• They’re in Albion Park Rail! This means I can drive there in 25 minutes. BIG DEAL, since my last job had me catching a train for 90-100 minutes, then hiking to Glebe from Central station.
• They sell tangible products! Not NLP which I find highly dubious.
• I get to be part of a team, instead of having everything IT resting on my shoulders so I feel like I’m constantly under massive amounts of pressure.
• I’m treated with respect. That’s a key thing that seemed to be lacking before.
• I’m making about the same as before, only I don’t have to spend $57 a week on a train ticket. It’s closer to $25 a week in petrol. Oh and I get more perks because I’m an employee instead of a contractor… and they’re already deducting tax, so I won’t have a nasty surprise at the end of this financial year!

OK, so what else do I have to report? Well, what don’t I?

God knows how many goals I’ve achieved. I’ll have to do a full rundown in another post as this one will get too long.

I’ve done tons of drawing with my Wacom Cintiq (have I blogged about that yet??). It’s made it SO EASY to make cool looking drawings. I love it to bits. Look in the sidebar on the right to see a few links to images I’ve created with it.

A couple of days ago I registered the domain www.atherandearth.com. This is where my comic will live. I am still working on it, but I’m confident I’ll be able to start getting things done with it once NaNoWriMo this year is over.

Speaking of NaNoWriMo, I will be participating again in one month’s time. It will be AWESOME. I already have a fully developed plot!

Site Flight Web Design is over. I just never could get the hang of running a business. Don’t worry though, I’m not sad about it. It’s just me, I’m not cut out to be self-employed. Not enough motivation for things like that. It’s a problem I’ve had since I was about 10. Started out as a distaste for homework. Now it’s a distaste for doing things for other people while I’m at home. It feels like my personal space is being crushed, I guess. I’m happy to work while at a workplace, but I just can’t take that work home with me. Hence why I couldn’t handle working from home.

So it’s been a funny old ride, this year. It started out with me as enormously cashed up, buying cameras and expensive graphics tablets, leaving my Woolworths job, moving house, working in Sydney, ending each day feeling more drained of my sanity than the day before… then, I was unemployed, enjoying all the sudden free time but feeling lazy and sluggish and kind of doing that thing that George Costanza in Seinfeld did during the “Summer of George” – spending all my time “decompressing” by sitting idly. It got to the point where my sister tried making me do things by giving me lists because she was so upset that I seemed to be doing nothing. But I found my way.

I applied for a fateful job in late August, I got an interview, and the following Wednesday I was offered the job. I was nervous on my first day, and a bit spooked by the whole ordeal in the first few hours, where I had a whole lot of tasks bounced off me, and I was left worried about what I’d got myself into. But now that I’ve settled in, I’ve learnt that these things are doable and it seems like I’m appreciated in that workplace.

Because of my unemployment coinciding with my car needing a bunch done to it, I’m still in a bit of debt, but my job will take care of that within this month, and that’ll be a big weight off my shoulders.

Thanks to working close by, I will be able to not only join the gym next to my workplace and work out every day, but also work on my comic AND do NaNoWriMo without any problems.

This is it! This is the point in my life where everything works for me!

• Run home from the gym
• Go in the Contours 6 week challenge

Because I am forced to close my membership with Contours, I can’t do them anymore, which is sad – but it does open up two places for different goals, which is rather exciting! So, I’ve been thinking about it and decided to change them to these:

• Get a DSLR Camera
• Settle into a smooth weekly routine

The second one is so whitebread, isn’t it? But, I rather miss the days as a kid where I didn’t have to think too hard about what I was going to do at any given time, because it was normally already decided. Of course it will never be THAT simple again, but I want to run my life as efficiently as I can, so I don’t have to think hard about the things I know I have to do. I know that when I do think hard…. I tend to procrastinate. As much as I HATE procrastination, it’s my default state…. to do nothing. To have fun over taking care of necessary evils. It’s only rewarding in the short term and I really need to break the habit! I think that a good routine should allow me to do that.

As for the camera- well, I do not currently own a camera. I use my sister’s point-and-shoot if I have to have one, but I want my own… and I thought, I really want to take GOOD photos for once. I can take decent ones with a P&S, but I really would like to get to know a manual focus. I much prefer the depth effect of a more professional photo than the flat image you get with a P&S camera. Hence, I’ve decided to buy a beginner’s DSLR. For those that don’t know, it’s the kind of camera professionals use (though the one I get will be on the cheaper end – I can’t spend thousands thanks!!), with removable lenses and all kinds of manual settings. I don’t know much about them yet, but I figure I will learn as I go. I am definitely interested in learning. Photography is something that will partner very well with my CG graphics. I can even write it off as a business expense.

Also on Skippy’s blog was a reference to 101 things in 1001 days, a long-term goals project focusing on doing a set list of things in the ensuing 1001 days precisely. For me, the end date is going to be Friday, 5 October 2012 (calculated using this tool). That’s shortly before the Mayan apocalypse, right?

Anyway, I have finished my list and here it is! I’ll be ticking them off as I go. Currently uncompleted goals are bold.

1. Get a full-time job that I don’t hate
2. Read the Hitchhiker’s Guide series
3. Make one new local offline friend
4. Quit Woolworths (in conjunction with #1)
5. If I can’t buy a house yet, at least save up $10,000+
6. Get down to 85kg or lighter, and keep it that way
7. Get the matching tattoos my sister and I have been planning since we were in England
8. Actually edit a NaNoWriMo novel
9. Try to get novel published
10. Hold the “plank” exercise for 60 seconds or more
11. Go to the gym twice in one day
12. Go to the gym every day from Monday-Saturday (it’s closed Sundays) for at least one week
13. See a psychiatrist about my anxiety
14. Have my gonadectomy
15. Release the first issue of Ather & Earth
16. Visit New Zealand
17. Go on a road trip
18. Go to the beach and go in the water (you’d think this would be an easy one, considering I live right by a beach… but I just never go)
19. Get up early enough to watch the sun rise over the lake
20. Pay off my Barter Card balance and close my account
21. Learn to use a Javascript library
22. Own a smart phone, preferably a Google one
23. Visit the Blue Mountains
24. Find out if I’m allergic to any food
25. Have a shift at Woolworths where I do not want to scream in frustration
26. Go one day without coffee
27. Go two days without using a computer or video game of any kind
28. Go one month where I work on Ather & Earth every single day.
29. Go a month without buying anything made of chocolate or chocolate flavoured or containing chocolate
30. Settle into a smooth weekly routine
31. Drink 2 litres of water in one day
32. Earn over $40k in one year
33. Radically change my hair
34. Spend a night out without having a panic attack
35. Cook a gourmet meal on my own
36. Connect my computer to my TV to become a Media Centre
37. Buy better wheels for my rollerskates
38. Quit playing Bejeweled
39. Visit 24 hour K-Mart between 1am and 4am, just ’cause
40. Visit Jamberoo Action Park
41. Buy a DSLR camera
42. Move to a bigger house
43. Be complimented on my home by a visitor
44. Drink a large Boost Juice
45. Catch and eat a fish
46. Get a perfect score on Rhythm Kung Fu (Advanced) in Wii Fit Plus
47. Refrain from eating anything sugary on Christmas Day
48. Buy that Beatles collection on the USB flash drive in the green apple
49. Make delicious cocktails at home
50. Roast green coffee beans in a popcorn maker
51. Watch all Tom Baker Doctor Who episodes
52. Buy a block of chocolate and eat it over the space of a week rather than all at once
53. Win something. Anything.
54. Finish at least the first draft of at least two novels
55. Get my car’s headlights fixed
56. Build a new shoe rack
57. Learn how to use the washer-dryer properly
58. Go one month without seeing an insect or arachnid in the house
59. Go on a waterslide
60. Get a kitten
61. Meet three people in person that I met online
62. Clean up my Gmail and keep up with all the emails instead of just looking at them all, sighing, and closing the tab
63. Visit Uluru
64. Get revenge on someone
65. Bake fresh bread
66. Go to bed at 9:30pm
67. Spend a full day exclusively in bed except for using the bathroom
68. Make a really horribly designed website for fun
69. Live in the Greater Wollongong area
70. Eat a taco
71. Brew stout beer
72. Make tiramisu
73. Find a cake wreck and submit it to Cake Wrecks
74. Make steak and stout pot pies
75. Consider myself a responsible adult
76. See Melbourne when it’s sunny
77. Finish Final Fantasy V
78. Feel financially secure
79. Skate backwards for three laps at the skating rink
80. Make scouse
81. Make Irish soda bread
82. Make soda bread ice cream
83. Go to Bowral
84. Borrow a book from the local library
85. Make real buttermilk pancakes topped with sliced strawberries and pure maple syrup
86. See the New Years fireworks in Sydney Harbour
87. Have a picnic on the grass
88. Wander the Haywards Bay home display village
89. Take my parents out to dinner
90. Learn how to take care of my car properly
91. Make a sand sculpture
92. Visit Caringbah Shopping Village for the first time since 2007
93. Eat at Outback Steakhouse
94. Buy a deck of Uno cards
95. Visit the Southern Gateway Centre
96. Walk on the Sea Cliff Bridge
97. Stay awake for 35 hours straight, and see if I start hallucinating
98. Get some new bedroom décor
99. Make an animated short
100. Eat at the Nan Tien Temple
101. Go hang-gliding

Given that today is the 7th of January, the week is nearly up so I’m getting in right away!

You might also have notice I still have not updated some of the pages on this site… I really need to get that done but first, I have to finish off some client websites. I was told off by one client for taking time off during the holidays. Heaven forbid I get a break in my work schedule.

Yeah, you might be able to tell I am having a lot of troubles with my business. I didn’t realise people could be as fussy as they are, and I never realised just how hard it could be to communicate. But that’s not the worst part. I am just not cut out to work for myself. I haven’t got enough of a work ethic to pull it off. I can work for a boss, but I am a terrible boss of myself. Does that make sense to anyone else?

So far, I’ve digitally inked two pages (after having sketched their drafts last night). I will only post these two pages on this blog… because I want the rest not to be spoilt when I upload the full comic book to a new website!

The comic still does not have a decisive title yet. Working title is Ather and Earth, named for the two worlds the comic visits.

Click “Continue Reading” below to see the two pages.

Well, I don’t have much time right now as I have to get ready for work soon, but suffice to say that there is A LOT to catch up on!

• The largest change has been my change of address. I now live with my sister in a 2 bedroom villa. It’s not that large but it’s cosy and a good size for just the two of us. I have a queen size bed now which is awesome.
• Business is still chugging along, though it stalled for a while there. Not making much money at this point, but what the hey. I’m making a little. Just working out kinks in my process. Working on four sites currently.
• Comic has been on hold since Script Frenzy. Haven’t felt like it but I plan to start drawing at that moment of inspiration. It will come eventually. :-/
• I skimmed Drawing the Line a couple of months ago, and decided that it sucked beyond repair. I consider it my practice novel and nothing more. The plot is just too pathetic.
• Next month I’ve booked a trip for my sis and I to go to Melbourne. I paid for it all since I owe her money.
• I own a laptop again. Brand new from Catch of the Day. I made sure it had a dual core processor so I wouldn’t get frustrated with how long it took to do ANYTHING such as even load a browser, unlike the Compaq Presario I bought off Dad for $150.
• I am a member of Contours gym. It was really tough for the first few weeks. I got so sore all the time. Now I don’t get sore but do get muscular fatigue for about 4 hours after I go, so I make sure I do it in the late afternoon so I can focus on working during the day. I’m seeing an improvement in my strength, but my weight hasn’t decreased at all. Hopefully it’s due to my big, heavy, bulging muscles.

So that’s a quick update on my life right now. Will try to fill it greater details when I have a bit more time

Later!

Sure they’re not getting me much money, but the more sites I do the more my name gets out there, and that can only be a good thing.

Dad signed me up for Barter Card a few days ago – and that’s what brought one of my clients to me. It’s not “real” money, but it doesn’t matter, so long as I find things to buy with my BC credits, and others see my little icon at the bottom of every website I build so that cash customers find me.

Not only that, but the more clients I get, the better it will be for my whole system. I’ll learn the ins and outs much quicker since I’m a Barter Card member and attracting more jobs. Barter Card isn’t for everyone but I think it can certainly benefit me in those ways.

So… I’m pretty happy with business right now. Never mind my lack of actual money form the business. That’s what NEIS is for anyway.

Never mind though, because this new computer is giving me a geekgasm. Check out the sexy spec.

• Processor : Intel® Core™2 Duo ‘E8400′ (3.0GHz, 6M cache) ;
• Memory : 4GB DDR2 Ram ;
• Hard Disk : 1TB SATA Hard Disk; 32MB cache ;
• Video Card : 512MB nVidia® GeForce 9500GT with TV-out & DVI ;
• Monitor : 24″ wide LCD w/ Speakers; 1920×1080 res; 2ms response time wide ;
• Network Card : On-board gigabit LAN ;
• Wireless LAN : 54 Mbps Wireless-G adaptor ;
• DVD Writer/Blu-Ray : DVD +/- RW Dual Layer Drive ;
• Firewire : 3-port IEEE1394 PCI Card ;
• Sound Card : Onboard 6-channel High Definition Audio ;
• Keyboard (Mouse) : Keyboard + Optical Mouse (Logitech) ;
• Card Reader : Internal Memory Card Reader/Writer (CF/SD/MMC/SM/MD/MS) ;
• Operating System : Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional ;
• Warranty : 2-Year Return to Base Limited Hardware Warranty
  Monitor 3-Year Manufacturer Limited Warranty ;

… All for $1600.
On top of that, I’ve spent a few days setting up a home office in my bedroom. It’s looking good but not yet finished. I’ll try to remember to post a photo once it’s ready.

In the meantime you may have a peek at the website. Constructive critique and comments welcome.

Site Flight has come in leaps and bounds since my last blog post, but I also spent a lot of time working on a website I don’t think I’ve mentioned here. It’s called the Illawarra Directory, and it’s something of a marketing gimmick that doubles as a useful free tool. Everybody wins! Except, perhaps, my competitors. It will be a business directory. I have a development area with the site as it is, but it’s currently password protected so you won’t be able to view it at the moment.

So anyway, if you want to see how Site Flight is coming along, just click here. So far I’ve created a number of pages, all of which I am pretty proud of. It’s absolutely the most aesthetically pleasing site I’ve ever made, and also the least reliant on tables. I don’t fully understand what’s so terrible about table-based design (I listen to the arguments against them, but it still doesn’t click), but it’s admonished by a lot of website designers, so what the hey. Gotta keep with the current standards and all that.

As for NEIS, phew! For a two-days-a-week course, it’s incredibly hectic. The problems lie in what we have to do when we’re not there.

Oh, and it doesn’t help that on Tuesday next week we’re each meant to spend 10 minutes in front of the class… doing something. What we do is apparently up to us. WHAT THE…?! How am I supposed to think of something? Seriously, that’s lame. Why can’t we be given SOMETHING to work off. Free reign is great, but for this sort of thing? Gah!