Sunday, February 19, 2006

Ride the rollercoaster. The past week or so has been a very strange one indeed. Although I have to say, the end result isn't so bad, as I've had a very good weekend. Last Friday my mum called me to deliver some bad news. First of all, my aunt Alice had died. And secondly, my great grandmother had suffered a fall and broken her hip in several places. Alice is someone who I wish I'd known better, as she was really an incredibly sweet woman. I have met her quite a few times in my life - and always thoroughly enjoyed going to her house - but in the last few years we haven't really seen her as much as I'd have liked. It's a shame. Not only was she always pleasant and cheerful, but she had a wicked sense of humor and was generally very witty. They still aren't certain how she died (other than that she died in her sleep). It's one of those events in life that makes you reflect not only on the person, but on how you may do things differently if you had another chance. I suppose it's a strong reminder that if you are thinking you should be talking to someone that you haven't seen in a while...you probably should just do it. You never know what might happen. My great grandmother's story is a big mixture of things really. She is 97 years old and her hip is so badly damaged that there's little chance she will walk again. The doctor suggested that if we went ahead with an operation, there's a good chance she'd die under anesthetic. My family agreed to operate, as they would have rathered she die peacefully in those conditions than be left bedridden and in terrible pain for the rest of her time on Earth (however long that may be). In the end, she not only survived the operation but she's healing quite well. She's certainly well enough to get cranky with the nurses if they make too much noise or annoy her in other ways (in other words, she's already getting back to her old self). She's a remarkably strong woman and I often get the feeling that she'll never let anything beat her. The week ended quite well though. I'd never been north of Brisbane and this weekend I took a little road trip an hour north to Noosa and Coolum. I can say, without reservation, that Noosa and Coolum (which are both on the Sunshine Coast) are the most beautiful places I have ever seen with my own two eyes. I had thought that the Currumbin beach was gorgeous, but Noosa and Coolum completely blow it away. I was left with my lower jaw on the ground during most of the trip. Unfortunately I do not have a camera here right now, but if I get one I will be taking some pictures and I will share them with you. Words cannot describe how absolutely flawless these areas are; they're certainly the most beautiful placse I've yet seen in Queensland and probably Australia as a whole (except perhaps for Flinders in my home state of Victoria; NSW's Central Coast would also come a close second). In other news, I've been continuing to work on various web projects, despite my general lack of Internet access. In some ways, it's good that I can just lock myself away and work on things without the general disturbances of the 'net. On the other hand, it isn't so good that I can't speak to people on here as often as I'd like. Oh well. In general though, things are going well. As a matter of fact, there is even the possibility that I may be visiting the United States sometime this year. I'll let you know how those plans go. SugarCone: In terms of moving back, I had never really planned to live in Queensland forever. My intention was to remain on the Gold Coast for a few months and then to move home. Although, things have changed since then. For one thing, I'm now living in Brisbane...and for another, I'm now no longer single (I've been in a relationship now for the past two months or so). As a result, that's changed my plans. I still do not intend to remain here for the long term, but I may very well end up living in this state for the next year or two. As for the online stuff, it's all good. I thought I'd throw the offer out there. I can understand being tired of web stuff, really. It also sounds like your study will turn out well; the mural idea sounds great. I wish you the very best of luck with it! Rapture: It was a little of B and a little of the fact that your name itself reminded me of you. Who else would choose "Rapture Ruckus"? ~_^ Annie-chan: I am thinking that we can probably have a new OtakuBoards released during 2006, at least. The big question is about programming support, I guess. Design is something I can always handle to some degree, but I do not know if Justin will always be available. Either way, OB will continue to progress, one way or another. Cash-chan: That's an interesting name. And thanks for the comment. Alan-kun: Absolutely! I can't even begin to tell you how many times my plans have changed ever since I moved. I guess the very general longterm goals are still there...but even those have changed a bit. I can imagine that your situation would be in flux all the time, but I've seen your determination...and I am sure that you can make it all work, even if it means adapting to new situations. I think you have the ability to make it work. And thanks for the support, too. I guess the good thing is that prices in south east Queensland are not as high as Sydney or Melbourne, which means that it's generally a bit of a relief. But I think moving is always a headache anyway...and it certainly hasn't been fun recently. Still, getting settled (even if just for a few months) will be nice. ^_^ indifference: Unfortunately I don't think I still have the flower design. It was certainly unique. I'd like to go back to something slightly more feminine in future design work for theOtaku. I suspect that as things progress, we'll probably end up with more female visitors than male visitors. I think we can have a pretty unisex design, but clearly we can probably inject a more feminine edge and still keep things very modern and stylish. theOtaku is not aging well at all, so it's in desperate need of a re-design. CosmicSailor: With OB's current version, we actually did a period of beta-testing using different browsers and several versions of Windows. We only had one user testing with Apple and unfortunately we couldn't make the site as Apple-friendly as we'd wanted. Even so, Windows users still sometimes have problems with vB. With the new OB, my hope is to be even more thorough. It will hopefully be compatible with several Windows browsers, as many Windows versions as possible and hopefully it will also be fully compatible with Apple browsers. So we'll see. At the very least, I can promise that we'll do more intensive testing this time around. I really agree with the statement "anything worth having is worth working for". All relationships usually require some kind of work and/or compromise. If you're willing to make the effort, you are usually rewarded. SunfallE: Oh yes, so tired of moving! This'll be the third and final move for some time - at the very least, for a few months. As for how I come across, I guess it really does depend on so many things. Different people on the Internet perceive me in different ways. In person, most people find me to be pretty warm and approachable. I am a very, very calm and gentle person, so I am therefore not terribly intimidating. Although as I'd mentioned, my choice of clothing can cause various impressons...but even my clothing style varies a lot, so I don't particularly tend to stick to just one thing. Tofu! What a good idea! Haha. I'd never have thought of that. I will have to remember it, just in case we ever go with the flavours route. I don't have any pictures of the other flavours, unfortunately. Although I keep some things, I also delete the vast bulk of test work that I do. Once it's been shown and discussed and a decision has been made, it's rarely kept. Usually I will only keep several "master" copies of key designs. Although I will say, with N-Sider's previous version, I had some 40 entirely different conceptual drawings by the end. I have never done more intensive work on one site before. But this was not the result of being very thorough or anything; it was actually because I had a large team of people making suggestions. Too many cooks were in the kitchen for that one, as it became too unfocused and watered-down. The most recent version was far quicker to develop and had less concept designs, as we only really had two staff working on it full-time. You may only be a new programmer in some areas, but your skills will be very valuable to you as you progress and become more advanced. At the very least, you will have the power to create your own new projects on the web. Having that ability definitely leads to a lot of fun and creative freedom. Thanks for visiting! ^_^ Aaryanna: Thanks for dropping by, m'dear. I hope you are doing well! Liam: I like the piratey analogy. It has a certain appeal to it. As for where I'm living, well, I'll be near Stradbroke Island I believe (at least that's how I think it's spelled). It's quite nice and the weather is good, although I'd rather a proper sandy beach as opposed to mangroves. But hey, I can always drive up to Noosa if I'm dying for a perfect beach setting! And I quite like the Brisbane river, as I'm certain that it's cleaner than the Yarra and Sydney Harbour, lol. Riverfront cities are always nice. I think it's very cool that Australia's state capitals are pretty much all situated around water. In Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, I think the water is a really positive element. The ferry ride in Brisbane is also quite nice (although probably boring for regulars). Broadway ON the mall, eh? You know, I haven't actually been there yet! I keep walking past it and never going in. But I suppose that's because whenever I go to Queen St. Mall, I am always looking for a specific store or something. I may just pay a visit; I'll walk in and give you a custom t-shirt that says "I <3 OtakuBoards". I'm sure that'll make you extra popular with the ladies, heheh. Chabi: Thank you for your concern, but really I am doing fairly well. Yeah, there are things that aren't so good...and I don't enjoy feeling like I'm in limbo right now. However, life isn't so bad. And I've had some really fun experiences while I've been here. Hope you are doing well. ^_^

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