ShaqueNova

Whew... it's been almost 7 months since my last visit. I only popped in to clear my message box of only 41 (since I hardly have any friends even in the real world). I've been studying for my Diploma of Interactive Digital Media. It's all about 3D modeling, texturing, 2D graphics, ActionScript, JavaScript (and Java for mobile devices) programming, coding, coding and more coding and a lot of game design. I find it all utterly boring from a scholastic perspective. I'd much rather be working in the field and showing people my true mettle, not the mundane workshops that I have to fulfill my assessments. I mean, even novice 12 year-old schoolies can make some of the things required of me, but I can do way better. I just need to land me a prospective eye and ear only for a moment and I'm sure I will entrance someone with what I can do. Yes, I know... don't bother pointing out that I lack modesty, but I have a family to support and bills to pay and I've never been so broke and in debt for over 20 years.

I still have a few months of studies before my final assessments are handed in and I have a few minor teaching jobs to take on before the end of the year, but I will stick it out and get that foor in the door where I want to teach at a diploma level with a fine institute (and pay to boot). If I find that I have little time for this place, I may just swing by seldom, but unless I have no time at all, I don't plan on leaving here.

It's been a while since I've been in to check on things, to say nothing about submitting anything. I've decided to pop in more often and maybe make a few 3D stereograms for a change. I've seen quite a few really good ones around and I thought it might be fun to do. I might make a stereogram version of every 3D scene I create from now on as an added bonus.

Who knows, I might even make an attempt at making stereogram animations. My previous Wormhole was a fun task. Imagine what it would look like if I made a wide, split-screen video, added debris and dust... I believe I have even the conversion tools to make a real 3D video which use the glasses. Hmmm... might look into this. Now if I could just get a hold of a pair of those glasses...

Being such a techno boffin, I decided to go and get myself an Apple iPhone 16 gig 3GS from the same provider I've been with for over 10 years. What do I think of it? I will just say this... I've had it a total of 5 days and I changed providers based on the lack of service and my utter hatred of the iPhone itself. I mean, I thought it was going to be really cool, cos I like listening to music on my phone and the screen is nice and big, but I hated the PC-iTunes interaction. Often I would lose stuff when I try to sync other media to the iPhone. As for the phone itself, I found it cumbersome to carry. It's fairly thin, but it's wide and long. Plus I hated the fact that it always tried to get online when I do simple tasks. All I asked my provider is that I change phones, since I understood that I had a 10 day grace period to change my mind. Apparently, this option was removed 2 years ago.

Enter the Nokia N97... the phone that my original provider refused to get for me based on their obsession of the NextG network. In fact, most of the Nokia phones which are half decent are not available. When I changed networks, not only were they happy to give me the N97 free upfront, they also gave me a much more lucrative plan than my previous provider. As for the phone, it's awsome! I've had Nokia phones for about 12 years and I'm sorry I strayed based on popular opinion.

Being a Flash developer myself, the iPhone didn't allow me to use a lot of the regular media formats which the Nokias all seem to. That's probably the main clinch for staying with them. Short and sweet... the iPhone is not for everybody even though most rave about it.

Lessons learned:

- Stick with what you know. Change isn't always a good thing.
- Popular opinion is only part of the majority. The rest don't really get a chance. Meaning that for those who are opposed are generally pushed out of the loop. If everyone made an opinion, the popular ones would probably be against.
- If ever you get poor service from almost any business which has you locked in a contract, just threaten to take your grievance to the press or a TV current affair program. It's phenomenal how some services improves suddenly, or you get a free of obligation contract severance. Bad publicity is a business killer and nobody wants that.

Just thought I would put something here to avoid viewing my last journal entry... that is about the death of Michael Jackson. I wrote it on the very hour I heard he died, but there seems to be so much talk about it and much about a conspiracy or something that I figured I didn't want to be just another news basher.

Anyway... I've still hardly submitted anything for months because I've been too busy with other projects. I am doing a Flash animation at the moment, or rather cleaning up and tweaking an existing one for a friend who apparently is attempting to sell it up to Mushroom Pictures as a trailer for upcoming animated adventures of an Australian family. It's quite entertaining and a little funny on the scary side, but I think it may actually have a chance of making sequels or a series of episodes.

I've also been building a lot of new computers for friends and family. I can't believe how cheap the awesome new parts are nowadays. So much so that even a dole earner like myself can afford to upgrade my PC quite often to the point of being up to the minute with technology. I'm talking about parts bought at regular computer wholesalers, so it's probably more expensive if I wanted to get some slick uberparts like a neon lit up, water-cooled mod case or a 32 inch widescreen plasma HDTV/monitor.

I should be charging for my services though. I've had to borrow a car to travel up to 120km to deliver computers at my expense and simply as a favor to those I do it for, also having to refuel the car and wash it before returning it... followed by fixing a VCR, TV, DVD player or computer for the ones I borrow the car from. When I'm offered money, I often refuse because I have moral issues with taking money from friends or family when I feel my skills should be at their disposal. I'm even refusing money from people I don't even know for the same services. I guess that's why I'm such a lousy businessman and why my own registered enterprise has made me barely a few crumbs over the last 8 years. I need to be taught how to be a little more shrewd, but maintain a reasonable service.

Well... that's my rant for the quarter. Maybe I'll have something better to talk about in the future or at least something worth reading.

How can I not put something in my journal about Michael Jackson? I'm still in shock and disbelief about his untimely death and I'm having a hard time with it. It was just the same when other great people died in my lifetime...

When Bruce Lee died, all I remember was the look of sadness on my father's face, I think I was about 6 or 7 at the time and I knew of Bruce as the man, but more so of his movies. A few years later, Elvis died and shook the world. I gradually learned to accept that all good things end at some stage and nobody can really control it.

It got a little easier to hear of good people passing away as I grew up, including family members, although it never felt any better. I simply felt sad for a shorter period of time or I sucked it up and knew that it must be this way in the end, even my own existence. When Lady Diana died, I went into another slump of sadness and disbelief. I went back into a major slump when Peter Brock (legendary race driver of Australia, for those who don't know) and Steve Irwin (I'm sure everyone knew him) both died in the same week. For several days I was shocked and often in tears when I thought about them.

Now it came to one of the most beautiful people on the planet, and quite suddenly... Michael Jackson. I was a huge fan in my youth and still quite fond of his music in my middle ages. I think his passing was the biggest blow to me ever, but I clung to my logic of mortality and knew that he could not live forever. I guess nobody expected it to happen so fast and only a short time before his "final curtain call" tour.

I once saw an interview with Michael and they sat on a platform up in a tree in a quiet part of Neverland. Several times over the next few years, I've had dreams of sitting there with Michael sipping coffee, eating chocolate and talking about simple things like what we had for dinner last night, what his favorite movie was, told jokes and watched the stars and planets. I suppose I thought about him so often and liked him as a person so much that my subconscious mind would have me believe that we were pals in another lifetime. I wasn't interested in talking about his fame, work or wealth. I felt in my heart that he didn't need just another info freak and could find some comfort in simple conversation.

As the years went by, I held onto that dream like it was a possibility, but now I hold it close to my heart as the precious time I spent with him, even if it was just a dream. For those wondering, yes, I'm gay and no, I wasn't in love with Michael. I just would have liked to be his friend.

Your music now lives on through us, Michael. You will be greatly missed in life, and now we make you immortal. Rest in peace, Moonwalker.