.. the funny thing is that as I sit here on my Sony Vaio , I'm at a loss as to where to begin...
Like i say every year- 2009 has definitely been challenging...
The house construction has been - not difficult- but definitely a challenge.
when you are building a house from scratch - that really takes precedence over everything !!!
which is tough when you gotta balance work, Family, life and Mid life crisis all at the same time LOL.
But we are getting there .
construction has been going on for just over a year , and we are what is ( ironically) called the finishing stages .
Its true its definitely the hardest part , you see ; the architect takes care of the design.. you tell him what you want and he'll try to put that dream in 3D. The builder takes care of the bricks and mortar stuff... you kick up a fuss here and there ... but that's about it ...
BUT ( let me say that again!!!) BUT !!!!!
The finishing just does not finish!!
Now, I consider myself a big-picture person , I like the strategic aspects of life , but getting down to deciding on what colour paint , what type or handles to have on the door... the types of styles that will bring out the stone wall in the front room the paint texture god damn it !!!!! lol
Anyhow I'm sure it will be worth it in the end ....
... as i sit (or float) in my swimming pool , G&T in hand , smooth jazz playing out of my Harmon Kardon outdoor system, kids playing on the grass... I imagine that i shall be contented...
At least until the the need to keep up with the Joneses takes over again.

PICTURES

One of the most important and time consuming things that has been going on in recent months has been the construction of our new house at Callodyne. And this has kept us away from the 'party and get-together circuit '.

Seriously, building a house in Mauritius is an experience that I will never forget.... 12 months ago I thought that concrete was concrete... and that you add it to water and you can build a house... now ask me about architects ( luckily we have a very good one), about building contractors , and workmen , and rock sand and metal bars... ( did you know that you can spend a few cool millions (MUR) just on the metal framework that goes into a construction project????

As anyone who has gone through this in Mtius can tell you - you need to be on site almost everyday ... and that has been the reason why I've not updated as much as i should... all my spare time is spent on-site.

But now I've remedied that so i hope you enjoy the picture-set HERE.

As usual just click HERE and off you go.

...Once again back is the incredible!!!!!

Those of you who know me or have read the previous posts in this blog would remember me lusting over a JVC Everio hard disc Camcorder.
At the time it was relatively new formt for camcorders , and as such it was a bit early to say what direction the major electronics companies were gonna take the format.
1 year Later has seen the format really begin to take charge.... Well this year for my birthday i decided to bite the bullet a get a camcorder... was i gonna stick with the traditional DV Tapes or was I gonna take the plunge into the newer world.... THATS WHEN I CAME ACROSS THIS BABY.. Friends, family, foes, and jealous types... Meet the Sony HDR SR11, little brother to the Sony HDR SR120. Both are full HD, AVCHD,Hard Disk camcorders.The SR11 has a built in 60 GB internal HD. No more tapes, no more 1:1 download times for transferring DV to PC then to disc....hell no more rewinding and forwarding to find the part you want to delete....
Th main specs of the model are FULL HD quality recording on the internal 60GM hard disk drive... yep I'm a getting ready for that 42 inch Bravia X series which will be gracing my living room in the near future.
Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens, 5.1 surround sound and Face Detection.
The Independent reviewers on camcorderinfo.com as well as some independent blogs of note such as the brilliant seansense, really helped me make my choice.
There are some challenges such as the editing/rendering of AVCHD video which seem somewhat easier with a MAC (so maybe for x-mas..), and in any case require some major power.
I've beenmessing about with Sony's own Vegas Pro and am still working through the tutorials.
So in a few months, if you need a camera man, feel free to contact me for wedding's Bhamitzvas, or foam party's .