The Mars Exploration Rover

I don't know how many people have been following this but in my mind, it's these sorta moments that I truly believe, are the real quests for the meaning of life. Exploring an entirely new planet, so far away, with so much unknown history and seeing a slice of martian surface that no one has set their eyes on before, is truly magical. And it's by these means that we will get closer to why we are here, if an answer exists.

The Mars Exploration Rover landed on the martian surface a couple of days ago and has begun beaming back black and white images of it's surrounding areas. The mission so far has gone exactly to plan. The process by which NASA got the rover to that planet is one that showcases how far technology has come. Can you imagine the amount of testing, checking and re-checking of equipment, calculations and software that needs to be done in order to get this right? And the accuracy by which they have managed to land the rover compared to the distances involved is mind boggling. I read that they managed to land the Rover within 9km of dead center. This is pretty good considering the mean distance of Mars from the Earth is about 7,800,000km.

So now I'm just waiting for the colour panoramic images to come back. This should arrive within the day or two I believe. From here, the Rover will spend a few more days charging it's batteries before leaving it's landing pad. It will then head towards some promising looking rocks and examine them for signs of life or the pre-existence of water. Even if this entire mission turns up nothing new, it will still be worth it. We will by then have images of a place that no one has been to or set their eyes upon. Hopefully within my lifetime I am able to witness a human being walking on the surface of Mars. And for some reason I always imagine it to be like that classic scene in Total Recall, where Arnie & this girl are climbing one of the slopes on Mars before he falls, breaks the visor on his helmet and his face begins to contort due to the poisonous atmospheric gases hehe :)

2004!

So, another year has passed and a new one has just begun. What have I achieved in the past 12 months? Well let's see, I graduated from uni for starters. That was a highlight. After 6 long years I am now a professional engineer. With that degree I found a job that I am happy with. A job that I am currently working in. Then there's my relationship with my girlfriend Sara. It didn't start off well last year due to a few dramas but has ended well. It pretty much came full circle in that last NYE, we were both at home on the phone instead of out celebrating. This NYE, we went to watch the fireworks together. Over the past 12 months I can say our relationship has matured and we're now closer on a deeper level. Then there's my friends. I've seen some of them graduate, travel, get engaged/married but generally, the same fun bunch that they've always been. And I thank them for that. My family has always been there for me, especially my mum, who works so tirelessly and loves us so much.

One sad thing that happened in the past year was the passing away of my cousin Minh. His family has mostly recovered from the ordeal but there will always be a place in our hearts for him.

So what about this year? Well in mid January our family will be going to Thailand & Vietnam for a holiday. 3 weeks of R&R! Apart from that I don't see anything else on the horizon for 2004. I think it will be a consolidating year for me. Especially in terms of my career. But life has a habit of throwing unexpected things at you so I'll just have to wait and see! :)

Hawks Nest Road Trip 2003

Spent a week at a beach house just relaxing. It was nice. Went to the beach, ate seafood, played X-Box, went bush walking, played Charades are among some of the things we did. Some classic moments on the trip:

1. The girls losing to the boys in Charades & having to make breakfast. Too bad I was on the girls team to even up the numbers. The look & mood of the poor girls when they lost and their attempt to squirm out of the bet was a moment to treasure. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

2. Me laying the smack-down on Yui and giving him a carpet burn on his forehead. hahaha It was visible for days & now he has a scar. hahaha You know I love you Yui :)

3. Me & Minh's trek across the Sahara desert (or so he claims). There was a beautiful, calm & crystal clear beach at the end. Minh claimed he nearly died on the trek. Soft.

4. Yui & I being forced to drink vodka by the Hulk (aka Minh). He had a massive hangover the next morning. hahaha No sympathies here mate!

And a big THANK YOU must go out to Nhi who organised the majority of the trip. :)