Archive for November, 2008
There’s a sinking feeling abound…
Image source: www.the217.com
It is the year 2027 and Nadi has become an underwater ghost town. The former ‘jet set’ town of bustling tourists, taxis without taxi meters, and persistent salespeople now belongs to the fishes and coral of the sea.
At least thats what is predicted by Professor Patrick Nunn, who’s part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and apparently it’s quite serious. Since Nadi is built on a delta, and the forests upstream have been deforested, water is coming down alot more often and is bringing with it silt and soil, resulting in an increase in drainage blockage and thus flooding. More soil and silt means more weight, which means Nadi’s going down, ‘abondon ship’ style.
All’s doom that ends in doom. And the Nadi Town Council agrees. Infact, they’re so shook up by the statement of Professor Patrick Nunn, that they’ve gone all religious in the hope that the Almighty One will intervine intervene and save the town from its wicked ways from its own weight. Of course, it’s either divine intervention or GTFO/relocate, the later option being less popular with the Council, since nobody likes shifting house, forget a whole town.
20 years is a long time to wait to see whether all this is going to happen (though there’s nothing in the way of saying that it won’t), and a lot of things could occur between now and then. The Nadi Town Council could order a relocate for the whole town. Or they could look into trying to save the town by looking into investing into proper drainage systems, though with the current worldwide economic slowdown, that could remain a dream and nothing more. Or they could just wait and see if what the overseas scientists predicted would come to pass. After all, one statement at a conference is one thing, official orders from the government to relocate after a million dollars of research from top scientific communities in the Netherlands (I’ve always had the notion that the most brilliant scientists came from Europe) finds that the town is indeed sinking, is another.
What will this mean for Nadi and the rest of Fiji?
Obviously, Nadi is going to lose its status as the coolest town in Fiji. I mean, let’s be honest here. When you think Nadi, you think Airport, hot tourists, and 24 hour beach parties. With that gone, Nadi’s going to end up as the town without its mojo. After all, Labasa’s the edge of civilization, Sigatoka’s got their sand dunes (which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, bonus!), Lautoka’s got their sugar sweet status, and Suva is…well…only like the capital city of Fiji and all that.
This won’t bode well with our fellow Nadi…arians. Here’s hoping that either science will get it wrong, or divine intervention will play its part in the years to come. That or in 20 years time, there’ll be a new town in Fiji called “New Nadi”.
You heard it here first folks 
Slang of the Week – Saraga
Image source: http://blog.charles-armstrong.com/
Saraga (the ga is pronounced the same way as ng in sing): used to emphasis a situation or a description of something.
Alvin: Man did you see the new James Bond movie? It was set saraga! Plenty of explosions, girls, and fast cars!
New Shiny Happy Blog 2.0!
Image source: http://tenpercent.files.wordpress.com
So today I decided to browse around the back end of the blog and see what new things I could tinker with to add to this mess of literacy we call ‘local blogging’. Granted I’ve yet to change the banner (and last year I couldn’t seem to settle on one for very long) but as the famous Rabuka would always say, “No Other Way.”
Oh. And ignore the old poll. For some reason only known to Elvis, I can’t remove it, button mashing the ‘remove’ button or not. Fail. Fixed due to the Firefox powers that be
No idea how that relates to the new website changes, but I needed a quote from someone local, and fast.
Right.
First off, you’ll notice the nice and slightly edited introductory text has been moved to the top of all the posts. For the newcomers so that they’ll get a fairly quick if somewhat confusing idea of just what the hell this blog is all about, why there’s a coconut with a modem in the banner, and what ‘va kils‘ means. And just for the record, not all of us locals drink grog. At…the same time that is.
On the right side where most of the action is happening, you’ll discover a few new blog gadgets that should satisfy most gadgetphiles, if they do indeed exist.
A new poll! After their great win over the Irish, the Fiji Bati are going to taking on the current rugby world cup holders, Australia! Pray tell, how do you think the Bati are going to fare in the upcoming battle of the ‘massive, massive underdogs’ David and Goliath? Do we break the odds and achieve rugby history or go down fighting like the warriors that we are? Vote in the poll and let us know what you think. And be quick. Mr Impulsive put up this poll with only a few days to the game. Smart.
Fijians @ Heart displays who is following this blog, either via RSS or email. Because all blog owners need some sort of ego boost. Money payment or not.
After that we’ve got the awesome Fiji Calendar. Which, is supposed to show holiday dates and school terms native to Fiji courtesy of Strange Pants. Except that it doesn’t work. Because I don’t know how to set the RSS feed to subscribe to the calendar already laid out by Strange Pants. Help? Fixed, thanks to Strange Pants strange progamming h@XxoR 5k1lL5.
The list of local blogs of interest has been given a massive overhaul, thanks in part to the mod that allows you to display your own list of feeds from your RSS reader. So basically, what you see on the right is what I have in my reader under ‘local blogs’. Each blog has its own title (which is a link) as well as its latest post (which is also a link!). Of course, there are quite a few out there that are local but either (a) haven’t been updated since the original Star Trek series or (b) don’t have that much to say in way of the way Fiji is. Of course, I have missed out on some other local blogs out there that show other aspects of Fiji and its life, so if you know some that would be good to put on the list, leave a comment saying how silly I am to miss out on blog X because it’s awesome and to make sure I brush my hair properly the next time I go for work.
More updates, changes, hissyfits about components not working as they happen.
Slang of the Week – Tubelight
Image source: www.irvinehousingblog.com
Tubelight: To be slow on the uptake; Usually the last person to not get the joke; Refers to the way a tubelight gets switched on, by flickering a few times before powering up.
Losalini: – and when he got smacked he said, “That’s the way uhuh uhuh I like it!” lolololol
Aneel: ……..
Losalini: …you know…like the song?
Aneel: …. ooooooooh riiiighhhtt the song, oooh I get the joke now hahahah -
Losalini: Boy you sa tubelight saraga man =_=
Rugby League – Fiji Bati Vs Ireland – Live Blogging
Live blogging this real quick – You owe me a beer for this Sharky ^_^
For those not in the know and reading this at the time of publishing, press F5 now and then to refresh the post to get an update of the game as it progresses.
3:27: Holy crap a score to Fiji! Awesome run from the middle, score right near the posts.
Fiji 6 Ireland 0
7:37: Damnit. Crappy tackling along the wing from Fiji results in a quick score by Ireland on the far right side of the field. Conversation was surprisingly accurate.
Fiji 6 Ireland 6
11:42: Ooooh Hayne’s eyes weren’t on the ball, resulting in a forward ball right near Ireland’s scoreline. Eyes on the prize mate ><
14:50: Heart-breakingly close! Short chinese looking guy (i’ll get the name later i promise) for Fiji makes a break for the scoreline but gets held up right like 1 metre before the line and looses the ball to the Irish. More greens, more height XD
22:34: A knock on ball from Fiji right infront of the Irish scoreline again! Fiji’s got to stop with the silly mistakes if they want to move beyond the 6-6 scoreline that haunts my waking moment.
25:32: Talking about those silly mistakes, Fiji just gave away a penalty to Ireland after one of our players decided to wipe his elbow all over an irish player. Infront of all those cameras. And the referree. Smart. Penalty attempt was amiss, so scores remained the same. For now.
29:30: Golden boy Uate makes an absolutely brilliant try, slicing through the Irish defense and scoring right next to the posts. Wes converts the try easily.
Fiji 12 Ireland 6
35:52: Careless hands from a lame catch by one of the Fijian boys results in a score for the Irish. Been noticing this guy make quite a few mistakes. The pressure seems to be getting to him, a fact that he himself seems to acknowledge after knocking on the ball now and then. At least the conversation missed. Whew.
Fiji 12 Ireland 10
39:21: My heart did a few skips when a bad pass from a Fijian player skipped a few players hands, and finally landing with one of the irish fellows, only to get hammered by a bati tree with a bandage around his head. Irish guy walks off the field with a bleeding nose. I make a fist at the screen.
Half Time: Fiji 12 Ireland 10
Half Time Thoughts: Fiji’s playing a tad bit more composed then their last game in the first half against Scotland, though their fatigue/carelessness/ego is starting to show, with mistakes, dropped balls and uncompleted sets showing through. Ireland on the other hand seems like the more composed team, but like Scotland before them, lacks that defining oomph to make the tries that Fiji has, but is failing to play. However, if Ireland hangs in there with proper structured rugby, and Fiji continues on their way of penalty giveaways, this game might just go their way. History has a wierd habit of repeating itself. Here’s hoping the half time break will allow the coach some time to knock some sense back into the boys. From my point of view, Ireland should be a walkover, less of a challenge then say, that French team that was defeated, nay, decimated awhile back.
Fingers crossed we’ll see more of that infamous fijian flaire coming into play in the second half.
Second Half
43:23: Held up at the irish try line what a heart break! It looked like a score, but the fijian was gift wrapped all nice and proper – and holy crap Ireland nearly scored with a run from their half, if it wasn’t for the match saving tackle by Uate. God bless that kid. My heart can’t take anymore of this ><
51:23: Oooooh a chip kick from Fiji near the irish goal line and the ball goes rogue, defeating our chaser. Close one.
55:08: After a few false starts, and a few loose balls, Fiji finally adds a few points to the board! Fiji’s finally starting to show some builds, while Ireland’s starting to show a few cracks in their defense. Wes again with his precise kicking converts the try.
Fiji 18 Ireland 10
60:31: One irish player’s got his face mixed with blood and sweat. Gets sent off the field. Crunching fijian tackles are coming through, showing our spirit’s getting fired up.
62:53: A penalty from Ireland after trying to slow the ball down right near their scoreline results in a penalty kick by the ever sharp Wes. It’s on baby. On like Donkey Kong.
Fiji 20 Ireland 10
65:38: A beautiful, simply beautiful chip kick again through the irish defense, and golden boy Hayne grabs the ball, nearly tackles one of the goal posts, and makes the try. Video referring be damned ^_^ Wes again with the golden boot makes the conversion all too easy.
Fiji 26 Ireland 10
75:18: In the words of my uncle who was watching, “Uate ga me score,” “let Uate do the scoring”. And by jove he did, with several passes all the way to the wing where Uate was waiting, he managed to beat one defender to make it pass the scoreline. Aaaaand the conversion was denied with the ball seemingly on a one way trip towards the post. It’s safe to say that this match is pretty much in the basket.
Fiji 30 Ireland 10
79:30: With what looked like a forward pass by a fellow irish player, the Irish team makes a somewhat conselation try. The conversion misses AND ITS OVER!!!! HELL YEAH!!!! (Still have to get used to how prompt these rugby league referees are ><)
Final Score:
Fiji 30 Ireland 14
According to the commentators, we’re going into the semi-finals against Australia as ‘massive, massive underdogs’, but hey, at least we earned our passage to get there. A great game by Fiji, with their discipline, structure and support play, as well as good ol’ fijian spirit propelling them through to the much dreaded semi-finals against the All Blacks of Rugby League, Australia. Here’s to their impressive, if somewhat drubby win, and hope that they tie up the loose ends (loose tempers, messy passes, incomplete sets) before their game this upcoming Sunday.
GO FIJI GO!
Get Your Fix. Now.
Posted by Wilson in lifestyle, suva, tipsntricks on November 7, 2008
Image source: www.flickr.com
Long hours and caffine go hand in hand with anyone working long, urban hours into the wee morning. Be it making a seemingly unending quest to balance the books, prepare your papers for the upcoming case, or just maybe trying to down that last boss in the dungeon so that you all can call it quits, most people with a desk job have experienced such a grueling regime. Generally, such time consuming endeavours require a sharp mind, keen eyes and a steady hand, but with the hours wearing on, staying on your toes, let alone awake, becomes somewhat of a chore.
Desparate measures to stay awake include blasting music, slapping your own face, printing a large picture of goatse and sticking it beside your screen, and the time honoured tradition of injecting stimulants into your blood stream to keep your body alert and alive or drinking caffeine.
Strange Pants, a dedicated coder, knows only too well the rigours of caffeine drinking in all its delirious forms and flavours. And in a post that shows off his extensive knowledge of all things skyhigh, he has not only laid out what ingredients make for a good energy drink, but also listed all the best energy drinks that are available in Suva (sorry all non-suvarians – check your instores for supplies if available). From the infamous fly-through-the-windscreen “V” to the popular and more classier “Espresso” (with whipped cream mind you).
A recommended read for all those who burn the midnight oil. And the occassional forum post.
Slang of the Week – Trues Up
Image Source: www.netninja.com
Trues Up: admit amazement at fact stated; Similiar to “O Rly?” minus the sarcasm.
Also used in the abbreviated form of “Se’rup!“
Frank: Hey, guess what? Obama is the next US President!
Sam: Trues up!
Sacre Bleu! Fiji Bati Pwns the French!
Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle’s left…leg.
There’s bad news, and then there’s good news, of which the later variety comes in several incarnations.
There’s good news where a family member gets married (huray! little nephew/niece tykes!) and the whole family, extended and all gets to join in the ensuring celebration.
Then there’s great news, like you getting the promotion, allowing you access to that car you’ve always mourned at in the display window.
Then, there’s news that is so awesomely awesome, that you’ll be naming your kids after the fateful day just so that the event will be remembered down the dark, musty halls of time.
Yes. In the world of the Rugby League World Cup, the Vodafone Fiji Bati, in their first pool match, has taken the French Team and rubbed their faces in the pitch, seven times over. An epic score of 42 to 6 has made the 500-1 Fiji team now hot favourites.
Seven tries people. Seven awe inspiring, heart warming, this-aint-over-the-best-is-yet-to-come, grog swirling, patriotic pride inducing tries. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that such a hugh scoreline would have belonged to a sevens match between say Hong Kong andMalaysia. Scores with that big a margin don’t translate well to a supposed 1st rate rugby country such as the French Roosters. If anything, 6 points to the French means that they were forever stuck on the back foot. The french coach John Monie was right. “They had too much enthusiasm.”
For those of you who missed the game (me included, blame halloween), fear not,for thanks to the power of the Internet, a few of the tries are available on Youtube, and thus, here! Big vinaka to rugsta15 for uploading the videos and sharing the love. All thats left now is for the torrent of the full game to be made available.
/wish
Fiji – 16 France – 6
Akuila Uate’s 1st Try
Commentor note: “Anymore of this and they’ll buy him an island!”
Fiji – 22 France – 6
Akuila Uate’s 2nd Try
Commentor note: “YOOUWAATEE!!!“
Fiji – 30 France – 6
Semisi Tora’s (Commentors were refering to him as ‘Tori’) Try
Commentor note: “The celebrations will be emotional once if they cross the line – AND THEY DOOO!!!!” Gotta love the timing in that one.
Fiji – 36 France – 6
Jaryyd Hayne’s Try
Commentor note: “Get out the bowls, get out the kava, its going to be one hell of a party!“ Lol ^_^
Fiji – 42 France – 6
Akuila Uate’s 3rd Try
Commentor note: “42 points to 6! What? Who would have thought?!” Fuck yeah, you’d better recognise
Points worth pointing out:
1) Akuila Uate is the next ‘insert-great-rugby-icon-from-fiji’ player. That guy gets rugby team scouts all hot and wet.
2) I’m not going to miss the next game against Scotland this upcoming Wednesday. And if you count yourself as a true rugby patriot, you wouldn’t too. Not for all the cheap barrel nights in the world. Or beer katis.
3) Vodafone Fiji is going to be so happy. Queue another media blitz about who exactly is sponsoring that winning team. The sevens team now have extra pressure to perform from their Digicel sponsors in order to look just as good.
4) I’m just so god-darned proud to be Fijian right now that it hurts ^_^
To keep that patriotic fever pitch going, here’s a great song written by Igelese Ete for the Fiji Bati and performed by the ever amazing Talei Burns with the Pacific Voices choir.
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