I'm thinking about taking three weeks + one day off in April. This holiday will include three public holidays (Easter Friday and Monday and Anzac Day). So it will "cost" me 13 Annual Leave Days.

Instead of three weeks off I could (in theory) use those days owed to:

• Work four days a week for 13 weeks. 16 if you include the public holiday weeks.
• Work three days a week for 5 weeks + one four day week. Or, if you include the 3 four-day-weeks created by the public holidays, I could work 8 weeks at three days a week.

In 16 weeks off I'll have earned another 5 or so Annual Leave days. So I could work 16 weeks at four days a week, then have a week off!

It would be unusual and my company probably wouldn't allow it, although they have allowed something similar before.

I'm not seriously thinking of this*, just showing you some numbers.

* I need an extended amount of time off. It has been far too long. I can't remember the last time I had more than 2 weeks off in a row. I'm not sure if we will be going away. All plans we've looked at have been too expensive. Nothing solid yet.

They've remade Monkey [bbc.co.uk].

An ambitious remake of Japan's most successful television drama Saiyuki (Monkey) is causing a stir across Asia.

The new version of the 1978 drama broke ratings records last month with one in three Japanese viewers tuning in.

Spotted buried in the news:

Both Faith No More's "Live At The Brixton Academy, London You Fat Bastards" and "Who Cares A Lot? The Greatest Videos" will be packaged together and released as a double DVD release set in May through Rhino Home Video.

Confirmation waiting from Rhino. Extras would be cool but are unlikely.