Nasty little bugger

I have managed, after much fighting and arguing, invited the flu in for a visit - as per usual the chap is going to stick around for a week (or two), then leave without so much as leaving a thank you note.

I do not normally get sick - I may get a sniffle for a day (during which time I am the worst person to be near because I am a ‘carrier’ of said sickness) the next day I am healthy and well but every other soul within a 5km radius has the full blown flu.

For me to get properly sick (as I am now) I must have completely ruined my immune system by doing something stupid, and in this case it was overworking the brain - behind the computer screen - without rest for the past 5 weeks.

Busy Worker: The Office
(read on…)

Go Away. I iz writing my memoirs… Image credit: misshepeshu

The difficulty of blog writing

Maintaining a blog does not usually come easy, most of us in the blog space need to work really hard to maintain our blogs outside of our regular work, and with the need for regular and interesting content updates, the odd blog/website design change, replying to comments, and managing your online persona in general - all while attempting to win one of the categories in the next Blog awards - Suddenly having a blog may seem more work than it is worth.

For some (including me) blog writing is not our main talent, words do not seem to flow as easily as it does for those that place beautiful prose on the web with little to no effort.

Suggested writing inabilities aside, even if you have the most wonderful and interesting stories to share; should you forget to post on your blog one too many times (the biggest bloggers sin I am guilty of) you will watch it die a slow and often painful Internet interest withdrawal death. Should you allow this this fatal blog sickness to pass, reviving your blog to its former glory will be one of the most difficult online things you may ever do.

What I am doing to repent my blogging sins

The final result? Unsuccessful blog that will remain obscurity or Successful blog revival - I will investigate, and hopefully find, the root cause within myself and my daily/general habits that lead me down the path of the “once every three month post” blogging style my own blog is now following. A studied choice which will offer me one of the following result options:

1. Should I keep this blog and maintain it properly (an all round improvement) OR
2. Permanently archive my blog (maintaining my current “Odd occasion and blue moon posting” habits) OR
3. Remove my blog entirely - let Twitter be my blog

(read on…)

Compliments of Heidi I have been tagged (for the first time mind you) to fill in this 50 question internet meme.

So without further ado:

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?

1. Do you like Blue Cheese?
I dislike the smell enough to have never tried blue cheese. Will let you know when I do.

2. Have you ever smoked heroin?
Nope.

3. Do you own a gun?
Nope, and doubt I ever will… Went shooting at a range with some friends a few months back - Guns do way too much damage way too eaasily.

4: This number is missing.
Nope. See.. number 4. is right there, just a little left of “This”.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
Not since my first HIV test 10 years ago.

6. Real or fake nails?
I save the fake ones for special people on special days - I will tell no more.

7. Favorite Christmas song?
I worked in retail for 5 years. There are none that I still enjoy.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Orange Juice (the fresher the better), Coffee, Ice Water - In that order, and preferably all every morning.
(read on…)

As the first month of 2009 draws to an end, the dust on most of the New Year resolutions is settling, I start to re-look at all the goal lists I have made in the past, review what I have completed, and add the items I want to do going forward.

I don’t call these lists “New Year resolutions” because they often have longer time requirements to complete that a year and I don’t always start at the beginning of the year (Some are added in July).

So without further preamble, here is my current TODO list:

1. Increase my gym attendance from twice a week to 4 times a week.
   This relates to losing some of the weight I have gained over the past few years and needs to be done in conjunction with following a healthier diet plan.
2. Get my Honours Degree out of the way.
   This requires starting it (currently in July 2009) and finishing it in one to two years.
3. Get one business off the ground and start another one.
   This is half done with the start of Devmaxis (in partnership with three colleagues) and two business contracts secured. I would just like to have some more options outside of that businesses scope and therefore need to push for Darwinshome into its own niche markets. - New Job, New responsibilities, New goals - Will revisit this one in 5 years
4. Do more for my online and offline communities.
   I’m sure, subconsciously, that this is a refection of one of Barack Obama’s statements working its magic. Doing more for my community (real life socially and in a Web 2.0 sense) is a broad way of saying I have many little plans that I just need to finish. This should help kick the brain into gear if I forget.
5. Pay off my car.
   Some changes in work circumstances has placed me in a position to settle my car a year to a year and a bit early. So following up on actually doing that before August 2009 is a must. - Finally paid off in January 2010
6. Purchase a new high end personal laptop.
   I am still unsure as to what machine I want, and I have been looking very seriously at the new MacBook. But this is where spare cash comes into play - I will make this a goal to complete before the end of November 2009. - New job gave me the laptop in November 2009
7. Develop one application outside of work.
   Be it a twitter application, a Facebook application or a custom built web application. This serves twofold in that it helps expand my own skills and it could also be used to either benefit my business or social goals.
8. Save enough spare to cash to take my wife overseas.
   USA would be nice, but my wife has her heart set on Europe - can you blame her? Italy here we come. - Visiting Australia to see an old friend in October (Europe can wait another year)

I am sure there are more things to add (like “Blog More”), but for this post I think this list will do for now and actions do sometimes speak louder than words, here is the first step. I will update any on the list that I complete (if they can be “completed”).
Have a great 2009.

For those of you that either view my Flickr page you would have already seen the state of my poor car. For those of you that haven’t here are the details of the incident (as requested by friends), as well as a link to the images. (Incidentally - the car is now fixed)

Four week-ends past myself and my fianceé were on our way out of the local Shopping Mall - This particular shopping mall only has pay parking available; This incident occurred on a busy Saturday while we were waiting, in my car, in the queue to exit through one of the exit booms.

A blue Opel joins the queue behind me.
A white bakkie (pickup truck for my American friends) - with the shopping malls private security company tags on the side - screeches to a stop behind the blue Opel.
One of the security guards jumps out of the Bakkie and with a rubber mallet starts breaking the rear windows of the Blue Opel - This scares the hell out of most of the shoppers in the area as it appears to be a vehicle hijacking.
The blue Opel - in an attempt to escape the security - pulls forward (towards my rear bumper) I in-turn move forward and to the right to avoid the blue Opel from rear-ending my car.
The Security guard (still on foot) continues to chase the blue Opel.
The Driver of the Blue Opel (in apparent panic) accelerates and impacts my car on the front passenger door.
The blue Opel continues past my car, and escapes the Mall security by ramming the exit boom and an additional security Gate.

Turns out the people in the blue Opel had stolen merchandise from various stores within the mall, and the mall security had been chasing them for 5 minutes within the complex parking lot before the guys finally escaped out the gate - the Metro Police Department apprehended the thieves 10min later down one of the freeways.

The results of the impact to my door are available for view here.

I am now officially a painter, plumber, electrician, tiler (or whatever you call the person that installs ceramic tiles) and a cabinet maker.

So far these two weeks I have painted all the walls in my new place, painted the ceiling, re-tiled the shower floor, installed a new kitchen sink and counter top, fixed various plug points and light fittings, installed a new shower door, and moved in most of my boxes.

Now all that is left is to install curtain rails, paint the newly sealed bathroom ceiling, get the new carpets installed and unpack boxes and move furniture out of the corner it’s stacked in.

I will take more pictures tonight, but I have added a couple more on my flickr account.

Got the keys to my new home on Monday night and went to take a look (first time to view the place for me - I trusted my Fianceés judgement) - And I am very very happy with the place.

With a new coat of paint, general cleaning, new carpets, a couple of new fittings and our personal touch - this new house will feel like it is our new home and I am happy.

Will be taking pictures of the painting and fixing process, and the garden, when I get a chance.

Click on the above image to view more.

New office policy - Breakfast and lunch will be served daily.

Nice

A year of weddings it seems…

So far my life has had very few weddings, I have attended my parents church wedding (they were married by court originally), an uncles and a best friends. So for those of you counting I have attended 3 in my 26 years on this earth.

Now within 30 days I will be attending three more. Last night was the first, a good friend and co-workers. (all the best Briggsie ) The next will be one of my fianceés extended family, and then in two weeks time will be another good friends big day. When it rains, it pours.

And to think it’s less than 5 months until my very own wedding.

Watching the Il Divo interview on Carte Blanche last night reminded me that I wanted to post about the their concert I attended a couple of weeks ago with my fianceé.

Now that a couple of weeks have passed, I do not think I would do the group justice by writing a full review, suffice to say that it was a great performance, the guys have excellent voices, and for the Coca-Cola Sundome (known for its bad accoustics), the sound and show was great.

One of the few performances I would see again.