QiRanger Report – 30th April 2008

To blog…

… or not to blog. That isn’t the question.

So one of my friends recently posted a journal listing a series of things he hated. Part of the entry stated the following:

16. Vlogging: Just….no.
17. Vloggers: Because I know you just glossed over that fact and are presumably, right now, preparing a vlog about people that hate on vloggers. The shotgun goes under the chin or in the mouth. Pull the trigger with your toes, like a monkey.

Now this is interesting, since the entry was posted on RvB, where owners are set to upgrade the community site with new video features. That’s right, anyone with an account will be able to upload videos. My question is this: Does this mean that Finchy’s beloved site will now be home to thousands of vloggers now?

I personally enjoy making a quick video and sharing some thoughts with a viewing audience. The time it takes to craft a well written blog is always appreciated, but there’s something real about seeing someone’s face online. I can’t wait for the updated site so I can load videos there as well.

That being said, I do understand the main complaint people have about vlogs – the time involved in viewing them. While I might be able to skim a blog in a minute or two, a vlog forces me to watch it entirely (well maybe not watch it all). But the fact remains that a 5 minutes vlog takes five minutes to watch.

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As you can see from my last vlog, I’ve decided to put a slight hold on Hong Kong. The jobs just aren’t there. That left me with two options: Indonesia or South Korea. While I do speak Indonesian and had a great time there last year, I’ve decided that I’ll focus my efforts on South Korea for employment. The main reason for this revolves around some of the financial benefits I’ll receive there (they pay more).

The only thing that remains, well I guess two, is getting a job and a visa to go with it. I should be getting phone calls from the South Korean coordinator soon to set up some interviews. I also have to go through a laundry list of paperwork to secure my work visa. Luckily, most of the documentation I have on hand from my previous work with Australian Immigration. The only thing I’m missing is a set of Official Transcripts.

Things are really coming together….

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Finally, I do have to say that I really like this morning routine thing. Bypassing the full pot of coffee in the morning and just going with a cup really helps me get out the door on time before it gets too hot. Luckily the forecast for Wednesday is a bit cooler. But I do have to say that the 6-8 miles walks, while a good source of exercise, just don’t do it for me. In fact, Tuesday’s walk really fatigued my legs but didn’t give me that tired feeling I was looking for. So today, I’m going to stretch things out and try and run. I really miss the hard exertion you get by going all out. I’d much rather have a treadmill at 15 degrees, but a run will do until I get to the health club. I’ll let you know if the things that swing can cope.

Once that’s done, the only remaining item on my to-do list is to film an episode of the QiRanger Report.

Cheers!

Hey hey hey…

I forgot…

… how much fun writing a blog was. There’s just something natural about sitting in front of a keyboard with a pot of coffee and jotting down a few thoughts. It may be hard for some to believe, but I started doing this back in 1994, even before there was such a thing as a Web or Blog. I’d craft an e-mail message to my friends and family. I look back on those beginnings and laugh, as during Grad School they were often summarized as follows:

Another long, boring day ahead of me. That’s right, it’s Wednesday. That means a stupid meeting from 8-10am, followed by an ever worse meeting from 10am – noon. Four hours of my life that I’ll never get back that will accomplish absolutely nothing. Half a day. Oy! At least I don’t have class tonight… but I do have a few disciplinary hearings. Oh the joy…

So as I sit here and type away, I do have two pieces of information to share. First, my walking is going well. Thank goodness I enjoy getting up in the morning. The 5am start is great and I’m out the door with a cup of coffee under my belt before the sun comes up. As I walk the 8 miles, I feel the coolness of night slip away when the giant orange balls rises over the Superstitions. At least I’m home before 8am when the heat starts to come. I find it sad that I now have to sit here with the AirCon on just to survive in the house.

Secondly, I’d lke to touch on the whole Miley Cyrus issue. For those not hip to the teen scene, she’s the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus, who’s boot scootin’ boogie was all the rage, back in the day. The Disney princess has come up through the ranks and is a genuine sensation with her Hanna Montana franchise. She’s recently decided to drop the stage act and perform as herself. That move alone caused some heads to turn. But recently, the issue has been some photos that were posted on the Internet taken with some friends. Not exactly of the innocent nature.

But here’s where it gets nuts. She took a few pictures that showed poor judgment. The pictures looked more like something out of a Calvin Klein ad than a teen photo shoot. What made it more interesting is that her father was on set and approved the “artistic” photos to be taken. Seriously. The girl is 15 years old and is already being groomed to be a sex object. It’s a sad state of affairs. What’s more alarming, is that one of the spinners told reporters something to the effect that this was her way of show that she’s growing into an adult and wants to be seen in a different way.

Oy…

The QiRanger Report – 28th April 2008

The US Courts are filled with interesting cases these days… here are three.

First!

It’s Monday and I’m here sitting in front of the computer typing away. In the past few days, I’ve been re-evaluating how I spend my time online. Things that I like, things that I don’t.

One of the things that I’ve realized over the last year, is that I’ve stopped writing as much and have put far more effort into developing video projects. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but an observation. In the past week, I’ve been toying with the idea of setting up a proper blog. But I just can’t see the point. The people I’d want to write for are here on RvB – so I’ve decided to write more here.

So what’s going on?

Well, I’m in a different mode now. What mode is that? In prep mode. Over the last week, I’ve gone through a bunch of stuff and have started getting ready to limit what I have and sell off stuff. I can’t wait.

Now that I’m done with the TEFL training, efforts will be put forward to securing a job. I really can’t wait to start interviewing and ultimately accepting a job overseas. Going through my old crap was the first step. This week, I’ll also start going through my file cabinets and pulling out old manuals for TVs, stereos, etc. that I’ll be selling during the estate sale.

I’ve also made some changes to my exercise routine. While I was running up until my hernia, I just haven’t been able to do that in the past weeks. So I’ve been walking. 6-8 miles a day. Now that Phoenix is approaching the 100 degree mark, it really means I need to get out and about before 6am to beat the heat. In fact, I’m going to go now before the sun comes up.

I’ll finish this after that….

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Ah… a nice 6.5 mile walk. I’ll have to hit the 8.5 miler tomorrow. I needed to get back in time to have a good breakfast and prepare for a client. It sounds off saying that, “preparing for a client,” since I’ve not worked in a few months due to the injury. Well that’s not entirely true, as I’ve been volunteering for the church nearly 20 hours a week while I was laid up. But it is a little odd getting back into the healing mode, as I’ve left that business behind to focus on English Education.

It’s a great move and one I’m happy to make. While I enjoy assisting people get out of pain, I have no desire ever to do this as a business again.

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Well, I’ve decided to start a blog elsewhere. Mainly because I do have some family members and friends that are interested in my ramblings that don’t have an RVB account. So what does that mean for me? COPY & PASTE!

Well, that about sums up my morning. I’ll be filming an episode of the QiRanger Report today…. let’s see if it’s as easy as riding a bike.