Show Your Ability Show 2008

I went to the Show Your Ability road show today and it was pretty good. I got to see some back cushions that i personally am interested in, which were the Motion Concepts backs.

Invacare unfortunately didn't have a TDX SR on demo as it's arriving tomorrow, so hopefully the TDX SR will be at the other shows.

Invacare did have a 'pimped up' TDX SP though and WOW!!! Rims painted gold, castor forks painted gold, lights, radio and speakers, PSP, GP, seat decoration, 8 Que ball on top of joystick controller etc.. Below are some photos

TDX SP Pimped up with lights, radio, PSP, GP (global positioning) etc

Wheelchair Sports Started Up

Electric wheelchair sports started up again today and it was fun. I played hockey today and it went well, no idea who won.

I then went food shopping after

The Black Sticks did it, they are going to Beijing!!!

The Black Sticks did it, they are going to Beijing!!!

Black Sticks captain Ryan Archibald with the cup

Black Sticks captain Ryan Archibald and Phil Burrows after the golden goal

New Zealand celebrate victory

Olympic hockey tournament participants New Zealand

The game was so tense to watch, we thought Argentina had taken it but in the last few seconds the Black Sticks scored the golden goal, what a goal that was too. It was 1-0 to Argentina at half time, then the game ended in a draw 2-2. NZ took the win with 3-2.

World Hockey Olympic Qualifier - NZ vs France

YAY New Zealand beat France 2-0 which means New Zealand are in the final playing against Argentina tomorrow. Ireland will be playing against France.

World Hockey Olympic Qualifier

I went to the World Hockey Olympic Qualifier the other day to watch my first live hockey game and it was awesome!!! Since I play the game it made it easier to follow.
I sat above the teams area and had a clear view of the whole grounds.
The 2 games I watched were New Zealand vs Argentina which we lost 0-2. The other game was Ireland vs USA and Ireland kicked USA butt's heheh 7-0 Argentina, Ireland and New Zealand are the top teams but Argentina is the better team as I have heard. Argentina had great defence along with great attack when playing against NZ.

NZ didn't play too good that day I thought, compared to the game I watched 2 day's before. Every time the NZ team tried to pass, Argentina players were all over the NZ player's. But we did score then Argentina protested about our goal bad's sportmans ship.
My Auntie and Uncle are here from Ireland to watch the hockey and of course are wanting Ireland to win. So it's been kinda funny trying to see what teams I want to loose to keep NZ top and get into the finals. NZ did beat Ireland 2-1 :D

Web site click me

I'm Back!!!

Woah what a week or so I've had. I found out that the motherboard had blown and would have to replaced along with a new CPU and DDR RAM (my pc is 4yrs old). I decided not to get it fixed. I had to wait a week before I could get a new computer (money reasons). I had been researching in getting a new computer since August 2007 and was debating over a windows pc or a Apple iMac.

I am now sitting in front of my beautiful iMac:) It's such a nice computer and will take me a little while to get used too.

.::Isn't she just beautiful::.

iMac, 20-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Apple Mighty Mouse
SuperDrive 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
Apple Keyboard + Mac OS X
Apple USB Modem
320GB Serial ATA Drive

iWork 08 (pages=word, numbers=spreadsheet, keynote=powerpoint)
AppleCare Protection Plan (wsrrenty)

I did manage to order it all under Educational as Dad works at a Uni :XD
I ordered it yesterday and it arrived today from Sydney, Australia. That's fast delivery!!!

One thing that I find I will have to get used to is: the menu bar for each program. If I'm using a browser the menu bar is up the top next to the Apple icon, if I click on another program like yahoo messenger or Adium or whatever, the menu bar is still at the top but changes per program you click on. It's the same for the Mail program and here I was trying to find the mail menu bar, when I realised it was at the top.

Good to be back online again :XD

Computer Is Slowly Turning On Me

My computer is really failing on me now gahhh I didn't think I would get it going again.

Last night I got home and turned the computer on and nothing happened so tried again and still nothing. Now my heart was starting to beat a little faster getting worried as I had not backed up my stuff. I turned the power off at the wall, my brother checked all connections and plugs and all ok, swtiched power on again. I turned the pc on, it's green light came on then it died. It did this quite a lot, it just never started. Later I tried again and finally the pc started up, green light on, diskdrive light flashes (normal) and HD was running. Nothing was on the monitor, monitor had power to it so nothing wrong there. Modem, USB Hub lights were not all on either so I knew the HD wasn't loading. I left it going for 20mins then turned it off. I tried turning it on again and it didn't start up at all again, the green HD light came on but it quickly turned off.

Today I tired turning it on again and all I got was a quick start, green light, then it went off. Did the power wall trick again and nothing. I guess it's not the Power Supply, which I thought it might be, but it can't be that since the HD is starting up every so often. It could be the HD struggling to start up, as this is failing I've been told, but again I don't know. I turned the pc on again and this time I got a blue HP logo on the screen and then nothing else so later turned it off.

Well I don't know what happened, but it was good, the computer started up straight away, got the HP screen then the windows loading screen..this looked promising. I let it carry on and it finally loaded up and here I am.

I'm backing up stuff as I type this and I'm not going to turn the freakin thing off!! I don't know what's wrong, but will give my tech shop friend a ring and see if she can idenifiy the problem. It's time to get my new computer!!

It's been awhile but I'm back for 2008

It's been awhile since I last blogged, infact 2007 flew by so no news for that year.

Racing legend Brock killed in car crash

Nine-times Bathurst 1000 winner and Australian motor racing legend Peter Brock has been killed while competing in the Targa West Tarmac Rally in Western Australia.

Brock was competing on the second day of the Targa West Rally when his Daytona Coupe hit a tree on a country road near the small community of Gidgegannup, about 40 kilometres east of Perth.

Brock, 61, was killed and his co-driver Mick Hone was injured. Hone was later taken to Swan Districts Hospital where he was reported to be in a stable condition. The Confederation of Australian Motorsport said the crash happened at about midday local time. No other cars are believed to have been involved. The road had been closed to traffic and spectators and road rules had been suspended for the race.

WA police spokesman Graham Clifford said the Major Crash Unit from Perth was at the scene and was investigating the accident. "We believe that a vehicle is approaching a sweeping bend and for whatever reason lost control, left the road and collided with a tree," he said. He said it was unclear how fast the car was travelling when it crashed into the tree. "At the time it was a speed section, so it would have been travelling fairly quickly at that location," he said.

It was the first time Brock had competed in the rally. Event organisers will hold a meeting tonight to decide whether the race will continue.

Prime Minister John Howard said Peter would be remembered as a legend. "I was shocked and saddened to hear of Peter Brock's death," Mr Howard said.

"The removal of Brockie takes away a legend of motor racing in Australia."

'Peter Perfect'

Known as 'Peter Perfect' and the 'King of the Mountain', Brock won the Bathurst 1000 nine times in the 1970s and 80s.

In 1969 the Holden Dealer Team gave Brock his first break to drive at the Bathurst 1000 - he placed third.

He became the team's lead driver and won his first Bathurst 1000 in 1972, going on to win the 1979 race by a record six laps.

In 1980 he became the first driver to win the trifecta of Bathurst, Sandown and the Australian Touring Car title in the same year.

Brock's Bathurst reign was marked by a long-running rivalry with Ford driver Allan Moffat, and the pair were so intensely competitive that they never flew on the same airline together.

In 1997, Brock retired from full-time V8 Supercars racing and launched the Peter Brock Foundation, which provides support to a wide range of community programs. But returned to Bathurst to win the 24-hour race in 2003.

Peter Geoffrey Brock

26 February, 1945 - 8 September, 2006

Taken from here and here

~*Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin Dies*~

'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin has been killed in a stingray attack near Cairns on Australia's far north coast today - Monday September 4th, 2006.

Irwin had been filming a segment for his daughter Bindi's upcoming television series. Irwin was in the area filming his own documentary, to be called Ocean's Deadliest, but weather had stalled filming. Irwin decided to take the opportunity to film some shallow water shots for his daughter's television program.

"It is understood he was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest," and put a whole into his heart.

Crew members aboard the boat, Croc One, called emergency services in the nearest city, Cairns, and administered CPR as they rushed the boat to nearby Low Isle to meet a rescue helicopter. Medical staff pronounced Irwin dead when they arrived a short time later.

Stingray attacks are extremely rare. There have only been two similar deaths reported in Australia.

Irwin is famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchcry "Crikey!" in his television program "Crocodile Hunter," which was first broadcast in Australia in 1992 and has aired around the world on the Discovery channel.

He rode his image into a feature film, 2002's "The Crocodile Hunters: Collision Course" and developed the Australia Zoo as a tourist attraction.

Prime Minister John Howard, among many other politicians, expressed his "shock and distress" at the death, saying that "Australia has lost a wonderful and colourful son.

” Steve Irwin's body was flown to a morgue in Cairns, where stunned family and friends were gathering on Monday night. His wife Terri was informed of her husband's death while on a walking tour in Tasmania, and returned to the Sunshine Coast with their two children Bindi and Robert.

"He died doing what he loved best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. He would have said, "Crocs Rule!"


Steve Irwin
1962 - 2006

~*Carpet is Completed!*~

CARPET IS ALL DONE!

Yep I can't believe it, but they finished the lounge today, the two bedrooms and hallway was done yesterday, I'm so happy it's done. It looks great too, like a brand new flat.

Now I need brand new furniture hehe. I do need to buy a new sofa/bed. My Dad and brother are back around tonight to move furniture back, well some of it anyhow LOL my technology stuff. Boxes of stuff will be moved over tomorow and the weekend.

~Carpet Update*~

I rang my Housing NZ person and said the carpet is being done on Wed finally and that was all good. I asked him to get onto the outside as the mould inside has got worse, after it was cleaned up abit when the people came to clean the mould off the walls. The mould had grown back on the walls too so my mum had to clean that. I said it's not a waiting job, it has to be done in the next two weeks or month!! So he's sorting that out now, but will hear from him this week.

My Mum and Dad came over on Sunday and helped clear out my flat as much as we could so there isn't much to move when the carpet people arrive. So I had to pack up all my books, dvds, ordaments, trophys, everything that was on shelves etc into boxes. The sofa that was sitting on top of the mouldy carpet was put in the van, it has mould growing on the seat of the sofa under the cushions, so the sofa will be binned. I was going to sell it. I'm buying a new sofa/bed soon. Dad then packed the van with all the boxes and anything I didn't need.

The spare bedroom is empty now and my lounge is pretty empty too. Not much for the capet guys to move so the job be quicker. I am going to ask them to do the lounge the next day as my family are going to move the entertainment unit, pc etc into the other rooms. I can't wait till the new carpet is done:)

~*Casey*~

I took a photo of Casey with my new Sony digital camera and then I decided to add a border to the photo and some other things and here is the end result.

~*Chill Blains*~

I noticed that I had some briuse like sores on a couple of toes and thought they might be chill blains but I'm still not 100% sure what they are. They are small raised (swallon?) purple bumps which are not broken skin. I have two on my little toe, two on my middle toe and one on the inside of my big toe which is the smallest one. Then I have one on top of my big toe on the other foot which hasn't changed and it fairly flat looking and redish/purple. The only two that were sore were the middle toe ones, but were not sore to bother me too much.

I think over June I got these as I had only been wearing my white medical sock (thin material) and my compression stockings and shoes. When I was out and about I could feel my feet were like ice blocks as I wheeled around against the icey wind. So I think it's half my fault for not wearing cotton socks over the top and my bad circulation, but I thought wearing socks over my compression stockings would make it harder for me to get my shoes off etc.

I've been wearing woollen socks now since beginning of July and this is helping. My feet and legs below the knees seem warmer at the end of the day, and my chill blains if that's what they are are going down and looking better apart from one. So these woollen socks are helping with the circulation too by the looks. Also during the night my biomad overlay is helping too as it keeps my circulation moving in my legs.

I have contacted my nurse at the Dr's and let her know about them and she said if you feel like they need looking at, to come in and she will check them. But so far the sores are getting better, just have to make sure they don't break down.

~*June was very Icy Cold*~

I'm still around, just haven't had much to say as I haven't done a lot during the Icy cold patch in June. Yes June was really icy cold here and gave us an early start to Winter. We don't normally get cold weather till August at least. I was kinda stuck inside for a while due to the wet cold weather trying to find things to do.

~*Carpet Ordered*~

Four days ago I got a call from a guy about the carpet..surprise surprise. Finally they are ordering the blue/grey carpet for me, still no idea when the next phone call will be to arrange days. So this is just an update of this yearly process..

~*Carpet to be done on..*~

wahooo Carpet is going to be done next Wednesday 16th!!! They coming over at 9.30am. They will go over to Thursday as well to do the lounge.

~*Another Mould Update*~

Well after a few phone calls to my Housing NZ guy I get some action lets hope things get going from today, because christmas is coming.

A guy turned up at my door asking about new carpet and I said yep you got the right place and I haven't heard from this other guy for ages. The guy came and measured up the bedrooms, hallway and lounge all over again..sighs I don't get what is going on but there is a HUGE lack of communication here.

He gave me 3 carpet peices to choose a colour, I said where's my eight choices? he said eight , I said yea the guy said I had eight choices, he laughed and said no, only three.
Grey/blue (my neighbour has this and looks nice)
Green (maybe)
Cream (won't be cream)

I asked him if this is the same cream carpet I have now and he said yep, i was like wow the colour has faded heaps and it's down to the base, some areas the concrete.

I asked him if they will put an underlay under the carpet and he said no as it's costly and due to the wheelchairs driving over the carpet, it turns it up. I said well wheelchairs will do that to most carpets anyhow. He is going to ask about the underlay. He also said the hallways is going to be lino what? I said no, I want carpet and he agreed with me and said it will be carpet.

I then told him that the other guy and I had discussed the rooms and that one room would be done per day due to all the furniture. He said the 2 bedrooms and hallway can be done in a day, it's an easy job. I said as long as I have access to the bathroom, he even asked me how many times I need to go so I said maybe twice. I then talked about my bed and said it can be broken down but take time and a few men to do the job. They are going to do half the bedroom, then lift the bed over and do the other side. I also said that the lounge as a lot of stuff in there and if it's raining we can only move stuff to the bedrooms.

I'm one of those people that get worried that things might break and things are not put back excatly where I like them and reachable and easy access to things.

He is going to give me a weeks notice or so before they come out so I can get family to help move some things.This guy did the carpet next door and the bathroom upgrade before the new lady moved in. Lets hope I don't wait months for the next step.

~*Power blackout causes chaos in Auckland*~

Just heard this now on 12pm midday news Power blackout causes chaos in Auckland
A Vector spokeswoman said the cause of the Auckland blackout was a fault on the Transpower network. She said: "An earth wire has snapped and fallen across the 110 kv feeder from the Otahuhu substation.

**Instead of 20min train trips people got a two hour train trip as the lights had to be done manually etc
A spokesman for Ontrack in Auckland said: "We haven't been able to bring trains into Britomart station (Central Auckland). Passengers have been discharged at Newmarket and the Strand and subsequent services have been scheduled to operate to and from there.

**Hospital is on backup power, all surgerys cancelled unless emergency.

**People at work being sent home, people outside standing around on the streets

**Power won't be back on in some places till 3pm or so

Now this is a wake up call to the goverment to get another line in from Otahuhu to Papakura out South more so there is another wire. We only have one wire and if it breaks like it has today all power goes

Auckland's Power hang ups

picture from the Hearld

All caused my this wire click here

More than 700,000 caught up in power crisis..click here

~*My Sister is off Travelling*~

My sister and her boyfriend flew out of New Zealand early this morning to start there travelling. They are going do travel to some Country's, meet friends and family and find some work over there to get some more travelling money. She has left the Winter behind and gone into Summer. I will miss her, but she will have a great time and will be back one year:)