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I break up 16th December for 2 weeks, cannot wait really need the rest and sleep and I am winding down at work.
Got to give some cards to my colleagues and chocolate for my work colleague and some wine for my former boss who is line manager of my current boss who I despise so have to keep him sweet.
What do you lot do? Christmas Meal?
I visit my relatives out of town (my mom's family & my dad's family). We typically have a nice Christmas dinner featuring chicken with dried beef and bacon in a cream of mushroom gravy served over rice.
We do Christmas crackers with the prizes and hats inside.
I have to fly over to Germany this week for my xmas party. I finish work on 23rd and go back on 3rd - really need the break this year too.
On xmas day Will have the in laws round for dinner and my folks round for tea.
Ive ground to a halt already, I dont finish for another two weeks :-\
Im off the 23rd through to new year, cant wait to be honest. Family Crimbo for a few days and then a few days to myself which will be filled with shit TV, left overs and booze, perfick.
Break up 23rd till 3rd, although we do have an incentive in place for the office. If we hit a certain figure/target then we finish once thats done, so we could end up finishing earlier than 23rd :D
As per usual, doing xmas dinner for family, about 8 of us, going with a 4 bird roast and Short Rib of beef on the bone in a nice glaze. All the trimmings, probs do homemade pate for starter, then over to see the missus family on the night, then pissed up in between xmas and new year :)
I turn 53 and will eat my self stupid and sleep in the afternoon :(. Tourists will come to our area and annoy us. courtesy out the window when parking. crowded surf. Local prices go up, Italians with loud voices who beep good buy at 1am :o come and stay next door, We have to go shopping after 10pm to avoid the tourists. Then we will have bush fires..
My long holiday starts at the end of this week once the marking is all done and after my recent flutters it is more than welcome.
Christmas isn't really celebrated by us as we aren't Christian and don't have children. The wife has bought herself a coat and I am finally going to get a kindle. We will likely have a quiet day in and maybe cook up some roast beef and potatoes as turkey's are not easy to find out here. Then in the evening a spot of TV and a grope on the sofa. A calm day all in all.
Nothing special here for Xmas, for the most part I try to ignore the holidays and carry on with business as usual. I do see to it that my family gets gifts this time of year, typically it's a gift of money or something they need, like clothes a computer et al.Quote:
Originally Posted by Master
I'm not the least bit religious, so the only thing I celebrate a bit is the New Year, that consists of having a toast with my wife/true love at the stroke of midnight, then going off to bed. :)
Cheers to you, Master and the rest of the gang. Hope you get what you want. Here we got a Christmas country and folks here especially in media start the 100-day Christmas countdown somewhere in September, no kiddin'. For a not-so-rich country, we've got lots of colorful lights and decorations all over out here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Master
I finish work at 3pm on Christmas Eve...and will be back in work on the Wednesday following. My parents are Christian and will go to church on Christmas morning. We will then eat, I will drink, and generally be glad of a few days off.
Can't say I enjoy the build up, and the expense does annoy me, but compared to others my spending is minimal.
Hope everyone who cares has a good time, personally I'll get drunk and moan about how crap the TV movie is.
Im really struggling with work right now. Ive hit a serious brick wall what with Christmas coming and wanting to leave soon into he new year. Ive got myself into a slump now with no desire to ge out of it. The next 7 working days are going to be tough :-\
I know things could be a lot worse but Ive got the right to have a moan.
Me too. Work sucks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Memphis
There is nothing wrong with a good moan and in many ways it is very cathartic. I am knackered too and I have so much marking to get through. I have a pile of about 100 more papers to get through and then score tallying and just maybe I shall be done by the end of tomorrow. I screwed up with my mid week Jagermeister misadventure as I couldn't really get any marking done the next day. My fault though. I shall work hard to make up for it.
For me long holidays are a little dangerous as I have too much free time. I am a potential loose cannon. I'm hoping exercise and a kindle will keep me under some control.
One more day and then I am sleeping and getting up late for 2 weeks!
I will have party and will enjoy awesome food.. by the way, I am already on holidays..
Went to Toys R Us and spent a fortune on kids presents, nieces and nephews. :(
Bit of good news to lift me during this tough week, Im out of here by 3 at the latest on Friday, should be 7 so Im happy about that.
I never count the current day so only two more days to drag myself through, Nowt will happen on Friday so Im scratching that off as well ;D
Really must start to make some career decisions next year.
Sounds like a new years resolution.Quote:
Originally Posted by Memphis
ill sit about and play with the kids for a couple of weeks
they finish school at half 1 today so im gonna go and pick um up
im going for a swim first mind which obviously makes me good at boxing
I'm never really the one to be in the Christmas spirit. I just have a family dinner with my family like Thanksgiving, but other than that, we don't do much. Just went online and bought myself two MMA tees and boxing trunks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by karategan
you sound like a right laugh
Yo, Merry Christmas to ya all! Just been keepin' my mouth shut and staying away from trouble...thought maybe santa might pay a visit if I be good but haven't seen him yet...
So you would come across pirates out there fishing in the South China seas?Quote:
Originally Posted by pacfan
Tell us some sea fairing stories uncle Pacfan :D
Ahh, you mean those ol' fishermen's tales. There's a saying 'do not believe in a fisherman's tales,' you know those tales recounting the fishermen's heroic excapades on sea and nearby shore with lots of booze and gals to go with them. Nope, there are no ship waiting in the middle of the sea with many a nice women on board. There's no mermaid either, only seacows or dugongs which fishermen sometimes mistake for one. Smalltime fisherman's life is actually a bore, just cruising around the shorelines catching mostly cheap fishes. The only thing 'exciting' about it are the dangers that comes with it, like a sudden squall with a tornado like winds and rains coming out of nowhere, is the worst, and it'll give you the shivers. Naw, I guess I'm too old for those thrills now so I've turned into an armchair fisherman, letting others do the fishing for me in our fishing village here and just enjoying my li'l fishing sitting on the bank of the nearby shore, musing at the marvel of the horizon and the world beyond, and of course without the booze and the gals and that ain't no tale. Sorry to disappoint you mate but I guess real world is more of a drab and I'm not fit to weave a fancy tale. But if I can think of one, maybe I just might, lol...Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreSo you would come across pirates out there fishing in the South China seas?Quote:
Originally Posted by pacfan
Tell us some sea fairing stories uncle Pacfan :D
I was under the impression you went out to sea for months on end :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by pacfanAhh, you mean those ol' fishermen's tales. There's a saying 'do not believe in a fisherman's tales,' you know those tales recounting the fishermen's heroic excapades on sea and nearby shore with lots of booze and gals to go with them. Nope, there are no ship waiting in the middle of the sea with many a nice women on board. There's no mermaid either, only seacows or dugongs which fishermen sometimes mistake for one. Smalltime fisherman's life is actually a bore, just cruising around the shorelines catching mostly cheap fishes. The only thing 'exciting' about it are the dangers that comes with it, like a sudden squall with a tornado like winds and rains coming out of nowhere, is the worst, and it'll give you the shivers. Naw, I guess I'm too old for those thrills now so I've turned into an armchair fisherman, letting others do the fishing for me in our fishing village here and just enjoying my li'l fishing sitting on the bank of the nearby shore, musing at the marvel of the horizon and the world beyond, and of course without the booze and the gals and that ain't no tale. Sorry to disappoint you mate but I guess real world is more of a drab and I'm not fit to weave a fancy tale. But if I can think of one, maybe I just might, lol...Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreSo you would come across pirates out there fishing in the South China seas?Quote:
Originally Posted by pacfan
Tell us some sea fairing stories uncle Pacfan :D
I met some pirates once in 1986 out on Ko rock west of Thailand. Machine guns the whole nine yards, lucky for us (as we were some of the first whites ever to go onto the newly opened island) we were with an ex Lieutenant Colonel of the Thailand navy who allowed them a certain clemency if they did their business elsewhere and only visited late after hours. Interesting night on the Mekong with them,still have no idea what they were saying though some of them looked through us like they wanted to kill us and said nothing at all.:)
Actually the boats used by most fishermen here are really small and simple types, and you can only travel no more than a kilometer away from the shore. Anything more than that, you'll end up lost and in the belly of sharks. I once heard a group of fishermem claiming that one night they had actually seen a mermaid, and they looked very serious about it. So with some other fisherfolks they set out again towards the same area every night for several days...Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreI was under the impression you went out to sea for months on end :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by pacfanAhh, you mean those ol' fishermen's tales. There's a saying 'do not believe in a fisherman's tales,' you know those tales recounting the fishermen's heroic excapades on sea and nearby shore with lots of booze and gals to go with them. Nope, there are no ship waiting in the middle of the sea with many a nice women on board. There's no mermaid either, only seacows or dugongs which fishermen sometimes mistake for one. Smalltime fisherman's life is actually a bore, just cruising around the shorelines catching mostly cheap fishes. The only thing 'exciting' about it are the dangers that comes with it, like a sudden squall with a tornado like winds and rains coming out of nowhere, is the worst, and it'll give you the shivers. Naw, I guess I'm too old for those thrills now so I've turned into an armchair fisherman, letting others do the fishing for me in our fishing village here and just enjoying my li'l fishing sitting on the bank of the nearby shore, musing at the marvel of the horizon and the world beyond, and of course without the booze and the gals and that ain't no tale. Sorry to disappoint you mate but I guess real world is more of a drab and I'm not fit to weave a fancy tale. But if I can think of one, maybe I just might, lol...Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreSo you would come across pirates out there fishing in the South China seas?Quote:
Originally Posted by pacfan
Tell us some sea fairing stories uncle Pacfan :D
I met some pirates once in 1986 out on Ko rock west of Thailand. Machine guns the whole nine yards, lucky for us (as we were some of the first whites ever to go onto the newly opened island) we were with an ex Lieutenant Colonel of the Thailand navy who allowed them a certain clemency if they did their business elsewhere and only visited late after hours. Interesting night on the Mekong with them,still have no idea what they were saying though some of them looked through us like they wanted to kill us and said nothing at all.:)
...it turned out that the mermaid was just a dugong or a sea cow, a sea creature never seen around here. What a spoiler 'cause by the look in their eyes I really thought they'd seen a mermaid! Buy I still remember that mermaid story sometimes and brings back some nice childlike wonder in my heart, something we adults lost somewhere along time, I guess...
Ya I remember those years you've mentioned; those were the era of pirates here in SE asia, particularly the Thais, sometimes with the Cambodians and the Vietnamese. There were many stories of pirate attacks then. You're lucky to have come out unharmed. I had some dangerous encounter here myself, on land though, like a neighbor being gun down just couple meters away from me. Good thing the killer just sped off hardly noticing me. That was the closest encounter I've had but that was just one of the many murders just right here in our neighborhood. I've also had some dealings with some dangerous fellas, powerful ones here, who went on a ruthless vigilante style killing spree, but I can't go into that without compromising my safety 'cause I've made a mistake of telling my location on some of the threads here. When I was young in Japan, I used to be a gun freak together with my best friend and our monthly fare at the US military PX here were Gun World, Guns Illustrated, and Guns magazines. When I came here, I gradually lost interest in them when I found out that they actually use them to kill people. But I don't want to put my country down too much so let me end by telling you that things have improved vastly over the years and bad guys here have turned much gentler than in the past. The main culprit is no doubt because this country is about the only country around Asia where gun ownership is legal, a hand-me-down practice I guess from the American colonizers and they used to call this country 'the wild west of asia' until the early 70's 'cause many macho guys used to openly carry guns in their holsters and used to see them as a teenager when I came here on vacation. Boy I was thrilled 'cause I hadn't shaken off the gun freak in me yet that time, lol...
So do you net or long line fish?Quote:
Originally Posted by pacfanActually the boats used by most fishermen here are really small and simple types, and you can only travel no more than a kilometer away from the shore. Anything more than that, you'll end up lost and in the belly of sharks. I once heard a group of fishermem claiming that one night they had actually seen a mermaid, and they looked very serious about it. So with some other fisherfolks they set out again towards the same area every night for several days...Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreI was under the impression you went out to sea for months on end :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by pacfanAhh, you mean those ol' fishermen's tales. There's a saying 'do not believe in a fisherman's tales,' you know those tales recounting the fishermen's heroic excapades on sea and nearby shore with lots of booze and gals to go with them. Nope, there are no ship waiting in the middle of the sea with many a nice women on board. There's no mermaid either, only seacows or dugongs which fishermen sometimes mistake for one. Smalltime fisherman's life is actually a bore, just cruising around the shorelines catching mostly cheap fishes. The only thing 'exciting' about it are the dangers that comes with it, like a sudden squall with a tornado like winds and rains coming out of nowhere, is the worst, and it'll give you the shivers. Naw, I guess I'm too old for those thrills now so I've turned into an armchair fisherman, letting others do the fishing for me in our fishing village here and just enjoying my li'l fishing sitting on the bank of the nearby shore, musing at the marvel of the horizon and the world beyond, and of course without the booze and the gals and that ain't no tale. Sorry to disappoint you mate but I guess real world is more of a drab and I'm not fit to weave a fancy tale. But if I can think of one, maybe I just might, lol...Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreSo you would come across pirates out there fishing in the South China seas?Quote:
Originally Posted by pacfan
Tell us some sea fairing stories uncle Pacfan :D
I met some pirates once in 1986 out on Ko rock west of Thailand. Machine guns the whole nine yards, lucky for us (as we were some of the first whites ever to go onto the newly opened island) we were with an ex Lieutenant Colonel of the Thailand navy who allowed them a certain clemency if they did their business elsewhere and only visited late after hours. Interesting night on the Mekong with them,still have no idea what they were saying though some of them looked through us like they wanted to kill us and said nothing at all.:)
...it turned out that the mermaid was just a dugong or a sea cow, a sea creature never seen around here. What a spoiler 'cause by the look in their eyes I really thought they'd seen a mermaid! Buy I still remember that mermaid story sometimes and brings back some nice childlike wonder in my heart, something we adults lost somewhere along time, I guess...
Ya I remember those years you've mentioned; those were the era of pirates here in SE asia, particularly the Thais, sometimes with the Cambodians and the Vietnamese. There were many stories of pirate attacks then. You're lucky to have come out unharmed. I had some dangerous encounter here myself, on land though, like a neighbor being gun down just couple meters away from me. Good thing the killer just sped off hardly noticing me. That was the closest encounter I've had but that was just one of the many murders just right here in our neighborhood. I've also had some dealings with some dangerous fellas, powerful ones here, who went on a ruthless vigilante style killing spree, but I can't go into that without compromising my safety 'cause I've made a mistake of telling my location on some of the threads here. When I was young in Japan, I used to be a gun freak together with my best friend and our monthly fare at the US military PX here were Gun World, Guns Illustrated, and Guns magazines. When I came here, I gradually lost interest in them when I found out that they actually use them to kill people. But I don't want to put my country down too much so let me end by telling you that things have improved vastly over the years and bad guys here have turned much gentler than in the past. The main culprit is no doubt because this country is about the only country around Asia where gun ownership is legal, a hand-me-down practice I guess from the American colonizers and they used to call this country 'the wild west of asia' until the early 70's 'cause many macho guys used to openly carry guns in their holsters and used to see them as a teenager when I came here on vacation. Boy I was thrilled 'cause I hadn't shaken off the gun freak in me yet that time, lol...
Have you got crayfish crabs and abalone too?
Fishermen here catches mostly small fishes, most of them no more than a foot long, so they usually just scoop them with nets, not like the tuna catchers down south where they use giant rods and reels to catch 'em one by one. They usually just catch fishes but if anyone wants to catch some crabs, he can go to seawalls where the crabs usually nestle themselves, or if you want clams, just ordinary ones, not abalones, you can just wait at the shore in the morning and race with the residents there to scoop up those clams that gets washed down the shore and they usually come by the hundreds or even thousands depending on the season. Haven't seen a crayfish or a lobster that much here though...Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreSo do you net or long line fish?Quote:
Originally Posted by pacfanActually the boats used by most fishermen here are really small and simple types, and you can only travel no more than a kilometer away from the shore. Anything more than that, you'll end up lost and in the belly of sharks. I once heard a group of fishermem claiming that one night they had actually seen a mermaid, and they looked very serious about it. So with some other fisherfolks they set out again towards the same area every night for several days...Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreI was under the impression you went out to sea for months on end :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by pacfanAhh, you mean those ol' fishermen's tales. There's a saying 'do not believe in a fisherman's tales,' you know those tales recounting the fishermen's heroic excapades on sea and nearby shore with lots of booze and gals to go with them. Nope, there are no ship waiting in the middle of the sea with many a nice women on board. There's no mermaid either, only seacows or dugongs which fishermen sometimes mistake for one. Smalltime fisherman's life is actually a bore, just cruising around the shorelines catching mostly cheap fishes. The only thing 'exciting' about it are the dangers that comes with it, like a sudden squall with a tornado like winds and rains coming out of nowhere, is the worst, and it'll give you the shivers. Naw, I guess I'm too old for those thrills now so I've turned into an armchair fisherman, letting others do the fishing for me in our fishing village here and just enjoying my li'l fishing sitting on the bank of the nearby shore, musing at the marvel of the horizon and the world beyond, and of course without the booze and the gals and that ain't no tale. Sorry to disappoint you mate but I guess real world is more of a drab and I'm not fit to weave a fancy tale. But if I can think of one, maybe I just might, lol...Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreSo you would come across pirates out there fishing in the South China seas?Quote:
Originally Posted by pacfan
Tell us some sea fairing stories uncle Pacfan :D
I met some pirates once in 1986 out on Ko rock west of Thailand. Machine guns the whole nine yards, lucky for us (as we were some of the first whites ever to go onto the newly opened island) we were with an ex Lieutenant Colonel of the Thailand navy who allowed them a certain clemency if they did their business elsewhere and only visited late after hours. Interesting night on the Mekong with them,still have no idea what they were saying though some of them looked through us like they wanted to kill us and said nothing at all.:)
...it turned out that the mermaid was just a dugong or a sea cow, a sea creature never seen around here. What a spoiler 'cause by the look in their eyes I really thought they'd seen a mermaid! Buy I still remember that mermaid story sometimes and brings back some nice childlike wonder in my heart, something we adults lost somewhere along time, I guess...
Ya I remember those years you've mentioned; those were the era of pirates here in SE asia, particularly the Thais, sometimes with the Cambodians and the Vietnamese. There were many stories of pirate attacks then. You're lucky to have come out unharmed. I had some dangerous encounter here myself, on land though, like a neighbor being gun down just couple meters away from me. Good thing the killer just sped off hardly noticing me. That was the closest encounter I've had but that was just one of the many murders just right here in our neighborhood. I've also had some dealings with some dangerous fellas, powerful ones here, who went on a ruthless vigilante style killing spree, but I can't go into that without compromising my safety 'cause I've made a mistake of telling my location on some of the threads here. When I was young in Japan, I used to be a gun freak together with my best friend and our monthly fare at the US military PX here were Gun World, Guns Illustrated, and Guns magazines. When I came here, I gradually lost interest in them when I found out that they actually use them to kill people. But I don't want to put my country down too much so let me end by telling you that things have improved vastly over the years and bad guys here have turned much gentler than in the past. The main culprit is no doubt because this country is about the only country around Asia where gun ownership is legal, a hand-me-down practice I guess from the American colonizers and they used to call this country 'the wild west of asia' until the early 70's 'cause many macho guys used to openly carry guns in their holsters and used to see them as a teenager when I came here on vacation. Boy I was thrilled 'cause I hadn't shaken off the gun freak in me yet that time, lol...
Have you got crayfish crabs and abalone too?