Hard, Thick and Fast!

The title of this post sounds like a porn movie title doesn't it?

It has been two weeks since I last made a post on my blog and my loyal and caring readers (all half a dozen of them) have filled my inbox (not exactly) with queries and demands to update them with the latest going-ons in my life.

I heed their call and submit.

Something really momentous and life-changing HAS BEEN going on but I hesitate to put it down on this space for reasons I cant quite put into words... I had an interesting conversation with my little indian when I was about to start publishing this blog. He was of the opinion that a blog was an online diary where people shared their innermost and most personal feelings. I begged to differ then. Maintaining a blog for more than a year now has only served to reinforce my feelings on the subject.

Even if an individual sets out to consciously communicate his fears, hopes and dreams on something so open and easily accessed as a blog, his sub-conscious mind would still mould HOW he wrote his posts. If not WHAT he wrote. Many bloggers stick to a particular subject matter anyway and the few that proclaim to share their innermost thoughts are being a bit economical with the truth (thats euphemism for "bold-faced liar")

Now what point was I trying to make with all this...?

Ah Yes... so I WILL eventually share with the whole world (such as it is) the scope of the major happenings in my life but not quite yet. I will also leave the psychological dissertations to people like Brodie Boland. He does it infinitely better!

So WHAT has been going on with me that I can share now? Well... my last post reported laziness on my part and I did have one REALLY lazy weekend but the opposite is now the case as work is in full flow!

The New Zealand Dairy industry is right now in high season, the 4 million odd cows in the country have just calved and their udders are heavy and dripping with milk. This Milk has to be extracted (very humanely and with lots of eye-popping technology), collected, manufactured into cheese (Edam, Cheddar); milk powder (Whole, Skim and Butter); Milk Fat; Butter (salted and unsalted); Casein; and quite a few more dairy products, packed in cartons, bags and drums, shipped into containers and transported across the 140 country sales network.

Now since I sit right in the middle of this huge chain of getting the milk from "Cow-to-Customer" (with particular emphasis on the Middle East and Africa market), the emails have been coming in hard, thick and fast, my phone hardly ever stops ringing and my fax inbox seems to be full no matter how many times I clear it! Product planners, Factory managers, Sales Managers, Account Executives and Logistics planners are in high gear as we work on our constantly evolving (and world class) supply chain network and try to make our customers happy.

I Love My Job!

But it hasnt all been work work work. I finally managed to get my hands on a really cheap car. Which means I have the run of the whole of Auckland without having to rely on the not-so-convenient/reliable public transport system. Or on someone coming to pick me up to go to West Auckland. My social activities have largely been confined to the City Center but now with my Silver Mitsubishi Galant 1997 model (which has seen better days but at least still runs) I can expand my prowling activities to West, South and North Auckland. Check it out...

Dont be deceived by the shine. They apply special polish to make it look better. But like I said at least it runs!

Did I also mention that I played in a Fonterra football team against staff from MAERSK Shipping and TOLL Ltd? I didnt score or any goals but I did huff and puff (and huff and puff some more...) on the mixed team which won the cup eventually. I was supposed to play on the men's team as well but I picked up a knock in my left knee and couldnt continue. (and I was afraid my huffing and puffing might turn into a death wheeze!) First pic above is me in my snazzy jersey!

And here is a group picture of colleagues from work at the company Spring Ball!

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And speaking of football. Chelsea had to come from behind to level scores against Rosenborg of Norway in the UEFA Champions League Round 1 games. Rosenborg probably wouldnt be able to finish in the top half of the English Championship!!! So now in the last 3 games we have played, we have scored a measly 2 goals. This is very worrying. Granted Lampard and Drogba who combined to score about 50 goals last season are out injured but then what is all the prattle about "strength in depth" if other players cannot step up to the plate and take responsibility?

Dont get me wrong.... I think the boys played wonderfully. The Norwegian club was camped in their own half for most of the game and we must have had about 20 shots on and off goal but we need to start scoring goals if we are to move ahead this season.

Long term... the Champions League is sort of our holy grail. We want to win it. And yet I get the feeling that if we dont, the Russian might give Mourinho the boot! And to make it more interesting... if Mourinho does guide us to the ultimate prize in European football, i get the sneaky suspicion he will quit!

We can only wait and see!