Resurrection of the Blog(s)

After a short discussion with a PLUG (Perth Linux Users Group) member, I have come to realise that syndication of my posts is probably better off on one or more of my Blogs (see sidebar or my profile for more information) and link them in Google+

The realisation came because I should not keep a walled-garden mentality and be more agnostic and probably more accessible to those who do not use the service while providing an easy method for those who do, to follow the link within the platform to read the article if they choose.

I will also be posting more personal matters here in order to help me collect my thoughts and work through my issues such as my anxiety disorder and the inherent depression that comes from it.

Again, you may choose to read it, or you may choose to ignore it.

life update

Yes, I have neglected the blog for quite some time now, but only because Google+ had distracted me for the most part.

I have managed to loose approximately 5Kg of weight through eating (or should I say drinking) meal replacements, eating smaller portions, significantly reducing carbohydrates and exercising a bit more.

My stress levels are still high since I successfully completed my Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) on October, but thanks to my doctor and a renewed approach to work (ie. less caring) I'm able to cope a little bit better.

One of the biggest issues I am faced with right now is the frustration that comes with trying to pursue my chosen career.


I foresee a major delays in my current employer providing career progression due mostly to the radical changes to the business and sadly I must look elsewhere.

So, I have my CCNA as well as some practical experience from a previous job (before I got the qualification) as well as many hours of lab time on Cisco equipment and I know my way around IOS very well but most of the Network Engineer/Administrator roles I am applying for I am barely getting to interview stage.

I am wondering if part of the problem is that recruiters and employers don't seem to comprehend what is actually required to get a CCNA (there is a lot of lab time and one must fully understand the content to successfully pass) and they are mostly under the impression that the curriculum is purely theory-based, which is entirely untrue.

I have begun reaching out to my collective friends, colleagues, acquaintances and recruiters in the hopes that I can secure a new role that actually exploits my strong Cisco skills.

Lucky for me I can be quite stubborn, and I don't give up so easily.

There has been more social interaction with Google+ friends, and a little less with my old group of friends, but this is in part due to their obsession with Warhammer (tabletop) and the games that they all play are not the genre that I am interested in, which has my slightly concerned.

I'm also not sure what game in my libraries I want to play next as I often find that I am too tired to engross myself in some of them and as such find myself tending to avoid them.

This year is anything but interesting with all of the above and more, but hopefully I will be able to get back to enjoying myself like I used too.

- D

RATIONALISING TAX

"Natural disasters are perhaps evolving into MAN MADE disasters.

We may appreciate, for example, that Queensland floods could be exacerbated by coal exports.

Maybe taxes can evolve to suit circumstances!

An all important "Carbon Tax" should replace out-dated income tax and last century's G.S.T. (Not to mention Sales tax, flood levys, etc.)

Imagine the stimulus to the economy!

What do we, especially grand children and children, deserve?

MAYBE HOPE.

One tax - one future!!"

This is an interesting notion. Why not remove all other (or at least most) failed tax systems and replace them with a single rationalised (and given the current climate changes, possibly justified one)?


References:

1. Bergin, R. (2011). Rationalising Tax. Unpublished leaflet (discussion)
   

whale watching (2010)

$GF and I went whaling whale watching on Thursday.

We caught the train to Fremantle and boarded the oceanic cruise vessel and to see a few pods of them gracefully doing their whale thing.

Unfortunately none of them breached, but they did surface right near the boat (Starboard bow) just before the vessel started up for the return journey to Fremantle.

We then decide to go eat at Cicerellos after getting hopelessly lost thanks to stupid directions by the iPhone/Google map application.

And not only but also, we squeezed in a movie session and saw Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole 3D

We then returned home very hot and sore from too much sun due to lack of sunscreen (we both forgot to bring it to whale watching) :-P


Current Mood: Content

television

I had finally saved up enough to purchase a new TV!

I bought a Samsung 50" 1080p (FULL HD) Plasma which I ordered online from JB Hi-Fi and it was delivered to us two days after the order was made!

According to a JB Hi-Fi pamphlet, the TV was reduced in price the same day that it was delivered, but I could not be bothered arguing about the price reduction with them, due to the fact that it was delivered so quickly.

Not expecting it to arrive so soon, I was forced to purchase a TV unit (Opra 2230 - which I had discovered in an Anthony Murray's Furniture pamphlet about a month prior to all this).

Unfortunately, the TV Entertainment unit has been delayed, until (hopefully) next week, so I am a bit sad at not being able to use my brand new TV yet :(

Now what shall I 'christen' the TV with?


UPDATE 29/09/2010 @ 16:19
Had to call the furniture shop (multiple times) to confirm that supplier has delivered unit to warehouse, but we will not be receiving it until Friday at the earliest... *sigh*

UPDATE 10/10/2010 @ 13:33
TV Entertainment unit arrived last week and it's all post-drilled and TV is hooked up. Problem is, TV looks small on such a large unit :-P


Current Mood: Exhausted

temporary modifications to circadian rhythm

I seem to have come up with a decent schedule for transitioning from two 12-hour days to two 12-hour nights within a 24-hour break.

Two separate sleeps (approximately 5 hours each) within allocated 24 hour break.

I tend to go to bed immediately after I finish my 0600-1800 stint and sleep for 5 hours and then get another 5 hours sleep during the day before beginning the reverse shift (1800-0600). Although it seems to work and seems to decreas stress on the body, I am still unsure if this is very efficient.

I haven't found any particularly useful sources of information to aid in 'transitioning' but I would welcome any comments anyone has on this subject.

normality restored

Heya readers (the few that your are :-P)

We have normality. I repeat. We have normality.

As the blog title suggests, we ($GF and I) have a little more normality in our lives :-)

Roof tragedy. Resolved.
Car repairs. Fixed.
Monetary concerns. Decreased.
$GF replacement mobile phone. Pending

So now that the above has been somewhat taken care of, I now have time to Study, play games and relax with less worries.

I have also begun preparation for my Senior First Aid refresher course and resumed my never-ending Cisco CCNA studies in the hope that I can get it done (or at least ICND1) by this year.

$GF and I haven't had much of a change to go out, but we did recently visit the Perth Zoo to see the baby Giraffe and it's already bigger than $GF!

We also so the freaky artwork by Australian artist Patricia Piccinini at The Art Gallery of Western Australia
It looks so real (or should I say surreal?)!

Anyhow apart from the above, I also forgot to write up about our hot time at the Araluen chilli festival in Fremantle a while back where I tried death sauce (I think that's what it was called?). Tastings for it where only available upon request because it it so F#$%ing HOT! Not only did it make all my body and limbs tingle, but it also made me heat up and sweat profusely! It was awesome! :-P

That's it for now. I think. No wait! more of my friends are getting married!

Which means I now have to pick up pace a little... I need to do more engagement ring research, then organise a meeting with parents to ask permission to marry $GF and then propose...

/sigh

Current Mood: Happy