China On A Budget - Xi’an
Part 2 - Xi’an
Sunday 20/6/2010
Our cab arrived on time at the hotel to take us to Bejing Airport for our flight to Xi’an, about an hour’s journey southwest of Bejing. On arrival at Xi’an (the ancient capital of China) a tout approached us inside the terminal (we had targets painted on our backs) and offered to drive us into the city in a private car for the price of 180y ($30). Read more..
China On A Budget - Bejing
I’m writing an account of a recent holiday my wife and I had in China. I’ve broken it down into four parts, one for each area we visited: Bejing, Xi’an, Yangshuo and Shanghai. I hope I can make it sound as interesting as it was in person. Read more..
Kevin Rudd’s family history
Judy Rudd, an amateur genealogy researcher in southern Queensland, was doing some personal work on her own family tree. She discovered that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s great-great uncle, Remus Rudd, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Melbourne in 1889. Read more..
Is retirement for you?
From an article “The Drive To Be Alive” by Dr John Demartini.
Not everyone has to descend into the perceived loss of confidence and self-worth that often goes hand in hand with the loss of a meaningful and fulfilling occupation. Some are fortunate enough to get a wake-up call before they retire, and wise enough to heed it. Read more..
Lavish weddings still the go in Oz
Australian couples continue to defy the tough economic times, spending up big on lavish nuptials, a bridal magazine has found. Read more..
Buying my first home
Back in 1974 my wife and I purchased our very first home. Since our marriage we’d been living in a flat for a couple of years at Kallangur, about 25 k’s north of Brisbane. A chance conversation with a friend set us on the path to home ownership. Read more..
The joys of buying a car
When was the last time you decided to purchase a new or secondhand car? Remember the joy of the whole exercise? I recently went through the drama and came out the other end more or less still sane. Read more..
The ethical bachelor
She calls around and he says, “I really need to concentrate on my surfing just now. You were overseas on business, what was I supposed to do?” Have single men no ethics these days? Enter the ethical bachelor. Read more..
In the public interest
Making a spectacle of yourself has become the norm with people sharing their private lives in public. Read more..
The poor man’s Mooloolaba
According to journalist, Natascha Mirosch, who writes for the ‘Bites‘ column in the Courier-Mail, Caloundra used to be considered the poor man’s Mooloolaba!?! However, both the skyline and streetscape of Bulcock Beach have changed following an $8.5 million facelift. Read more..



