In Which You Die of Boredom

Those of you who know me well will understand that I am completely impatient with technology. Rather than learning how to use a software package by using help menus and the like, I would much rather ask somebody (much to the frustration of people at work). 

One example of this is that I couldn't figure out how to work WordPress through I want to move my blog over to it - so I asked my brother to do it for me (though I hope he knows I am with-holding payment until it is complete). I also only just started to use a feed reader (is that what they are called?) which may surprise all of you blogging purists.

The point of this gibbering is that it took me a total of 5 months between me buying my Mac and me opening up IMovie and beginning to use it. Then I discovered that it was a brilliant! Perfect for IT illiterate sods like me who can't use a computer. 

So I made this slide show of my Indonesia trip and opened up a YouTube account  (I only figured out how to embed videos a week or so ago) which is linked somewhere on the sidebar. I wouldn't recommend watching it all of the way through because It will probably bore you to tears, but I thought some folk might like it. Oh, and I apologies for the YouTube picture being cut off at the end - I couldn't be arsed to figure out how to get the whole picture on.

Next challenge, a podcast, though I have no idea what software to use. Any clues?

Completely randomly, The Artist also sent me this. I thought it was kind of funny.

Perama Island

More photographs from the RCWR Archive...

I took this photograph on Perama Island (off the coasts of Lombok and Sumbawa in Indonesia taken in November 2007). It makes me smile for a number of reasons. Firstly because my friend The City Worker was running around trying to get some good photos, and I got the best one of the lot, and secondly because It was the first stop off in a highly memorable 5 day boat trip to Komodo Island.

Perama was actually the name of the tour company who had commandeered the small island (really just a sand bank) for sitting around singing 80's cheesy rock songs, and taking part in their coral reef repair program.

The really depressing thing about visiting this part of Indonesia was the state of reefs. Whilst snorkeling we saw vast craters in the reef floor where it had fallen victim to certain (minority of) fishermen who still participated in 'reef bombing'. That is, blowing up the coral reef and collecting the dead fish as they float to the top. Not a sustainable livelihood.

Much of the rest of the reef hadn't been bombed, but was heavily bleached - apparently due to changes in climate over the last couple of years killing off the coral, which is extremely sensitive to climatic changes. Those reefs that the locals said had the best snorkeling, were probably 50% bleached. The locals were almost completely unaware of this thing we call climate change and the effect it may have on their means of making a living. It was quite a sad moment for me.

Cheers Bigears

Wow, so its been a while since the last post they will be coming thick and fast from now on...

Next stop Gilli Islands (off the coast of Lombok) for 5 days. As far as I can tell, in between hawking magic mushrooms to local tourists and playing the guitar - the sole occupation of the 700 people on this island is sleeping.

This is also the only place in indonesia where if you say "cheers" to your waiter, you will find yourself recieving the reply "cheers bigears" or "cheers moite" in a London stylee, for somehow, all the inhabitants seem to have learned cockney! They seem also to be very fond of "chicken curry don't worry", which I am not sure I have heard before!

The Gilli islands are one of the few islands who have no police, and you can tell pretty much straight away. I wasn't quite sure if the inhabitants were eating the mushrooms they were trying to sell, but there is definately something in the water!

Anyhow, we did some snorkelling, saw some giant clams and turtles, met some cool people, but most of all - did a lot of this: