Commonwealth Games - What a Waste

Well last night was the opening ceremony of the biggest underwhelming event in Australian sporting history.  I am sorry, but I just can’t get excited about the Comm Games and I am sure I am not alone.  Now I will state I didn’t watch the ceremony last night but I had running commentary from Niki and the Girls in the other room.  The girls were really excited about the Games and wanted to sit up and watch it.  It started at 8:30 (past their bedtimes) but we did the patriotic thing and let them stay up.  8:30 comes and you then sat through an hour of banal interviews of athletes and discussing how “excited” we all are.  OK, so Channel 9 made good use of a captive audience to plug their celebs and sports stars on their books.

Then the ceremony starts well with a unique flying Tram (very Melbourne) and the girls are finally pumped (Ray Martin just doesn’t appeal to the 5-6 yr old set).  But it degenerates straight off the bat to the politicians and dignitaries having their say, which whilst a necessity, I thought would have been better placed at the end of the artistic part of the ceremony.

Soon enough cries of “boring” are heard form the girls and they get restless as the Queen prattles on.  At this stage, I am justifying my stance of watching Little Britain on Channel 2 and soon enough, the girls go quiet as they’re asleep.

Niki persists and all I hear from the other room of “Oh my God” and “That’s ridiculous” as it seems that big fat Blinky Bill style Koalas, rubber thongs and the captains of the AFL teams dominate the remainder of the ceremony in front of large sections of empty seats.

Well done Melbourne, you’ve just proven once again how you can totally wreck what should be a national event and turn it into an Eddie McGuire AFL promo.  Nobody cares about AFL outside of Melbourne and whilst you may get away with it in Australia, people from Tanzania, Canada and Trinidad & Tobago have no idea who Nathan Buckley is and we in Sydney don’t give a toss.  (Flame away Tommy, but you know it’s true).

Well enjoy the games Melbourne, but the First Test from South Africa starts tonight and I will be watching that after Lost.

Listening:  Black Eyed Peas “Monkey Business” – perhaps one of the best albums I have downloaded from BitTorrent yet.

 

 

Once Upon a Time...: Holy Mother of God

How long until Johnny Howard undertakes this kind of action? I wouldnt be surprised if something is already in place in "the name of national security"

Once Upon a Time...: Holy Mother of God

Google Mars

Un-bloody-believable: Google Mars

Cricket Social Day Photos

No post today as I was out on site for work and hence didn't get a chance to rant on the train...

I have however put up some of the photos from Sunday's cricket match and BBQ. They can be found here. I have loaded these onto flickr.com as an alternative to photo bucket.

It has a limited amount of upload per month (and I used all of it doing these pics) but I think the quality of site is better and it enables you to post comments about the pictures.

Enjoy

OMFG! What was that!

Went to bed last night after watching magnificent batting by Australia to post 4-434.  Ponting was brutal and Hussey is perhaps one of the most effective batsmen I have ever seen in ODI’s.  The guy is all class.

Good move to bring him in ahead of Martyn and then Symonds following late.

In my mind, it was good night South Africa.

Awoke to find that South Africa chased the massive score and set a new world record themselves.  I new the pitch was a belter and I new that they would get at least 300 chasing, but to get 434 and win, OMFG!

OK, I haven’t seen any highlights and I haven’t read many newspapers and just am going off the stats.  But Mick Lewis conceding 0-113 off 10 overs at the age of 34yrs is the biggest dud selection by our selectors since Spofforth was a boy.

To think that this heavy set bum who trundles around for Victoria is a better bowler than:  Gillespie, Tait or Kapsprowicz is a joke.  Stuart Clarke is not much better and to have Clarke and Lewis in a team alongside Bracken and Lee is a travesty.  Once McGrath went out of the tour, we needed an experienced bowler.  Gillespie should have been called in immediately.  If for some reason that he is being left out of the team because he shagged Trevor Hohn’s wife or something, then Kaspa should have been included.

If Australia is content to let Glenn McGrath contest the 2007 World Cup (where he will be 37) then we should be content to have Gillespie (a comparative baby at 30yrs of age) play and Kaspa on stand by.

Bracken is a good bowler and 5/67 shows that, but he needs to be nurtured amongst experienced bowlers not thrown in with Neville Nobodies like Lewis and Clarke.

Batting, the side is going magnificently – even before last night.  The bowling though is in disarray and if Gillespie was sent to the boondocks because of his Ashes performance, well Mick Lewis needs to go back to Melbourne 3^rd Grade and take a good hard look at himself.

/rant off

The Weekend That Was

What a weekend! I got back from Melbourne on Thursday night and went straight to Mum & Dad's for little Brookie's 5th Birthday dinner. Pizza and ice cream cake. Brooke got a number of presents from Mum & Dad, but the favourite was the Cinderella costume... She was very happy as the Saturday was going to be her Disney Princess Birthday Party...

By the time Saturday came around, Brooke was busting at the seams. So excited to have about 8-9 friends and cousins over for a fancy dress party. This is the table at lunch time - so much pink! All her little school friends made a big effort and some of the presents were just too much. By the time the kids went home, we were exhausted - particularly Niki who had been getting the house and food ready for days!

And today, Sunday, we had a social game of cricket and tried to make a big deal and emphasis on the "social" element of the game. We had alot of the wives and girlfriends and kids down and probably the most handsome BBQ man ever ;-)



The game itself was "Wogs" vs "Aussies" and unfortunately, the Aussies got trounced by around 90-100 runs. A few house rules, 24 overs a side, all players must bowl at least 2 overs and no more than 4. Can't get out for a duck and last man of the 7 players can carry his bat.

And because of the obligation that EVERYONE must bowl, then this photo is the only evidence of me bowling. If I have my way, it will NEVER EVER HAPPEN AGAIN! :)



A great day was had by all, but geez it was hot... semi finals next week!

Melbourne

Am here in Melbourne for the final leg of my trip... of course, because I arrived at Adelaide Airport 25mins before my flight and not 30mins, they refused to let me check in my luggage (one lousy bag) and hence put me back 75mins to the next flight.

This screwed my social plans with the SWL Blood Bowl guys, and we ended up cancelling.

But when I did get to Melbourne, Enoch (see his picture at cricket below) rang me to say he was in Melb as well for work and we caught up for some "Singaporean Food"... ie it was a restaurant around the corner from my hotel.  It was late, so we settled for it.  Not the best food, but at least I was able to talk to someone about something other than work.

So, tomorrow I do a days work here in Melb, City of the Hook Turn (you Nutters!  JUST TURN RIGHT!!) and then back to Good Old Sydney Town where its Brookie's 5th Birthday and I can relax with Pizza and Ice Cream.... ooh, to be 5 again!