Ad of the week

I think this ad is great. To me, it sort of encapsulates everything New Zealand.

If you want to feel like you glass is half full, then watch this.

This arrived in my inbox this morning. No doubt it's done the rounds but I hadn't seen it before and just had to share.



Cause it's one of those things that, today, made me really pleased that I am me (and not the poor fucker in the car).

Memo to Bright People: Epic Fail

When HRH Queenie was visiting the London School of Economics in November she asked the pointy heads why the credit crunch managed to sneak up and proverbially catch everyone with their pants firmly around their ankles.

As she is the queen, when she asks, she gets.

In order to answer her question, the British Academy piled a whole lot of rocket scientists into a room, shut the door and refused to let anyone* out until they had hammered out an appropriate response.

*I made that part of that sentence up. I am sure they were allowed out to go to the dunny or to phone a friend.

My cousin sent me their excuse.

I particularly like this sentence:

Among the authorities charged with managing these risks, there were difficulties too. Some say that their job should have been 'to take away the punch bowl when the party was in full swing.'

And if you want to know (in a nutshell) why no one saw the credit clusterfuck coming, here's what they say:

So in summary, Your Majesty, the failure to foresee the timing, extent and severity of the crisis and to head it off, while it had many causes, was principally a failure of the collective imagination of many bright people, both in this country and internationally, to understand the risks to the system as a whole.

And then, almost as if to sound like they're sorry, they sign off by saying:

We have the honour, to remain, Madam,
Your Majesty's most humble and obedient servants.

Blerrgh, sucky, suck, suck.

So anyway, bright people, it's all your fault. Go shut yourselves in the wardrobe and don't come out till you're ready to apologise and behave nicely.

Goodbye.

I don't think I took any hallucinogenics this morning.

One of these isn't true.

A. In the office the heat pump is at 23 degrees (and if I had my way, I would crank it to 30).

B. So far this morning I have had two coffees.

C. A man in a full chicken suit - with a briefcase - has just walked down the road.

D.I can't wait for winter to finish.




The answer is B. I have only had one coffee so far.

For the love of all things Bay City Roller.

When in at a loss of what to post (or too lazy to post something constructive), there's always the comfort of Awkward Family Photo from where you can steal material.

Meet the Dot Family who make you just want to take the eighties and give them a great big hug.

And the family who obviously has a deep love of the Bay City Rollers.

And when you've run out of inspiration over at AFP there's always photos of your mother and your big sister to post.

My.Sister.Is.Going.To.Kill.Me.

It's quiz time, kids!

Before you read this, go pull out your car keys.

1. Count how many keys you have on your key ring.

( Eleven).

2. Now count the keys you use on a regular (i.e daily) basis.

(Four).

3. Count the number of keys you have no idea what they unlock.

(Three).

Sigh.

And I wonder why I continue to carry around inordinate amounts of shit in my handbag.

Now could someone out-key me and please make my key collection look not so ridiculous?

And last question of my Saturday quiz is, could someone also please explain how come something as little as a key has the power to monumentally screw your day ?

Never underestimate the strength of a reticulated wall.

A friend just sent me this. And I've shamelessly cut and pasted the pictures into my blog.

Behold a brand spanking new Airbus 340-600 which, until recently, was sitting in a hangar in Toulouse, France without an hour on the clock. (There was a photo of the exterior of the plane but blogger won't let me publish it).

Sexy, yes?

I would say that's what the Arab flight crew of Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) thought when they went to conduct pre-delivery tests on the ground, before its delivery to Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. First up, they taxied the A340-600 to the run-up area.

Then they took all four engines to takeoff power with a virtually empty aircraft. Unfortunately, it appears these fellas hadn't read run-up manuals and they had no clue just how light an empty A340-600 really was.

There is an actual blow by blow account of what happens next, but I'll cut to the chase.

They kind of totalled it. Oh yeah.
I think the technical term for this is 'a bad day at the office.'
Apparently the extent of injuries to the crew is unknown due to the news blackout in the major media in France and elsewhere as coverage of the story was deemed insulting to Muslim Arabs.

But then, I could always be victim to a great Internet myth.

And if it isn't, I reckon the crew the have just created a fantastic yarn to tell their grandchildren, if they're still around to tell it.

Anyone else heard of this story, or have I just been royally had?