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29. November 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Struggling

29. November 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I was struggling a lot this year, through a combination of things ranging from self worth, lack of s
I was struggling a lot this year, through a combination of things ranging from self worth, lack of support, dealing with the boys, work and other things.

Mid-year during the lockdown it hit hard.



7. April 2021 22:04
by Rene Pallesen
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Camping Glenworth Valley

7. April 2021 22:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Over easter we went to Glenworth Valley for Camping. This location is about an hours drive north of
Over easter we went to Glenworth Valley for Camping. This location is about an hours drive north of Sydney in an easily accessible but beautiful little valley.

It is private propoerty, so you have to book beforehand and it does get very busy. We were very lucky that we were located down at the end of the property where it was more quiet.

In the evenings there were beautiful sunsets.





In the morning it was a bit more misty in the valley.






The owners also put on a great easter egg hunt for the children. There were hundreds of children with 20,000 chocolate eggs hidden in a field and there was an easter bunny riding a horse.









We also spend time playing some ball sports. I'd brought a baseball bat and ball. Because we were four families, we had plenty of people to form two teams. It got very competitive and the bat took a bit of battering, so I had to go a buy a more solid wooden bat.





In the evenings we had the normal campfire and baked dampers on sticks, marshmellows and baked potatoes in the fire.













There are also lots of walks witin easy driving distance, including some walks with beautiful waterfalls.













Also, people come to the valley for horse riding, so there are lots of horses in the surrounding paddocks.

And wildlife such as Kookaburras!


And going for a short stroll in the mornings was a beautiful experience with the mist and light changing.

Because of lots of rain, the whole area had been flooded just weeks earlier. Where we were camping would have been a meter under water, but because of the river running through the area the water had fortunately receeded.








21. March 2021 13:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Karate 3rd Kyu

21. March 2021 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I reached a significant milestone in karate this week. I graded for my 3rd Kyu (Brown belt) and at t
I reached a significant milestone in karate this week. I graded for my 3rd Kyu (Brown belt) and at the same Kim graded for her 5th Kyu (Blue belt).

On the occation I treated myself to a new dogi (karate uniform).


I was so nervous and tense - and screwed up a few places. There is now a lot of hard work ahead to get to the 2nd Kyu which is at least another half a year away.

Here are some photos from the grading. The ones from the dojo are a bit blurry because they weren't taken from my camera and I don't have the full resolution photos.












20. March 2021 14:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Karate bruises

20. March 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Last year was a tough year with Karate.First the lockdown meant that we had to go online for trainin
Last year was a tough year with Karate.

First the lockdown meant that we had to go online for training, but even in the dojo I managed to get a lot of injuries.
Some of them visible and some of them not so visible...I have a whole stack of scans and x-rays as souvenirs from this year.

Some could have been avoided, but most are just part of the training.






I even earned an award for it...


The worst one was a kick to my chin. I dont have any photos of it, but I do have the indentation it made on my mouth guard I was wearing at the time. If it hadn't been for the mouthguard I am certain that I would have lost some teeth. This injury could have been avoided.


I have now gone out to buy a new and way cooler mouthguard (I created the design myself). It is thors hammer in the middle surrounded by the Fenrir wolf and Midgaards Serpent.


Even Kim got a few bruises.


13. March 2021 18:03
by Rene Pallesen
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My Burmese Dha swords

13. March 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Back in the late 90's I visited Laos. In the northern corner of Laos I acquired two old swords from
Back in the late 90's I visited Laos. In the northern corner of Laos I acquired two old swords from a local.

Through some forums I have tried to find out as much as I can about them and this is what I have been told:
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10. September 2010 09:29
by Rene Pallesen
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Global Corporate Challenge ended

10. September 2010 09:29 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

global corporate challenge ended


This week was the end of the GCC challenge at work. It was 16 weeks of walking almost 10km every day competing against other teams within the company and other companies. In total there was more than 13000 teams of 7 team members each. By the end of the challenge our team was positioned at the top 10% which I think is pretty good.




Since the race finished I've been walking to work every day.

7. September 2010 04:09
by Rene Pallesen
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Breakfast with Audrey and Aren

The flower script design on the swords are reserved for the rulers and officers of those days.
  • အဲဒီဓားတွေကငါတို့ရဲ့ဗမာဓားတွေပဲလာအိုဆိုတာအရင်ကဇင်းမယ်လို့ခေါ်တယ်အင်းဝခေတ်မှာမြန်မာတွေတက်သိမ်းခဲ့တဲ့နိုင်ငံပဲဓားကိုငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓားလို့ခေါ်တယ်ဓားကဓားကောင်းပဲ အခုငါပြတဲ့ဓားဟာလည်းသမိုင်းဝင်ဓားပဲငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓားပေါ့ (Translation: These swords are our Burmese swords. Laos was formerly called Zin Mae, a country that was conquered by the Burmese during the Inwa period. The sword is called the Sword of the Bird. The sword is a good sword.).
  • It's a Ngat kyee daung Dah the sword that was once used by Burmese warriors and Thai during the dark age of Konbaung (1765–1767).
  • This Burmese Empire was destroyed during the English colonized to the East and totally wiped out by the English cannons kind of like a scene from the last samurai movie in the end! They were like charging to the enemy where they were being shot at.
  • These are also antique pieces in a good state of preservation! Swords, even if they are in such good condition, belong in the museum. You have to take a look at the Malaysia Sword Museum! They are great specimen
  • One would have to analyze the material metal wood winding fibers would certainly be very interesting! You don't see such a bundle every day
  • The handle on the smaller sword is made from wound rattan fibres.
  • The larger sword is made from silver and wound silver threading (I believe it is the typical not so pure silver/tin that was used).
  • This means that it is likely that the swords are up towards 250 years old and that the long one belonged to someone of a high status.

    The area they are from is a place that has been ravaged by war for several hundred years right from the wards beween Burma and Siam (Thailand), conquer by the English empire, the Second World War, the Chinese civil war through to the Laos Civil/Vietnam war.

    It is highly likely that the swords have seen some action. Although a bit rusty, the swords are still very sharp. Given that the blade on the longer sword is narrower at the hilt it is likely that it has been sharpened several times through history. Again this probably means that it had a practical use/purpose and wasn't just for display.








    22. January 2021 01:03
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Newcastle

    22. January 2021 01:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    Between Christmas and New year we made a trip to Newcastle with the family.They had this beautiful l
    Between Christmas and New year we made a trip to Newcastle with the family.








    They had this beautiful little animal park that is maintained by the council and is free to visit.











    Just outside Newcastle is fighterworld, which is an aircraft museum next to an active air strip.










    Newcastle museum was also worth a visit on a rainy day.





    One evening we went to the games arcade...no idea how Aiden managed to get a first place in racing.




    21. January 2021 18:03
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Karate 2020

    21. January 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    Karate during 2020 was challenging to say the least.I was devastated when everything moved online. I
    Karate during 2020 was challenging to say the least.

    I was devastated when everything moved online. I love the partner work and couldn't see how this was going to work through video conferencing.

    The boys and Kim were okay with the new format and I hung in there. I was so happy once we were able to get back in the dojo again.






    Just before the lockdown I had purchased a punching bag, so at least we were able to do some outdoor contact punching.









    During the lockdown there was a kata competition and other programs, and we did get a few prices.




    ...but dojo definitely rules...







    We have managed to go to gradings...












    And I have kept all the grading certificated we have gotton...





















    21. January 2021 14:03
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Tennis Award

    21. January 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    Another encouragement award for Aiden. This time in Tennis...
    Another encouragement award for Aiden. This time in Tennis...





    31. December 2020 14:03
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Covid

    31. December 2020 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    2020 was definitely a bit different because of Covid.Australia managed to get through with very few
    2020 was definitely a bit different because of Covid.

    Australia managed to get through with very few outbreaks because of very early and sever lockdowns.

    This let people to panic buy. We spent the time to chill out and solve lots of puzzles in the evenings, do lots of exercise in the parks (which was still allowed), Karate online and work moving fully to conference calls.


















    31. December 2020 13:03
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Challenging year

    31. December 2020 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    The last couple of years has been super challenging for Aiden all around.He is struggling all around
    The last couple of years has been super challenging for Aiden all around.

    He is struggling all around and this photo tells it all.


    For myself I have been struggling equally, and had it not been for the release of karate I don't know where things would have been at. I often wish I had my own bucket to hide under. I don't think this year will be any easier unfortunately...

    s" alt="Click here for more photos" height="283" width="425">


    Out team name in the GCC is Onthophagytes (Dung beatles)...so the photo above is very appropriate.

    It was freezing in the morning but the sun was out, so as soon as we started walking we were warm.


    Along the way to Bondi there is different people entertaining and a lot of people were dressed up (we were overtaken by Superman and an Avatar).

    Click here for more photos

    Click here for more photos

    Click here for more photos

    Click here for more photos

    Click here for more photos

    Click here for more photos



    When we got to Bondi (I'll know my race time later but I think it will be around 2 hours and 15 minutes...It turned out to be 2:29:28...just just below my target of 2.5 hours) te queue for the buses were mile long. I already knew they were going to be impossible and therefor decided to walk to Coogee (another 7km) and then have Kim pick me up from there. Two of my colleagues decided to join me on the walk and then catch the bus from there.

    Click here for more photos

    It was a pleasant walk where we stopped for a bite at Bronte and eventually had a quick beer (for me anyway) at Coogee before Kim called me and told me she was there with Aiden in the car.

    26. July 2010 10:02
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Walk at Cape Banks

    26. July 2010 10:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    walk at cape banks


    Sunday I had a couple of hours to spare to explore while Kim was looking after Aiden. I decided to drive to La Perouse and then walk along the coast to Cape Banks to find the shipwreck of SS Minmi.

    Click here for more photos

    The ship hit the cliffs in heavy fog and storm in 1937 and broke in two. Part of the wreck is still visible on the rocks. Because it is on the inside of the heads the wreck isn't as exposed to wind and waves as it would have been on the outside so there is still a lot of the ship left.

    Click here for more photos

    Click here for more photos

    Click here for more photos

    The walk out there from La Perouse was longer than I expected so I was a bit rushed and didn't have as much time taking photos as I would have liked. It took me about two hours to walk out there and back via Henry Heads (here there is still some remnants of gun positions from the wartime).

    It is actually a really nice walk and I will have to come back with Kim and Aiden sometime. I will have to check out if it is possible to drive a bit closer.

    click here for more photos

    I managed to make it back just in time for the family coming over for dinner.

    11. July 2010 08:49
    by Rene Pallesen
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    1 Month Old

    11. July 2010 08:49 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    1 month old


    Hi everyone. My mum and dad is telling me that I am now one month old...what ever that means. I am still coming to terms with me feeling really hungry every 3 hours. One Month....how many feeds is that?

    I am getting more used to be in this world, my mum and dad are doing their best to make me comfortable but I still cry once in a while. My dad is telling me that big boys like me shouldn't cry...but I feel so little compared to all of them so why shouldn't I cry?

    In the evening I like to sit in daddy's lap. It is nice, warm and secure there. Sometimes I almost fall asleep there before my dad puts me to bed, but I usually beg him to let me stay a little longer. On the weekends he is happy with me spending time there, but I really miss daddy during the week when he is at work. During the week I ask my mummy as well, but she is too tired from feeding me all the time...I think this sometimes frustrates her as she would like some rest in between my feeds. I have grown a lot and I can no longer fit into my first set of clothes it must be all those meals.


    I have also started having a shower on some days with my dad instead of a bath in my bathtub. It is really nice to feel the warm water drops on my little body and it feels much nicer and secure than having a bath in my bathtub. I have learned that I should close my eyes and hold my breath when he puts my head under the water. Daddy says that hopefully it will make me less scared in a couple of years time when he is going to teach me something called 'swimming'.

    5 weeks old

    Most evenings I get a little upset for a couple of hours, I don't understand why but mummy and daddy calls it my 'witches hour' and says that it is normal and should pass. My dad is very patient and is telling me that for the first 6-8 weeks they will respond to all my needs, but after that they will start setting some rules to make me sleep all through the night.

    My dad is still taking photos of me. I still find it confusing and I am not sure in what direction to look when he is taking photos. Should I look at him, mummy, the lights or all the interesting alien space ships I'm surrounded by?
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    10. September 2015 16:09
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Fathers Day

    10. September 2015 16:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    This Sunday it was fathers day.It was celebrated with a game of Bowling with the kids in the morning
    This Sunday it was fathers day.

    It was celebrated with a game of Bowling with the kids in the morning and then family dinner in the evening (with yummi chocolate cake).







    This photo is the only family photo I have with the entire Kims family (including little Mia).




    7. September 2015 10:09
    by Admin
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    Anything Goes - Sydney Opera House

    7. September 2015 10:09 by Admin | 0 Comments

    This weekend Kim and I joined a couple of friends at the opera house to see the show Anything Goes.T
    This weekend Kim and I joined a couple of friends at the opera house to see the show Anything Goes.

    This is a great musical which I believe is based on a book and it was first shown on Broadway all the way back in 1934.

    I love the old costumes from back...


    27. August 2015 12:08
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Lucas Moment

    27. August 2015 12:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    Lucas doesn't like me taking photos of him.Here I caught him having a moment after I picked him up a
    Lucas doesn't like me taking photos of him.

    Here I caught him having a moment after I picked him up at daycare.

    21. August 2015 08:08
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Aiden Birthday

    21. August 2015 08:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    I realised that I hadn't posted anything from Aidens birthday.On the weekend we had a bowling birthd
    I realised that I hadn't posted anything from Aidens birthday.

    On the weekend we had a bowling birthday party with all the kids (and mum and dad) dressed up as super heroes.

















    We also had a family dinner where we celebrated both his, Kayla's and Adams (his cousins) birthdays.











    21. August 2015 07:08
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Morning of Frost

    21. August 2015 07:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    Although we have had a beautiful winter with lots of sunny days and mild daytime temperatures, we ha
    Although we have had a beautiful winter with lots of sunny days and mild daytime temperatures, we have also had some cold mornings.



    One morning the car had frost on it and it was only 5 degrees outside (most winter mornings it is 8-10 degrees with 18-22 degree daytime temps).


    21. August 2015 07:08
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Aiden graduating to Turtle

    21. August 2015 07:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    Last weekend Aiden graduated in his swim class from being a Crab to being a turtle.He's been in the
    Last weekend Aiden graduated in his swim class from being a Crab to being a turtle.



    He's been in the swim class for a couple of years now and never graduated. He would swim fine with me, but would cry and be scared with the swim teacher.

    After our trip to Thailand in June he gained a lot of confidence and was very happy to swim by himself, but the swim teacher was too careful so he was unable to show what a good swimmer he really is. So, last weekend I asked the swim teacher to let him swim with the result that she by the end of the lesson graduated him and moved him to the next class.

    He was so proud (and so was his dad).

    18. August 2015 16:08
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Steam train day

    18. August 2015 16:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    This Sunday we took the boys to Thirlmere trainworks. This is a large train museum with lots of old
    This Sunday we took the boys to Thirlmere trainworks. This is a large train museum with lots of old steam trains.

    Here we learned that steam trains in NSW were running up until 1973 which means that we were born in the era of steam trains...makes me feel really old.



    We went for a ride on one of the old steam trains (I think I was more excited than the kids).
























    As usual Aiden and Lucas were monkeying around being best mates. This is a bus on rails.






    This is an instruction carriage used to teach how to operate the brakes on a steam train.

    18. August 2015 16:08
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Coastal walk with the boys

    18. August 2015 16:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    In the spirit of trying to keep the boys active Kim and I took them of a coastal walk from Coogee to
    In the spirit of trying to keep the boys active Kim and I took them of a coastal walk from Coogee to Clovelly on a beautiful winters day.



    The water in the little bays were calm and clear.






    Half way we sat down and had a snack.



    Kim braved it with the aerial yoga.



    And the boys were being themselves...best mates.






















    They loved being outside and they managed to walk the whole way (bribed by ice cream) even though Lucas on the last stretch was asking to be picked up.


    10. July 2015 09:07
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Phuket - Kims Birthday

    10. July 2015 09:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    On the day we were flying out it was Kims birthday.I had arranged a cake for her in the morning orde
    On the day we were flying out it was Kims birthday.

    I had arranged a cake for her in the morning ordered through one of the local cafes a couple of days earlier.





    The hotel provided a fairly average cream and jam pile that no one ate.


    9. July 2015 15:07
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Phuket - Kims Birthday show

    9. July 2015 15:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    To celebrate Kims birthday she organised for the family to go and see a show called Siam Niramit.Thi
    To celebrate Kims birthday she organised for the family to go and see a show called Siam Niramit.

    This show was about a 45 minutes drive from the hotel but transport was as usual included (as it is in pretty much all activities you organise).





    Unfortunately Kims dad couldn't join us as he had been severely dehydrated from not drinking enough water and wearing too many clothes in the heat.

    We were greeted at the show by actors in their beautiful costumes.









    We then proceeded into the venue where we had a large buffet style dinner. KC organised for the staff to come and sign birthday song for Kim.







    After dinner there were some pre-show activities such as kick boxing, tug of war with elephants as well as an elephant parade. More actors were dressed in their costumes.

































    After this was the show. The staging and props were absolutely amazing. Everything was big, and very well made. They even had a small river flowing through the stage in which actors rowed their canoos and swam in. They also had a massive monsoon rainfall in one of the acts.

    The various acts despicted important historical chapters of the Thai history and mythology.

    The had fabled creatures and real elephants, water buffaloes as part of the acting. Actors went flying across the stage with more that 100 actors as part of the show.

    Below are some of the photos I could find to 'borrow' as I didn't take any photos during the show itself (not allowed).

     





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    14. November 2004 10:37
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Aswan Dam

    14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    aswan dam




    The High Dam was built in the 1970s. It was higher and wider than the old Aswan Dam.



    At its highest point, the High Dam was 111m high, 3.8km long and 980m wide at the base. It was built with 3 times as many stones that was used to build Cheops' Pyramid.



    The High Dam is a high-security military area so no video cameras were allowed. Should the High Dam be destroyed, than most of Egypt will be under water and it would be a disaster for the country.



    Lake Nasser is a man-made lake to the south, created as a result of the building of the High Dam. Because of this lake, some great monuments, villages and many of the Nubian tribes had to be moved or they would have been submerged under water. I think much history has been lost to these waters.



    This temple had to moved onto higher ground after the High Dam was built.





    Created: Dec 2004Last Updated: 24-Jan-2005

    14. November 2004 10:37
    by Rene Pallesen
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    The Alabaster Factory

    14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    the alabaster factory




    This alabaster factory was one of Adam's commission-based stops.
    Alabaster is a cheaper type of marble - the corridors of the Mohammed Ali Mosque was made of this marble, as was the small sphinx statue in Memphis. It was also used for King TutAnkhAmun's canopic jars




    Created: Dec 2004Last Updated: 24-Jan-2005

    14. November 2004 02:07
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another Part 3

    14. November 2004 02:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    temple of philae moved from one island to another part 3

    14. November 2004 02:06
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another Part 2

    14. November 2004 02:06 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    temple of philae moved from one island to another part 2

    14. November 2004 02:04
    by Rene Pallesen
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    Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another

    14. November 2004 02:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

    temple of philae moved from one island to another