green flying frog

I love Perth

2008-07-14T15:44:00.012+10:00

(forgive me, my english is terrible)

I have been in Perth (Australia) for 4 months now. I first arrived here in early March 2008 and have been going through some rough times since then. My first problem when I got here was money and accommodation. I had no money and I was given two weeks of free accommodation in a hotel before I had to move out and find my own accommodation. I enjoyed my stay in the hotel but I had to pay for my own meals and I had no money. I remember having to eat noodles once a day for almost 2 weeks. Then I had to check out of the hotel and had to go stay in a backpackers hostel for a week. My stay at the backpackers hostel was made possible by a true friend of mine and I owe him a lot for that.

Life at the backpackers was fine but sometimes I felt like I had no privacy. It was nothing compared to my spacious and luxurious hotel suite at Mantra Hotel. But it was better then staying out in the streets. I had to share a tiny room with 3 other people: an Irish guy, a Korean guy and an Israeli girl. I hated the room at first sight but then I decided to look at the positive side of it. It was a small room but at least I have people I can talk to when I am bored and alone. Gradually I began to like my room-mates and I enjoyed the moments when each of us would come home (backpackers hostel) from work, sit around in our tiny back yard and talk about our work, australia, perth and even our problems. I had only been with them for a week but I felt sad when I left and moved into my new place. I am still in contact with the Irish guy. He had also left the backpackers hostel and has found himself a place. I met him recently at a pub and we celebrated our reunion hahaha.

Apart from my money and accommodation problems I also had relationship and other issues that I was dealing with and putting them all together made my first 3 months in Perth a living hell.

But I am feeling much better now. I have made friends with people here and I was able to meet up with some old friends. And with my money and accommodation problem gone (well not entirely gone) I am beginning to like Perth. Although Perth may be less exciting, compared to the East, I think it is the people that make a place exciting. When I first got here I didn't venture out and approach people. I locked myself in my cage and as a result I found Perth a bit boring. But in the recent weeks I have met some really nice and understanding people and I am starting to build friendships. So Perth is not boring after all. There are nice and interesting people here. I just have to go out there and meet them.

Perth CBD viewed from Kings Park

Kings Park, Perth CBD background

South Perth

South Perth close up

Time Off

2008-05-06T16:03:00.004+10:00

I really don't have anything to say at the moment so I'm going to take a break. I'm going through a difficult time and I'd like to take time off from everything. I just want to be alone and deal with my issues. But I promise I will try my best to come back online soon.

Parasites

2008-04-14T14:33:00.002+10:00

...Everyone within 50 kilometers is fighting to marry me off to their dowdy daughters, to blunt my wits over the dinner table so they can ensnare me into matrimony. But - I hate them, I detest them. They care not for me, but for my money, for my title, for my grassy little kingdom...

Black Foxes by Sonya Hartnet

Vinterkveld i Bergen

2007-11-30T01:48:00.001+10:00

Winter evening in Bergen

Good friend for company, having coffee and cognac, beside the fireplace, listening to Tracy Chapman and Minor Majority. That's what I'm doing right now, and I am enjoying it very much. So who says winter is bad? Winter can be fun if you use it the right way. Well it's not really winter yet in Norway, but for me I regard this as winter. Norwegians say winter starts in January but for me winter starts now. It is already too cold for me (being from the Tropics) but locals here say it is not cold at all, and yet they complain about the weather and that it's too dark etc. I think it's too cold and dark but I have a better way of enjoying it. And that is to have coffee and cognac in front of the fireplace listening to good easy-listening music.

The ugly frogling

2007-11-27T23:42:00.000+10:00

So the frog has been told not to go to work today because he is so ugly no one can even dare look at him. So the frog packs his bags and walks out into the snow. Along the pathway, down the stairs and down the road goes the frog. Small droplets of frog tears falls down his eyes. But then something about the snow makes him stop crying. The snow is so white and so beautiful that even the ugly frogling looks so beautiful walking on the snow.

With tears now gone, the ugly frogling throws his bags on the ground and runs through the snow into the whiteness beyond. He can't understand why the whiteness suddenly makes him so happy. Perhaps the snow brings out the beauty in him. Maybe he has always been beautiful. He doesn't know. All he knows is that he is so happy and that is all that matters.

Skraneflaten, Bergen, Norway

2007-11-26T02:20:00.002+10:00

This is my house in Bergen, Norway. Well I don't own the house but I live in it. It's big and cosy and I like it very much, but its quite far from the Sentrum. It's the same distance as from Gerehu to Town. In POM it costs K0.70 to travel from Gerehu to Town by bus. Here in Bergen it costs the equivalent of K12.00 to travel the same distance. And if I go by taxi it costs me the equivalent of K251.00. But apart from the cost of living and the fact that it rains a lot, Bergen is a very beautiful city. One cannot really see the beauty of Bergen in the rain, except on a sunny day. Sunshine brings out the beauty in Bergen. Too bad it rains a lot in Bergen. But I think rain is something that is a part of Bergen so one has to get used to it and see the beauty of Bergen in the rain.

These days I don't stay indoors anymore. I go walking, jogging, shopping and clubbing...in the rain. I can't stay indoors and wait for the rain to stop 'cause it will not stop.

More pictures of Bergen will be posted soon.

The house

View of the neibourhood from the house

The most used part of the house

The kitchen

The dining table which I hardly use

The fireplace

The garage and the house

Musings of the living dead

2007-11-20T02:31:00.000+10:00

So the innocent greenflyingfrog was killed by this malevolent sorcerer and then raised in a comatose trance from his grave by the same malevolent sorcerer. He (greenflyingfrog) was led to this ugly shopping mall with a complicated network of pipes to toil indefinitely as a slave.

Most of his soul has been captured by the sorcerer as it is evident by the absence of will, memory and emotion. His eyes are sunken and his skin is peeling off, and if you ask him what "1 + 1" is he will say "Monday". 1 + 1 = Monday? There is something terribly wrong. He hasn't slept for more then 48 hours, but why would he need sleep? He is a zombie now and zombie's don't sleep, do they? But this zombie is a different kind of zombie and he needs sleep and the lack of sleep is driving him insane and has a tremendous effect on his health and emotions. Perhaps because only a part of his soul was captured, he is still able to feel that he needs sleep and has become very emotional about it. I wonder if all of his soul had been captured he would have been nothing but just a living dead.

So this is what this living dead is thinking:
1) 1 + 2 = Kakaruk burger.
2) I am covered up in 4 layers of clothing. How come I am still very hot?
3) I really hate this but I don't have any choice. I don't want to go back to that stinking island.
4) All I wanna do now is cuddle A and cuddle A and cuddle A and cuddle A forever...
5) Oh s**t! Am I just dreaming?
6) And as you can see readers of this blog...my Egnlhsh is terribla.

Norway

2007-11-04T04:40:00.001+10:00

So greenflyingfrog has been silent the past months...

I had not been updating the blog lately due to tight schedule and of course I was just plain lazy. Anyway, I am in Scandinavia at the moment and it's cold and it rains in the city (Bergen) I am staying. I went to Oslo last week and managed to get some photos. As you can see in the pictures, although Oslo is cold as well, it is sunny. But not Bergen which rains a lot. I may post some pics of rainy Bergen soon.

From La Defense to Champs Elysee to Eiffel Tower

2007-09-03T02:49:00.002+10:00

More Paris pics. I have yet to see more of Avenue des Champs Elysees.

La Defense.

View of Arc de Triomphe from Grand Arche.

On our way to Arc de Triomphe, we looked back and took another photo of Grand Arche.

Arc de Triomphe (Arc of Triumph).

Little car. I saw this car along Avenue des Champs Elysees.

Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower).

La Defense

2007-09-02T22:44:00.001+10:00

Some pictures of La Defense, Paris.

La Defense is a business area of Paris with modern buildings. This picture was taken standing under Grand Arche and looking south-east.

La Defense. Looking north-west from Grand Arche.

Crossing the Coral Sea

2007-08-25T13:01:00.000+10:00

The frog has flown over the Coral Sea and is now in Cairns.

Chaotic

2007-08-23T11:01:00.000+10:00

Everything is in chaos!

So annoying

2007-08-06T02:11:00.000+10:00

Have you ever come across someone so annoying that all you wanted to do was squeeze their neck till you feel better? I came across a couple of them today...but I did not squeeze their neck though I really wanted to. I told them off instead. The skinny frog in this video is a perfect representation of those annoying blokes I met today.

Now I feel better.

When I was a kid

2007-08-05T00:36:00.001+10:00

Every morning I would wake up to the sound of the car engine. I would run out and jump into the Nissan ute* that was just about take my sister to school. Sometimes Dad would say, "Nogat wok blong yu, stap back." Other times, when Dad was in a good mood he would let me into the car and off we would go. We would drop my sister off at her school and as we were driving back Dad would play rock music and nodding his head as if he was about to dance in the driver's seat, he would look at me and say, "Come on Tolly!" And together we would sing and nod our heads as we head home. That was what dad and I used to do most mornings.

Dad and I were best friends, though his strictness pissed me off sometimes. Soon Laurie joined our group and the three of us (Dad, Laurie and I) formed a gang. We would drop Mareko (she hates that name) at school and then the three of us would spend the entire morning speeding in the car and listening to 70's and 80's rock music. Now when I listen to Eagles, Dire Straits and even Beatles I think of Dad and those mornings we would go roaming in the car with load music on and Laurie and I begging Dad to drive faster.

One time Laurie didn't notice that there was a hole in his short and as we were seeing Mareko off at her school, some of her friends spotted the hole in Laurie's short and said, "Weeeh...yu gat windua long trausis blong yu." How embarrassing. I was glad it wasn't me. Another time we were travelling back home after dropping Mareko off when Laurie's stuck his head out the window and was suddenly convinced that his hair was very long and that he could start a fire with it. In fact his hair was no more than 1cm long. He made himself believe that his hair was long and that he could start fires with it after watching a movie titled Firestarter. What a silly boy my brother was.

Dad's village is close to Momote Airport and sometimes (a lot of times actually) Dad would drive us to the airport just to see the Fokker F-28s. I remember seeing a DC3 once, but I think that was before Laurie joined our gang. I remember wanting to be a pilot when I grow up and Dad was fully supportive of me. Then later influenced by Dire Straits I decided to be a singer. I wanted to stand on a stage with a microphone in my hand just like Mark Knopfler. Later I got bored of Dire Straits and decided to be a medical doctor...after discovering the hiding place where Mum hid medicines and all her books on medicine. I couldn't read then, but Mum's books had diagrams and I enjoyed looking at them. I particularly liked anatomy and would spend time looking at the diagrams, and later I would catch grasshoppers, praying mantis and frogs, and dissect them. I would then sew them up and send them home after telling them that they have been cured of their illnesses. My hospital is a cherry tree close to Kapak's** house. I should be in jail by now for killing so many insects and frogs. By the way, I never became a doctor.

Sometimes I got tired of being in our gang of three and I would follow Mum to work. Mum worked in a high school health clinic and I enjoyed seeing her at work. I was always tempted to touch the medical equipment and medicines in the clinic, but I couldn't play with them because I was in a real clinic. It was not a place for a kid to play doctor games. I would get bored and escape to the printing room, and the typist who doted on me would give me a job to do such as handing her papers or pressing the print lever on the printing machine. One time, without her approval, I started fiddling around with a printing machine and almost ruined it. I got told off by Sr Margaret, the school's principal, who was also a nun. I still have vivid memories of that moment when she told me to stop playing with that machine, that I was a bad boy, and that I couldn't replace that machine if I damaged it. I hated her from that day onwards. And I got scared of her too. Every time I saw her my heart would start to pump like hell.

I began to spend more and more time away from the gang (the gang formed by Dad and I and later joined by Laurie). I guess I was getting older and my interests were changing. Also, although Dad was still my best friend, he was beginning to focus more and more on Laurie, which made me jealous sometimes. I remember one time when I felt really hurt when Dad told his friends that Laurie was stronger than me. I was upset for days. Laurie is younger than me, how could he be stronger? I kept thinking. I began to drift away from our gang. I became closer to Mum. Laurie and I started fighting a lot. I always won the fights...and I always got the blame. Laurie became my number one enemy and Mareko became my enemy on occasional basis. They would team up and play games while I would play on my own. But Mareko, being the oldest and sensible among us, would always apologize and invite me to play with Laurie (and her).

Some of the games that Mareko, Laurie and I played together are Mande-praide-vindio and Spring mountain. In Spring mountain, Mareko would play the talking mountain that always revert to its original shape and size after being crush to nothing by Laurie and I. Another game that Laurie and I played is called Kapoopoo kapoo kapoo. In this game, all we needed was loud music and strangers. It could be played anywhere. We would listen to loud music and observe strangers walking to the beat of the music as we sing, "kapoopoo kapoo kapoo." It was so hilarious that we always end up laughing and the strangers always wondered why we were laughing.

Despite being enemies Laurie and I liked to play fights (another one of our games) on our bed after mealtimes. Sometime the fights turn into real fights (and I got the blame) but most times we enjoyed those fights, which Laurie and I called takol. Dad and I are still friends, and though we didn't put much effort into our gang like we used to, we still maintain our closeness as a family. Occasionally Dad would play Eagles, Dire Staits and other 70's - 80's rock music, and Laurie would dance the Laurie Dance***. Mareko developed a new interest in nail polish, make-up, music and other stuff such as boys, and didn't pay much attention to Laurie and I anymore. But as time went Mareko, Laurie and I became best friends. We realized that there's only 3 of us and we have only each other.

*The ute was, years later, sold to my aunt for K200
**Kapak passed away several years ago
***The Laurie Dance was created by Laurie

Boring conversation

2007-07-31T21:17:00.000+10:00

Today I had a conversation with a ghost.

Ghost: Been a while.
Popol: You were avoiding me.
Ghost: No, I wasn't.
Popol: Yes, you were.

Silence...

Ghost: What are you thinking about?
Popol: Brewery, farm, aeroplane and nectar.
Ghost: You are so boring.
Popol: You are so boring too.

Silence...

Ghost: What are you thinking about?
Popol: Colgate toothpaste and toothbrush
Ghost: Well, I gotta go now.
Popol: Bye, and don't forget to brush your teeth.

MacDonald's loo

2007-07-30T15:32:00.000+10:00

Short MacDonald has a loo,
E-I-E-I-O.
And in his loo he plays solitaire,
E-I-E-I-O.
With a click, click here,
And a click, click there,
Here a click, there a click,
Everywhere a click, click,
Short MacDonald has a loo,
E-I-E-I-O.

Short MacDonald has a loo,
E-I-E-I-O.
And in his loo he likes to sleep,
E-I-E-I-O.
With a zzzzzz here,
And a zzzzzz there,
Here a zzz, there a zzz,
Everywhere a zzzzzz,
Short MacDonald has a loo,
E-I-E-I-O.

Short MacDonald has a loo,
E-I-E-I-O.
And in his loo he likes to scream,
E-I-E-I-O.
With a deee, deee here,
And a beee, beee there,
Here a deee, there a beee,
Everywhere a deee, beee,
Short MacDonald has a loo,
E-I-E-I-O.

Brain drain

2007-07-26T15:53:00.000+10:00

An increasing number of PNG geologists are now working abroad. Most of them are in Australia while the rest are working in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. I am not sure if there are any PNG geologists working in America or Europe at the moment, but apparently some are planning to take up employment in Europe.

This is a perfect example of brain drain or human capital flight. There are many reasons why trained and talented individuals emigrated to other nations. People seek employment in other nations because of conflicts, lack of opportunity, health hazards where they are leaving, discrimination or other reasons.

I think the main reasons why many PNG geologists are taking up employment abroad are: 1) shortage of geologists in other countries (particularly Australia), 2) higher wages and 3) better opportunities. I also think that a lot of mineral exploration/mining and petroleum companies are employing PNG geologists because there are many geology graduates in the country and many of them are skilled and talented. This can be attributed to the quality of education at UPNG Earth Sciences.

Working abroad can be a wonderful experience and with the exposure to better opportunities and high wages, one would not want to come back and work in his or her own country. A geologist working abroad can send money back home to his family and as a result he is helping his country. However, there is negative side to brain drain. It parallels capital flight, which refers to financial capital that is no longer invested in the country where its owner lived and earned it. Investment in higher education is lost when a trained geologist leaves and does not return. Also, whatever social capital the individual has been a part of is reduced by his or her departure.

So although working abroad may good and beneficial for the geologist and his or her family in many ways, it also drains resources from the home country. And keep in mind that PNG is a developing nation, and yet all its skilled and talented geologists are "giving their brains" to developed nations.

Like other geologists, I am planning to work abroad as well. I have several reasons for wanting to work abroad; higher wages and better opportunities are some of the reasons. Also I like traveling and I wouldn't mind using my work as an opportunity to travel abroad and see places. I will always help my family and PNG in whatever way I can, and I will always come back home.

For now I am trying not to let the opportunities pass me by.

Poor and bored

2007-07-25T21:38:00.000+10:00

I am not working at the moment, which means I have no money. I have food and shelter but I am running out of toiletries...and clothes. Sooner or later I will run out of food and I will be kicked out of my room. I need to get a job asap. But there are no jobs available.

They said there a lots of jobs available. How come I still don't have a job. Maybe I'm just being lazy and don't want to look for work. Perhaps all the jobs available don't seem appealing to me.

Now I'm not talking about career work. I'm talking about money work that would keep me going until I find a decent job. I think I will do some bar-tending work at Gold Club or become a waiter at Jepello. Or I think I should take a break from everything and go stay with my parents and become a parasite.

Perhaps what I really need is an adventure. I'll fly to Manus, climb the tallest mountain there, sail around the island, fly back to Moresby, and beg for money at Four Mile. Nah, I think that's an unrealistic plan.

I know what I'll do. I'll get my employment papers sorted out and while waiting for responses, I will fly to Manus, enjoy time with my family, have fun, and eat as much sea food as I can. Then I will fly back to Moresby... and out into the whole wide world of work.

Hippip! Hooray!

2007-07-19T22:31:00.000+10:00

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
You look like a green frog
And you smell like one too

Welcome on board

2007-07-17T21:53:00.000+10:00

Hello everyone. Green flying frog would like to welcome you on board white jet plane. Strap yourself, sit back, relax and get ready for the ride.