Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Ricardo W.'s LiveJournal:

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Monday, July 21st, 2008
10:42 am	Stwaight fwush? Nothing here has much to do directly with poker really. Think figuratively. According to the Facebook "name analyzer" application, my name spells out the following character: Romantic Indifferent CYNICAL Abnormal Rhythmic Dangerous Objective The most pertinent word of all is highlighted above. So don't expect me to believe I have the cards you can see until I've looked at them very carefully. Comes with old age, wisdom and experience. Maybe more later. Current Mood: cynical Current Music: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", Marvin Gaye (Comment on this)
Sunday, July 6th, 2008
9:18 pm	P-p-p-pick up a... I just got back a while ago from seeing penguins, seals and various birds out on the cold, exposed, viciously windy bluffs of the Otago Peninsula. (Yes it is a natural penguin habitat.) Included was free "surprise" entertainment when a yellow penguin fresh out of the ocean was suddenly startled by a sneaky sealion slithering from a camouflaged position behind some rocks. The penguin dashed back into the ocean and had vanished in a flash! Good old evolved survival instincts... Current Mood: stimulated Current Music: The rock on the rajo atm (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 5th, 2008
11:44 pm	And then... Where to start? OK so I'm "freezing" my 'nads off in Dunedin, New Zealand at the moment. Planning on going on a wildlife tour to see penguins etc. tomorrow arvo IFF the weather isn't horrendous like it was earlier today. Temperature's hovering around a balmy 1° before the wind chill, milder if it's pouring. Winter in Queenstown and Wanaka is beautiful; the mountains glaciated recently. I'm (supposed to be!) looking for casual jobs - not found anything on the job boards in Queenstown but will keep looking generally. A temporary job in a YHA anywhere (board included) would be quite good. Until I head back to Auckland that is. Then, bankroll allowing, SKYCITY beckons. I have enjoyed the ever warm hospitality of teotakuu in the world's southernmost city (the definition thereof being somewhat arbitrary). Keep up the good work and keep the house warm! Looking forward to seeing you some time ahead! {{{teotakuu}}} It's been a while since I spoke to my biological father, save a few replies on BookCrossing. So I'd like to make it up with a reconciliatory hug: {{{miketroll}}} (the shorter name is easier to hug, I'll admit: ) The future's looking highly uncertain, but potentially very bright. It's early days yet, but it looks as though I have a date for when I return to Sydney in the spring! Yes I'm overjoyed, but not to the point of risking a painful disappointment. She seems out of this world in every way, as well as genuine, and online she made the first move. She's an old fogie like yours truly but (thankfully) doth not look it. I'm grateful to God for any positives that arise. If things blossom and work out, I might be willing to find any means I can to remain in Sydney legally, included the dreaded 457 "guest worker" visa (whose holders are rather like the Turks who went to west Germany in the 1950s). It's amazing what one can put up with when there's a little... incentivizing compensation! ;) Should things not blossom and work out, looks like it's one way to Switzerland. (Or if all goes well and she's happy to live in Switzerland.) Current Mood: optimistic Current Music: Whatever (Comment on this)
Saturday, June 14th, 2008
10:22 pm	There's no reason why this can't be the TOP of the world I'm at somewhere resembling 47 degrees of southerly latitude chez teotakuu who has offered me the privilege to stay at her house. I may not truly have visited the ends of the earth, but at least I've been places from which they're visible! :) Queenstown's the next stop for possible seasonal winter work. ( The rest ) Current Mood: okay Current Music: Whatever's playing (Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007
4:18 pm	Pandemonium in Paradise Pandemonium in Paradise Current Mood: patient Current Music: The hot chick (Yasmin?) speaking over the tannoy (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 30th, 2007
7:07 pm	Blood moon rising The night before last, I watched the moon turn a funny blood-orange colour... and then disappear a few times! It was weird, but that's because I'd never seen a total lunar eclipse before. Totality lasts a long time compared with a solar eclipse (which I saw back in 1999). Spring cleaning aside, there are no major events going on in my life... at least not yet. Next travel opportunity is in October: Cairns (again, for the Reef), Melbin and Kiwi. Then back across the Tasman when new visa is issued. The "ultimate aim" of marriage to a beautiful young Aussie lass has officially been demoted from an "agenda" to a mere "strategic objective". I am learning to cope with the prospect of being single for life too. According to Paul in his first (known) letter to the Corinthians, chapter 7, this is nothing to be ashamed of. It is good for a man not to have sex with a woman. - 1 Cor 7:1 ...if you are free of a wife, do not seek a wife. - 1 Cor 7:27 1 Corinthians is an excellent "life guide" book, I have found, and in chapter 9 verse 24 it even seems to endorse poker by encouraging us to participate vigorously in a "race where only the winner shall receive a prize". *nods cheerily* Current Mood: groggy Current Music: Nundah (no, not the north Bris suburb) (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 27th, 2007
9:19 pm	Life, oh life... Cairns on a Sunday night isn't too exciting, so I'm killing some time making another LJ post. My iPod picked the Des'rée song in the subject header earlier today, and it got me thinking about one of its most poignant lines: Sometimes living out your dreams ain't as easy as it seems... Couldn't be more right. But the proverbial beautiful balloon could be anywhere in sight. Due to rough sea conditions, it looks as though I'm passing on the Reef until next time around. Maybe I won't be travelling on my own that time either... ;) Hoping to grab a trip up the Skyrail cable car tomorrow: there could be some nice views, though it's hardly as though I've never ridden a cable car before. While Cairns' esplanade as a great quick fix if you can't quite make it to the Côte d'Azur, that doesn't mean the Skyrail will prove a match for Grenoble's Télépherique that I rode in 1991. Current Mood: bored Current Music: Fans whizzing up above (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
2:41 pm	Just a quickie from the tropics Gone troppo in Port Douglas and Cairns for a week, enjoying the Carnivale fest and hoping to grab a tour of the Great Barrier Reef, preferably through a glass-bottomed boat! Need liquid, need ice cream, it's 30°C on this "winter" (chuckle) afternoon. Peace and may the Lord always be with you. Current Mood: hot Current Music: Rajo noise (Comment on this)
Friday, May 18th, 2007
12:17 am	Thanks to rubbergirl for this: Greed: Medium   Gluttony: Medium   Wrath: Low   Sloth: Low   Envy: Very Low   Lust: Medium   Pride: Medium   The Seven Deadly Sins Quiz on 4degreez.com Current Mood: calm Current Music: Doomsday-like fantasy stuff (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 2nd, 2007
10:04 pm	Blog a dead horse There've been no new posts from me for a little while. And I return to a mixed LJ bag. Most importantly, condolences must go out to Te Otakuu and family. They've been very good to me in giving me a wonderful welcome in the land of Kiwi, beautiful, clean, free place that it is, and now they suffer this tragic loss. My Bible group and I have been praying for them, and may their Belovèd rest peacefully in Heaven. ( Onward march ) ( Political stuff, mostly EUSSR based ) ( Minus 227 ) Current Mood: busy Current Music: The whirr of the aircon fan; the traffic on the main road (Comment on this)
Friday, February 16th, 2007
2:13 pm	You must have missed your flush, huh? ( Minus 272 ) Househunting's a severe struggle, just like everything else in these parts. The minor progress made this week hasn't come to much: the unit I visited in Ipswich yesterday morning was okay but north facing sans air con (equals bad news) and not especially well priced for that area, probably 'cause it was largeish and all. But living at a unit number 13 located on Elms St - couldn't make it up - would probably cure most of my superstitions in an instant. Either that, or it'd be terribly jinxed, a total nightmare on Elms St... *groan* Anyway, back to reality, I found another cabled unit in a decent inner city area, a decent size and at a fair price, but, surprise surprise, it was a kraphole, and again, north facing living area with no air con (for the amnesiacs, that equals bad news). So that search continues too; I have to find a place soon. Last month was pretty brutal: losing my backside at poker (though visiting the Aussie Millions for a couple of days was still fun), struggling with househunting, struggling with relationships and to top it off, I picked up a weird infection in my right ear which rendered me semi-deaf for a couple of weeks. I finally got my ears flushed out - which felt as though parts of my brain were being sucked out - and a special treatment for the infected ear, and there was a marked improvement, thankfully. I still have to go to the doctor every week for a checkup, however. So you could say it couldn't get worse, but I'd better not jinx myself! God bless you in these interesting times, and may you all follow and find Jesus. "That's bad, but you wouldn't believe what they're doing to me here." - J. Straus, 1930-88, during a tough poker session in response to a friend who was calling him up from death row in Texas after a failed final appeal Current Mood: disappointed Current Music: The clacking of keyboard taps (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 13th, 2007
11:57 pm	No, not a Monty Python farce; Monty's funny Well, it's househunting time again. After being screwed around by Telstra for almost two months, they sent an engineer from Ipswich to tell me what I should have been told much earlier than now: it's impractical to wire a digital Internet cable into my apartment. Well, I'm sorry but I need broadband Internet, and I live in the middle of a big city so I should bloody well be able to get broadband Internet without half this hassle. So, drastic action is called for, and that means moving to a new place that has the prerequisite (FOXTEL compatible) cabling prewired. I've been up since 7:30 this morning when I rushed off to have a brief inspection of a flat in Red Hill that happened, like most affordable rentals, to be situated in an older building. Quaint old house, so-so neighbourhood but no cable so that's no good. The search continues and I'm waiting on responses from at least two agencies now, if not more. For November, I've been contemplating making my Aussie departure in style: by taking a Card Player cruise to New Zealand (Sydney-Melbin-Tassie-various ports in NZ, terminating in Auckland). But that's expensive (not including all the buyins for the poker games taking place on board ship) so it may have to be Pacific Blue if the budget is less permissive. Still, something interesting to contemplate. Current Mood: rushed Current Music: Whirring of ineffective fans (Comment on this)
Monday, January 8th, 2007
12:04 pm	Like a roller in the ocean... ...life is motion, move on... (poker-related) Current Mood: calm Current Music: "Move On", ABBA (in thought, not play) (Comment on this)
Friday, January 5th, 2007
4:55 pm	The latest Here's the latest news from scorching muggy Melbin. Back to the drawing boards, and back to Bris on Sunday! Current Mood: hot Current Music: Aircon WHIRRRRR! (Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007
4:00 pm	Happy New Year, Happy New Year... "Happy New Year, Happy New Year, may we all have a vision now and then of a world where every neighbor is a friend..." ("Happy New Year", ABBA, 1979) Just got back to Bris from the Sunshine Coast. Just a brief stop though: Melbin tomorrow, Aussie Millions here I come! ( Minus 318 ) I wish everyone a very happy, successful, fruitful and memorable 2007! Current Mood: determined Current Music: Nada (Comment on this)
Monday, December 25th, 2006
4:13 pm	And like a bright star shineth It's... Christmas Day already! Merry Christmas everybody. May God be watching over us all this holy day, and may we be grateful for our good fortune. (Australians, of course, should be especially grateful, being the luckiest people on earth.) Yes, it's still possible to get a bus downtown and go online on Christmas Day. But no "work" today, I have decreed. ( Minus 325 ) Irie vibes for the New Year; may 2007 be great for all of us! Current Mood: determined Current Music: The whizzing of fans - it's warm today! (Comment on this)
Thursday, December 14th, 2006
4:02 pm	Pre-Christmas update First off, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Happy birthday to b_and_m_81 too! :) Mum's just had a little operation so I hope it went well for her. I've been feeling for and thinking about her a lot lately. Love you Mum! ( Minus 336 ) ( It's off to Melbin... ) Current Mood: festive Current Music: With My Swag On My Shoulder (in thought, not playing) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 7th, 2006
2:28 pm	It's only a matter of time... ...before the Soviet régime gets its teeth into Norwegian oil, gas and fish reserves, the way they are blackmailing their Swiss neighbours. Big Soviet-style monstrosities are never content reserving their bullying to the domestic arena, as history aptly demonstrates. It's the old flea-and-elephant scenario bearing out. Canajuns have a similar problem with their relationship with the US, except that contrary to shockingly popular belief, the US government (for all its many, many faults and failings) isn't the evil unaccountable régime of the EUSSR. Current Mood: peeved at the Soviets Current Music: Nope (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 5th, 2006
4:58 pm	Thanks for the aces! Not a poker hand per se, but not infinitely removed. Let's just say that I'm chuffed. Exactly why is not really the issue here. Plucking strings does work... Now it's off to post some important papers to the Yardie embassy. (The subject is "thanks for the aces", not "thanks for the straight flush", so it's not quite what you might be thinking. That's a separate matter entirely. Solve the Prime Tribute for a better perspective!) Current Mood: blissfully chuffed Current Music: That of a moment of joy (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 28th, 2006
5:18 pm	Not betting on a white Christmas this year The sun it brightly shineth. Mum's enduring worse weather in the Soviet Union (though of course that's the least of their problems over there). I know this because I called her up on Saturday night. I wish all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year, even though it's still earlyish days to be doing that. Don't Christmas preparations tend to begin sometime between July and September these days anyway? ( For posterity, let's sing a little old carol, in Latin of course ) ( Minus 352 ) Current Mood: festive Current Music: Nada of any worth (Comment on this)