jump

a friend of mine technically turns 11 today.

singles

it’s difficult to hold onto a fulll-tine job and raise children at the same time.

survivor

Julia Gillard is still the prime minister of Oz despite a challenge by Kevin Rudd.  the Labor party should have cited all the reasons they replaced him.  while it’s the ruling party’s prerogative to change its leaders in a parliamentary system, it must be noted that the former PM was quite popular.  the next federal election will definitely be interesting.

standing on the shoulders of giants

to paraphrase the old adage:  there is nothing new under the sun.  if it’s one thing i’ve learned from computing it’s how to reuse.  i’ve got to apply the “wealth” of research on how people learn.

vanity kills

today, my wife made an appointment with a barber to have both my hair and my son’s hair to be cut.  i usually just have a no. 2 all over because it’s easier to maintain.  it’s going to be a hassle because we’re already at ease with him but we’re going to have to find another barber with a shop closer to the new house.

hoop dreams

some of my personal bests are:  37 straight free throws during practise, 5 three-pointers at an actual game and 8 three-pointers during a pick-up game – now i’m lucky if i can make a shot.  despite being short i liked being underestimated by opponents, i enjoyed playing defense as a forward, and looked forward to playing against much taller players for the challenge.  i was decent at passing the rock and could play good defense when i wanted to.  i’m not very fast nor do i jump high – as a point guard i used mainly my head.  i wasn’t talented so i used my determination instead – i biked a few Ks just to practise.  i used to play hoops to destress and sometimes when i had bouts of insomnia.  everthing made sense on the court.  it’s not so much the physicality i miss but the creative things i used to be able to do with the ball like the not necessarily behind the back pass.  i wonder if i’ll be able to play basketball that way again.

big wednesday

for the first time i forgot about Ash Wednesday – the beginning of Lent.  i’m not a die-hard Catholic but i normally remember.

midnight oil

the price of a barrel of oil went up again to the chagrin of most people.  we need to do something about our reliance on fossil fuels.

talk, talk

i had another speech therapy session today.  the exercises given to me have helped reduce my effort – i’ve got to continue them and try harder still to get some results.

communication

today i “officially” start my Ph.D. in Communication at the University of South Australia.  frankly,  i’m a little nervous because it takes focus to achieve this and i’m normally interested in a lot of things.  while i believe in lifelong learning, my initial motive was economic – for my family. i have since seen the light and want to understand education better.