Monthly Archives: January 2012

www.kiwiexpat.com

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With the popularity of my blog, I finally bit the bullet and registered the domain name.

For future visits – please use the web address: www.kiwiexpat.com

The likelyhood, is that I will have to move this off the WordPress servers in the very near future, and host them myself. What is silly about this, is that I have been running my own webhosting on the side, but when I started doing this blog, I didn’t really expect that I would continue blogging, so didn’t really do it properly.

If you want cheap webhosting – and you are in PNG, give me a yell 🙂

Oh – and Jacinta (wifey) at www.hotstrongcoffee.com can hook you up with wordpress, and give you a hand – she’s not bad my wife,

laters
Aaron

New blog colours and design

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Hell yeah – I’m liking it.

The header picture of the sunset was taken off our balcony on my Sony NEX-5N. The sunsets here in Port Moresby are incredible.

Today, Jacinta and the kids arrived back in PNG. Two 3 hour flights and a 3 hour stop over in Brisbane, meant the kids were asleep at 7pm, and Jacinta crashed at 8pm. I had to cook as well, so apart from the massive mess in the house, I feel like I’m still here by myself… One of our expats at work was leaving today, so we were having dinner at Asia Aromas, but I bailed with the family just coming in. Maybe I should have just gone….. Happy travels Amanda!

I think I am totally over Malaria now, I had a beer tonight, and it went down like a lead balloon – fast. No side effects..

Hehe

I am primed for Friday night drinks at the yachty.

Hopefully, I’ll get some great photos in this weekend and upload them – until then… Later!

Last day as a PNG Bachelor

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 It’s been a cruisey, but lonely couple of weeks here in Port Moresby.  Having spent a week sick with malaria, I think I have a bit of cabin fever – so can’t wait for Jacinta and the kids to get back tomorrow.

An eventful day at work today, with no water in the whole of our building – which is the biggest building in PNG.  So thankfully, we have company friends that let us use their bathrooms – if you know what I mean!

One of my goals here at work, is to make our department one where we have lots of fun, but also where we work hard and set an example for the rest of the company.  One of the fun things that we do, is have free throws at a very small basket, using a foam ball as big as a baseball.  The target is at head height, and is made of heavy paper, and only just fits the ball in.  Then we walk back, either at 5 meters or 8 meters, and shoot.  Because of the ceiling height – it is really hard to do, with only 2 of us sinking it from 8 meters (with me hitting it 3 times to date).  The balls curve through the air, bounce off the cubicals, and generally – are bloody hard to get into this little target.  Every Friday we all put 1 kina into the pot, and have a one shot competition.  No practice – just shoot.  So far – the pot hasn’t been won, but I’m sure it will soon 🙂

It.. Is… FUN!

And it means we banter, throw the ball at each other – and really use it as a de-stress time.  I wonder if I can get away with an Xbox in the office?  ðŸ™‚

Right, must fly – short sharp blog post, so that I can enjoy the solitude for one last night ðŸ™‚

Aaron

Our Compound’s Generator

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All yesterday we had issues with power brownouts, starting at 9am – they continued all day, and then happened again this morning. Normally, the generator kicks in and we get a very short loss of power, anything on a UPS (TV etc) stays on, and once the power starts again, it’s all good.

Yesterday however, the generator wouldn’t start. This has happened recently, the day of the Rugby World Cup Final (yes – rugby mad here) we had a brownout, and the genset didn’t start. Myself and one of the other guys in the compound got it going by putting his truck battery in the genset to start it. We made it just in time for the start of the Haka – phew.

So yesterday, when it didn’t start – it was exactly the same problem. The battery was dead, obviously the alternator is not charging the battery, and the genset doesn’t start after a while. So the company that fixes the genset, came out with a new battery. They stuck it in and fired up the generator – all good.

About an hour later – another brown out, however the power died in all the apartments. So I stuck my head up and checked to see if the genset was working – and it was… So the genset fixing company guy comes out again, and starts scratching his head. I thought it was reasonably obvious what was wrong, either the circuit feeding the genset power to the apartments wasn’t up, or the alternator was completely stuffed – but, who knows… I’m certainly no expert.

Anyhows, (is that even a word). Thinking they were fixing it, I left – but they didn’t fix it. More brownouts, more heat in the apartment… it’s a vicious circle that…

Today, I just recieved the most comical email from the management company that manages the compund.

Please be advised that the generator has a major problem with the alternator. So when PNG Power’s supply goes off, you will have no power during this time until the main power comes back on again.

ahh yes – no shit sherlock…

So the funny thing is, this has been happening for a while, and instead of wondering why they were replacing batteries, they just replaced them.

And that is why every day is as fasinating as the one previous – lol

As least – when the power is off, I just have to turn on the shower for some moisture – instant SAUNA!!

Aaron