.: Cath’s Blog:.

I got an email from my friend Marisa with pictures from the damage caused by Hurricane Wilma in Cozumel. I didn’t even know they were affected. This is one thing I hate about being so far away…you really haven’t got a clue what is going on in the world. Yes, you hear about the UK, USA and Iraq…I mean the world.

The sadest thing about this happening to Cozumel is that it is probably my favourite port from all of my time working for Carnival. I have made so many cool friends from there, learnt to dive there and I have seen such a transformation from 1999 to this year when I resigned.

Carnival bought the pier and spent millions…they must be pretty gutted that there is so much damage, not only to the pier but also to the Island. They also have half of their ships going there…It wouldn’t surprise me if they contemplate Eurpean cruises after all these hurricane’s this year. The next best thing that could happen to CCL would be Cuba opening up…that would be exciting.

The docks on Cozumel — Mexico’s top cruise destination — suffered severe damage from Hurricane Wilma and should take months to repair, a port official told the Associated Press last week.

The Caribbean island just south of Cancún receives 1,600 ships a year at three ports, carrying 3 million passengers who contribute an estimated $150 million to the local economy. Cozumel is also a popular stop for divers.

Carnival Cruise Line confirmed Tuesday the dock it owns sustained heavy damage when Wilma passed through last week as a Category 4 hurricane. The company also uses the other two cruise ports on the island.

Tourism officials said they hope the cruise lines will divert Cozumel-bound ships to other ports on Mexico’s Caribbean and Gulf coasts, such as Progreso or Costa Maya, until the island can offer visitor amenities — perhaps by the high season in December.

Cozumel’s municipal dock, left largely intact, is being used to ferry passengers back to Playa del Carmen on the mainland.

Also suffering heavy damage was Isla Mujeres, east of Cancún, where winds and storm surge deposited white sand across the island and water and food were in short supply late last week. More than 25,000 tourists have been evacuated from the islands and the Riviera Maya, according to tourism officials, and crews are still working to restore power in the region.

Yesterday was the AAMI Victoria Derby Day and all day long we had it on the TV in the house. I was sat in the living room, again, leeching as much bandwidth as possible from one of my poor neighbours and my room mate was in and out of the room watching it. I am not interesed in the slightest in horseracing but it was pretty funny watching all the media run around like desperados after Eva Longoria…and of course laughing at the silly names of the horses.

For some reason Eva was flown into Melbourne to judge the fasion event at the Cup…she was only in the country 24 hours!! Doesn’t it take that long to get here from the States?

It seemed to be quite a big event and Tuesday is a public holiday for another big race…The Melbourne Cup. I wonder if Makybe Diva will be able to pull a ‘hat trick’?

By the way…Eva has copied my tatoo. BITCH!!

I know it’s not Halloween yet…that’s in a few days. The reason that I have a ghost in my post (oooh rhymes) is that last night when I was preparing myself for the hellish task of re-formatting my laptop I remembered that I had ghost image of my hard drive on my laptop.

In December ‘04 a nerdy waiter onboard the Ecstasy (not being nasty, he really was a nerd) gave me a copy of Norton Ghost and Partition Magic and helped me to back up my computer.

Anyway, I totally forgot about this back up and when I remembered I was so happy. It only took me 15 minutes to take my computer back to normal.

This waiter made a partition on my C:Drive splitting up my computer’s hard drive. He left about 40MB’s on my C:Drive and about 20GB’s on my E:Drive (the new partition). I saved everything on my E:Drive including the ghost image. All I needed to do was use Norton Ghost to restore using this image and it deleted everything on my C:Drive and replaced it with the image.

I have however been having a problem logging onto the internet through Janey’s account which has been very frustrating. I am currently leeching someone’s broadband. I have to sit at a funny angle, but hey, it’s faster and free so I am not complaining.

I rented Batman Returns last night…it was awful…I have not seen a film with such a great cast which was so poor in a long time.

I saw that Trent had posted a link for the Hung Up video and I excitedly downloaded it at work this morning. I totally loved it!! I thought she looked very cool (Goldie thought she looks hiddeous)…loved the pink outfit (very Kylie) and loved the dance routine (very similar to Spinning Around). I am seeing more and more things that Madonna is doing that Kylie did over the last few years…1-888-CONFESS/1-555-CONFIDE, Hung Up/Spinning Around and I am sure the new look is definately influenced by Kylie.

The guy’s at work were printing off the posters today for Confessions On A Dancefloor and printed me off a HUGE 1000×1000 poster.

I have been incredibly boring lately spending time looking for a new job. I am still working at the moment and still enjoying it, but the contract will finish soon and I don’t want to be out of work and penniless.

I called an old school friend earlier this week. Emily was a mate at Barlow High and came to Australia in 99. I caught up with her in Sydney over two years ago and somehow didn’t think she would still be out here. I was pleasantly surprised when her Mum told me she was still in Sydney. I was given her home number but decided to Google her anyway (I LOVE GOOGLE) on Monday and called her at work. It was so great to hear her voice and we had a good old laugh…again we were sending emails from work today and it was good fun…swapping pictures etc.

THIS is the sickest thing I have read in a long long time. It wouldn’t be allowed in the UK…or Australia for that matter. Of course since President Bush is a god fearing white loving redneck it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. Apparently they raised money for Hurricane Katrina victims and wanted the money to go to only white people!!

Janet Jackson has denied she had a child 18 years ago…Here is a picture of her so called Daughter. I personally think she looks like Janet…but who knows!!

I had to laugh this afternoon when I checked the referrals to my website…someone had searched “desiree D’souza” and then read my website.  

Some bad news…I tried to download the new Robbie Wank Williams album a few days ago and managed to get a virus on my computer, so this weekend I will be wasting hours and hours re-formatting my laptop.

I was in bed last night thinking about the first computer I ever used. When I was young (possibly 6) my brother was given a Sinclair Spectrum ZX. Now, I wish I could say I was really cool and it was mine, but it wasn’t. My first memory of playing the Spectrum was a game called Wall (see picture - right) and my nephews no doubt would be pretty mortified if they knew that games like this kept the three of us entertained for hours and hours. Of course PAC MAN was one of my favourite games, Chuckie Egg, Chequered Flag, Invaders, Match Point, Jetset Willy, Ant Attack and Manic Minder too. I am sure that when my parents bought that computer for Ged they never expected that they would be using a computer themselves 20 years later every single day.

After the Spectrum we got a Commadore 64 and god this was a cool computer…this was my baby. Being the big nerd that I am, I would spend hours typing programs from a book onto the computer screen which would eventually become a programe…and would have to re-type in everything again to play it again. The thing that I hated about these old computers was that you would have to sync a tape recorder up to the TV and basically the sounds would work like a disc would. I remember when the large 12″ floppy discs came out. We got a disc drive for the 64 (I think) and from there things have rapidly become larger in memory and smaller in size…3.5 floppy’s, Cd’s and now all the rage is jump drives. I love that now we can find information out in a minute, locate old friends, pay bills, download music and EVEN get viruses!!

Imagine if Rosa Parks hadn’t refused to move from the front of the bus? Just that one act changed so much for so many people. I met her in 1995 when I was working at the Saddle Brook Marriott. She came to stay there for a night and seemed a very pleasant lady. She will no doubt have a good seat in heaven.

I was up early this morning as I had an appointment at Vic Roads to register my car at 8:30am…$600 SHIT!!

One thing that I have found quite strange since arriving in Australia is that the States and Territories are equally like separate countries…more extreme even than England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. All the states have different license plates, rules, prices and are strangely even called different things. Thank God the UK doesn’t have this crap!

Anyway, since I bought my car in WA…it had WA plates and the Registration (Rego) was only valid until November. Since it’s nearly November now (time flies) I had to schedule an appointment to have my car inspected and to have the Rego changed over to VIC. I was half expecting to be there for hours, but it was a quite pleasant experience…yes, I can actually say that…even before I tell you what happened.

I arrived really early and after spending a few minutes taking off my old license plates I waited patiently outside for doors to be opened. A strange Japanese woman walked past everyone straight up to the doors and started shaking them furiously. Since I was at the front of the line I said to her “They haven’t opened the doors…or we wouldn’t be stood outside in the rain!”. She cackled in a crazy (I didn’t understand what the fuck you just said) kind of way and stood next to me at the front of the line. I knew what was going to happen next!

When the door was open she was the first to barge right in. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or that I was just an anal Brit who likes to queue…I said loudly “Why don’t you go to the back of the line and let all the people who were here first in”. Everyone stared at me!!

Anyway again there was my favourite ticketing system and for the first time ever I was number 1…YAY!! The guy who took care of me was amazing. I was expecting to have an inspection like in the States…this system was so much easier. I filled out a form and he came outside to check the VIN number on the car, I paid my $600 and that was it.

Like a total retard I went outside to put on the plates and locked my keys in my car. I went back in to see the helpful guy inside and he called the RACV for me. I payed for the RAC in WA and presumed it was the same company throughout Australia…it apparently is not. Anyway, the RACV came out and opened up the car for me and I was on my way to work in no time. 

Janet Jackson…I am extremely disappointed. First of all she lied about being married to Rene Whatshisname who did all her video’s in the 90’s and now we hear that she had a baby with Whatshisname DeBarge 18 years ago and dumped her kid off with her sister Renee. And I thought she was the only normal one in the Jackson Family….wrong!!

Robbie Williams has stooped to the lowest of lows. Not only is his new album a pile of poop but if you go to his website you will see a flash intro of him naked waggling his willy around…how sad!! 

WTF? I have just turned on Neighbours…half the cast were on a plane going somewhere and the plane crashed into the ocean…very Emmerdale Farm!! Cripes!!

A Major hurricane Catagory 3, hit Greenock in the early hours of this morning. Victims were seen wandering around aimlessly muttering ‘Whit the F**K wiz at?.

The hurricane decimated the area, causing £27.68 worth of damage. Several priceless collections of mementos from the Balearics and Spanish Costas were damaged beyond repair.

Three areas of historic burnt out cars were disturbed. Many local were woken well before their giros had arrived. Clyde F.M. reported that hundreds of residents were confused and bewildered that something interesting had happened in Greenock apart from punch ups and early morning drug raids.

One resident, Tracy-Sharron Smith, a 15year old mother of 5 said, ‘it was such a f***ing shock, my little Chardonnay-Mercedes came running into the bedroom and said ‘what da f**k was that’ and ‘ What is uncle Jim doing in your bed?’

My youngest two, Tyler - Morgan and Henrick - Gerrard slept through it all. Me? I must have smoked 60 Lambert & Butlers”.

Apparently though, looting, mugging and burglaries were all able to be carried out as normal. The Red Cross has shipped in 4000 crates of PoundStretchers cola and crisps (with soss-on) to the area.

Rescue workers searching through the rubble have found many personal belongings including benefit books, jewellery from Argos and a large quantity of items from Poundstretchers.

HOW CAN YOU HELP ?

Send clothing; the following items are the most needed.

• Fila or Burberry caps
• Kappa track suits [his and hers]
• Shell suits [female]
• White sports socks
• Any garments by Donnay
• Anything from Matalan or TK Maxx
• 22p buys a biro for filling out compensation forms
• £2.00 will buy chips, crisps and blue fizzy drinks for a family of 9
• £5.00 for 20 B&H and a lighter.

Rescue workers found a girl alive and bleeding in the rubble. When asked where she was bleeding from, she replied ‘Peat Road. But what the F**k has it got to do with you?’.

I cannot get this bloody song out of my head. All morning I have been humming CONVOY!..It’s getting very annoying.

When I was on my road trip accross America all through the southern states the radio stations were either country and western or religious bible bashers rambling on about Jonah in the belly of the whale. Somewhere in Texas I heard this song on a random radio station and I felt like I was in the film ‘Smokey and the Bandit’.

“Well we rolled up interstate fourty-four, Like a rocket sled on rails.
We tore up all a our swindle sheets, An’ left ‘em settin’ on the scales. 
By the time we hit that Chi-Town, Them bears was a gittin’ smart.
They’d brought up some reinforcements, From the Illinois National Guard.
There ‘as armored cars, and tanks, and Jeeps, An’ rigs of every size.
Yeah them chicken coops ‘as full a bears, An’ choppers filled the skies.
Well we shot the line, an’ we went for broke, With a thousand screamin’ trucks.
And eleven long-haired friends of Jesus, In a chartreusse microbus.”

Last night I sat and watched the ARIA’s, which is the equivalent to the BRIT’s…but, I think the Brits is better in my honest opinion. I was so pleased that Missy Higgins cleaned up, winning a handful of awards. I loved that she jumped ‘The Hoff’ when she won Best Album…YAY!

I am not sure how big she is in the UK but I love her album…it’s very Deltaish, but not cheesy.

Last night I was listening to some music from my external hard drive and I came accross some songs that brought back some great old memories.

When I was little we used to go on our holidays to either Glasgow (to see our family) or to Benllech Bay, Anglesey (usually during the summer holidays). The trip to Wales was quite short (just over 2 hours or so) and I have fond memories of that journey…usually with a stop at somewhere like the Little Chef (have they all closed down now?).

Now, the trips to Glasgow were another story. The trip usually took about 4 hours and I can remember it was a huge deal in my house. It was as if we were driving to Germany or something. I can also remember that the back of my Dad’s VW Passat Estate was packed to the roof with all sorts of crap. Now, I shouldn’t really say that because they used to take up Gateaux’s that my Dad had made and all sorts of other things, but I remember the car was filled until not one more item could be stuffed into the boot.

There would be the three kids in the back (usually Ged was sat in the middle so me and my sister would not kill each other) and we would usually be listening to out walkmans…why?…because of the music that was played in the car. Now, I am not dissing my Dad…it’s not his fault he had spent years going to Irish Clubs…I mean, it’s a fact, Irish Clubs play really really shit music…it’s like being in a cult…you get brainwashed!

Anyway, I found some songs on my hard drive which used to be played in the car and they made me laugh…because…I knew all the words…see, brainwashed!!

So, Dad, I have made you a 22 minute megamix of some of these songs. I am sure you are going to be playing it full blast on your laptop in the Kitchen singing and Mum will be shaking her head at you with dismay.

If anyone wants to download this mix…all you need to do is RIGHT CLICK THIS LINK AND SAVE TARGET AS.

Actually this mix is great…it’ll get you swayin’. YEEEEEHHHHAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

Enjoy…