tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287583242012-01-22T16:42:50.375+01:00Holey CheesesCheeses with holes, cheeses with mould, cheese that's old, cheese eaten cold, cheeses melted in a pot, or grilled with potatoes, steaming hot, cheeses dried in alpine air, cheeses, cheeses everywhere.Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.comBlogger341100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-33278152197399498102011-11-17T11:31:00.001+01:002012-01-22T16:42:50.391+01:00Nepal
Kathmandu. I spent most of my time in Thamel, the tourist
sector. It’s a congested, hot, dusty overgrown hive of noise and bustle.
Peddlers sell fruit, juice, instruments, kukri knives, antiques and marijuana
off the dusty streets. Merchants beckon you into their garage door-fronts to
sell you clothes, pashminas, antiques, wool-craft, paintings, Buddhist statues
and anything else a tourist Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-55371112845497204672011-09-15T11:55:00.001+02:002011-11-17T11:31:24.652+01:00
So, where to begin. At the end of my last post I'd freshly returned from an extended vacation in NZ/Oz and hinted obliquely that I might be heading off someplace again. Without going into tedious detail the idea befell me to go travelling again in September. Actually it was Max's suggestion to go hiking in Nepal, and since I wasn't at all recalcitrant about it... well here I am sitting at 1am inMarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-90689273423779224772011-04-25T17:08:00.001+02:002011-04-25T23:29:29.183+02:00RotoitiI was dropped outside of bulls and, with heavy heart, said my farewells to Team Spork. Tanja took my tramping boots back to Christchurch for me (bless her), and BJ promised to lovingly babysit my guitar on his journey around the South Island (bless them both). Within five minutes I had hitched a ride to Taupo. The guy who picked me up worked on a land-based drilling rig and was driving hisMarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-27386773241160154432011-03-17T13:14:00.000+01:002011-03-17T13:14:55.629+01:00I'm currently taking advantage of my uncle's PC and internet connection in Rotiti. Blog time. (Further editing made on a different uncle's computer in Melbourne, but that's just detail.)
A week in ReeftonI spent my week in Reefton with my mum mostly hanging out, writing the previous blog post and playing guitar. We did a two-day walk from Black's Point up to Kirwins mine and back down to Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-60433847592188544602011-02-10T05:28:00.000+01:002011-02-10T05:28:35.917+01:00So I'm here in Reefton with a little time on my hands, and have decided to write a blog update. How did I get here? Guess there are some gaps to fill. Listen - I tell you.
So if we rewind to where we left off - after the Sziget adventure in August. I had a great night out drinking with a last minute Turkish couchsurfer and a local Irish expat in October, did a night hike with the local Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-30019611714742912562010-12-22T15:21:00.000+01:002010-12-22T15:21:59.137+01:00The months following the Sri Lanka trip pale in comparison - at least as far as excitement goes. I got home and it was frozen. Work was waiting for me, and life rumbled on at the same pace it had before I'd left. Aside for a tan and some new perspectives it was as though nothing had changed. February and March disappeared into the cold monotonous haze of the Zürich winter never to be seen again. Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-81378960712754793822010-05-08T17:33:00.055+02:002010-09-18T00:06:20.163+02:00I promised a blog about Sri Lanka right? Well hold onto your sarongs, here it comes. Better late then never, right?
The story begins when Marissa met Sagar. Yadda yadda yadda, they hook up and get married. The wedding is to be in Sri Lanka. They invite friends - this is where I come in. Since they both grew up in NZ, there are a lot of friends - particularly Kiwis. A road trip is to be had, and Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-17092484791637632532009-12-27T17:30:00.007+01:002009-12-27T19:05:19.573+01:00I'm not sure whether I've raved over the wonders of Google, the omnicscient, omnipresent cybermonolith. I usually associate those three dysphemisms with evil corporations like Microsoft and recent member to the club, Apple, yet my enthusiasm towards Google remains unchanged. Why? They provide great services to everyone for free. I sit here on the precipice of a new adventure, and decide that it'sMarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-71873835092389389392009-05-28T09:43:00.003+02:002009-05-28T14:53:24.032+02:00My last official day of work was on Tuesday 22/05/2009 (although I was there unofficially on Wednesday till lunchtime, but never mind). I had the 'official' Abscheids Apero (formal farewell drinks) on the roof of the building and invited as many of the UBS folks I could remember the names of. I had luck with the weather, as it was the first really sunny day in around two weeks. Around twenty Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-4448058962926865502009-04-23T23:32:00.008+02:002009-05-13T21:54:45.902+02:00So... where was I? Oh, yes. I remember now.November 2008:Things returned mostly to normal. Hosted a few couchsurfers, jammed a bit, dnd'd a bit, worked a bit. Kind of a bitsy month.December 2008:Ah yes, December. There was the iLogs winter event to speak of. Same deal as every year (every year being third time running). Arrive Thursday evening, get completely shit-faced until around 4am, stumble Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-4628033666720998052009-01-02T23:12:00.005+01:002010-09-18T00:04:20.921+02:00...continued from last post.
September, 2008:
The first thing which happened is that everyone came back from holiday and my working hours were suddenly reduced to normal. I was able to offload a lot of work to others, and well... sort of went on holiday for a bit at work. I guess you could say my motivation wasn't quite all there. I'd lost my muse, as it were. This phase lasted for most of Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-310434363138288432008-10-30T19:24:00.019+01:002009-01-03T12:37:54.915+01:00Wow... I haven't posted since March. I must have been busy. I'm getting sick of starting posts by lamenting how guilty I feel about not posting, so I won't. Not that I don't feel guilty, mind. The blog is like a plant which hasn't been watered in six months. Well, maybe more like a cactus.So, we left our intrepid hero after his incredible adventure around the world. What happened next? Well... a Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-49774065503138067142008-03-26T06:39:00.015+01:002008-03-28T09:50:30.276+01:00Wednesday the 12th of March: Fly to InvercargillRowena drops Max and I to Christchurch airport, stopping for a last minute shop en-route. We board a plane and fly to Invercargill, arriving a little after midday. Watched 10'000BC, bought cooker fuel and spent night at Tuatara backpackers.Thursday the 13th of March: Arrival: Christmas Village hutWe take a shuttle bus to Bluff (the southern-most Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-23622500058743374552008-03-11T08:48:00.041+01:002008-03-20T08:34:41.393+01:00Friday the 29th of February: Back in NZThe trip to NZ took around 23 hours in the air, and cost two calendar days. I slept in Singapore airport for eight hours. I arrived in Christchurch airport at 10:20am, but had been awake for around 12 hours.I spent the first day alerting friends of my presence in NZ and planning the first phases of my adventure. It was a long day, and I made it until 7pm Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-46537129304247842282008-02-23T17:01:00.006+01:002008-02-23T23:33:38.122+01:00Zurich to Singapore Departure: 12:15 Wed 27/02/2008 Zurich, Switzerland Arrival: 07:05 Thurs 28/02/2008 Singapore, Singapore Airline: Singapore Airlines SQ345 Duration: 11:50 Fare type: Economy Restricted Aircraft: Beoing 777-300ERSingle occupancy Standard Room for eight hours in Terminal THREESingapore to Christchurch Departure: 19:45 Thurs 28/Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-77754437498433123792008-01-03T20:33:00.000+01:002008-01-04T00:45:11.029+01:00Skiing! A whole week of it. Man... that was great. Wow. Perfect weather, decent snow conditions, not too many people, and basically a great time. It really was the idyllic ski-week in Switzerland.We left on 27/12 and got back this evening. There were six of us all told, sharing two rooms in a hotel in the ski villa of Belalp. Generally we rose around eight, had breakfast, skied, ate lunch around Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-82438898696801491152007-12-24T17:17:00.001+01:002007-12-26T15:31:45.966+01:00It's Christmas tomorrow. Now the birth of some dude two thousand years ago doesn't mean much to me, but I have to admit that the kickbacks of that advent are pretty cool. We've had a work Christmas event in Klagenfurt, another one in Zürich, and now I'm on Christmas holidays. Hallelujah.First, the work event. Just like last year we were flown to Ljubliana and a taxi drove is across the Sloveian Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-38618881410774290632007-11-21T23:59:00.000+01:002007-11-24T15:57:53.910+01:00My two-week holiday is almost over. It's been great. I read a lot, drew, played guitar, wrote, played a lot of computer games, and slept even more. Most days I wake up just in time for lunch. If I wake up early enough I have time to have a shower first. It's been great. Yes, I'm a big lazy sloth. Well that's evolution for you. And you know what? I don't feel the slightest big guilty. It's the Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-17606022583961362782007-11-03T12:45:00.000+01:002007-11-04T02:53:23.769+01:00There's no excuse like honesty, and to be honest I've been lazy. I've been a bad blogger. I will go to blogger hell when I die for my transgressions. Woe is me.But then, what's there been to blog about? The intention of this info-dribble is to leave some record of all the exciting things I've been up to in Switzerland. The reality is that since my last info update I actually haven't done anythingMarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-12451540582939268672007-05-19T23:33:00.000+02:002007-05-20T11:34:19.843+02:00So, time for an update. The following notable things have happened to me lately.I went to EuropaPark in Germany.Went for another weekend tramping trip with Matthais, this time near Luzern.Got 'promoted' to Project Leader at work.Started DMing with two workmates.Threw a 'Kiwi BBQ' birthday party at my place.Europa Park, 7th April:Went with two car-loads of local friends. Europa Park's relativelyMarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-25998730665292110432007-04-06T21:44:00.000+02:002007-04-06T22:36:51.849+02:00Today is Easter Friday. It's a Swiss (catholic?) tradition to go walking on Easter Friday Emil and a bunch of his local mates were going for an annual stroll in the Jura. Naturally, I tagged along.The Morning ThawAt 8am we assembled at a local pub, downed a sandwich chased by a cup of coffee, piled into two cars and headed for the Jura range. We parked the cars on a saddle and strolled for Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-83153002476588618062007-03-25T12:09:00.000+02:002007-04-06T21:31:36.018+02:00It snowed again. Cool, eh? The locals didn't seem to think so. I can't understand why. I like snow, and I think that being cold, wet and miserable is a small price to pay.I got all inspired and went for a stroll in the nearby forest with my camera.Maybe if I pull hard enough...Fulenbach by SnowWalking the DogsEnchanted ForestMore snow,more trees.That's it. Just pics this time. Makes for easyMarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-20488967112153035572007-03-11T21:14:00.000+01:002007-03-11T22:13:07.609+01:00Today's post is brought to you by the letter 'S', for Snow (it snowed), Skiing (we went skiing), Switzerland (that's here), Slack bloggers (that's me), and other things that start with S.This is my house a month or two ago when it snowed. There was only a few centimeters, but enough to make everything cold and white for a few days after which it melted and drained away, and that was the Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-25046527195621217622007-01-21T12:02:00.000+01:002007-01-21T17:13:09.697+01:00A quick post with some pics I meant to upload in the last post, but never did.Skiing in BelalpWent skiing between Christmas and New Year's day with Emil and Claudia. It was the first decent stretch of time off I'd had, so I was pretty keen to go and get my first taste of the Swiss slopes. However, I had a few problems. First, there was bugger all snow. 40cm, which was enough to keep the main runsMarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-28077953861205571292007-01-01T13:06:00.000+01:002007-01-21T11:47:47.538+01:00Today's New Year's Day, and I haven't posted since November, so I've got some catching up to do. The answer to what I've been doing for the last three months isn't that exciting - Work. On Monday morning I wake up at 6am, bus to Olten, and take the train to my place of work in Zürich. I bring clothes with me, and sleep for one or two nights in the company flat which usually has a free bed, go to Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-65516502413427939172006-11-07T21:42:00.000+01:002007-01-01T12:23:43.286+01:00Ah, a weekend in Paris. NO, not Hilton - France.On Wednesday night my French friend Sylvian said he was free for the weekend if I wanted to visit. I booked my tickets online that night and flew to Paris on Friday after work. It is certainly one of the rare and special advantages of single life that you can plan holidays three days in advance. I've been paid and have a weekend up my sleeve, so Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-58792436068828453362006-10-22T20:07:00.000+02:002007-01-01T12:23:59.067+01:00And so my time in Austria comes to a close. I’ve stayed in Klagenfurt this weekend, and will fly back Wednesday evening. Gah… flying. I wonder what the chances are my flight will be delayed, cancelled, rescheduled, or otherwise rendered incompetent. Of the five flights I’ve made to and from Austria, only one has actually gone according to the original plan. The worst was going home last Friday, Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-1160238512427085542006-10-07T17:50:00.000+02:002007-01-01T12:24:22.410+01:00Phew! My first week at work has gone swiftly and remarkably painlessly. What can I say? Austrians speak a funny version of German, which is actually better understood by the Swiss than the Germans. The country is similar to Switzerland in many ways, though they don't eat as much cheese, and have dark beer.Sunday 01/10:Posted off my application form for my General Abonument (GA, pronounced gee-haaMarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-1159217505581546522006-09-25T22:14:00.000+02:002007-01-01T12:22:14.020+01:00Yesterday Emil and I returned from a trip to the mountains in Wallace. It's been a fantastic weekend, complete with tunnels, mountains, remote hotels, drinking and cheese... oh the cheese. This weekend has shown me what it truly means to be Swiss, and I hope to share this insight with you. Lend me your ears (well, your eyes really), and I'll tell you.We packed on Friday night and left early on Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-1158582587077552522006-09-18T13:52:00.000+02:002007-05-20T11:37:55.804+02:00Well, I've found work. It was there, and I found it. Real work. IT work. Work that is actually worth getting up in the morning for (well, time will tell, but I'm confident). Details? Well, it's an entry-level Java Programming position based in Zurich for a relatively small firm who takes on contracts for various bidders. My first project will be for UBS (holy crap!), one of Switzerland's major Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-1155813700616706512006-08-15T13:19:00.000+02:002007-01-01T12:23:20.838+01:00Today is a cantonal (provincial) holiday in Solothurn, so have the time to write a quick update. What am I saying? I always have the time, but today I can be bothered. As many holidays are, today’s holiday was inspired by Catholicism. Canton Solothurn is officially Catholic so we celebrate it, however the neighbouring town Murgenthal (walking distance) is across the border and part of the Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-1154867313975342522006-08-06T14:26:00.000+02:002007-01-01T12:19:45.660+01:00First, my apologies for anyone who has been paying attention to this blog. I have had plenty of chances to write more, but I’ve been lacking the motivation to sit down and write about things I’ve already experienced. Blogging is like being force-fed deja-vu. (History in comparison is interesting, because I wasn’t around to experience it.) Also I have had some difficulty uploading images to the Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-1150226157767175202006-06-13T21:10:00.000+02:002007-01-01T12:18:52.472+01:00It’s taken me some time to organise power to my laptop and an internet connection, hence the delay in posting this blog. In fact, at the time of this writing don’t have an internet connection. We’ve jerry-rigged a swiss power socket so I can use my laptop, and will post the blog once I can connect to the net.June 1, 2006: The flight to Switzerland was smooth enough. I spent most of my waking Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28758324.post-1148607116726531642006-05-26T03:17:00.000+02:002007-01-01T12:17:43.807+01:00SINGAPORE A L SQ 298 ECONOMY CLASS CONFIRMEDDEPART THU 01 JUN 06 CHRISTCHURCH 12.55PMARRIVE THU 01 JUN 06 SINGAPORE 7.50PMTOTAL TIME CHRISTCHURCH TO SINGAPORE 10.55SINGAPORE A L SQ 346 ECONOMY CLASS CONFIRMEDDEPART THU 01 JUN 06 SINGAPORE 11.45PMARRIVE FRI 02 JUN 06 ZURICH 6.30AMTOTAL TIME SINGAPORE TO ZURICH 12.45You read that? Bookings confirmed! Well, they have been for some time now, however Marcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895778758512142165noreply@blogger.com2