Eviction and the Mining Games

This week has been super busy for me not only b/c of the amount of assignments I have due but b/c I got an eviction notice on Wed. and then freaked out and had to figure out what the hell I was gonna do about a roof over my head. I managed to work things out with the new owners of my house and so will be staying for about 6 more weeks thank goodness b/c yesterday every place I had called had already rented out their rooms!! So this weekend is Labour Day weekend here and unfortunelty I'm not able to go anywhere b/c I have a huge presentation on Tuesday and a paper due. I was meant to just study all weekend but well earlier today I got a call from one of my roommates begging me to be on his team for the International Mining Games. Apparently they have to have one girl on their team and being that it's all mining engineering students girls are few and far between. Here is what I've apparently agreed to participate in tonight:
Delegate Social Evening - Friday 29 April 2005Hosted by: UQ Mining and Metallurgy AssociationTo start the mining games this traditional evening includes the boat races where bonus points for the mining games will be given for team attendance. The races will consist of one "crew" of five people per team competing in the mining games, with a minimum of one female per crew. Meet and compete against your new friends in a relaxed social atmosphere. (Venue TBA)
Cost:
Races will be paid for, all other costs at the expense of the individual
Apparently this game involves lots of beer!
Also these are some of the events:
Team Events
The list below is to be used as a guide only for the type of events to be held at the mining games. The events chosen to be hosted at the University of Qld. Mining Games is at the discretion of the Mining Games committee who's decision is final. A full list of events and rules will provided once Mining Games registration is complete or will be available in due course via The AusIMM website.
Rock Drill
Boulder Drilling
Burn Cut Drilling
Crushing
SG Determination
Mass Balancing Exercise
Hand Mucking
Timber Settling
Rail Settling
Face Tie In
Slot Tie In
Gold Panning Ventilation
Surveying
Sounds like I will be needing a hard hat..I promise to have lots of stories, also I'm sure it's not safe for one to be doing rock drilling the next morning after drinking ungodly amounts of beer in some sort of boat race!! The hand mucking event sounds interesting though I must say.

Update on my previous warning!!

As you may recall a while ago I blogged a warning to my group members from my Logistics class who had yet to identify themselves..so here's an update, one of them dropped out of the group altogether and the other Lisa Liang well she might as well have..first she told me that she couldn't be there to present with me b/c she had to go to China and now I get a couple of e-mails from her..I will post them below.
This is one she wrote to the professor and copied to me, mind you I hadn't discussed this with her yet.
Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2005 06:23:29 +0000From: "Lisa Liang" <> Add To Address Book This is Spam Subject: Re: Tutorial case presentation (IBM410 ) To: ma.cox@qut.edu.au Cc: a2.hernandez@student.qut.edu.au
Hi, Michael,
Richard suggested me to discuss with you regarding my absence from next Wed tutorial presention of case 13 & 14 due to my work commitment to China for Canton Trade Fair which I should return by 25 April as per current schedule.
The team member Adrian and I will do the written preparation together but only Adrian will present during the tutorial.She is ok with it but I wonder if that's ok with you and if that will affect my individual mark.
Regards,
Lisa Li

Adrian,
I am now in Japan for work and will not attend the IBn410 for two weeks. Could you please help me to print out the attached CAS to Richard for this coming Wed tutorial ?
I am working on our case and will email you my part of work soon for you to present on next Wed. Do you do one group report of CAS or individual report?
I haven't heard from Michael Cox but never mind, you might get extra marks to present all. :-).
Please confirm you received this email and ok for you.
Thank you very much.
Lisa
So now apparently she's in Japan and not only that but she wanted me to turn in her assignment for her and furthermore we still haven't discussed anything for the presentation I'm just hoping she does e-mail me something as the presentation is this Wed. and dammit I better get extra marks for doing this by myself it's lots of work!! I may have to write her a strongly worded e-mail!!!

The Century Club

Many of you may have heard about the Century Club and no I 'm not talking about the one at A&M, I'm talking about doing 100 shots of beer in 100 minutes. Tonight my male roommates are set to do just that..I see disaster looming. For one thing last night a couple of them wanted to practice by just doing 50 shots..so there I sat for 50 minutes shouting DRINK every minute and then helping them to frantically refill their shot glasses before the minute was up and well a couple of them almost threw up just doing the 50, mind you they were already drunk when they decided to do this. So tonight they've decided they won't drink anything before they start which I think is wise. It's shaping up as an epic match up between the Canadians and the Germans, the Germans of course saying that the Canadians won't make it all the way through to 100 we shall see I'll have to update you as to the no doubt sad and messy outcome. Also by the way someone barfed in our living room last weekend and also broke a window..come to find out it was my roommate Colin (An Aussie) who had been out on an epic piss up. Also he fell down the stairs and had bruises and scratches everywhere but like the trooper he is he was drinking wine the next night--that's what happens when you're 20!!

Fun in Southeast Asia

Okay so here's a tidbit from drunk Mary (my former roommate in Coogee and all around cool gal) who is now wandering around SE Asia..she's so funny will remind you of Bridget Jones when you are reading the travelouge but it's worth checking out..so read on..


Hello lovely people! I didn't manage to send these e-mails to you the first time around, so I am afraid I have sent them as one extremly long one now!! SORRY! You can read it in stages...one a week, so that you dont actually die of boredom! I am now in Vietnam, but about to head to Cambodia. Laura... How's the restaurant and the monster? Hope both are not causing you too much trouble!! I miss you and Nick and Coogee! Lots and lots of hugs xxxxx Drey... my love how is Brissy? How is life? Was thinkin bout you today, and thinkin what lovely friends I had in Oz! Loads of love xxxx Oh and I have been a very good girl, so should manage to stay out of a Thai prison for the moment... HOWEVER...I have been practising my kareoke version of "like a virgin" in a wonderbra just in case! xxxxxxxx Saibadee from Laos! This is one of those totally boring travel updates, where I bleat on and on about the wonders of elephants... so if you choose to read it and then start to worry about my pathological obsession with large grey animals, then it is your own fault as I did warn you. Ok... so some of you are aware that I am now hurtling around South East Asia at quite an alarming pace, do to my unfortunate need to return to the oh so cold splendour of the U.K on May 11th to watch one of my money obsessed city broker cousins wander down the aisle with his poor deluded bride....who, to get with the theme of : "we have monay yah yah...we want more money...yah yah...we never shut up about money...yah, yah", will be attired in a v, tacky gold dress! I therefore must return to England to witness this debacle, and to carry on my traditional behaviour at family gatherings of getting utterly spasticated and then puking on somebody posh. I started my trip with the most fantastic couple of days out in the countryside a few hours away from Bankok, in Kanchanaburi. It was fascinating seeing the real 'Bridge over the River Kwai', and visiting the museum there. The poor P.O.W's had a shocking time, but there was a photo of a group of friends from the camp, who had all lost limbs while working on the bridge. They were wearing their prosthetic legs, grinning madly and hugging each other, on a visit back to the bridge, this time as paying customers. I have gone elephant mad over past couple of weeks... I met a baby elephant at the bridge and paid to feed him which was gorgeous, then I went to stay at an elephant camp. I got up at 6.30 (unheard of I know) the other morning to ride my favourite one called Leaf (he loves eating leaves of all kinds), down to the river and wash him. It was so scary at first as you dont feel at all safe, but after a while I just wedged my thighs firmly under the poor creatures ears and wobbled on. It was Amazing being in the water with him! He kept ducking under the water and then spraying me with tons of water from his trunk! The photos are hilarious, of me clambouring all over this poor elephant, scrubbing his back and tusks, falling off, standing up on him, and being liffted up backwards on his trunk...with my whopping butt in the air! I didn't want it to end... its definitely the most fun you can have at 6.30am. I had to keep dodging the huge poos floating past me in the water!! My massive mouth was as usual wide open so I almost caught one in the gob. I then had a ride on another elephant, but this time it wasn't bare-back...it was on one of those two-person seats with my new Slovakian friend Roman (exceedingly yummy but too young...dammit!). It was so much more relaxing and far more comfy, than clinging wildly to an elephants ears! I then got to feed four elephants... I just adore the way they search your whole body for more bananas with their agile trunks. They blow warm air in your face to say "hurry up...I'm ready for another bunch"! They are definitely my favourite animal this month. I may even go back to the camp when I return to Bankok, to see them again. The camp was just so relaxing, as where I was staying was on stilts on the river, so I could hear the water flowing past at night. The people there were so lovely and there were the most gorgeous little kids running riot everywhere, having the most amazing childhoods. Kids as young as four can ride the elephants and give them commands... you should see them clambouring over them like its the most natural thing in the world. I played with 2 little boys loads, they loved having raspberries blown on their bellies, and rolling around in the dirt wrestling with me (I have never been so dirty...it was great!). They followed me everywhere, running after my elephant while I was riding him... we waged war on each other with imaginary guns... pow pow! As I left (floating down the river on a raft) they blew kisses at me and followed the boat down the river.... I have come to the conclusion that I have been wasting my time on grown up males, as the ones under four feet are obviously far more into me! I met an interesting Belgian girl my age who fell in love with the country, the elephants and a man here so stayed. She is the main Elephant trainer at the camp and can speak to them in Thai, BUrmese, and Cambodian! Elephants apparently are multi-lingual!! Her new baby, Ellie (v. aptly named), will apparently ride to school on an elephant and she already loves being on them and pulling their trunks! She was sooo squishy! I had a fantastic time there, which was only slightly marred by the fact that they lost my bag, so would you believe that I managed several days without soap, toothpaste or any products of any kind couple of days!! This would not seem too disastrous if I hadnt slipped on my way into the camp...slidfing down a large wet muddy hill, which was covered in elephant poo! Therefore I spent a lovely few days whiffing of Eau de L'Elephant. I ALSO got to stroke tigers at a temple in the middle of nowhere...they are quite fluffy really! Nice of them not to eat me I thought too! Especially as I am so rolly-polly now that I have plenty of good eating on me!! I made friends with the most beautiful, adorable little thai girl on the train too. She loved Bruno (I believe most of you have been introduced to my large bulldog stuffed animal...who is currently still the love of my life) and me, and I played with her for hours. She loved us so much that she abandoned her own bed and climbed in with me for some of the night. She was absolutley fascinated by my digital camera, and took tons of photos.... mainly of her own eye, however, as she loved the flash going off in her face (hope I haven't blinded her or anything!). She was also fixated by my electric toothbrush! She very kindly brushed my teeth for me (only causing me mild injury when she managed to hit the back of my throat!), in the night and morning and also took great pleasure in doing her own little teeths with the wildly vibrating contraption! So funny and cute! I really adore the children in Asia. They are so happy and unwhiny. They are easily pleased and have no problems amusing themselves with the little they have,( I'm going to adopt some instead of having miserable Brit children who will be injecting acid into their eye balls by 9.) There were loads of them jumping off walls into the river like little lemmings! I also went to visit an orphanage in Chiang Mai the other day, to sign up as a volunteer...unfortunatley the process took too long and I had to leave before I could do any work for them, such a shame! But I took the kids some toys (demonic yapping battery operated dogs with green flashing eyes...bound to be adored despite their hideous appearance!), and made a donation to put towards more resources. Such a shame I dont have more time here. I am now in Laos and think its just gorgeous! I have just come from Luang Prubang and just wandering around the town is fascinating. The buildings and temples are so characterful and beautiful, and the river with mountains rising up behind it caused me a sharp intake of breath as I turned a corner in the street and was faced with this stunning vista. There are hundreds of monks milling around the town.... I do love the vestments they wear...bright orange...as tho they've been tangoed! I am now in hippysville Van Vieng, which is utterly stunning. I have the most amazing view of the blue limestone mountains from my balcony, as I'm staying on the river. I spent the whole day chilling out on a raftlike platform over the water, watching more elephants having baths in the river.My peace was shattered when I was involved in a frenzied attack half way thru my relaxing day however, when I was bombarded by balls of riverweed by seventy or so local smiling kids. You will be relieved to hear that I sustained only minor injuries (to my sense of dignity) in the onslaught, however I was left looking like some variety of swamp monster. Reminded me of something from Doctor Who. I also made a right plonker out of myself when I decided to tackle a "happy pizza" last night, Fuck it was strong man.... I almost whitied on the way home, and then was violently sick in an alley, almost hitting a poor unsuspecting dog. Be warned... the stuff here is strong!! Either that or I have now turned into a total light weight and will have to give the stuff up entirely (which I almost totally have anyway), before I continue to humiliate myself further. Anyway, I must go as have lots more exploring to do and am then going to reward myself with trying a Laos massage...mmmmmmmmm! Hope its more relaxing than Thai style...which left me yelping in pain and rather bruised.... I really thought at one point she may have broken my back and rearranged all my internal organs (however, I must remember that I am a hopeless hypochondriac and a melodramatic drama queen and probably imagining it!) ............ update...have just had Lao massage....was performed by a ladyboy who's hormones must not have really kicked in yet (hint of a moustache). I hope you all had a fantastic Easter.And hope this long, droning account of my travels hasn't bored you to tears. Loadsa love. The intrepid adventurer and lover of elephants (in a purely platonic sense of course), Mary xxxxxxxxxx Dear God....have just re-read this e-mail and I either sound like a budding peadophile or a seriously clucky female who needs to procreate immediately. I assure you that I am neither of these things... its just that I do find children are more on the same wavelength as me at the mo...which is possibly more worrying??

Casa Muy Loco

So now that everyone has been livng together in the house over a month it's getting kinda hectic in there. Starting to realize everyone's quirks and most of all to notice just how damn noisy it is in that place!! Everyone plays their radios super loud..no one louder than Nigel who lives in the room behind mine..at times his bass shakes my windows..not acceptable!! Then there's Sebastian the wacky German who brought his trumpet with him all the way from Germany to torment all of us practicing. Couple of weeks ago Sebastian got his bag "stolen" from a bar..called my phone at like 1am in hysterics, slurring..saying they took my bag and I don't have keys..so once he got home he then couldn't get into his room so he decided to break down the door...kept running at it full force just like in the movies until he busted it open..ruining the door frame, he had been on a law school pub crawl when his bag was "taken", the next day he got a call from a bar saying they found it on the floor. Ever since then we've called him the incredible hulk. Then there's Jack the 18 year old who always has his TV blaring, I was woken up at 7am yesterday morning by Mr. Burns saying "Excellent". Jann who has the room between me and Jack's is always banging on Jack's wall for him to turn it down which is of course just as loud if not louder than the TV. Jann has his share of music on but he only turns it on when he has a woman in his room, which surprisingly often, he's currently sleeping with 3 of the girls in the house, he's such a skeeze and I told him so..he didn't know what that meant but I explained and he thought it was funny and he's all yes I am in fact a skeeze..crazy germans. Also I'm Jann's hairdresser, he often knocks on my door to have me tidy up his haircut..in exchange for beer of course. Then night before last when we were out bbq ing apparently the police came to our house looking for my roommate Warrick..nice..glad I missed that.

My Life: An Update

Okay so I haven't blogged in a while, last week was mid-semester break (known at home as spring break but being that it's technically fall here they had to name it something else). Anyways I went to Sydney for a few days and hung out with Conner and Danielle my old roomates the wild Irish we had an absolute blast. That weekend was the Easter Carnival at the horse races and we got all dressed up and went to the track and drank champagne and had a merry old time then we met up with Conner's Gaelic football team for a mad night on the town. Sunday we woke up and went to an Aussie Rules football game. I have to say I think they're tougher than american football players..no padding whatsoever just shorts and a sleeveless top and they hit the ground pretty freakin' hard..also all the players are totally hot they have to be in awesome shape to play the game since they are running around for 2 straight hours. As we left the game these pubs were having a promotion and were handing out free drink cards, we walked to several different parts of the staduim to get as many vouchers as possible and ended up with 21 between the 3 of us..good times. Then I came back to Brisbane and promptly got a cold so I've been out of commission for the last 4-5 days, how I can get a cold when it's 90 degrees everyday I don't know but I managed it. Then this past week I had my first presentation in one of my classes or shall I say my first grilling by the professor and her special guest a senior australian trade commissioner. The whole thing turned out alright but it was definetly a challenge and harder than anything I ever had to do in undergrad. With that over last night me and some of my roomates had a BBQ out at Southbank which is this huge lagoon, swimming area that's right on the river..my roomate Andreas is headed back to Germany today so we had a going away party and grilled lots of food and drank lots of course. Also I ate kangaroo last night for the first time..I didn't like it much..everyone kept saying it tasted like beef but it was like beef with a kick or something not suited to my taste. Since there were loads of Germans at the party we ended up singing German folk/drinking songs and getting generally rowdy. My roomate Amanda was drinking box wine which we all know is a bad idea and she somehow just ended up getting so obliterated it was unbelieveable. Anyhow she got up to go to the bathroom and in one of those moments that you can see happening and it seems in slow motion but you can't do anything to stop it..she fell and hit her head on a lamppost..thank goodness she was okay..popped right up and didn't feel a thing but immediately this HUGE lump started to form right in the middle of her forehead and just kept growing bigger and bigger much to everyone's amusement..needless to say she woke up this morning having no clue what happened and why she had a big ass bump on her head..so embarass!!!