27/8 | Still
a strange city - a new housemate and new hope Brisbane is strange. You would think I'd be use to it
by now, but no. Cold mornings, so cold I want to stay in bed. Every time I
touch metal at uni I get a small electric shock, it's annoying. I use to be
efficient. But maybe life is looking up.
Friday last week I gave a little morning group-meeting presentation. Nothing
special, my supervisor and a three other people (two of my other collegues
were too slack to wake up early), and me giving a one-hour PowerPoint presentation.
I remember a time in school when we'd complain about giving a five-minute
oral presentation - for post-grads one-hour is standard. But I think I did
pretty well, and the stuff we're doing is pretty cool/interesting. It's not
change-the world material, but the group I'm in is producing some really interesting
results - results not seen before. I myself, have no results, nothing tangible
at this stage, but I presented a few ideas I had, and they were pretty well
received. Maybe this PhD thing is achievable after all.
That presentation has boosted my confidence a bit. Brad's ordered me a new,
expensive machine, and when that arrives I'll hopefully be able to compile
code and get results. That would be awesome.
I also spoke to really nice professor and Molecular Dynamics expert, Alan
Mark, about my honours project. I wanted to know if anything in my honours
project was publishable ... turns out it isn't, which doesn't surprise me,
but I felt good I had finally found a expert in this field (I was doing my
honours in isolation really) willing to talk to me. That remind me: I should
really update the pages about my PhD! I was quite sure I wouldn't be able
to get any publications, but I wanted to know for sure, so I'm glad I asked.
I'm sure the same rule applies to asking girls out. It's the not
knowing that sucks. I've decided that the next time I'm interested
in a girl, I should just ask. The answer is not as important as fact you asked.
Although it might pay to ask if she has a boyfriend and/or is about to leave
overseas first (see my 7/8 entry). :-)
And there is no doubt about it, life at "home" is better
now. We have a new housemate called Krista and she's an absolutely
wonderful girl, with an awesome laid-back disposition! Krista is a blonde,
vegetarian surfie-chick from Canada.
Now if there is one thing I want to see in a girl, not to mention house mate,
is an easy-going disposition! No bossiness, no yelling, no huge drama .........
just relaxed for once. Nikki is away holidaying/partying in Europe, and wanted
someone to occupy her room during her absence, and I'm really glad she found
Krista (and so is she!). Since Jen got a new boyfriend a few months ago we
basically haven't seen her around - which, dare I say it, has made my life
a lot easier. Nothing worse than when a house mate avoids eye-contact with
you for months, and breaks her own "just say it" rule by not telling
you the problem. With just one brunette effectively left in the house I can
manage. Jess is pretty cool, and not as intimidating now I know her a little-bit
better. One brunette I can easily live with, THREE bossy/fighting brunettes
I had real trouble dealing with. I really hope it stays this way. I wish it
could stay like this actually - but obviously it won't. Krista is only with
us for three months before leaving back to Canada, and I foresee that the
peace in this land will be broken shortly afterward. It's a shame, but you
should always enjoy the good times while they last.
There was even one moment when Krista needed someone to talk to, and a cuddle,
and she came to me. Back in Cairns people would often come to me for help/advice,
but that hasn't happened to me for a long time, so I thought it was great.
And, in CairnsI could always get a
cuddle when I wanted one. Hehehe. Oh well. Alby and Jim are
the go to people in this house, and I can understand why. They're both really
good at all that girlie stuff I don't quite understand, and they're closer
too. I don't get many visitors downstairs in my "dungeon".
7/8 | UPDATE:
Updated recipes & added some new stuff to misc section.
7/8 | LATEST
OBSERVATION : Every girl who interests me is
(a) already taken or (b) is about to move to another city.
7/8 | Having
fun, but still foundering Oh my god, it's August already. Where does the time go? Party! I can't
believe how often I've been out since my post. I went to three housewarmings
in three weeks (in order: Steve, CX and Luke) ... and just in the last week
I went into town TWO times ... AND I DRANK ... BOTH TIMES!!! To most people
that might seem like a quiet week, but for me, that's insane. Beers on the
rooftop on IMB, with a bunch of really cool people from level three I've never
met (yes, I'm a gate crasher). After that I went straight into town. A really
good old friend from JCU Cairns was visiting, so Kris Duffy and Jon Bekkers
and I took him into the city, then into the valley, then into the city again.
Man we walked a lot. We also got a lift in a mini bus from a HUGE Samoan guy
because he said they had opened a new club and were offering free lifts. During
the journey we kept making jokes that he was going to kill and or rape us
all - we told him to be gentle, and he played along. Met some interesting
people I guess, but at the end of the night, walking to Duffy's cool crib
in the city we bumped into a guy with blood gushing from his face - half his
face covered in it. He had a run in with bouncers (which apparently isn't
uncommon in the valley) but insisted he was okay, an didn't need any treatment.
Hrrrmmm.
Anyhow, I GUESS you're probably wondering about the photo. Nothing really,
I mean - we only slept together twice, then I dumped her. Only kiddels. :-P A week ago I helped Luke Schepen and his lovely house mate Heidi move into
a flat in the city, and yesterday was their housewarming. Luke is a really
awesome guy, single (I should add him to my list in my 5/4 entry), but unlike
most guys I know in that almost ALL his friends are chicks. At his party there
were ten or so chicks and only THREE guys! Alby is probably kicking himself
he didn't come (was tired due to rock climbing) - sucked in. HOw AWESOME is
this picture!!!! I should make it my desktop background or something. Heidi
is Norwegian, and had invited a few of her Norwegian friends, all of them
pretty hot I have to say. The girl in the picture is Martha, and I was pretty
surprised/impressed when she said she was a master's student - I had sort
of written her off as a bimbo (my bad). Seems like a real live wire too, lots
of fun - just ask Luke about it. Hehehe. Anyhow it was a really good housewarming
actually - I have to visit Luke more often. ;-)
But I digress. I don't want to give the impression my life has been a non-stop
party. Especially since my mum probably visits this site once a month.
Hi mum!
In fact I still feel I'm floundering a bit, because
I simply haven't sunk my teeth into my project yet. I've got a project now,
and moved down to level two. The four guys there, Adam, Garry, Peter and Martthias
are all really great guys. It's a pity it's such a small dark room, but it's
great the way they all joke around with each other. Probably couldn't ask
for better office mates .... and yet I still have this crappy feel something
is missing. Hopefully I'll give a good seminar soon, and by the end of the
month, when I get my own high-speed computer (I'm using a laptop Mac at the
moment) I'll FINALLY get stuck into this project, and start working like I
use to before I moved to Brissy. My mum says as soon as I sink my teeth in
I'll be okay, but I have a feeling what's bothering me might be more than
that too. The only thing worse than when the girl you like is about to leave
the city is the when the same thing happens every time you like a girl. And
then you wonder maybe, since she's leaving, it's just as well you were too
slow to tell her you liked her ... but you still feel crappy, you still feel
confused.
Next weekend I think I should just stay home ... too many late night are BAD.
I have to find my "work mojo" again - if you find it, please e-mail
it to me. -- Noske.
