Well…I did it! I made my first V.L.O.G.!

So….um ok guys it’s you’re call! Let me know what you think, and I’ll decide whether or not there will be a next week - or like the ill fated ‘Firefly’ this too will be axed…

It’s not long now till the start of my looooooong weekend. I’m hoping the weather stays the way it has been behaving today, cool, crisp, refreshing and sunny with a light wind! I’m quite fired up internally about doing a VLOG; even if it ends up just being a one off - because lets face it; I ain’t the most photogenic?! One problem I can’t get through my head is what sort of camera to use, do I just get a bog standard ‘webcam’ which can be picked up in most stores, or do I save a bit more money and go for a more expensive digital camera? The latter would be nice since I could go out and about and ’share’ some of Wellington with you guys back in the UK???

What to do….What to DO?!!!

I’m sure I’ll come up with an idea by Monday - in the meantime I am jotting down a few storyboard ideas - well!! I gotta have ’some’ sort of structure even if it is on a Vlog! I’m a purfectionist (well…sometimes) - and on a more positive note, I won today’s lunchtime poker game!! Which makes about three wins and two 2nd places for this month, I take that as a good omen for this weekend

I’ll probably blog again later on. I watched ‘Hero’ starring Jet Li last night - it’s a pretty cool flick - I’d LOVE to be able to walk and fly across water like they do in that film….hmmmm (scribbles down mental note to figure out a way of doing this in a vlog)….

edit - ‘actually’ if any of YOU have any ideas or suggestions of what I could do for my first VLOG then please, leave me a comment here….no really!! PLEASE!! =p

You’ve all seen the film ‘Minority Report’ with Tom Cruise right? Well, I’ve just seen a new piece of technology in action that could have been taken directly from the film! This is a major GEEK alert video, so if you are not into all things GEEKY then move along please!

Perceptive Pixel

Watch this vid, and be amazed!!! It’s like watching the film but in real life man! OK ok…I’ll calm down now….

But not in an Adams Family way…

So we have reached the midway marker of yet another week, I’m still at work, and will be heading up Ngiao again tonight for band practise; and maybe a bit more recording =p I heard a sneak preview of one of our pieces the other day and hardly recognised it, sounded like some other ‘A’ grade band?! It was awesome in other words, and I now can’t wait to have my own copy of the finished CD….is that vain? meh what the heck!! I don’t care!

I’m currently doing a little reading up on chroma-keying and such for my first attempt at ‘film-making-on-a-budget’ I am currently looking at getting some cheap matt panels (green) for the background, and I am looking at getting some reasonably soft lighting for them to reduce the chance of reflections and bleeding etc…add some Povray Ray-Tracing, a little imagination and about 3 months to compile the ray-tracing to broadcast quality~!! Then I think I will be ready…

Well I wanna make a bit of an impression?! Oh and in other news I have rediscovered the wonderful and sexy Imogen Heap; downloaded one of her albums and just can’t stop listening to it, to describe the style it’s a bit like Enya but far more original in my humble opinion and diverse for that matter! Anyways - I want her to have my babies!!! =p

In other news? It’s the Queens birthday on Monday which is awesome for me in NZ - coz it means I get a day off work (it’s a public holiday here), makes me question why it ain’t a public holiday in the UK, like we don’t have enough of them there already!!? Anyhoo - have a good’un and I’ll blog ya later….

Ok….well, I’ve been a blogger for over three years, and apart from the odd review; red wine fuelled rant, ill conceived monologues and other stuff I forget….I have been grasping at what to do next, ever since coming to New Zealand I have been wanting to break new boundaries.

Anyways, after recording with the Brass Band at the weekend ready for our CD, I did a bit of ‘You-Tubing’ which is kind of like surfing except you just watch other peoples you’tube vids…and have come across a group of five young Kiwi’s that have given me some inspiration; I’ll need to go out and get some kit first mind!

Anyways, I’ll be giving them a shameless plug here first and hope to have my first VLOG sorted in the next month so watch this space! In fact, just watch YouTube cos I’ll probably post it there!

I am of course talking about ‘FIVE AWESOME KIWIS!’

Go there!!! But not, yet?! First of all, let me introduce you to them, these talented kids! Well….ok….um you see, since I’ve hit a bit of a blogger’s block of late; I’ll cheat and just let them introduce themselves!!

Of course “that” Monday was some three months ago, and these guys are ’still’ going! I must admit despite being a thirty-something I am impressed and entertained - particularly by ‘Tuesday’ and ‘Wednesday’ aka Levi and Kate you guys? Whether you like it or not, are stars. Get used to it - and serisously keep doing what you do, that goes to ALL of you five! Although I have stated my faves I still watch you all, as you all have your own style which is partly what makes it work for me =p (Oh my god am I sobor? Did any of that sound remotely gramatically correct?)

Anyways - PLUG OVER!!! Oh and please rate my VLOG (if/when) < — delete as you feel appropriate. Once I upload myslef (oooer sounds painful)….if ever….yeah right! Think I might just leave it to the pro’s, that said if there’s one thing I have learned since moving to New Zealand - is always “give it a go mate!” - So fingers crossed I can actually come up with a VLOG, though I doubt I’ll be a patch on ‘Five Awesome Kiwi’s’ cos you guys really are!

BE PROUD!

In other news - We had a major power cut in town today, and half the CBD (Central Business District) went off air, with zero power - us being the important government departement we are, had NO backup generators!! So - being the professional I was, I played a few hands of Hold’em Poker with Colleagues during the downtime and lost miserably on a pair of 9’s to an Ace three of a kind! Guess I’m just not that good at poker…lets face it! Anyways peace out, and I’ll work on my self made challenge….so…er….

watch this space [ ........... ]

P.S. if anyone that matters reads this, and the above affects my review in any way, the powercut was pretty much at lunchtime anyways and wasnt too long, and I normally play a few rounds of poker (miserably too)…so…um yeah ok…(stop digging that hole Damo!!)

I’m back home after spending the whole morning, recording with the band, doing multiple ‘takes’ and pieces etc… it was an eye opener for sure! I’ve never seen so many microphones, bits of cable and bits of foam!!

I can’t wait to hear the finished article, but we have a lot more work to do. We’ll be recording at our re-hearsals over the next few weeks until we have enough material. Then it’s press time! Hehe…never thought I’d see the day where I end up on a CD!

So, let’s recap? Ambitions achieved and things I’ve done…hmmm….

Well, I guess most memeorable moments for me, are when I was in the Cheshire County Youth Brass Band, and also the County Youth Choir; with the band I’ve had the honour of accompanying the Celloist Steven Isserlis, and also Peter Skellern. With the choir I have taken part of Jean-Michelle-Jarre’s ‘Chronologie’ tour back in 1992 and also worked with Barry Manilowe at the Apollo Theatre in Manchester.

I’ve boogied with some of the cast from Hollyoaks and Coronation Street at an after show party following the opening night of ‘Oh What a Night’ in Manchester (my Uncle Chris is the author) - go Chris!!

Then things go a little quiet as I try to become professional, i.e. I work loads to pay the mortgage, then more recently I commission a march to be written for Frodsham Silver Band with my dad’s help. It was presetned to them in time for the Centenary Year, it’s called “Sandstone Centenial”

Then shortly after that I move to New Zealand from the UK. Start a new life, and start playing with a new band, Pelorus Trust Wellington Brass Band, and went with them to Australia this Easter just gone, to win the B Grade Nationals…..and now we are working on a CD!

In amongst all of that I have written a lot of poetry between 1999 and 2004 and have been published in over 12 anthologies in that time; not to mention being nominated for Amateur International Poet of the Year two years running, in fact in 2003 I made it to the semi-finals.

So…..what’s left to do? I guess I could pull my finger out and finished working on a Novel I’ve been writing on and off since I was at university; working title - “The Chronicles of the Son”…I’ve still got time The great JRR Tolkien took years to write his masterpieces; so I ain’t gonna rush mine, as I want a masterpiece too…I’m still not sure whether it’ll be publish worthy, but it’ll be read to my little munchkins one day, when I have a family.

I guess you could say, I’m one of those ‘almost’ famous people. I’ve tried stuff, but never quite been in the right place or the right time, to make it to the BIG TIME! and to be frank - thank goodness! Else I might not have experienced the wonderful things I have in my life so far.

We all make choices in the paths we take through life, sometimes at the expence of many an opportunity; the important thing I reckon and is kinda the moral to this post, is to choose without regret. That’s a foothold into yesterday, that slows your progress into tomorrow.

Now is there anyone out there, who thinks - being honest! they can answer this question? >>

“What is the most pricelesss gift on the planet?”

answers on a postcard to….

It’s been a while huh! Got some hard work planned for the weekend, most of Saturday is going to be spent recording with the Brass Band, for our forthcoming CD! So, I’ve been practicing, and practicing… and… well you get the picture. Also got a date with some ‘Hells’ Pizza too (not the reason for this post’s title by the way) this weekend; and maybe some friendly Texas Hold’em.

I watched ‘Plunkett & Macleane‘ again this evening, I must say; it’s one of my top ten DVD’s! considering there’s a very loose spattering of fact surrounding the main character’s this adds to the adventure - A man once of some means, hits rock bottom; falls in with an ex-apothecary (chemist to you and me!), and much robbing and horse-riding ensues! With a great host of top name actors - I have to say Ken Stott plays a great ‘baddy’ in this film. Lyv Tyler plays the teenage groupie basically who swoons over Jonny Lee Miller as Captain Macleane and his ‘man’ Robert Carlisle who plays Plunkett, which is certainly a name associated with brains; now - did you know the guy who invented Teflon had this surname? No? Well, it’s true! Roy Plunkett invented Teflon, by accident; back in 1938 and now here’s a real irony for ya! He was born in - wait for it!! New Carlisle; Ohio! Anyhoo - this poor guy is about as alive as the original ex-apothecary since he passed away almost exactly 14 years ago.

In other news, I are tired, so I are going to bed - grammer is soooo over-rated. Sleep on the other hand, isn’t….night all!