This is the first entry of Jack's blog.
I've created this so we can keep a track of things that happen in his life - I'm also doing this in a book, but there are a bunch of things that can't go into the book - and this is the place for them.
He is due to be born on Thursday 2nd June 2005.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
New baby!
So, the new baby is coming on Thursday - today is my last work day for 2 1/2 weeks. Tomorrow night Rach goes into hospital, then the baby will be out first thing on Thursday morning!
It's strange, people ask me whether I'm excited, and I am, but just not as much as the first one. I guess that's normal, it's all kind of stuff that we've been through before - and we know when it's coming, so there's not this build of up anticipation and/or excitement as "The Day" gets closer. I feel a bit bad that I'm not as excited, but I don't doubt for a second that I'll love the new baby any less.
It's strange, people ask me whether I'm excited, and I am, but just not as much as the first one. I guess that's normal, it's all kind of stuff that we've been through before - and we know when it's coming, so there's not this build of up anticipation and/or excitement as "The Day" gets closer. I feel a bit bad that I'm not as excited, but I don't doubt for a second that I'll love the new baby any less.
BTC
Sorry - I got a bit distracted. I had a spanking win over Hooders - so I'm now 10-0 this season. :) Hopefully that will convert into a devestating grand final victory!
Monday, May 30, 2005
Schapelle
What is the deal with the media coverage of Schapelle Corby? Rupert's papers are baying for blood.
It's a shame that the girl got 20 years, but the convicted mastermind of the bali bombings got 6 months in jail. Go figure.
It's a shame that the girl got 20 years, but the convicted mastermind of the bali bombings got 6 months in jail. Go figure.
Round 10 Review
Hooders vs Keatsters
In a suprisingly one sided match, Keatsters prevailed by 27 points. Coach Hodder struggled to get performances from all of his list, with 5 over 100 points, and the stand out Sam Mitchell scoring nearly 200 points. With 10 of Keat's 18 over 100 points, he seems to be only getting stronger and stronger as the season goes on.
Farts vs Alex
In an upset, Farts have pulled of a 10 point victory over Alex. Alex struggled to 101 points, with only one of his list of 30 scoring over 100 BTC points. Farts performed strongly, with 7 over 100 points, although the loss of Nathan Brown for the season with a broken leg will be a big blow.
Losers vs Tendulkars
As expected, Larry's Losers failed to trouble Tendulkars, with a strong team performance giving them a comfortable 59 point victory. Unfortunate for Larry to come up against a rampaging Tendulkars outfit, with Larry picking a strong 18 this week.
Ducklings vs Black and Blue
Black and Blue seem to be going through a patch of inconsistent form - Winners one week, losers the next. Hopefully some more consistent performances from their 2nd string players will lift them up the table, but still hanging in the top 5 at the moment. Ducklings roll on to their 5th straight win, and appear to be going very nicely - good performances by their players not named shows they have depth in their list.
Crunchers vs Curly
First draw of the season - Very good result for Crunchers, the 1/2 game giving them an advantage over other teams on the same wins - especially with the low percentage they have. Curly now outsiders to play finals this year.
Three blowouts, one draw and a close match - hopefully as coaches get a handle on their new recruits, the games will begin to even up. Ladder is becoming more interesting, with the top 5 teams gapping the bottom 5 teams. It's still well and truly available to Hooders, Alex and Crunchers to make the finals, with Farts looking to hold it's top 5 position.
The most...
annoying person in the world, is one of the guys that I've got to mentor.
He went and saw Star Wars ep3 on the weekend, and it's all he's talking about - and now everything is about padawan learners and r2 units. ARGH! You saw the movie on the weekend, I get it.
serenity now. serenity now.
He went and saw Star Wars ep3 on the weekend, and it's all he's talking about - and now everything is about padawan learners and r2 units. ARGH! You saw the movie on the weekend, I get it.
serenity now. serenity now.
A car, and other things...
We finally bought a car! :) A little Mazda 323 which is nearly 20 years old - It drives really well though, even though it's an auto. For the princely sum of $1100, plus $200 for the roadworthy, it's all good. I think we will probably get it on Thursday - At least I'll be able to get around to the station and stuff without hassling Rach and the babies too much.
Only a few days to go now - Thursday morning we will have the new baby. Cool as.
Mike and Kylie visited us on Sunday afternoon, and we chatted for a few hours - Mike even came for a test drive of the new (old) car.
Saturday night was good, Reuben and Paula came over for dinner, at Rach's parent place - We decided that it was probably better to watch a movie at the nice warm house. And the house with the 86cm plasma screen. We ended up seeing i heart huckabees, which was just fantastic.
Most of the weekend was spent at Rach's parents place, which was nice and comfortable, and Jude was free to go crazy - We brought the work laptop down, and Rach got on with her study. Unfortunately at 10pm on Sunday night, she looked at one of the books that she got given, and found that it had all of the extracts that she has been spending the past 3 weeks running around Melbourne trying to find. bugger.
Anyway, A couple of more days of work left, then it's off to hospital for the delivery of the baby!
Only a few days to go now - Thursday morning we will have the new baby. Cool as.
Mike and Kylie visited us on Sunday afternoon, and we chatted for a few hours - Mike even came for a test drive of the new (old) car.
Saturday night was good, Reuben and Paula came over for dinner, at Rach's parent place - We decided that it was probably better to watch a movie at the nice warm house. And the house with the 86cm plasma screen. We ended up seeing i heart huckabees, which was just fantastic.
Most of the weekend was spent at Rach's parents place, which was nice and comfortable, and Jude was free to go crazy - We brought the work laptop down, and Rach got on with her study. Unfortunately at 10pm on Sunday night, she looked at one of the books that she got given, and found that it had all of the extracts that she has been spending the past 3 weeks running around Melbourne trying to find. bugger.
Anyway, A couple of more days of work left, then it's off to hospital for the delivery of the baby!
Friday, May 27, 2005
Round 10 Preview
Hooders (7) vs Keatsters (1)
Hooders have been struggling recently, losing their last 3 matches, while Keatsters has gone largely unchallenged all season. Hooders expecting new recruits to assist in a number of areas, Keatsters Coach Yong dissapointed in the suspension of Glenn Archer, and wont help his defensive stats. Expect both teams trends to continue.
Tip: Keatsters by 10
Farts (6) vs Alex (5)
Alex had a close win in a high scoring match last week. This week he comes up against a resurgent Farts, fighting for the last place in the final 5. Only percentage separates these two teams, so this looms as an '8 point' match for the two comepting sides. With Hooders expected to lose, and Tendulkars playing Larry, the winner can keep in touch with the top four, and the loser will have to fight to make finals this year.
Tip: Alex by 15
Losers (10) vs Tendulkars (4)
Tendulkars expected to win this match easily. If Larry suprises all and actually picks a team, he might have a chance of breaking 100 this week. Even with his best side in, he's unlikely to trouble a Tendulkars team strengthened by some good drafting.
Tip: Tendulkars by 45
Ducklings (2) vs Black and Blue (3)
Match of the round. Ducklings have been on fire for the past 4 weeks, with some very high scores. Black and Blue coming off back to back wins, are primed to take it up to coach Tan. Even with inclusions for both teams, Black and Blue will struggle to outscore Ducklings this week.
Tip: Ducklings by 25
Crunchers (8) vs Curly (9)
Season defining efforts required by Curly players this week. A loss will all but snuff out their chance of finals action, Crunchers are also struggling, nearly 15% beneath the team above them. With a percentage like this, a win (and a big one) is a must.
Tip: Crunchers by 4
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Oh Canada...
It's funny - Rach was thinking exactly the same things about going to Canada. She even did the 'are you fit to move to Canada' test! Once we both graduate uni, we will score 71 on the test, and you only need 63 to pass. Also you get more points if you can speak French. Parlez vous francais?
Anyway, now we have something longer term to focus on, graduating, and saving up the $20,000 we need to move. Shouldn't be too hard, I'll probably move jobs soon anyway, or if the company shares take off, we could have it there.
I checked out the infosys website last night, and you have to have graduated uni to even apply. that puts me out right there. bugger.
Anyway, now we have something longer term to focus on, graduating, and saving up the $20,000 we need to move. Shouldn't be too hard, I'll probably move jobs soon anyway, or if the company shares take off, we could have it there.
I checked out the infosys website last night, and you have to have graduated uni to even apply. that puts me out right there. bugger.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Career
It's a funny thing - the difference between a career and a job.
I think I fell into my job, and also my career. Although, when I think back to when I was younger, there was probably not going to be much else I was going to do - I wasnt particularly strong in English at school, but excelled in the sciences (maths, chem, physics), and ended up going to do a Computer Science degree.
After dropping out of that, I managed to score a job in a call centre, where I worked with a friend from uni, Tim. He managed to get me up into the development team there, and there started my computer programmer career.
I got the job i've currently got when a friend went for a job, didnt get it, and told me about this company. I had a couple of informal meetings with 2 of the 5 directors, and bang - I was now a Consultant.
I think that I've learned about as much as I can re being a 'consultant', but of course, there are still things to learn in the IT industry. Always new technologies coming out. And certification. I think that's probably more important than getting my degree (which I'm working towards again).
Probably in the short term, I will leave where I currently work (the project i'm on lasts until september), so that kind of works out pretty nicely - the current company is allocating shares in July. After talking to Amol, and seeing what conditions are like on the other side of the fence (Infosys), it's looking more and more appealing - they pay you a bonus to sit certification exams! not like where I am now, which is like pulling teeth to buy a book!
Anyway, I will get into this a bit more over the weekend, and have a chat with the wife about what we want to do. Longer term, we will probably end up moving overseas (maybe Canada?)
I think I fell into my job, and also my career. Although, when I think back to when I was younger, there was probably not going to be much else I was going to do - I wasnt particularly strong in English at school, but excelled in the sciences (maths, chem, physics), and ended up going to do a Computer Science degree.
After dropping out of that, I managed to score a job in a call centre, where I worked with a friend from uni, Tim. He managed to get me up into the development team there, and there started my computer programmer career.
I got the job i've currently got when a friend went for a job, didnt get it, and told me about this company. I had a couple of informal meetings with 2 of the 5 directors, and bang - I was now a Consultant.
I think that I've learned about as much as I can re being a 'consultant', but of course, there are still things to learn in the IT industry. Always new technologies coming out. And certification. I think that's probably more important than getting my degree (which I'm working towards again).
Probably in the short term, I will leave where I currently work (the project i'm on lasts until september), so that kind of works out pretty nicely - the current company is allocating shares in July. After talking to Amol, and seeing what conditions are like on the other side of the fence (Infosys), it's looking more and more appealing - they pay you a bonus to sit certification exams! not like where I am now, which is like pulling teeth to buy a book!
Anyway, I will get into this a bit more over the weekend, and have a chat with the wife about what we want to do. Longer term, we will probably end up moving overseas (maybe Canada?)
Monday, May 23, 2005
Round 9 Review.
What a round!
Hooders vs Alex
Hooders were thrashed to the tune of 43 points. The Hooders are now going to have to fight to ensure they play finals again this year, as they seem to have lost their aura.
Farts vs Black And Blue
Black and Blue have pushed past the Farts to secure a position in the final 5, leaving Farts precariously positioned at 6th (on percentage).
Ugly Ducklings vs Tendulkars
This weeks match of the round certainly lived up to the hype. A thrilling 2 point victory to Coach Tan, with coach Amol leaving out his main goal kicker Mark Williams.
Losers Vs Curly
Comfortable win by Curly, with an easy 25 point victory. This assures Larry of not playing the finals, and it will have to be a big effort (at least 4 wins) to get off the bottom of the ladder. Losers odds of $1.01 for wooden spoon.
Keatsters Vs Crunchers
As tipped, a 47 point drubbing. Assisted by strong even performances by all 18 players, Keatsters easily accounted for the Crunchers.
All in all, a round of upsets, with some fancied teams going down, and some outsiders getting up. A log-jam of teams are still eligible to make the finals, with 9th position only being 1 game out of the top 5.
Mid season review of all teams, and mid season draft picks to come later this week.
Hooders vs Alex
Hooders were thrashed to the tune of 43 points. The Hooders are now going to have to fight to ensure they play finals again this year, as they seem to have lost their aura.
Farts vs Black And Blue
Black and Blue have pushed past the Farts to secure a position in the final 5, leaving Farts precariously positioned at 6th (on percentage).
Ugly Ducklings vs Tendulkars
This weeks match of the round certainly lived up to the hype. A thrilling 2 point victory to Coach Tan, with coach Amol leaving out his main goal kicker Mark Williams.
Losers Vs Curly
Comfortable win by Curly, with an easy 25 point victory. This assures Larry of not playing the finals, and it will have to be a big effort (at least 4 wins) to get off the bottom of the ladder. Losers odds of $1.01 for wooden spoon.
Keatsters Vs Crunchers
As tipped, a 47 point drubbing. Assisted by strong even performances by all 18 players, Keatsters easily accounted for the Crunchers.
All in all, a round of upsets, with some fancied teams going down, and some outsiders getting up. A log-jam of teams are still eligible to make the finals, with 9th position only being 1 game out of the top 5.
Mid season review of all teams, and mid season draft picks to come later this week.
Weekend
Hawthorn had a famous victory over Freo in Perth. Great game guys. Rach is indicating that I should be going to the footy. I havent been for a couple of seasons now, and with these new players coming in, it's looking promising.
Went to Amol and Poonam's place on Saturday night for dinner. What a fantastic meal that was - Jude even went for the paneer - it was just divine. There was also a dish with kidney beans (my favourite beans!), which was awesome with rice, and just a hint of spices. Both Rach and I have agreed that we should get cooking lessons from Poonam for indian cuisine. It's amazing, all vegetarian foods, but sooo yummy!
Amol ran into Alex, who's working at the same place as Poonam, and he's on a 95k package. What the! I think I might get me some of that. I suspect that a lot of my colleagues are just waiting for my present company to give us shares, and then there will be a mass exodus of staff.
I've documented my frustrations with my current employer, so I wont bang on too much about it. I will probably end up going for a job at Infosys or maybe IAG.
Anyway, I've got a bucketload of work to do, so I'll write again later.
Went to Amol and Poonam's place on Saturday night for dinner. What a fantastic meal that was - Jude even went for the paneer - it was just divine. There was also a dish with kidney beans (my favourite beans!), which was awesome with rice, and just a hint of spices. Both Rach and I have agreed that we should get cooking lessons from Poonam for indian cuisine. It's amazing, all vegetarian foods, but sooo yummy!
Amol ran into Alex, who's working at the same place as Poonam, and he's on a 95k package. What the! I think I might get me some of that. I suspect that a lot of my colleagues are just waiting for my present company to give us shares, and then there will be a mass exodus of staff.
I've documented my frustrations with my current employer, so I wont bang on too much about it. I will probably end up going for a job at Infosys or maybe IAG.
Anyway, I've got a bucketload of work to do, so I'll write again later.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Distractions
How can I stop from getting distracted? I've barely been able to get any work done during the first 2 days of this week. I've got to deliver the component i'm responsible for today. Bugger.
Anyway, yesterday I had a team meeting with all the guys who work for the same company I do, but out here on the same site (different floors, and different teams!). I'd never met them before, so that was good fun.
Rach and Jude then came in for lunch, and we had some foodies.
Then I spent a couple of hours struggling with Ant. Joy.
Anyway, back to it.
Anyway, yesterday I had a team meeting with all the guys who work for the same company I do, but out here on the same site (different floors, and different teams!). I'd never met them before, so that was good fun.
Rach and Jude then came in for lunch, and we had some foodies.
Then I spent a couple of hours struggling with Ant. Joy.
Anyway, back to it.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
BTC: Round 9 - Preview
Coach Yong takes a look at upcoming matches this week.
As we approach the half way point of the season, some matches are taking on higher and higher importance for coaches who have aspirations to play finals in season 2005. With nine of the ten teams having a mathematical chance of playing finals, and only 1 certain finalist, there is much to be gained, and much to be lost.
During the next month, we will see the introduction of new blood to all teams, and most coaches are hoping for a big lift from their existing stocks, and most importantly from their new recruits.
Hooders (6) Vs Alex (8)
Rookie coach Alex comes up against the struggling Hooders, premier of 2004. Coach Hooder has taken some chances with his team list this year, and he appears to be struggling to motivate his troops to repeat the heroics of their Grand Final win.
Tip: Unfortunately, another honourable loss coming up for Alex. Hooders by 15.
Farts (5) Vs Black and Blue (4)
Farts have struggled during the past season and a half to really move themselves up from lower and mid table. This week presents coach Hodder Sr a chance to end the speculation about his position and push him team into finals contention for season 2005. Black and Blue have taken the novel approach of appointing two coaches this season, in an effort to spread the load. Time will tell if this sharing of responsibilities will be a help or a hindrance as we move towards the finals.
Tip: Farts to shock Black and Blue, 3 points.
Ugly Ducklings (2) Vs Tendulkars (3)
Long time rivals Tan and Jhamvar clash in the match of the round. Much has been said regarding the trade period, with the BTC Comission even wading into the argument. Coach Euge is coming into this match in great form, winning his last 3 matches, with coach Jhamvar coming off a heart breaking 3 point loss. The winner will cement a spot in the top half of the table, the loser will leave themselves open to falling out the top 5. It doesn't get much more important than that.
Tip: Cant go past recent form, Ducklings comfortably.
Losers (10) Vs Curly (9)
Bottom of the table clash, with Larry hosting Curly's rag tag bunch of misfits. Although there is a gap of 2 games, Larry has just about sewn up the wooden spoon, which he will be forced to proudly display in his office throughout 2006. Coaches, please help me out here by bringing a wooden spoon to work, and we can make a perpetual trophy.
Tip: With Larry not taking responsibility for his teams performance, Curly by 35.
Keasters (1) Vs Crunchers (7)
This is a must win game for Crunchers coach Engel, and he will be hoping to inflict Keatsters only loss through half the season, with bragging rights over the rest of the competition up for grabs this is sure to be a tightly fought match. Keatsters coach Yong is going into this match confident of passing the halfway mark with an unbeaten record, and strengthening of defences arriving in the form of Glenn Archer, Andrew Siegert and Aaron Henneman.
Tip: Keatsters, by a mile
As we approach the half way point of the season, some matches are taking on higher and higher importance for coaches who have aspirations to play finals in season 2005. With nine of the ten teams having a mathematical chance of playing finals, and only 1 certain finalist, there is much to be gained, and much to be lost.
During the next month, we will see the introduction of new blood to all teams, and most coaches are hoping for a big lift from their existing stocks, and most importantly from their new recruits.
Hooders (6) Vs Alex (8)
Rookie coach Alex comes up against the struggling Hooders, premier of 2004. Coach Hooder has taken some chances with his team list this year, and he appears to be struggling to motivate his troops to repeat the heroics of their Grand Final win.
Tip: Unfortunately, another honourable loss coming up for Alex. Hooders by 15.
Farts (5) Vs Black and Blue (4)
Farts have struggled during the past season and a half to really move themselves up from lower and mid table. This week presents coach Hodder Sr a chance to end the speculation about his position and push him team into finals contention for season 2005. Black and Blue have taken the novel approach of appointing two coaches this season, in an effort to spread the load. Time will tell if this sharing of responsibilities will be a help or a hindrance as we move towards the finals.
Tip: Farts to shock Black and Blue, 3 points.
Ugly Ducklings (2) Vs Tendulkars (3)
Long time rivals Tan and Jhamvar clash in the match of the round. Much has been said regarding the trade period, with the BTC Comission even wading into the argument. Coach Euge is coming into this match in great form, winning his last 3 matches, with coach Jhamvar coming off a heart breaking 3 point loss. The winner will cement a spot in the top half of the table, the loser will leave themselves open to falling out the top 5. It doesn't get much more important than that.
Tip: Cant go past recent form, Ducklings comfortably.
Losers (10) Vs Curly (9)
Bottom of the table clash, with Larry hosting Curly's rag tag bunch of misfits. Although there is a gap of 2 games, Larry has just about sewn up the wooden spoon, which he will be forced to proudly display in his office throughout 2006. Coaches, please help me out here by bringing a wooden spoon to work, and we can make a perpetual trophy.
Tip: With Larry not taking responsibility for his teams performance, Curly by 35.
Keasters (1) Vs Crunchers (7)
This is a must win game for Crunchers coach Engel, and he will be hoping to inflict Keatsters only loss through half the season, with bragging rights over the rest of the competition up for grabs this is sure to be a tightly fought match. Keatsters coach Yong is going into this match confident of passing the halfway mark with an unbeaten record, and strengthening of defences arriving in the form of Glenn Archer, Andrew Siegert and Aaron Henneman.
Tip: Keatsters, by a mile
Winner!
I managed to win a prize for an article I wrote in my Fantasy Football competition, BTC. How cool is that? The article was the highest rated article for the month, so they are sending me a voucher for Feeling Fruity. Cool as!
:)
I've already written a new article (reproduced here), which has rated as 9.7 after 2 days, so here's hoping I'll get another one - it couldnt be that hard, there aren't many people writing!
:)
I've already written a new article (reproduced here), which has rated as 9.7 after 2 days, so here's hoping I'll get another one - it couldnt be that hard, there aren't many people writing!
Monday, May 16, 2005
BTC - Weekend Wrap
Close matches the order of the day
A weekend of fantastic matches, with 4 of the 5 games decided by less that 10 points.
Match of the week was unbeaten Keatsters at Alex Park, and scraped through with a 1 point victory. Looks like the threat of bringing in half a dozen new faces has fired everyone up this week.
Black and Blue scored a fantastic victory over last season's premiers The Hooders, 129 to 126.
Last season's runner up Tendulkars hosted perennial bottom of the table team Old Farts. Well, the Old Farts showed the Tendulkars how to play, and came away with a 150-147 point win in a high scoring match.
Team Curly struggled at home this week, coming up against a rampaging Ducklings, and losing 90-177 in the most lopsided match seen this weekend.
Those results have left Keatsters 3 games clear on top of the table, with a pack of 3 teams (Black and Blue, Ugly Ducklings, Tendulkars) on 5-3, three teams on 4-4 (Old Farts, Hooders, Crunchers), Alex on 3-5, Curly on 2-6 and Larry on 0-8 is the only one who is not mathematically able to make the finals this year.
Hopefully the mid-season draft (and Larry picking some players who actually run onto the park on the weekend!) will tighten up the competition in the run up to finals time.
A weekend of fantastic matches, with 4 of the 5 games decided by less that 10 points.
Match of the week was unbeaten Keatsters at Alex Park, and scraped through with a 1 point victory. Looks like the threat of bringing in half a dozen new faces has fired everyone up this week.
Black and Blue scored a fantastic victory over last season's premiers The Hooders, 129 to 126.
Last season's runner up Tendulkars hosted perennial bottom of the table team Old Farts. Well, the Old Farts showed the Tendulkars how to play, and came away with a 150-147 point win in a high scoring match.
Team Curly struggled at home this week, coming up against a rampaging Ducklings, and losing 90-177 in the most lopsided match seen this weekend.
Those results have left Keatsters 3 games clear on top of the table, with a pack of 3 teams (Black and Blue, Ugly Ducklings, Tendulkars) on 5-3, three teams on 4-4 (Old Farts, Hooders, Crunchers), Alex on 3-5, Curly on 2-6 and Larry on 0-8 is the only one who is not mathematically able to make the finals this year.
Hopefully the mid-season draft (and Larry picking some players who actually run onto the park on the weekend!) will tighten up the competition in the run up to finals time.
btc
I squeeked past Alex 145-144. Bring it on! 8-0 now.
Saddington is going to get dropped, Ben Hart will be in. He's been playing fantastic footy. Unless I de-listed him. Oops.
No, I just checked - I re-drafted him. good call.
I will go back and update later.
Saddington is going to get dropped, Ben Hart will be in. He's been playing fantastic footy. Unless I de-listed him. Oops.
No, I just checked - I re-drafted him. good call.
I will go back and update later.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Step-O-Meter
Rach picked up a pedometer when she bought a tub of margarine the other day, so I've taken to wearing it - just to see how many steps I do a day. As part of a healthy lifestyle, we should be walking 10,000 steps a day.
I managed 5666 on the first day, which I thought was a bit low - considering i walked to the train station, home, from flinders to the office and back, and 2 trips to NAB.
I did some testing and found that it was only reading on one leg - so I doubled the steps, and it was over the 10k.
I managed 5666 on the first day, which I thought was a bit low - considering i walked to the train station, home, from flinders to the office and back, and 2 trips to NAB.
I did some testing and found that it was only reading on one leg - so I doubled the steps, and it was over the 10k.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
ei ei oh!
Something to pass the time:
http://edel.antsoft.de/hasselhoff/
Anyways, not many updates lately. Been busy at new client site.
Working on project which uses a whole bunch of stuff:
Ant
Struts
WAS
WSAD
Hibernate
Joyous. :)
http://edel.antsoft.de/hasselhoff/
Anyways, not many updates lately. Been busy at new client site.
Working on project which uses a whole bunch of stuff:
Ant
Struts
WAS
WSAD
Hibernate
Joyous. :)
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Monday, May 09, 2005
Trip to USA
When I was a kid, dad took the family over to Japan and LA/SF while he was working. I think it was in 1987 (I might see if it is in my old passport).
I do remember playing the Star Wars arcade game, which was just awesome. At the time, I'm pretty sure that it cost a quarter (25c) to play.
I also recall being scared shitless in the Haunted House at Disneyland. Cool as.
If there's one thing I wish I'd done, it was go on the rollercoasters at Disneyland. I didnt get the rollercoaster bug until a family holiday up to the Gold Coast, and a ride on the CorkScrew, and then the Thunderbolt in consecutive days. I even managed to convince my non-risk taking sister to have a go. And she loved it. Poor dad - he had to sit and watch us go around and around for an hour.
I do remember playing the Star Wars arcade game, which was just awesome. At the time, I'm pretty sure that it cost a quarter (25c) to play.
I also recall being scared shitless in the Haunted House at Disneyland. Cool as.
If there's one thing I wish I'd done, it was go on the rollercoasters at Disneyland. I didnt get the rollercoaster bug until a family holiday up to the Gold Coast, and a ride on the CorkScrew, and then the Thunderbolt in consecutive days. I even managed to convince my non-risk taking sister to have a go. And she loved it. Poor dad - he had to sit and watch us go around and around for an hour.
BTC Trade List
Ok. Weekend has come and gone, another win has been racked up. 7-0 and 130%. Top of the ladder by 2 games. So it's time to cull the dead wood.
Mark Stevens
Sav Rocca
Callum Chambers
Leigh Brown
Mark Graham
Daniel Bandy
Ben Hart
Scott Thornton
And I'll get rid of Scott Burns if Brent Moloney is available. (i.e if I get first pick in the mid-season draft.) Jason Saddington was saved by his first (and so far only) game on Saturday night - racking up 80+ btc ranking points. Worth keeping him on the list, I reckon.
That's 8 out of 30 players being changed over. Hopefully that will allow me to sustain the good form that my players have shown recently.
Mark Stevens
Sav Rocca
Callum Chambers
Leigh Brown
Mark Graham
Daniel Bandy
Ben Hart
Scott Thornton
And I'll get rid of Scott Burns if Brent Moloney is available. (i.e if I get first pick in the mid-season draft.) Jason Saddington was saved by his first (and so far only) game on Saturday night - racking up 80+ btc ranking points. Worth keeping him on the list, I reckon.
That's 8 out of 30 players being changed over. Hopefully that will allow me to sustain the good form that my players have shown recently.
Not Going out on site yet.
Unfortunately I'm not going out on site today. Which is a bit of a shame.
Luckily I got to chat to the guy who has asked for our help, and from my talks with him, it seems their development team is keen to get into the stuff that I've been working on for ages - ant builds, and was deployments. Super stuff.
I managed to not wake up until 7:30 this morning (that will teach me to watch f1's until 12:30!), but managed to get caught at Richmond station for 25 minutes - Luckily Evgueni was caught with me, so I had a good excuse!
Anyway, I'll update on the weekend later.
Luckily I got to chat to the guy who has asked for our help, and from my talks with him, it seems their development team is keen to get into the stuff that I've been working on for ages - ant builds, and was deployments. Super stuff.
I managed to not wake up until 7:30 this morning (that will teach me to watch f1's until 12:30!), but managed to get caught at Richmond station for 25 minutes - Luckily Evgueni was caught with me, so I had a good excuse!
Anyway, I'll update on the weekend later.
Mothers Day
We had a good mothers day.
Jude had stayed at Rach's mums place, so we slept in until 9:30 or so. Brilliant. We meandered about the house, finally getting dressed and showered by 11. Over to see Jude, and he was happily munching on an iced vo-vo.
We then went to Blu, which is a really nice restaurant in Patterson Lakes. I was pleasantly suprised by the food choices there, some really nice flake (which I had), some beautiful looking Butterfish (which Darryl ate), and the biggest salad i've ever seen was delivered to Jen.
Not suprisingly, Rach's brother, girlfriend and daughter decided not to show up. Very strange.
Anyway, we had a fantastic lunch, then collapsed at home - we all had a little nap, after all the food.
We managed to skip dinner time, watching telly - Jude went to bed, and we both procrastinated about what we wanted for dinner - meaning I was left to go and get it at 11:15!! I desperately needed some hair product, as I was supposed to go out on site this afternoon. We scarfed the food, and settled in to watch the F1's from Spain. What is the deal with Mark Webber's cars start routine? He always goes backwards from pretty fantastic start positions.
Jude had stayed at Rach's mums place, so we slept in until 9:30 or so. Brilliant. We meandered about the house, finally getting dressed and showered by 11. Over to see Jude, and he was happily munching on an iced vo-vo.
We then went to Blu, which is a really nice restaurant in Patterson Lakes. I was pleasantly suprised by the food choices there, some really nice flake (which I had), some beautiful looking Butterfish (which Darryl ate), and the biggest salad i've ever seen was delivered to Jen.
Not suprisingly, Rach's brother, girlfriend and daughter decided not to show up. Very strange.
Anyway, we had a fantastic lunch, then collapsed at home - we all had a little nap, after all the food.
We managed to skip dinner time, watching telly - Jude went to bed, and we both procrastinated about what we wanted for dinner - meaning I was left to go and get it at 11:15!! I desperately needed some hair product, as I was supposed to go out on site this afternoon. We scarfed the food, and settled in to watch the F1's from Spain. What is the deal with Mark Webber's cars start routine? He always goes backwards from pretty fantastic start positions.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Phil and Jo's Housewarming!
We went to a housewarming tonight.
Which is ironic really, due to the fact that it was god-damned freezing.
Anyway, Jo and Phil bought a fantastic house - about 15 houses down the road from where they have been renting! It's a really good house, nice and roomy, with 3 bedrooms, and a large large yard out the back. They also got a new puppy (i think it's a kelpie), who is very cute, and loves to dig holes. This made navigation around the lumpy backyard somewhat precarious.
Saw Nads, we had a good chat. He's working at a place where i'd previously done some consulting, so it was interesting to get his take on how it's going there now. (I dont think i've been there for over 3 years now!) Time flies when your stuck on the same old crap. He should be heading over to read this, as I've posted a comment in his lj to come over and have a look! So blow me.
Stu has started playing footy - how crazy is that? I guess it's good for him, after all he's a bloody big unit.
Anyway, I'm off - World Poker Tour is coming on telly in a minute!
Which is ironic really, due to the fact that it was god-damned freezing.
Anyway, Jo and Phil bought a fantastic house - about 15 houses down the road from where they have been renting! It's a really good house, nice and roomy, with 3 bedrooms, and a large large yard out the back. They also got a new puppy (i think it's a kelpie), who is very cute, and loves to dig holes. This made navigation around the lumpy backyard somewhat precarious.
Saw Nads, we had a good chat. He's working at a place where i'd previously done some consulting, so it was interesting to get his take on how it's going there now. (I dont think i've been there for over 3 years now!) Time flies when your stuck on the same old crap. He should be heading over to read this, as I've posted a comment in his lj to come over and have a look! So blow me.
Stu has started playing footy - how crazy is that? I guess it's good for him, after all he's a bloody big unit.
Anyway, I'm off - World Poker Tour is coming on telly in a minute!
India, and their food!
Rach and I watched a cooking show, hosted by and Indian chef, and she finds the most amazing food I've ever seen.
We are going to ring Amol, and see if his family would like to have us visit! :) I think we would come back about 10 kilos heavier! From memory, they were in the western part of India.
We are going to ring Amol, and see if his family would like to have us visit! :) I think we would come back about 10 kilos heavier! From memory, they were in the western part of India.
Friday, May 06, 2005
British Election Games
How cool is this?
Political Games
This sounds like the 'bullshit bingo' or similar that was going around a couple of years ago - basically you mark off the 'buzzwords' or cliches until you fill them up, stand up and yell bingo. then you get the sack.
Why dont we have something similar for our elections over here? I think we'd have to make it a drinking game though, like while watching Star Trek.
Political Games
This sounds like the 'bullshit bingo' or similar that was going around a couple of years ago - basically you mark off the 'buzzwords' or cliches until you fill them up, stand up and yell bingo. then you get the sack.
Why dont we have something similar for our elections over here? I think we'd have to make it a drinking game though, like while watching Star Trek.
BTC Trade Week
Ok - I've got a bunch of players to cull. Excellent stuff.
I've got 6 on my list, with another 2 optional at the moment. We will see how the stats go this week, it might help me decide who goes and who stays.
I'm playing Larry this week, so it should be a morale and percentage boosting match. I think Larry has averaged about 70-80 points per week, while I haven't had a game under 130 yet.
I've got 6 on my list, with another 2 optional at the moment. We will see how the stats go this week, it might help me decide who goes and who stays.
I'm playing Larry this week, so it should be a morale and percentage boosting match. I think Larry has averaged about 70-80 points per week, while I haven't had a game under 130 yet.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Oracle Certification Requirements
Ok - It's all organised.
OCA - 2 exams
OCP - OCA, 2 exams, Hands on course
OCM - A whole bunch of other bits and pieces, probably not worth going down that path in the short term.
I probably should have got onto this last year, and done it on 8 - and then sat one exam on 9.
Anyway, we will see how that all goes - The books are probably about $400 for the 4 exams, plus a hands on course at about $4000.
OCA - 2 exams
OCP - OCA, 2 exams, Hands on course
OCM - A whole bunch of other bits and pieces, probably not worth going down that path in the short term.
I probably should have got onto this last year, and done it on 8 - and then sat one exam on 9.
Anyway, we will see how that all goes - The books are probably about $400 for the 4 exams, plus a hands on course at about $4000.
Heart Rate
From this site: http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/tools/heartrate
Max Heart Rate: 188 bpm
Targe Heart Rate: 147-172 bpm (During exercise).
I put in 230 lbs and 65 rhr. I might test the rhr tomorrow morning and see if it is 65.
Max Heart Rate: 188 bpm
Targe Heart Rate: 147-172 bpm (During exercise).
I put in 230 lbs and 65 rhr. I might test the rhr tomorrow morning and see if it is 65.
Riding
I went for a quick bike ride down to the shops on Sunday night - And I really enjoyed it.. I think it's time to get a little seat for Jude so he can come on rides with me.
I am seriously thinking about riding to work, but it's a bloody long way. Maybe it's time to start doing some training and build up a bit of fitness first. Probably a good idea to give away the ciggies too. I've been thinking about that for a while.
I am sure that it will help my back get a bunch better too! :) woo hoo.
I am seriously thinking about riding to work, but it's a bloody long way. Maybe it's time to start doing some training and build up a bit of fitness first. Probably a good idea to give away the ciggies too. I've been thinking about that for a while.
I am sure that it will help my back get a bunch better too! :) woo hoo.
Journal - Total Recall.
Ok - I'm going to do some posting about things that happened during my childhood. I just thought it would be interesting to try and get some of this stuff written down, before it all goes! :)
Anyway, I'll start by just putting a few things down that I can recall pretty easily:
Anyway, I'll start by just putting a few things down that I can recall pretty easily:
- Grew up in a house at 1641 Malvern Road Glen Iris. This house was sold about 3 years ago.
- I think before that we lived in a little unit near centre/huntingdale roads in clayton. I dont really remember that, but i've seen photos.
- We had a late 70's green gemini 2 door - rego: imi xxx
- We then had a 1981 red commodore wagon: azq 464 - I drove this car until a couple of years ago.
- Dad worked in Malcolm Road Braeside when I was little
- I went to St Andrews Kindergarden - Corner Burke Road/Malvern Road
- I went to Gardiner Central School (no 3888) from prep to grade 6
- I went to Ashwood College from 7-12. (Dad went there when he first came out to Australia too).
- I went to RMIT during 94/95. Never finished that course. (computer science)
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Stuff
Ok - It's been a while since I've posted. I'll fill in the blanks over the course of today, if it's not too busy.
Well, I'm busy - but i'm updating anyway.
The name of the new baby is now up for grabs. Rach is liking Jack, and I've got no problems with that, except that there will then be 'Jack and Jude'.. which i'm not that impressed with. Oh well, i guess it wont matter too much.
Well, I'm busy - but i'm updating anyway.
The name of the new baby is now up for grabs. Rach is liking Jack, and I've got no problems with that, except that there will then be 'Jack and Jude'.. which i'm not that impressed with. Oh well, i guess it wont matter too much.
Monday, May 02, 2005
The weekend
ended up being a day longer than I expected.
I took today off, and spent most of it trying to work out how to dual-boot the home pc. I installed Fedora core 3 on Saturday, after buying a network card and new hard drive. Couldn't get the third disk to read properly (it also corrupted the CD burner when I plugged it in!), so we might have to do some work there.
I'm thinking that it's probably worth keeping the 40gb for fedora, and installing XP on the 120 gb disk, and having another 40gb spare. That would make life a little bit easier.
Sunday was pretty cruisy, didn't do too much except watch the footy, and saw all my BTC players kicking ass. So far 6-0, but there are questions about peaking too early. I say bring it on - the more wins you have, the easier it will be to qualify for the finals. Trade week is coming up, so I'm going to spend some time reviewing the stats of all my players, and working out if they are worth keeping.
And today - I haven't had a sickie for a few months, and with the new baby due in 4 weeks, I decided that it was probably the last chance for me to take time off. We went to Frankston and bought a book so that we can record the new baby's life. Funky as. Stubbsy was also talking about people who keep diaries, and there are a number of people who keep diaries for their kids, so I'm not alone on that score.
I think that it's a pretty good idea - seeing as I have pretty much no recollection of my life before high school (and that's getting hazier and hazier by the day.)
I took today off, and spent most of it trying to work out how to dual-boot the home pc. I installed Fedora core 3 on Saturday, after buying a network card and new hard drive. Couldn't get the third disk to read properly (it also corrupted the CD burner when I plugged it in!), so we might have to do some work there.
I'm thinking that it's probably worth keeping the 40gb for fedora, and installing XP on the 120 gb disk, and having another 40gb spare. That would make life a little bit easier.
Sunday was pretty cruisy, didn't do too much except watch the footy, and saw all my BTC players kicking ass. So far 6-0, but there are questions about peaking too early. I say bring it on - the more wins you have, the easier it will be to qualify for the finals. Trade week is coming up, so I'm going to spend some time reviewing the stats of all my players, and working out if they are worth keeping.
And today - I haven't had a sickie for a few months, and with the new baby due in 4 weeks, I decided that it was probably the last chance for me to take time off. We went to Frankston and bought a book so that we can record the new baby's life. Funky as. Stubbsy was also talking about people who keep diaries, and there are a number of people who keep diaries for their kids, so I'm not alone on that score.
I think that it's a pretty good idea - seeing as I have pretty much no recollection of my life before high school (and that's getting hazier and hazier by the day.)
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