so....

Yeah, I know: I should update this more often


But consider this, since the last post:


1- Something I published in my blog made Computerworld, Infoworld and PC World.
As a result, Oracle hates me even more now.
And I couldn't care less: they deserved every word of it!


2- At work, we were told to redo our entire DR (Disaster Recovery) site in less than a month as the old one's contract went kaput!

Lovely! Like: we have nothing else to do already...

Still: they surprised us all at the end with some of the best salary reviews and salary bonuses in years! The simple fact we accomplished more in the last year than in the last 3 years might have contributed to it, but let me tell you: it came out of our skins!

Literally!

What else? Far from over,my friends! Read on, this ride is awesome!


3- Still trying to overcome all the problems with selling our unit in Portugal: we need this to help some of our family financially and also to settle more of our huge loan in our current house. The amount of process and paperwork in that country constantly reminds me of why I left so many years ago: I just can't cope with its bureaucracy!


4- Purely by accident, I found a long lost friend in facebook. She was an old "flame" from the high school days, we completely lost contact ages ago. Turns out she works less than 1Km from where I work! We had a very happy reunion at a local coffee shop and we promised each other we won't stay for so long out of touch ever again. If you happen to read this Milú, here is looking at you my good old friend: I never forgot you, never will!


5- Then through Milú, I found a lot of my old high school friends from East Timor! Very good friends I hadn't talked to in over 40 years, suddenly walked back into my life in images and words! Dulce, Daniel, Zé Rocha, Daddy, Luís Parreira, Modesta, Natália, Luís Pité, a few among so many others! - to say I am emotionally shaken is the understatement of the decade.

I finally recovered a very BIG part of my past life and personality, all in less than one week. Very few people realize how much of an emotional charge there is in being a migrant: you lose all contact with your past, and that affects you more than most care to admit.

Still shivering!


6- And another very good friend from my Lisbon years walked back into my life, courtesy of LinkedIn: Francisco Rocha, with whom I shared many of the early adulthood years, a true friend who was always there for me at a time when I was living alone and away from my family. God always bless you and your family, Chico!


7- Avatar came out. I won't comment much other than to say: go watch it!


8- The climate change tax in Australia was defeated, and thank the Gods for that! It was little more than an ill-disguised consumption tax, with no impact whatsoever on the real problems it was supposed to address.

We need to do a lot more for the environment and that has NOTHING to do with climate change and "carbon taxes"!

The total rape of the rainforests, the complete slave labour exploitation of China's and India's populations, the environmental rape of China and India, all MUST STOP!

Those are much more important problems that need immediate attention. The West's unrestrained consumption binge at the expense of the rest of the world must stop NOW!

Forget "climate change", there is heaps more important to worry about!


9- My kids finished the school year and their education scores were much above what I was expecting, greatly surprising me! I am absolutely anal about them working their guts off at school: I did the same and it paid off many times over, it's the best thing I can do for them to insist on good results. And they responded in spades. I am humbled by their work, effort and dedication!


10- I might have some incredible news on the work front for next year. Can't talk much now but it's BIG. If it goes ahead I'll be busy as heck!


11- My psoryasis took a very big hit with the latest UV-B treatment. At the end of this Winter I could hardly walk with my skin breaking up in many areas around the body. Now, it's virtually gone! I can live normally again! Unbelievable! I haven't felt like this in decades!


12 - Finally managed to work out most of the problems with my photo printer. Liz, I have the photos ready. As soon as Australia Post stops its moronic pre-Xmas strike, they'll be on their way to you. Sorry if they don't arrive before the 25th, but when they get there you can be sure they'll be loaded with a very big MERRY XMAS and HNY!



Wot, ain't that enough?



Catchyalata, my friends!

Saw this in the news today:

[link]

NO WAY I'd be swimming in open water until this baby is found...

I have a very healthy respect for these things. Did scuba diving for many years and saw many sharks up close. They are usually scared of us and good fun anyway. Although one has to keep a distance: they bite a lot stronger than a dog.

But something this size is in a totally different class!




Some film news.

Finally got some of my B&W Adox CMS20 developed in Technidol and scanned. It is absolutely amazing!

Beats the best of my lenses fair and square and gives the big Nikon 9000 scanner a good run for its money.

Unless I'm ultra careful with the focusing this thing will outresolve 4000ppi, easy! And with superb tonal range as well.

If it wasn't so slow (20 ISO) I think it'd be my first choice B&W. As is, I reserve it for when I want absolute resolution unmatched by anything out there.

Will post some results soon, still got to scan another roll.

Meanwhile the new Kodak Ektar is looking better and better. I think it's gonna dislodge Reala as my choice colour negative film from now on. Fuji Xtra 400 is quite good nowadays but Ektar is so much more detailed it's not even a contest. Still, for higher speed Xtra will have to do.

Meanwhile Astia continues to be my mainstay slide film: nothing better yet, not even the new velvia 50.



Hope everyone is in good health. Been hectic here with work and the stupid wet weather hasn't helped at all with the photography.


Catchyalata, folks!

a very busy winter, over here.

with the econolypse, things at work have gone from bad to worse.

the theory seems to be they can squeeze us as much as they want as no one can afford to lose their jobs the way the economy is going.

problem of course is: we were already overworked since they fired half the department last year...

lovely.




and things at home haven't been much better.

with the cold, had a bad episode of psoryasis that left me almost unable to move my arms and back. the skin was so dry it simply cracked. the tension at work of course didn't help... better now, but it was a bad patch.

had to remove two small skin cancers from my back. not malignant, but I've got to start watching the rays...

Sheena - our little miniature schnauzzer - had to be put to sleep. big lumpy tumour against the chest wall, inoperable.

left no choice but to take her to the final visit to the vet.

kids are flattened, and we are not much happier. 11 years she stayed with us.

as friendly a little dog as anyone could wish for. she's in the mono gallery, somewhere.



family over in Portugal is also going through economic and health problems. mother in law fell and broke her hip. back home now, but it was touch and go for a while...






still: enough of all that shit.




been taking lots of photos, but with the work overload I hardly have time to scan or raw-process anything. hopefully there will be a few posted soon.


got a second hand D200, it works really well with the manual focus lenses. so the D80 is for sale: interested? going cheap.


am about to start using some technidol on adox cms 20, that should be fun. been threatening to do it for a long time, will know soon how well it works.


and there might be an ease off at work with Xmas coming up. which means I might be able to catch up on the 25 rolls to scan and the 10 or so dslr raw file stacks to process...


floriade is here as well, soon I'll be off to Canberra to enjoy its stunning colours. like I've been doing for so many years.




so all in all, things aren't as bad as they could easily be.
catchyalata, folks!

hi folks! long time no tawk...


it's been a very hot summer over here, and I don't do well in hot and humid weather as you probably know by now



but it's finally starting to cool down for autumn!



water in the pipes is still in the high 20s Centigrade, which means I still can't develop the stack of b&W rolls I've been taking...



but pretty soon it'll cool down and things will be good



got a "new" mamiya 645 pro tl to play with.



I'm liking 6X4.5 format more and more: it's very similar to 6X7 in aspect ratio, the cameras are a LOT smaller than MF, the lenses are superb and the quality I get from the scans is frighteningly good.



still waiting for all the bits to arrive from KEH, but the adapter to let me use the Pentacon lenses with it has arrived!



will have results scanned soon.







field soccer season has started already, with both Sam and Sarah playing this year.



been busy giving them the basics and getting them back into shape.



Sam's team won again the Northern beaches futsal indoor soccer in their division, and this year yours truly was their coach for half the season!


I'm totally stoked my yelling at them actually worked!



Sam scored in excess of 25 goals:
he's very fast and has a monster kick which is perfect for an attacker in indoor soccer.



in the field he's better suited as a defensive sweeper or back mid-field, where he's been stopping them with tremendous regularity



this year I reckon his field soccer team has a good chance of a top position in juniors div 1



they are very strong and recently held the NSW state champions to a goalless draw in a friendly: absolutely tremendous!






I'm looking forward to winter: got stacks of photos to process and lots of soccer to coach and watch.



Bliss!




Cacthyalata, folks!

(edit)
For those who have never seen and heard one of Australia's bushfires in action:
[link]
listen in to about halfway then jack up the sound...
(/edit)






yeah, I know: I've talked about this before...


don't care


it's important enough: we ALL should be talking about it!


not sure what's going to happen with the world economy


keep hearing about these fantastic rescue packages that seemly no one has to pay for?


yeah, right! sure...






recently, I was reminded of why I am so cynical of modern theories of education and economic management


I do have a lot of respect for the engineers who made the moon landings possible


I also do not believe nowadays the landings would be possible, with the incredibly sub-standard education kids have had for the last 25 years


my kids "hate" me for my fixation with them learning basic science and maths that is way above what their school demands


I don't care: they can sue me later in life if they want to


right now, I'm responsible for their education and how well prepared they are for life


so it goes the way I say, no ifs or buts


I'll worry about the niceties later



catchyalata, folks!