Happy New Year 2006

Another year passes as we prepare to slip from 2005 to 2006. This has been the first year, where I can look back at my things to do and predictions of last year and see which were right or wrong and which I managed to achieve, but more of that later.

This year has been an interesting one and at the same time a very sad one. Sherri has been at home for over a year looking after Sarah and Lucy, who have become beautiful little girls. Lucy is now walking at every opportunity and Sarah isn't far behind her. They have developed such wonderful personalities, but each in themselves is very unique. Lucy is the happy, go lucky baby, who we have no doubt is going to become a gymnast some day. She has the most amazing smile and has this wonderful squeaky, gruff way of laughing. Sarah on the other hand is very thoughtful. She loves to hear and make music and also loves to investigate things, by touching and feeling everything. She also has the cutest smile and can create the most unbelievable laughs. Bathing them both is such a blast as they really enjoy to play and make lots of mess. Sherri is due to go back to work at the beginning of February, which I know will be hard, but it will be made a little easier as Mandi will be looking after the babies until they are 2, when they will switch to regular daycare.

With the babies and everything, we decided to stay at home this year for our summer holidays, but in August, while I was off, we did have the girls Christened at a beautiful old church in Manotick, about 10 minutes away by car. The house was a social hot bed for a couple of days, which was really nice.

Apart from that, the year was spent pretty much keeping my head down. With no Hockey the winter was long and cold, but at least with the babies it wasn't boring.

In November we said goodbye to our little man Kosmo, which was the downpoint of our entire year. It still hasn't sunk in. We miss him dearly and still talk of him often. I am ready to go out and buy a dog tomorrow, but it's just not the right time, both for the rest of the family and me, as I think it will be hard having another, with the memory of Kosmo so fresh. It was kind of hollow this Christmas without him, but as cruel as it sounds, you have to move on, and with the babies and older girls, you want to do whatever you can to give them a fun and happy Christmas, which I hope then had, as did we.

Alanna is maturing into a fine young lady, although with each day she strives to make her mark on the house, not realising that me and Sherri are the bosses (yeah I know, but how else can you express it). We'll get to some mutual accord some time (I hope). Mandi finishes school at the end of January and then has a break (if you can call it that) until she starts University.

So as I sit typing this, gasping for a cup of tea, I have to say all told, 2005 was pretty good to us. I'm looking forward to what 2006 may bring. So what of 2005 how did me list of things to achieve go?

1. Put up my Poetry online. It's been gather dust for year, so will be good to give them an airing again.
   This one I actually managed to do. You can see the results here. All I need to do now is add to it a bit more regularly.
   
   
2. Try to concerntrate on my writing this year. Who knows Endle the Wook may actually get finished.
   While I haven't done much in the way of creative writing I have managed to start 3 review sites, which are doing quite well at the moment. They are Indie Launchpad, Podcast Launchpad and Games for PPC. Endle will just have to wait till 2006.
   
   
3. Sort out a way to add photo albums to our site easily and actually get some more pictures online for everyone to see.
   Woo, hoo I did this and then some. I actually did a total revamp of the website, which means I got the photo albums sorted and managed to get the Guestbook working again, so if you haven't signed it recently, now's your chance to.
   
   
4. Try to learn French so I can say more than "Bec mon derrier" LOL
   A big fat nothing there, but there's always next year.
   
   
5. Try to think of new ways to make tons of money, or at least some some of the money I get already. Easier said than done.
   I'm still a thinking, but I have a few ideas in the pipeline to gain a little extra something for the kitty(No dear there's no double entendre there lol).
   
   
6. Try to get a bit more exercise this year and defiantly get Kosmo out of the house more often than he has been this past year.
   Alas with Kosmo gone, there's now even less of a reason to get out of the house, however I still have this on my todo list, if just to get my back better.
   

That's about it I think. 3 out of six isn't anything to be sniffed at, but there's definitely some room for improvement. So what predictions did I have for this year.

1. ZIM's stock price doubles from around the 40c mark
   A big fat slap in the face with a wet fish here. In fact ZIM's shares are bubbling at the 7c mark, so I think that one isn't a happy tick mark.
   
   
2. A Chinese company buys a big US company
   Yes, a pat on the back for me. Lenovo, a chinese company buys the hardware side of IBM, you can't get much bigger than that. I think it was for around $6 billion.
   
   
3. The proof that life once existed on other planets
   Primitive life is life, which they have found it on Mars, but I can't find the link.
   
   
4. Nintendo quits manufacturing of games consoles (not handhelds)
   OK, so they are about to release another console system called the Evolution, I think this will be the make or break of them, so time will tell.
   
   
5. Lord Lucans whereabouts is finally revealed
   No joy there, he's probably in a bar with Shergar saying "Hey why the long face" :-)
   
   
6. Corel leaves Canada
   Bit by but I think the Corel building is losing space to other companies, but I still think this will happen, unless there's a big plan I don't know of. I was happy to see they bough Jasc, the company that makes Paint Shop Pro, but this comes at a time, when I jumped ship and decided to stick with my old version (which I still haven't mastered).
   
   
7. Napster and iTunes merge
   They both go from strength to strength, but a new wave seems to be taking hold, the need to buy music, but actually own it in MP3 or some other non protected format. There's some great music out there available from the likes of Magnatune and eMusic, but I have a feeling there's going to be an explosion here in the coming year.
   
   
8. Mainstream Movies become watchable online
   I think they are pretty much there. There is something in place for early adopters, but it isn't quite for the masses yet.
   
9. Sir Clive Sinclair launches a new product
   Nothing yet and the rumours seem to have died down. That's sad as this is one guy who could really shake up the computer scene. A nice Linux handheld would be great.


10. Receiving phone calls over the Internet from a landline becomes possible
    This is indeed possible and something I do regularly via my friend at Skype. Now I just wish that wifi phones were more accessible and much, much cheaper, so I could dump the phone company and move to Skype full time.
    

Mmm 4 out of 10, not earth shattering but still pretty good going I think. So what about the coming year, what are my personal goals and predictions.

Firstly I'll start with things I would like to do for me personally, a sort of crib sheet to follow for the year. Here they are in no particular order :

1. Lose a bit of weight, by ideally getting at least a modicum of exercise.
2. Start my book of non fiction and try to get to at least the third chapter
3. Update Sarah and Lucy's webpage, so there's at least more than a single photo of each of them
4. Release first Indie Launchpad podcast
5. Release "When I Was a Kid" as a complete work, edit it and pad out a bit, also come up with a new title.
6. Try to get my life better organised, so I can actually achieve all the things I want
   

That's pretty much all for my personal goals, but I can't sign off until I do my 10 predictions for next year, so here we go, again with no further explanations until I review next year.

1. Yahoo buys Tivo.
2. Adam Curry sells part/all of Podshow Music Network.
3. Candy Butchers / Mike Viola makes it big and sells lots of music.
4. Podcast on demand becomes a possibility.
5. Canada wins gold for the mens Olympic Hockey team.
6. Britney Spears files for divorce.
7. England reaches the World Cup final in football.
8. Pink Floyd announce a world tour
9. Yahoo buys AOL
10. Nintendo ceases production of Revolutions games console
    

So that about wraps things up for another year. I hope everyone has a good New Years Eve night, don't drink too much. I hope to see you all in the New Year. I hope to also have an MP3 version of this message which I was hoping to release today, but it might have to wait a few days. Be sure to check back for news of it's release.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory... SUCKS!

It's not very often I get animated about movies I've seen, but Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was such a big part of my childhood, as were many of the books by Roald Dahl, that I just have to vent. I first read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory aften getting it via the school, being a member of the Puffin Club, which we used to order through the school. I must admit at the time, the book didn't impress me as much as Fantastic Mr Fox, but I read it several times of the following few years and I grew to love it and all the books by Roald Dahl. I was also very much a fan of the original Willy Wonka film starring Gene Wilder, which if I remember correctly, Roald Dahl wasn't too impressed with. However any one that sees it, cannot fail to be captivated by Gene Wilders enthusicastic performance. Indeed Johnny Depps performance is also enthusicastic, but sadly lacking.

I've read many opinions of Johnny Depps perormance, many of them comparing him to Michael Jackson, I didn't see that, but I did think his performance was very sterile, as was much of the film. I am also beginning to get very fed up with Hollywoods constant need to tinker with an already excellent story, as they did with the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. When will Hollywood realise that movies aren't all special effects. Audiences do have some level of intelligence, please start to give them the kind of movies they deserve.

None of this is in any way a slight on Johnny Depp. I have seen him in many great movies, more recently in Pirates of the Carribean, which is also a very over the top character, but it gels togehter much more. In fact I must admit I'm no great fan of the other Tim Burton film, Edward Scissorhands and indeed any of Tim Burtons films, sorry Tim, although Planet of the Apes, was OK.

It's funny, after seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I remembered the other book, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, but have no recollection of what the book was actually about. So I will be picking up a copy of the book, so something good at least did come out of the movie.

Last Working Day Before Christmas.

So the last day of work is upon us and I'm sitting at my desk chilling to some Christmas sounds. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without a bit of Slade, Wizzard, Paul McCartney and David Bowie with Bing Crosby. Last night was our works Christmas party which was at John's (our bosses) house. It was a nice evening and the babies were up unusually late, but as always they were as good as gold. They really do make me proud, even though they are a bit under the weather at the moment.

So time to sign off. Our work lunch is soon and I wanna get some stuff done before.

Where Are They Now?

I assume most people that find this page (after it's been up a while) will have found it by doing a search on their own name in Google or Yahoo?? Hello to you!

I find the older I get, the more nostalgic I get. People say you really miss your school days once you leave, if they mean secondary (high) school, I couldn't disagree more. When I left Central Foundation School for boys, I couldn't wait to see the back of it. I think that's because I knew what I wanted to do when I left school, at an early age, so everything was just run of the mill until I left. Also I have to say going to an all boys school sucked big time. I've always shy around girls and indeed a bit of an introvert, but having gone to an all boys school is what I put it down to.

This wasn't always the case. I was pretty outgoing when I was younger. In fact I really do look back on my days at Moorfields school with great affection. Much of this was due to the fact that I actually got to talk to girls, but it's also more than that, I had a great teacher at Moorfields and I thank him for sort of moulding me if you will. I would have dearly loved to have thanked him personally, but I heard he passed away many years ago, which is really sad. His name was Stephen Maw and he was an absolutely amazing teacher. He wasn't the only teacher I remember, but he was my favourite. Some of the other teachers I remember from Moorfields were (please pardon any name typos), Helen Hewstone, Ms Balascoe, Mr Deshmuck, Mrs Worrell, Mrs Edwards (who I think used to be the Head Mistress), Mr Blunden (Head Master when I left) and not forgetting my reading teacher, Mrs Leadbetter. Sweet Mrs Leadbetter who actually taught my Dad to read. In fact my Dad was in Mrs Leadbetters first class and I was in her last class, that's quite a feat.

Before I go any further, I'd like to give a special mention to Mr Colin Blunden, at least I think that was his first name. Can I have my Roadl Dahl book, the Wonderful World of Henry Sugar back please. You've had it for 27 years now, so I would hope you've read it by now?

So anyway where was I? Ah yes, Moorfields. So it's been 26 years since I left Moorfields and though many of the boys followed me to Central Foundation, most of the girls went to Star Cross girls school and that is where I lost track with them. So here's a list of names, both the boys and the girls (also some cryptic messages to some of them), if you know anyone on this list, please let me know what they are up to.

• Lorraine Driscoll (was the coat rack really true)
  
• Shelley Davies
• Michelle Leather (did you get over your eyeball touching phobia?)
  
• Karen Peck
• Nicola Robinson
  
• Samantha Singh-Hulas
• Claire (last name eludes me) ( had a big crush in you)
  
• Michael Gartland
• Scott Boniface
• Colin Macdonald (Oi Maccy where are you now?)
  
• Chico Mullane
• David Watkins
• Steven Forsdyke
• Stephen Kerr
• Mathew Capper
• Mark Vaughn
• Vincent Carabot
• Alan Parker
• Mandy Davies (Multi popper skirt.... sorry)
  
• Margaret Cillia (I broke your calculator)
  
• Lee Macdonald (I emailed you, you git, where's my reply)
  
• Andrew Snow (Oi Joseph, Did you ever find my tape)
  
• Alan Welsh (Man I had a big crush on your sister)
  
• Zakar Hussain (Hey Stinkers, you left in about '77 I think)
  
• Hazel Philpott
• Tommy Smith
• Ian Taberman
• Martina Gough
  

I think that's about everyone. If I've missed anyone, please let me know. I'll post an update to this page, if I ever get any replies. You can send a simple mesage via our contact form, click here.

I'd also love to get some photos from you all, especially from your school days. I had some from the holiday to Sayers Croft, but never got the film developed and then subsequently losing the film.

So time will tell how successful this entry is.

Brrrr, Chilly!

This morning was mighty cold at -19, but it's going to warm up, which is good, to a balmy -12. Yes folks we are now in the grip of winter. This means that I no longer leave work and jump in the car and sit waiting for it to warm up. No, I can safely start the car using the remote starter, which means when I eventually get into the car, it's toasty warm. Well that's usually how it works out.

So over the weekend I finally finished our family website off, or so I thought. After working into the small hours, I finally had everything finished and told Sherri when I went to bed. Alas Sherri tried to leave a message in the guestbook in the morning, but a page from one of my other sites appeared. Ah the joys of computing. Anyway it wasn't difficult to fix, and everything was hunky dory in a few minutes. So there you have it, our guestbook now takes messages again, after nearly a year.

Anyway, off I pop to get some work done. Turrah!

I Did It!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's nearly 3:30 in the morning, but I am pleased to say that the guestbook is actually working. It's only been a year, but I finally managed to redevelop it and get it working with my hosting company.

So for anyone who has never posted please be sure to let us know you are out there. All other posts greatly appreciated.

Goodbye Old Friends!

For anyone who didn't know, yesterday was the last day for the old RouteMaster buses, as they were finally decommissioned in London. This is truly a sad day, as they were always the best of London's buses. For anyone that doesn't know, the RouteMaster bus is the double decker bus, where you can jump on and off at the back corner.

I can remember being around 10 or 11 years old during the school summer holidays and my friends and I would often buy a Red Bus Rover ticket. I think the price for this was around 35p, this was when bus fares for children were around 2 or 3p. This would keep us busy all day, hopping from bus to bus and seeing London and sometimes venturing outside London.

It's a sad day indeed, as more and more of the things that made London and indeed Britain what it was, are slowly disappearing. The old style phone boxes being another. Yes I realise that the lots of things are in the name of progress, however this isn't one of them. A couple of Sherri and my favorite memories involve the old style bus, but that's a whole different story.

Looking at Britain now as an outsider, all I can see is it losing it's identity. With more power going to Brussels and politicians seemingly afraid to stick up for our once great nation, all I hear are more and more people airing their dissatisfaction. In fact quite often people I speak to in England tell me how lucky I am to be out of it all.

Hello All!

As winter kicks in, with sub -10 temperatures, not too much has been happening. That is, not much going out and doing stuff. I have however been really busy finally doing a total revamp of our website. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the site has had a total makeover which means that the site is now a lot easier for me to maintain, now using CSS for the nerds out there and it also means that the photo album is finally up and running again. Not only that, but all the old albums going back to 1999 are now there. I realise that there will be a few people out there who don't have the flash component to view flash, or would rather view the images the old fashioned way, so I am working on a solution for you to have a page, so you can access the images and be able to view, print and download them.

However all is not well with regards to the guestbook. Yes you can now view it fine, but there is still a problem posting to the guestbook, but I've had enough for now and will try to fix that at the weekend. I'm most interested to know what you all think of the site, so please drop me a line with your comments, EMAIL.

Apart from that, the girls (all 4 of them) are keeping us busy. Lucy is now walking unassisted for stretches of about 8-10 feet. She's so funny and very proud of her self. Sarah will walk a lot if she can touch your hand for comfort. They are growing in leaps and bounds and babbling just like their Dad.

Anyway talking of babies I have to go and wake them for breakfast. Bye!