On tour

I'm currently in Phuket playing in the international club rugby 10's.

After what can only be described as an emotional night last night, today I'm part man, part brewery. The rugby is a painful formality.

Elsom dominates

Watched the Heineken Cup final with a few mates on Saturday night, enjoying an absolute ball-tearer of a game from Rocky Elsom. Interestingly, Irish legend Brian O'Driscoll reckons he's the best player he's ever played with...

Elsom was named Man-of-the-Match in the final, apparently his 11th honour in Leinster's previous 13 matches, an incredible statistic.

Here's a vid including a few of Rocky's highlights from the final. Let's hope the ARU can get him back on Aussie soil!!!

Clare and I on Sunday

Clare and I are in bed, feeling somewhat sorry for ourselves after a particularly festive Saturday night...Clare sent me this PM on Skype which pretty much sums up the two of us (yes, we message each other whilst lying side-by-side...).

Playing the numbers game

According to the new 'computational knowledge engine' Wolfram Alpha:

• I am 7449km from home.
• I consumed 34% of my daily recommended caloric intake at lunch. 
• I am 25.56 years old today.
  
• My birth was not a notable event.

The internet, news and democracy

Fascinating article from this week's Economist on the future of media...what impact will the internet have on not only traditional newspapers, news and advertising, but also democracy...

...Technological change has destroyed all sorts of once-popular products, from the handloom to the Walkman, and the world has mostly been better for it. But news is not just a product: the press is the fourth estate, a pillar of the polity. Journalists investigate and criticise governments, thus helping voters decide whether to keep them or sack them. Autocracies can function perfectly well without news, but democracies cannot. Will the death of the daily newspaper—the main source of information for most educated people for at least the past century, the scourge of corrupt politicians, the conscience of nations — damage democracy?...

Read the full article here.

We live in Bangkok

A couple of snaps from our place here in Bangkok!

Looking toward the north from our bedroom window. We get some amazing sunsets, especially during the monsoon season as thick clouds engulf the city. This part of the city is home to an eclectic mix of Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist cultures, with the Islamic Call to Prayer often heard just before the sun sets.

View from our bedroom balcony, bearing north-west. You may notice the low-lying buildings surrounding the odd high-rise. We live on the 18th floor of a 38-floor building. About 1km away behind the large buildings is the snaking Chao Phraya River and further north is the royal palace and some of Thailand's most revered temples.

Looking toward the east from our living room balcony as night falls. There's quite a lot of building happening at the moment, illustrated by the new W Hotel going up in the foreground. This area is Bangkok's main financial, embassy and flash hotel district. Also of note is the constant flow of traffic along Sathorn Road below, as well as the sky train tracks passing over the motorist's heads.