Adelaide - Day 1

I did the dumbest thing. I accidentally wiped my /usr/bin folder from my mail server last night. To top it off, my domain name expired and now I’m down in Adelaide, and you know what? I couldn’t care less.

I was due to head off to South Australia for some work with a friend. I booked a taxi, and we all know how much success I have with taxis. It failed to turn up on two occasions. The third time I called the company. I told them to cancel the taxi, I was going to walk with my luggage to the train station and catch a train to the airport so I don’ miss my flight.

Money sucks - lets hang out

When I started working $38,000 a year was a pretty good salary. Ten years later, countless jobs and two careers, I'm still earning $38,000 a year. The bit that's changed is that back then you could live off that sort of money. Now, I doubt $80,000 would cut it for the same lifestyle. Why is this so? Inflation? No... inflation means as things increase in price, so does my pay, right?

Everything cost $100 these days. Even the little things. I recently took my family to the movies. It cost $50 just to get in the door. Then the popcorn, ice cream, and a beverage to wash it all down. You walk out thinking "I could have bought three DVD's, microwave popcorn, a tub of ice cream and had an entire weekend of movie viewing if only I waited three or so month for the movie to hit DVD." But the kids would have lost interest by then and would have probably seen the movie 97 times, know it line by line and don’t shut up about it while you watch it for the first time.

Welcome back...... again

I'm back. What a nightmare of a job it was to get my server back up and running. Just goes to show the importance of a backup server. Though a lot of issues were at play in relation to my blog's absence.

The short and curly of it is that my domain expired, at the same time my server went down thanks to an unfortunate accident with deleting the wrong directory. The ultimate FALE!

I've been keeping a journal of my ramblings and adventures on the side, so look out for some exciting posts soon. I hope you didn't miss me. :)

Bye for now.

Is fair trade really fair?

I recently met a person from Tanzania, East Africa. We got chatting and I found out that he is a coffee bean farmer right near Mt. Kilimanjaro. I asked him about how the fair trade thing is going. And he didn't look too happy.

Here's what he had to say.

MYOB is not for me

I've come to the conclusion that MYOB is a crap application. I'm sure it does wonderful things for accountants and bookkeepers as well as business owners who like to control everything themselves, like myself. But it has to be one of the most unintuitive applications I have ever had the chance to use. Though, this is only my opinion. MYOB is a successful company so they're clearly doing something right. Then again, people are idiots and just put up with crap anyway, so I guess their success doesn't really show anything through my eyes.

I have moved

I have shifted into my new office. I'm pretty tired, too tired to post. Will probably talk more about it another time. When I can sit upright.

I figured, since I'm not saying much. Pictures speak louder than words.

 

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Obama? N!xau? Isn't that the same thing?

I'll be honest and up front. I haven't paid much attention to the pollitical drivel that has been spewing out of the U.S. of late. In fact, I'll be completely up front and say that I never have, even when it was crammed down our throats it school when I lived there for a portion of my life I refer to as "The Wasted Years". You've all seen and heard of The Wonder Years. Well, it's pretty much the same version. Minus the political bull, minus the weird crush called Winnie. The arse hole brother was the same and so was much of the decor.

Acknowledgement is brilliant

There are a lot of ways to tell people something. Generally people tend to tell you when something goes wrong "You sir are an idiot... now fix it" and when you do, you hear nothing. Gratitude and appreciation for someone's work can be worth more than money could be. You can get paid large amounts of money to do something and do it right. There is no denying that a large piece of money is a good thing. But nothing feels better than a "Thanks" or "Great job mate, couldn't have done it without you" when you know you've done well.

Yes, acknowledgement is brilliant.

Daihatsu Terios

Yeah, it had a spoiler.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Daihatsu Terios"][/caption]

I had the chance to drive one of these for a couple of reasons. I was in Fiji for two weeks, I needed a rental to get around and I had just watched Jeremy Clarkson thrash one on Top Gear. Since they don't sell them in Australia any more, I decided that it would be a good, economical runaround that won't get bogged. This was an opportunity to drive a car I couldn't back home, and get to see what Clarkson was on about. He loved the car. And because I think Jeremy is a god, I had to agree. "Yes, Jeremy."

Big Hearted Renovators Dream can only lead to disappointment

You have to love marketing. The crap they come up with sometimes is gold. I know someone who owns a marketing company. I have to say, they're a great person to hang out with. Because they're so full of shit that everything they say is hilarious.

Great weekend - bad ending

I'm dramatising this a little bit too much for I am peeved to say the least about my discovery over the weekend.

Last night I had my nephew and niece over for dinner. I haven't had them over in ages and I wanted to show my nephew the great book on the cosmos I got for my birthday from Mell & Mark.

As we turned the pages and my nephew said "coooooooooool" every page he turned. We got about half way through the book to realise that there are about 50 of the 300 or so pages were folder over.

Normally I wouldn't care. But the book is A3 sized. The photos in it are the highest res possible and large. The colours are brilliant and the fact that it was a 30th present and from good friends means a lot to me. The book was in perfect condition when I got it, I know because I spent several weeks going through it page by page. I would have noticed a giant crease in the pages because they really stand out.

The paper is a very heavy weight. No less than 300gsm each if I were to guess. So they are thick, heavy pages and when they crease, it's almost as if the seal breaks on the surface. Leaving this massive crease and white mark of the white paper under the black print.

It's a little upsetting to see that people have come over, looked through the book and done this. More so that they've put it back with the pages straight, so it's obvious they knew what happend. I'm sure it wasn't intentional. But this isn't an ordinary softcover book you just toss around. I'd imagine I'd be told of this accident if it were to have been noticed.

Sadly, the book is ruined and as such, I have thrown it away. It's like taking the Mona Lisa and adding the finishing touches with crayon.
Not happy Jan!

We're moving

Yep. Harmonytech, my small IT business I have been running for about 5 years is growing.

Because it's growing, it needs more space. I have found a cheap office space situated in Arncliffe for a really good rental rate. I have currently cleared out a room that I have picked with good light and decent space. Big enough for a desk, a workbench and two people to sit comfortably in.

The worst car dealer in Australia, a Hyundai i30 and a 2 (again)

I was having a great day until I decided that I had a good lunch break ahead of me and I should go down to the newish Peugeot dealer in Sutherland [This happened last year].

I walked in, there were a few cars around. A shiny Audi in the back (owners?) I walked around for a few minutes and open and shut car doors. Sat in the current 307 which appears to be slightly different to the one I drove around Tassie. Not sure if there was a revision between the models. Maybe the 307 I drove in Tasmania was a series 1 or sorts. Anyway. I was well aware a 308 is due in a matter of months. But part of shopping around for a new car is finding a good dealer to match.

Macs, Macs, Macs and Toshibas? Who put that there?

Unlike most Apple fanatics, I tend to enjoy my sleep on the night of Steve Jobs getting up and announcing to the world that he has revolutionised the computer industry yet again with awesome new macs. So I'm saddened to wake up today to find new notebooks from Apple.

Apple? Huh? They still make laptops?

Could've fooled me. Last time I looked at the new range I thought someone hacked their site and put pics of Toshibas up there.

Business is going spaz

I never thought I'd be this busy when I started Harmonytech.

I've worked this hard, not ever in a real job. Not even when I was a mechanic.

And that's why, I have gone and looked into a

Today, I declare Death Day

What a sad day it was for PC's everywhere today. First thing in the morning I went to BNI and the majority of referrals I received today were about PC's no longer working.

After BNI I went to training in the vein of losing more weight. So far it's a total of 17kg. Afterwards I went directly to a client who had booked me in last week.

Tuesday mornings = Ferrari F430 Spyder

It's Tuesday morning, I'm at BNI. My Business Networking group I meet with every morning at 7:00 am in Miranda to catch up with fellow local businesses. This is where we get together and help each other out with business items such as learning a new way to operate or just picking up a new skill. But what it's really all about is money. Making money and getting more business.

So, where does a Ferrari fit into the picture?

Who's birthday? My birthday

Hi again,

I'm officially 30 years old. I still feel like I'm 18. Which is fantastic! And I couldn't be happier with what I have surrounded myself with. Great mates.

I had organised my birthday party to be held at a German restaurant on Saturday night. Unfortunately much drinking wasn't had, like the invite said. I had to drive there thanks to being totally unable to catch a taxi. Not to worry. I got there eventually. I just had to remember to drink less than I should have.

Scholastic History - A brief glimps into my horendous past

How did I come to this?

Like most people will say, "I never fit in at school". Why do a lot of people say this? Is it because they're weird? Is it because they are stupid? Is it because their teachers were just normal people that stood at the class and told you to turn to page 219 of your maths book and do questions 1 to 39?

No, it's because most teachers have been conditioned to follow a set of rules, a set of guidelines that basically put all students into one basket.

Renault Megane

Had a busy day today. I went and saw a client, met up with some old workmates for lunch at Una's in Ultimo. Then on the way home... which I love because it means invoice time, which means pay day! I stopped over at the Renault dealer on Gardner's Rd in Alexandria.

First off, I just wanted to say that I liked the dealer. I wasn't pressured into anything, but was asked nicely of my intentions and future plans.

The Peugeot 307 and a couple of Hyundai's

With all the fuss about Hyundai getting into gear and making some good cars now, the wife and I popped into the dealer today for a look. I think the Santa Fe looks the best out of all the SUV's out there. At least the new model does. The old one looked like it was already in an accident.

So I had a look at the Santa Fe and the Tucson as I need something I can cart my music gear in as well as my mountain bike(s).

Having that need, my car choice is limited. I need a wagon style body. The hatch backs I have been looking at for the last 6 months are just not adequate for my lifestyle and my needs.

Busy? I don't have time for that

A relatively quiet weekend, one would call it.

What did you get up to this weekend pips? Well.... Not a lot really. I was going to try and cut my lawn/jungle. But it was just too hot. And since my yard is the size of Botswana, I need to just pay someone else to do it for me. Work is so busy that I don't have time to do it myself.

But, ah... I'm here, writing this blog entry. So, how is it I don't have time to do my house work. Well. I cleaned the inside of the house. But that's easy in comparison to mowing my lawns. I know it's an excuse, but you try cutting my grass. It'll take all weekend. I guarantee it.

The OLPC project

Most people have now heard of the One Laptop Per Child project that has been around for a number of years. And I agree with most people, that is it a brilliant device to bring our world, particularly our 3rd world up to speed with what is happening around the rest of the place.

Great!

Well, no actually. As much as this project excites me, it also brings up a bunch of questions I can't help but ask myself. There are some issues I feel I should express as I think this whole idea of providing technology we take for granted to people who don't know what a calculator is might be uneccessary.

Mazda 6 & 2, and a disappointing X-Trail

I got to finally test drive the Mazda 6, and while I was there the 2. Here's what I thought of the now outdated model.

The 6 is great. Fit and finish is the best I've found out of all the cars I've test driven over the last 4 months. Handling is great. I drove the Turbo Diesel wagon.

I would say this is borderline, the perfect car (for me). The only gripe I have is that the diesel engine noise does intrude into the cabin a fair bit more then expected. At idle, you can barely hear any "clatter" at all. While driving, it didn't sound so refined, although it went really well. 360Nm! Loved the pulling power.

Bill Bailey

I went to see Bill Bailey last night.

Surely, he is the funniest man alive. The randomness of his ramblings and his musical act he puts on has to be one of the funniest things anyone has seen.

Bill Bailey played at the State Theatre is Sydney last night.

I think the reason I relate to a lot of his acts is because I'm a bit like that in real life. I'm not quite so off the wall as him. But I would imagine in real life he's a pretty sort of normal person, like myself. Who uses his ability to get up on stage and produce a hilarious 2 hours of time for you to invest in, and be rewarded with laughter until your tummy hurts and your cheeks fall off.

Poco bambino!

Today, I bring you the 500

You should have seen the smile on my face when the dealer brought out the loan car as I handed over the keys to my Punto, in for its first service and to look at a few small mass production Italian issues.

A Honda Jazz, a Focus, a C4 and a Forester walk into a pub....

I have driven a few more cars in the search for something that fits my lifestyle. Still on the search for that perfect car in my price range. I'm still looking, here's what I have looked at this time.

The Honda Jazz

Impressive back seats. Good Honda finish. Very quiet and smooth. Engine lacks any power what so ever. The sales guy took me on a test drive, we parked half way through some nice twisty roads, which I happened to ride down when I use to be a postie, having delivered mail in that area.

It's Fryday

Today I let the majority of my existing clients know that I will probably no longer support Windows for new clients. The current clients are okay. This comes as no surprise really. I've always preferred supporting macs and I have always had to support PC's as the bread and butter jobs. But something interesting has happened lately. I have told myself I will only suppor macs and all of a sudden these mac customers have appeared, as if out of thin air asking me for advice and bringing me work.

Buying "The" car. Now I'm being random

I've been [EDIT: had been] in the new car market for a while, as nothing has really stood out on websites, magazines, papers, dealerships etc.

I first test drove a Citroen C4 2.0L Auto. It was very nice and I have posted about it here. I would have bought it then and there if I had the money at the time. But I was just window shopping. It was comfy, handled very nice, powerful enough engine for the car. The auto worked well. I wanted the 1.6L Diesel. But I didn't get to test drive it at the time.

Not so fast!

Today was a relatively easy day..... if you ask my calendar. I really had two things booked and that was pretty much it. But for some bizzare reason I was absolutely flat chat all day. It was as if time was creeping ahead of me and before I knew it had to be somewhere 15 minutes ago.

Luckily I wasn't late for anything today. Though I seemed to have forgotten a lot of things. I forgot my external hard drive, my music, my diary and my contacts. I forgot my brain too. Left the soggy mass sitting on the couch near my laptop.

Citroen C3 and C4.... a little bit of VW Polo, Megane, 307, Swift etc.

A while ago, I test drove a whole bunch of cars.



Here's what I thought.

The C3 was nicer the second time around. Maybe it's grown on me. Maybe it's because I drove it first this time around, instead of the C4 first like I did last time.

Here's the story on both models.

Hump day

There's a lot to do this week. Organise my birthday, get the car serviced... well, that's it really. I do have other things to do like follow up some business enquiries, look at an office space for my business and maybe even get myself a little present.

Wifey wants to really buy me that Crossley's Guitar I liked. I'd love it. But it is rather pricey. I mean, $3K+ is asking for a great guitar. But then I have to buy an amp for it. Ebay will more than likely be my first stop.

Just another manic Monday

Today was a nice day.

Woke up nice and early, took the missus to the train station. Dropped her off and she was on her way to work. Meanwhile, I returned home ate some breakfast, checked my email, looked at my customers unpaid invoices and did some housekeeping on my network before 9am.

Later on I sent some customers some emails advising them when I'll be visiting them, while I sent the others my unpaid invoice reminders. By 9:30am I had to take off to a clients so I could make sure their system was running properly. I've been having printer issues with them lately, HP says the printer is fine. But it isn't. Luckily the client is a very understanding person and gets that things don't always work properly.

Picking up habits

In order for me to continue this blog, I have decided I will try my best to post something new once a day. At worst a week and hopefully this blog will live on. :)

It was one of those busy weekends where you appear to have done not much, but there is no time for anything else, and you look back while at work to wonder what happened.

I'm Back

Who the flippin' hell are you? I hear you ask. LOL.

Yeah, I got my arse into gear and am going to be journaling my brain explosions from now on.

So, what’s new?