VolaciousNet

Hey all
Today is the day I leave for Leeton to go on my 10-day long gliding fest for the Junior Nationals Gliding Competition. It’s been a shitfight of stress and tearing hair out trying to get everything organised. I swore that I’d be more prepared this year… HA!.

I’m going to be doing as many posts as possible from Leeton, including photos and maybe even some videos!. Can anyone give me a quick tutorial in YouTube? Is it easy to use?

I’m going to miss my boy whilst I’m away… he’s not too happy about me going as I’m going to be away for NYE. I’m just not looking forward to 10 days of celibacy!

Whilst I’m at the comp, just leave me some messages to say hello… even if you don’t understand my pilot talk that I sometimes fall back into. The funny thing is that when I get back I’m likely to be very tanned with distinct tan lines on the legs and shirt, and probably talking like a bogan too (when in Rome…)

I’ve jumped on the bandwagon and joined mySpace…
Anyone have tips for a MySpace newbie, or should I just leave it alone and stop wasting time?

Check me out!

Well it’s been a mad couple of days. I’ve actually been very stressed and agitated… as I might have mentioned before I’m going to the Under-25 Nationals (gliding) in Leeton this year, and organising it has been a complete bitch. I’ve found it very difficult getting any glider organised, and time is running out FAST. *sighs*

Meanwhile, other good news includes:

New Haircut
Well… not dramatic, but for a boy who’s had the same haircut for 22 or so years, it’s dramatic enough! My mate Les wanted to go for a “manga” look , so the hair was cut differently than usual, and dyed jet black.
Whaddaya think?

Maybe you don’t notice it that much in that shot, but I do look different! Oh well.. small steps…

New Phone!
Adam’s phone has been on the fritz lately, and I’ve been giving him my phone so that he can do job interviews, call recruiting agencies, etc etc etc. So we had to find a solution… would you believe it, I’ve gone back to Telstra!
Sold my soul, you say? Well… I reckon I got a fairly good deal, if I don’t say so myself! I have gone to the new Next-Gâ„¢ network, which is really just an enhanced 3G network on a lower (850Mhz) frequency. Upshot is that it covers all the regional areas that CDMA used to cover (and 3G doesn’t), and is thus perfect for my little gliding adventures into remote farmer’s paddocks…

Being a Foxtel employee, I’m eligible for Telstra Staff rates, which used to be pathetic but now gives me a $39 / month cap plan, with $250 worth of calls, and best of all, no contract! Even better, I get this brand-spankin’ new phone…

Samsung A-701

Pianola…
After sitting for months in storage, have finally decided to get the old Pianola, a 3/4-tonne family heirloom, into our house. I love these old things! This one was built in 1912, and there’s not one little bit of electrickery in it… all gas-piston and bellows powered! Got a lot of character, this old girl, and we’ve already had a few singalongs (I have to admit some of the scrolls I got some time ago was the Grease Megamix, Bohemian Rhapsody and an Abba Medley… corny but fun!)

Awwwww…
And lastly… our little boy hasn’t been well lately! Throwing up his food, being lethargic, but I thought I’d throw this photo in just for the “Awwwwwwwwww” factor!

Ahhh… Nostalgia

It’s 3am, and i’m watching a re-run of the 2003 Schools Spectacular on Ovation (Foxtel). My school never took part in it.. which is a pity I think. There is some incredible talent in this school spectaculars… Paulini has just come onstage to sing “Somewhere” by Bernstein (West Side Story). Captivating…

I guess this brings up my sense of nostalgia once again… I think I’ve always been a stage bunny at heart. I started being on stage professionally when I was 13, working in the Australian Opera for the production of Turandot. Next few years included the productions of Carmen and Midsummer Night’s Dream finally culminating in a principal role in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. I even did a few recordings for radio, and even some Italian compilation CD, just before the voice broke. Then it all fell apart for a few years… a few solos on stage here and there, enjoying the limelight every now and then and getting back that special feeling that I’m really starting to miss now.

I am regretful sometimes that I’ve let it go… the few times I’ve performed lately I have had surprisingly good results… 3rd place in the Sydney Uni College Eisteddford and a great reception at last year’s Carols by Candlelight at North Rocks. It makes me wonder what I could do if I actually stopped smoking and decided to practice for more than 2 weeks a year.

I was trained for 12 years as a classical singer, and I’ve been trying to go a little more contemporary, but not enter the world of pop. I remember when I was doing the USYD College Eisteddford, the two that beat me was a professional singer that worked for the Australian Opera, and a cute post-grad who sang the most heart-wrenching rendition of The Eagle’s “Desperado”, during which I was absolutely mesmerised.

As I’m writing this, I’m thinking to myself what I fool I am to let whatever talent I may have had go to waste. Tomorrow I’m getting my old pianola delivered to our house. I think that now I live in a house, I have no excuses not to do some practice and see if I can resurrect any form of talent whatsoever.

Meanwhile I’m going to enjoy watching this gorgeous young blonde-streaked brunette sing Love is in the Air (John Paul Young). *sighs wistfully*

Hi All,

I’m thinking of taking a camera to JoeyGlide this year (the Under-25 Junior Nationals in Leeton), and doing some video posts as a bit of a change

Some friends of mine created this …. have a look! See what i’ve been up to the past 10 years…

Free-to-Air Copping A Download

This was the subject plastered at the top spot on news.com.au IT section, and has been for the past 48 hours. It was top of Australian IT, Australian Media and Arts, and Australian IT Business.

Sported on the front page was this:

The full article, I’ve managed to scan

(online article version here)

It seems as though this particular article has generated discussion all over the internet! There are numerous forums, including Whirlpool, as well as international forums, that are talking about his article! Since it was published, he’s received telephone calls and emails from heaps of other people wanting to know more about his research, including offers to publish it in two international magazines plus another interview or two. He went for a job interview today, and the interviewer said “Hey… wasn’t that you I read about in the paper yesterday?”. Addy is famous!

Needless to say, there could not be a prouder husband!

Adam () is in the paper! He’s been looking forward to this for some time, and now there he is… top story for IT and Media!

Free-to-air copping a download

The printed version has his picture, and I will scan it in later.

Needless to say, Shelton and I are very proud :p

Hello people! So much to tell…

Exam Results

After my last exam, where I walked out 1/2 hour in, I wasn’t expecting a lot in terms of results this semester. Indeed, I was fearing that I’d definately be back next year, to continue this never-ending degree.

Results came back on Tuesday… frankly they shocked the hell out of me.

The exam I walked out of (and did supplementary for) — 66% – Credit

Satellite Comms – Another iffy one I thought I wouldn’t pass — 61% – Pass

Thesis (The big one, that I mostly wrote in 2 days) — 73% – Credit

Overall, I’m completely stoked and finally the end is in sight!

Mini-holiday to Avoca

Days off have been rare, so when both Adam and I managed to find three days off in a row, we packed up the booze and the dog, and headed up to the Central Coast to Avoca Beach.

As with all holidays! the time went sooo fast it wasn’t funny! Walks on the beach with Shelton, who proved that he is really a water dog. He’s still disobediant, and enjoyed splashing in the water, rolling in the sand, then jumping over unsuspecting sunbathers.

	(left) Adam and Shelton (above)Puppy underfoot…

We had a few friends come up to Avoca on Tuesday night to celebrate passing the exams… Scotch and Poker, a most enjoyable mix! Lost at the poker unfortunately… as is law the person we taught to play poker for the first time cleaned up completely!