Posts by Simon Grigg
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but the company was (as its critics often contend) too far up it own ass to do that.
ass or arse, I think of the up-the-a**ness as insecurity as often as not. Reading Macworld on a plane last night, my other half leant over and said 'why are they so insecure?'. The first few pages were full with relentless Mac vs. PC stories, or 'why I'll never go back to a vista machine', 'how I gave up on XP and smashed my Dell' type pieces. It is odd indeed, and I'd never encountered such until I started reading Mac mags and forums.
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When you're calling someone out, it helps if you spell their name right ...
Besides, it's still early in Bali ...
Ta Russell.
Actually I'm in transit in a lovely hotel room in KL after being rather appallingly, and incompetently, treated by Malaysian Airlines and missing my sisters 50th birthday party in NZ thus which I am mightily pissed off about. Writing a letter to them right now is #1 on my list.
But Matthew, I'm not quite sure what you want of me apart from to say that I'm sympathetic and supportive of this (and signed the petition and joined the FB page). But really, I've been vocal and made my position quite clear here and in a variety of other online places so I don't feel the need to be forced to re-justify anything to keep anyone happy, least of all you.
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I take your point about it being nice to leave your day job behind. When I travel, I write to everyone. But I sure don't pull out my laptop and start hitting the code (my day job).
And I missed the line from Damien about leaving his laptop behind. How anyone could do that confuses me. I pack the laptop before underwear or a toothbrush.
I've got 5 hours at the modern but dull KLIA later today and it's rather more exciting than riding the train back and forth between terminals.
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- visas for halal butchers to come *to* NZ. Which seems to be just a migration concession and separate from the training aspect.
You may be right about that, but that's even more odd. Offering visas for twenty halal butchers to come to NZ is even less of an enticement to trade. Firstly, emigrating to NZ is hardly a focus for anyone in Indonesia (although Soeharto did own a fair swatch of the South Island, I believe, in the 70s). Secondly, if they did, what possible advantage could that be to the Indonesian Republic as whole.
The way it's being viewed here is that the whole thing is very condescending, and arrogant in a rather great white father sot of way.
Howard and Downer used to raise hairs here with a similar attitude which, given 300 years of less than beneficial Dutch and Japanese overlordship, is not really surprising.
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The main issue will be access to the internet I suspect, yes.
I think you'll find most cafes, internet or not, have free wi-fi. It's pretty standard in Asia.
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Interesting read about Indonesia - i confess I know SFA about it - and, yeah, it looks a mingey (mingy?) offer from us.
It's wose than that, it's absolutely insulting and quite condescending. And being seen that way here, hence the front page of the biggest English language paper and similar placing in Bahasa papers (more to the point of course) I'm told. Offering to train Halal butchers? There are 210m Moslems here? You don't think they have some experience in this. Or 100 Chefs? I'm thinking there is little NZ could teach Indonesia about cuisine at any level, or the preparation of it.
And since Indonesia, with a middle class who love to consume and number 40m or so, is expected to grow 4% next year despite the global FUBAR, it makes sense not to piss them off too much.
Hard to trade off tariff reductions when ours are already at zero.
I think there is a duty of between 5 and 7% on homewares and furniture into NZ..or at least there used to be about five years back when I was importing directly into the country. I'm sure the Indonesian government wouldn't be expecting NZ to waive something that wasn't charged.
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And meanwhile NZ bumbles into pissing off a major trading partner with a bit of arrogant Uncle Tom-ism, which has made me ashamed of my country.
I've blogged about it here if anyone cares.
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Not at all, Mr. Matthews. Ella Fitzgerald didn't write a note or a single lyric in her utterly sublime series of "Song Book" albums -- but the taste shown in the band, production, choice of material and (most of all) performances by one of the mistresses of jazz is impeccable.
Not to take anything away from the voice but much of the rest of the credit for the above should correctly go to the legendary Norman Granz.
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David Bowie falling on earth
If ever there was a movie that has not aged well....
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As an employee (admin/medical) of the armed forces, traveling to Port Morseby from Australia in a group of other NZ + Aus armed forces personnel.... having hand luggage searched for knitting needles and toe-nail clippers.... whilst having the rifle over the shoulder completely ignored...
Great tale, but thoroughly believable. A couple of similar although with less potential teeth. In KL's budget terminal they check and confiscate clippers. The shop, once you are through the security, sells the same.
Although Denpasar takes it's security fairly seriously they seem to have a blind spot when it comes to bows and arrows you get sold on the beach as 'traditional' (they are only traditional in that they are a traditional way to fleece tourists), happily letting these into cabins. Many's the international Garuda flight where you can witness smiling cabin staff helping folks put these in overhead compartments. Quite odd.