have only sung on occasions where alcohol has lowered my inhibitions and find myself mumbling my way through the verses of "Wonderwall" or "Champagne Supernova" but i know most of the chorus.

After an hour and a half travelling on the ultra efficient trnasport system, i met up with Gary and his dad Lee who was in town on business. We met up just outside the arena whereby i ate the worst hamburger i have ever tasted. The meat was this light grey colour and it wasnt even cooked. Whoever cooked the burger somehow forgot to cook the main ingredient but that was ok as the burger, cheese and bread were fused together in a way that it looked like it just survived a nuclear blast.

As the countdown to the concert was heating up the brand spanking new arena was half empty. Our seats were on the lower deck facing the stage but just before the start of the concert there was a mass rush to the vacant seats that were stage left and right. So all the people that paid 750 HK found themselves sitting next to people that paid 400 bucks whose seats were next to ours. The three of us decided to move to the walkway which allowed us to stand about 20 meters from the side of the stage.

I didn't know what to make of it and i was very very surprised that the 13000 arena wasn't packed to the rafters with Brits deperate to hear the world's biggest pub rock band. Was it a case of bad promoting or the downhill slide of a once graet Brit rock band? Regardless the concert started and i had no idea of any of the songs though the rest of the crowd did. The band were playing very very tight and the Gallagher brothers were on song with their behaviour in terms of the crowd especially when lead singer Liam asked the crowd "Is there anyone from England here?" Pockets of the crowd scream..."Why are you still here?"

The band soon enough let loose "Wonderwall" , "What's the story morning glory" and "Don't Look Back in Anger" and i found myself singing to these songs as well as i could possibly remember them. The crowd was fantastic especially the Pommy guy who screamed "sing Champagne Supernova you Manc bastard!"

And soon enough they did.

Just under two hours later and with a brilliant cover of The Who's "My Generation" to send the crowd on its way home, i came home with the mission of downloading as many Oasis songs as possible. I may be 10 years late to the party but i'm looking forward to listening to what they have to offer.

Peps Place Movie Review: 'Gone with the Wind

Finally i now know why Scarlett O'Hara is such a bitch and why a womans scorn is compared to hers.

Last night from 6.30pm to 10.30pm Sabrina and I parked our asses on the couch and finally sat down to watch what has been described as one of the greatest motion pictures ever made.

No it wasn't Weekend at Bernies but the classic ...Gone with the Wind.

It was the first time that either of us had seen it and boy what an experience we had. First if all the pirated DVD we paid a dollar for kept stuffing up every 15 minutes so Sab and i in turns had to crouch down to the DVD player, eject the disc and just blow inside the player to get the disc working again.

Boy this film was fantastic! The time actually flew and with the numerous amounts of chocolate and biscuits to keep our stomachs happy we were on the edge of our seats especially in the final minutes of the film where Scarlett realises her feelings for Rhett after screwing him around for years. She is so mean and horrible and will do anything to get her way. She's amazing!

The basic story revolves around Scarlett O'Hara (played to perfection by Viven Leigh) who loves the dapper but quite frankly wanky Ashley. Scarlett though has captured the attention of the devislish Rhett (Clarke Gable) even though Scarlett just wants to be with the wanky softy Ash. With the American Civil War heating up and the old ways of the South coming to an end there is all sorts of confusio goin' on in lil' ol' Gerorgia.

This movie was the original soap opera. Fires, Births and even a dodgy horseriding accident couldn't stop this juggernaut from taking its place amoung the best films i've ever seen. The sweeping vistas of the Ol' South and the accompaning music were just perfect. It was so good that we sat though the film freezing up about 12 times. Is it too much to ask these days that your pirated DVD's have optimum audio and video? I think not.

This film gets my first 5 out of 5 even though Sab and I were screaming "Nooooo" at the TV when it froze just before the immortal line "Frankly my dear, i don't give a damn"

Ouite frankly, i'm glad i sat through it even if my ass was going into a coma.

I

Shoot Him! Shoot Him Now!!

If there is one thing in life that i believe in its this.

It doesn't matter where you come from, how old you are or what you do nothing is as funny as Daffy Duck getting his blown off by Elmer Fudd.

So tonight Sab and I decided to suscribe to the aptly named "Boomerang Channel" which has all the classic Looney Tunes, Jetsons, Flinstones and Wacky Races you can muster.

So with that i'd better get back to Pepe Le Pew acting like the stud that he is. He is the real Love Machine.

Peps Place Movie Review: 'Munich'

This is my first movie review for the blog so i hope you like it. To kick off preceedings its time to review 'Munich'

Steven Spielberg has been slowly making the transition from blockbusters to brainbuster films over the past 10 years. Sure his early work tinkered at the subject of human emotions but up until "The Colour Purple" all we saw from Steve was sharks, aliens and a sober Drew Barrymore (granted she was 5 years old at the time).

So earlier this afternoon Sabrina and i decided to head into town to watch Steve's latest film. Now from what i have read of the reviews so far there has been a lot of emphasis on the politics of the film rather than judging the film on its merits. It has been a sensitive topic for over 30 years (so sensitive that the International Olympic Committee has made no official memorial or statement about the matter) so with all the history behind this film has Steve finally made the transition from shorts to the big boys pants for good?

He certainly has.

'Munich' succeeds because not only of the usual Speilberg magic but of one element rarely seen in movies today...emotion.

For the three hours you are watching this film the screen pulls you into a world where a terrorists cause and a nations suffering are intersected by a group of five men determined to extract revenge. The leader of the group Avner (played brillantly by Melbourne boy Eric Bana) slowly self destructs when the machine of revenge starts to take over his thinking. It is a classic interpretation of a man thrust into a position out of loyalty to his country yet at odds with the loyalty to his young family. His 4 other team members each bring strength and strong character to the screen.

The look of the film is beautiful as there is a slight grainly 1970's feel to most of the picture which allows the audience to step back in time and be surrounded by the plight that stopped the world one september day in 1972. Before seeing this film i had purchased a copy of the Academy Award winning documentary 'One Day in September' to get myself pumped up to see this film. After watching the documentary, seeing the film and reading about the Munich massacre at various times during my life i can honestly say that i appreciate a hell of a lot more that im Australian. That may sound slighty selfish but in all honesty 'Munich' made me realise that here are no winners when it comes to ideology, religion or revenge.

During the film there are flashbacks to the actual kidnapping and holding of the hostages which Spielberg has tweaked to get your emotional pulses racing. I'm not a big fan of the words "Based on a True Story" or "Based on Real Events" as it gives directors the chance to flex too much artistic creativity rather than stick to the boundaries of the story but in 'Munich' Spielberg has delicately thread the needle of story telling again and ended up with a film though slighty drawn out makes you walk out of the theatre thinking about the world you live in.

That's a feeling that is rare in movies these days.

So on my scale i give 'Munich' 4 out of 5

Celebrate good times C'Mon!

Yeah i'm 27 now and i with this i have gained a new found sense of maturity...not.

My 27th birthday was a celebatory weekend filled with quiet moments and also crazy dares. Well considering i have never had dares to accomplish on my birthday i thought it was a crazy thing to do. The above picture was part of a series of dares that i had to accomplish but more on that later.

My birthday (which was last Friday) started out with a call from my Aunty Rhonda at 6.15am. Now my family is known for their early early morning phone calls so i was quite lucky that i got to sleep in till 6.15!

After a morning of phone calls which included mum and dad, i made my way to school where my morning kids wished me a happy birthday. Well it wasn't much a of a surprise as i reminded them all week that my birthday was on Friday. Anyways in the afternoon Sabrina and th afternoon kids surprised me with a birthday card and a cake which was really sweet. It was the best birthday i have celebrated ever!* (* = in a workplace situation)

Friday night Sab and i sat on the couch and destroyed all the chocolates sent to me as a present by Aunty Rhonda. I would also like to say a big thank you to Gran, Aunty Di & Aunty Loz for their presents (and they all fit thank you very much!) Also i would like to thank Louise for your lovely birthday card.

So Saturday rolls around and after a lovely lunch with some of my Chinese teachers it was out to dinner in the city with Sab and a few friends. After a lovely meal it was time to go out for a few drinks and also it was time to complete my birthday dares. Its a tradition in Hong Kong in our little group of friends to do some dares on your birthday. The dares that i had to accomplish were:

1. Get a condom off a woman - This took half an hour as it seemed that all the woman in Lan Kwai Fong suddenly became quiet. I finally got one off a drunk English girl.

2. Get three telephone numbers off women - Luckily the three Philipino ladies near the bar were nice enough to give me theirs.

3. Expose my chest (boobs and all) on the dancefloor. The above photo says it all

4. Walk out of the toilet with 2ft of toilet paper out of my jeans and go up to a woman and say "I had a good sh*t"

5. Go up to the largest guy i the room and ask him "Where can i meet men around here?" The guy was nice enough to tell me to "Propaganda. Up the hill and on the left" I was lucky to come out of that with my teeth and testicles.

6. Get to a bar and say "Who is the birthday Ho? I am! I am the birthday Ho!"

7. Go up to an attractive woman (yeah i know) and say "Whats up Doc? Hows your cock? Nothing wrong. Long and strong."

Needless to say i completed all these tasks and the night ended up at a Karaoke bar singing away till about 4am.

It was a lovely birthday and i'm thinking that next year i'd like to keep my shirt on.

And yes Dad, i remember what happened otherwise this blog wouldn't have been possible. I appreciate the sentiment though.

Have a great Valentines Day everyone or as it is known here at school "Friendship Day"

I'm going to Disneyland!!!

There are certain days during the year that have a special signifigance. For me they range from the solemn ANZAC Day to the silliness of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Today was Superbowl Sunday..well actually due to the time difference it was Mark Misses the Superbowl Monday. It still gets me every year and it's one event that i would love to experience live.

Now i'm not a huge fan of American Football but i have to tune into the telecast of the event that sums up all that is the good ol' USA. I love playing gridiron on the PlayStation back in Australia and i really enjoy watching the old NFL Films due to the slow motion footage and the voice of the guy who narrates them. He sounds like a slow motion car accident.

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers who i have a close connection to. Well i play them on the PlayStation so in reality its not that special.

As i'm writing this the last minute of the game is being replayed on ESPN. The usual celebrations have started and i'm waiting for the Gatorade dunk on the coach. Now as huge as an even the Superbowl is, i do have five issues with the event.

1. The game goes on for too long. With 15 minute quarters how does a game go for nearly 4 hours?
2. Coming from a country whose national code of football has tackles all the time, why do i have to see (Ok the coach has been dunked) big guys in pads almost Riverdance after smacking into an opposition player.
3. I believe God does not take sides on Gamedays. I don't think God woke up this morning and thought 'I'd have twenty on the Steelers.'
4. Why do famous overseas acts play the halftime show? If it is Americas premier sports event then i wouldn't allow bands like U2 and the Rolling Stones play and i would have chosen good home grown bands like Poison or even New Kids on the Block.

And why do all the players want to go to Disneyland? Go to a strip place or an all you can eat salad bar.

I come from a country where we don't have Disneyland so if i ever won a SuperBowl and the ESPN Commentator asked me where i was going to go after winning the SuperBowl i would pause for a second..clear my throat and say ......
"I'm gonna go the pub and destroy a Chicken Parma!"





Now

Thomas gets Tanked

Hi everyone

I did this one night when i was fiddling around with Apples iMovie program last year. I forgot all about it until i found it on my hard drive.

I think i've been working at a kindergarten too long.

What might have been...

Kong Hei Fat Choi!

No thats not the name of a new Asian action star but it literally means "have a successful year" in Cantonese. A couple nights ago Sab and I decided to go down to the harbourfront to watch the fireworks. I have always enjoyed a good fireworks show. Growing up i would always look forward to the fireworks show at the end of the night. When i was younger i used to go to see the Triple M Skyshow over Albert Park Lake. I loved walking to the lake, sitting down on the blanket and watching a fireworks display that was usually sychronised with the music of the day.

Then again saying that you loved watching a fireworks display with Def Leppard's "Rocket" playing in the background not only show my age but it could also be seen as a sign of sadness.

But i'm the bigger man here and as i found out, the only one who likes fireworks. Sabrina hates them. She can't see what all the fuss is about seeing coloured explosions in the air. I was surprised a little in the passion she had for not wanting to be there.

Anyways we were going to meet Candace and her boyfriend Gary and watch the fireworks together. Roads were blocked off and there were thousands of people everywhere so we had no chance to find them. The police would not allow us to get closer to the harbourfront which made us a little bit frustrated. Sab and I found ourselves stuck behind a subway entrance about 300 meters up the road. We found ourselves no where near the water and surrounded by thousands of people. This really made the experience of watching fireworks over the harbour really really shite.

The fireworks started and we could see bugger all. About 10 minutes in even i had to fly the white flag and so we decided to go to the Hard Rock Cafe and watch the fireworks whilst downing very very yummy food. A few minutes later Candace called as we were going ot meet them at the Hard Rock. Sabrina took the call and Candace was saying "we are here" we could not find them but they were there..sitting at the table next to us for the past 15 minutes and we didn't see them..they didn't see us.

So all in all it wasn't the best experience but luckily the new English teacher Fuji was also at the fireworks and got some great video and pictures. I'll upload the video when i get it next week off her.