Back in 2002, during Elton's Sydney concert, he said that he was coming back in 2003 to do a solo tour but, unfortunately, that didn't happen. Five years on, Elton is now coming DownUnder for a set of solo tour dates. This time, he is not performing at his usual concert venues but instead, will be doing the rounds of wineries and open air places in Australia. In Queensland, he will be performing in Townsville and the Elysian Fields at Canungra.
I never thought I'd see the day where Elton John, my favourite singer, would come back to Australia two years in a row! He came last year and I posted my experience here on my blog but now Elton is coming back again! This time he will be performing solo, without his band. The best news of all is that I'M GOING!!!! YES!!!
At the beginning of the month, radio station 4KQ announced they were giving away tickets to Elton's "A Knight Under The Stars" concert. I was so excited and tried, on and off, all day to phone through and hopefully be a lucky ticket winner but I definitely wasn't having much luck. It was late afternoon and I had practically given up hope when I heard the DJ make the final announcement of the day to call in for the concert tickets. Mum tried calling through on the home phone while I used my mobile. I LOVE AUTOMATIC SPEED-DIAL! On my third try, I was connected to the station and told that I'd won Silver tickets to see Elton John!!! I was in shock as I had felt all my chances had gone but I'm so thrilled to have been proven wrong.
I went into the station with Reece to pick up the tickets and we'll be heading to the concert this Sunday, 25 November at the Elysian Fields, Canungra!! Watch this space for a concert review and, hopefully, some pics. Thanks again to 4KQ for giving me tickets!
I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!
Brad's World - my love of music, books & modern technology.
Saturday, 24 November 2007
Friday, 17 August 2007
Harry Potter Series Complete
I've been really interested in the Harry Potter series since (I think) 2002 or 2003, when Mum bought the video version of Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone for Aaron, my little brother, and now it has grown throughout the years since then. At that time, I thought that Harry Potter was just a kid's novel, but at least, I was half-right about that.
Since that first movie, I've been hooked onto the Harry Potter series! Mum did get the Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets DVD for Aaron, I watched it and liked it as well, then when Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban came out on DVD, I got it that Christmas from Mum! That was also a good one to watch! It was between the release of Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire at the cinemas that I actually started reading all the Harry Potter books, I ended up borrowing them from the local library, I couldn't put them down because I loved them so much!
When Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire came out at the
movies on December 1, 2005, I really wanted to go and see it, so Troy, my
cousin, took me with him to see it the week after the release date. We both enjoyed it so much that, in April, when it came out on DVD, I bought a copy. Also in 2005, I got my first Harry Potter book titled, Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, which came out in July/August. I got it the day before my birthday. Unfortunately, I did a very bad thing and read the last few pages before starting the book which kinda spoiled the full excitement for me. I promised myself I would read the 7th Harry Potter book normally and not give in to the temptation of reading the ending first. I really enjoyed Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, it was a little scary at one point, but I got over it!
Well, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix was
released into Cinemas on Wednesday, July 11 2007 here in Australia and Troy (my cousin) was one of the people who got to see it on its release night! Little did I realise, until Mum told me on the Thursday that week that Troy was going to take me to see the new Harry Potter movie two days later. We got to the cinemas, got tickets, went and got our seats and Troy then went to get something for us to eat during the movie! Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix was great to watch. Troy said he enjoyed it more when he watched it with me, but both Troy and I thought there was something missing, but we didn't know what it was.
There were many parts that were in the book, but there were other parts done differently and some parts that weren't really in the book at all! There were some parts where the movie had very brief flashbacks of the past movies, but I won't tell you what parts in case you haven't seen the movie yet! I rate the movie 5 out of five! I have to say that if it wasn't for Troy taking me to see Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire in 2005 and Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix Saturday July 14, I may not have seen either of them at the cinema and that really made the Harry Potter experience so much better. I just want to say a BIG thank you to Troy!
And finally, the new and final Harry Potter book; Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows is out! I went down to Big W in our local shopping centre with Troy and we picked up our pre-ordered copies of the new book. After we got the books, Troy dropped me home and then he went home. I started reading the book that day as soon as I got home. Even though I would have breaks for water and lunch and dinner, I had fun reading it and I got through a few chapters. I read it each night until 4 o'clock the next morning, by which time, I'd go to bed.
I finally finished reading it on Wednesday July 25th. Mum had just got up, and she was excited to see that I was nearly finished the book. I am so happy with the way the book ended. I am also happy at the way the book ended the entire Harry Potter series! I rate the new book 5 out of 5 because, like all previous Harry Potter books, I just could not put it down at all! J. K. Rowling has a way of keeping her readers captivated! Yes, I admit I'm sad that the series has to end now; I hate it when series end in odd numbers so I do wish she ended it in book 8 rather than 7. Another thing is that, yes, it does answer a lot of questions, but it also made you want to know some more. For example; what does Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny do as careers?
I just thought I'd mention here briefly that I've heard there are plans for a big Harry Potter world being built in the States where all Harry Potter fans can go and have a feel of what it would bee like inside Hogwarts and in the grounds! That is so exciting! I hear it is going to be a Harry Potter version of Disneyland. I think it may not be finished for a few years yet though.
Now, we wait for the 6th installment of the Harry Potter movie series; Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, which, from what I've heard, will be out in November 2008, and then the final movie (if they do it that is); Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows. I can hardly wait for the final two movies to see how they interpret the books. In my opinion, they should keep everything the same as the final two books and not change any of it as they did in Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix. We will just have to wait and see what happens. Well, that is it on the Harry Potter scene until Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince comes out at the cinemas and this is my final Harry Potter post until then as well, unless I hear any news. For now, I've put some Harry Potter sites in my Link Bar for you to check out..........ENJOY!
Since that first movie, I've been hooked onto the Harry Potter series! Mum did get the Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets DVD for Aaron, I watched it and liked it as well, then when Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban came out on DVD, I got it that Christmas from Mum! That was also a good one to watch! It was between the release of Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire at the cinemas that I actually started reading all the Harry Potter books, I ended up borrowing them from the local library, I couldn't put them down because I loved them so much!
When Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire came out at the
movies on December 1, 2005, I really wanted to go and see it, so Troy, my
cousin, took me with him to see it the week after the release date. We both enjoyed it so much that, in April, when it came out on DVD, I bought a copy. Also in 2005, I got my first Harry Potter book titled, Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, which came out in July/August. I got it the day before my birthday. Unfortunately, I did a very bad thing and read the last few pages before starting the book which kinda spoiled the full excitement for me. I promised myself I would read the 7th Harry Potter book normally and not give in to the temptation of reading the ending first. I really enjoyed Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, it was a little scary at one point, but I got over it!
Well, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix was
released into Cinemas on Wednesday, July 11 2007 here in Australia and Troy (my cousin) was one of the people who got to see it on its release night! Little did I realise, until Mum told me on the Thursday that week that Troy was going to take me to see the new Harry Potter movie two days later. We got to the cinemas, got tickets, went and got our seats and Troy then went to get something for us to eat during the movie! Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix was great to watch. Troy said he enjoyed it more when he watched it with me, but both Troy and I thought there was something missing, but we didn't know what it was.
There were many parts that were in the book, but there were other parts done differently and some parts that weren't really in the book at all! There were some parts where the movie had very brief flashbacks of the past movies, but I won't tell you what parts in case you haven't seen the movie yet! I rate the movie 5 out of five! I have to say that if it wasn't for Troy taking me to see Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire in 2005 and Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix Saturday July 14, I may not have seen either of them at the cinema and that really made the Harry Potter experience so much better. I just want to say a BIG thank you to Troy!
And finally, the new and final Harry Potter book; Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows is out! I went down to Big W in our local shopping centre with Troy and we picked up our pre-ordered copies of the new book. After we got the books, Troy dropped me home and then he went home. I started reading the book that day as soon as I got home. Even though I would have breaks for water and lunch and dinner, I had fun reading it and I got through a few chapters. I read it each night until 4 o'clock the next morning, by which time, I'd go to bed.
I finally finished reading it on Wednesday July 25th. Mum had just got up, and she was excited to see that I was nearly finished the book. I am so happy with the way the book ended. I am also happy at the way the book ended the entire Harry Potter series! I rate the new book 5 out of 5 because, like all previous Harry Potter books, I just could not put it down at all! J. K. Rowling has a way of keeping her readers captivated! Yes, I admit I'm sad that the series has to end now; I hate it when series end in odd numbers so I do wish she ended it in book 8 rather than 7. Another thing is that, yes, it does answer a lot of questions, but it also made you want to know some more. For example; what does Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny do as careers?
I just thought I'd mention here briefly that I've heard there are plans for a big Harry Potter world being built in the States where all Harry Potter fans can go and have a feel of what it would bee like inside Hogwarts and in the grounds! That is so exciting! I hear it is going to be a Harry Potter version of Disneyland. I think it may not be finished for a few years yet though.
Now, we wait for the 6th installment of the Harry Potter movie series; Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, which, from what I've heard, will be out in November 2008, and then the final movie (if they do it that is); Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows. I can hardly wait for the final two movies to see how they interpret the books. In my opinion, they should keep everything the same as the final two books and not change any of it as they did in Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix. We will just have to wait and see what happens. Well, that is it on the Harry Potter scene until Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince comes out at the cinemas and this is my final Harry Potter post until then as well, unless I hear any news. For now, I've put some Harry Potter sites in my Link Bar for you to check out..........ENJOY!
Wednesday, 11 July 2007
Steve Irwin - The Crocodile Hunter
Late last year, I think it was either October or November, I was having a really great day one week and later that day, when Mum came home from picking my brother, Aaron, up from school, I had found out some very sad news; Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter and owner of Australia Zoo was killed by a stingray while filming a documentary. Mum got home and said that she had heard from some other mums at the school that Steve had died. Later that day, I watched the news with Mum and my brothers and felt very shocked. I used to always watch his Crocodile Hunter series since I was a kid in the early 90s. After watching the news of Steve's death, I walked around feeling shocked all night.
Who ever thought that Steve Irwin would die in such a way? I certainly didn't think so. I can still remember certain episodes of The Crocodile Hunter series from when I was little. Unfortunately, I've noticed that the series I used to watch isn't on DVD yet, that really annoys me. A Crocodile Hunter box set for each series would be nice. The only ones that I've seen that have been put on DVD are the ones made from 2000 on. I remember the episode where Steve and Terri followed the dingo fence from one place to another, finding all different kinds of wild animals who either died on the fence or are around the fence. I can't remember the entire Crocodile Hunter series that we don't have on DVD, that is why it would be nice for the earlier series to be put on DVD; on single DVD or a box set.
A few days later, Mum, my youngest brother Aaron, and I went to the local shopping center and got Steve's first ever movie (and obviously his one and only movie too), we brought it home and watched it. It was a very good movie, but to be honest, I like the Crocodile Hunter series the most as they are solely about Steve. When they had the Steve Irwin Memorial, it was broadcast live throughout Australia, even all the schools were watching as well. During the Memorial broadcast, Mum cried and I just felt all sad. It didn't really hit me that Steve Irwin had died until later that day. After watching several cut-down versions of the Memorial service (obviously, being live, the morning broadcast was the full version, nothing edited at all), it began to really sink into me. I just cried and cried and still couldn't believe that he had died.
Not long after that, we got all the episodes of The Crocodile Hunter from 2000 onwards, there are six in the set. I've been watching one DVD a night and you can really tell that Steve had pride in his job at Australia Zoo, but also as enthusiastic animal lover, reptiles or not. You see how he was emotionally upset by the fire on the way up to the Cape York Peninsula at the very top of Queensland (Australia's Wild Frontier) and the episode where Steve had a mother Orangutan bringing her baby down to Steve (Faces of The Jungle). I feel The Crocodile Hunter series are a fantastic way to educate kids and adults about reptiles and other animals, even though they don't go into as much detail about each animal as a book would. I so wish I could have gone to Australia Zoo before Steve died. My sister, Michelle, and her boyfriend went there a few months ago and they really enjoyed it, they did lots of things there that would have been great fun.
Who ever thought that Steve Irwin would die in such a way? I certainly didn't think so. I can still remember certain episodes of The Crocodile Hunter series from when I was little. Unfortunately, I've noticed that the series I used to watch isn't on DVD yet, that really annoys me. A Crocodile Hunter box set for each series would be nice. The only ones that I've seen that have been put on DVD are the ones made from 2000 on. I remember the episode where Steve and Terri followed the dingo fence from one place to another, finding all different kinds of wild animals who either died on the fence or are around the fence. I can't remember the entire Crocodile Hunter series that we don't have on DVD, that is why it would be nice for the earlier series to be put on DVD; on single DVD or a box set.
A few days later, Mum, my youngest brother Aaron, and I went to the local shopping center and got Steve's first ever movie (and obviously his one and only movie too), we brought it home and watched it. It was a very good movie, but to be honest, I like the Crocodile Hunter series the most as they are solely about Steve. When they had the Steve Irwin Memorial, it was broadcast live throughout Australia, even all the schools were watching as well. During the Memorial broadcast, Mum cried and I just felt all sad. It didn't really hit me that Steve Irwin had died until later that day. After watching several cut-down versions of the Memorial service (obviously, being live, the morning broadcast was the full version, nothing edited at all), it began to really sink into me. I just cried and cried and still couldn't believe that he had died.
Not long after that, we got all the episodes of The Crocodile Hunter from 2000 onwards, there are six in the set. I've been watching one DVD a night and you can really tell that Steve had pride in his job at Australia Zoo, but also as enthusiastic animal lover, reptiles or not. You see how he was emotionally upset by the fire on the way up to the Cape York Peninsula at the very top of Queensland (Australia's Wild Frontier) and the episode where Steve had a mother Orangutan bringing her baby down to Steve (Faces of The Jungle). I feel The Crocodile Hunter series are a fantastic way to educate kids and adults about reptiles and other animals, even though they don't go into as much detail about each animal as a book would. I so wish I could have gone to Australia Zoo before Steve died. My sister, Michelle, and her boyfriend went there a few months ago and they really enjoyed it, they did lots of things there that would have been great fun.
Computers, Software And Technology
Australian PC User is such a great magazine! I get it every month and haven't been disappointed yet. Back in February, the magazine, PC User, supplied a video overview of Windows Vista. I watched the video and I was definitely hooked. All the new features and also some old ones that have been redone! When I looked through a later PC User issue, I read about all the computers that they have tested and then I found one for $1,499 with a pretty good rap. I am very excited about it! It is not a name-brand one like HP, Dell, IBM or anything like that, but I don't care. As long as it works and has everything I need, I'll be happy! I've been saving my money and, hopefully, I'll get it at the end of the year or early next year.
One thing I do realize about getting my new computer is that it may not come with programs I need like Microsoft Office or other programs, but I just have to say that I am a little disappointed in the latest Microsoft Office suite. They've taken out FrontPage, a program I used to use at school for a project. FrontPage was in Microsoft Office 2003, but taken out of Office 2007, therefore I am going to try and see if I can get Office 2003, otherwise, I'll buy Office 2007 and get FrontPage separately (I know I've already got a web site editor, but sometimes it is nice to use another one along side the one you're using). Apart from that disappointment, Office 2007 actually looks really good with its new ribbon bar (that is all I know about the new Office). If Microsoft Office is too expensive, I'll probably use a free, open-source program called OpenOffice.org, which actually sounds quite good, especially since it is free!
I also don't know if people are aware, but MP3 players come in different formats; Flash, Microdrive and Hard Drive. For those of you who don't know what the difference is (I learnt the hard way when I got my MP3 player, more on this later), I will tell you now. Flash MP3 players are the ones that are pretty small and can fit in your pocket without any weight at all, there are also no moving parts (such as a hard drive needle or disc) in Flash based MP3 players, so you can run around with them and do whatever you want with them. Microdrive based MP3 players are good, but from what I hear, these ones are not as successful as the Flash ones or the hard drive based ones. Microdrive MP3 players are bigger than Flash based ones, but are smaller than hard drive based MP3 players (like Ipods). Since there is a mini hard drive in the Microdrive players (this means that there are moving parts that need to access songs), which means that you cannot take it on a run or a jog or else you could cause the MP3 player to skip and the needle to go all over the place.
Around August-September last year, I decided to get an MP3 player because I was sick of having to change CDs while I am busy and I also found it frustrating, seeing as I love to dance to my music, a CD walkman won't help at all because the songs will skip all over the place (and sometimes I have to press STOP several times before it actually stops the CD). The MP3 player I got was a 5.0GB Creative MuVo2 FM, which is fantastic, but still not enough space for me to put all my favourite CDs on it. The sound quality was also fantastic, even having a voice recorder and FM radio is fantastic (I just wish they would include AM radio frequency as that is all I listen to, AM stations). If anyone wants to get it, than I have a word of warning. I don't know if it is just the Creative MuVo2 FM or other brands, or if it also happens on flash based ones, but I find, with the MuVo2 FM, you have to be careful when you have the player plugged into the computer. I get frustrated because after I've finished transferring songs to my MP3 player and I do the usual thing to safely disconnect it via Windows from the USB port, an error comes up on the MP3 player screen saying that it wasn't disconnected properly. Windows XP said it disconnected safely but the MP3 player itself doesn't agree. It tells me I have to run ScanDisk/CheckDisk. You would think that would do the trick, right? Wrong! There have been times when I've had to re-connect to the computer and run CheckDisk at least fifteen times!!! I started to worry that I may lose songs due to this repetitive process or that the MP3 player may eventually stop working altogether. Well, it is still working BUT now the computer won't recognise it at all!! I'm not happy! My Mum has the exact same player as I do and, while she's had the occasional connection problems, the computer is still recognising her player just fine so, obviously, there is a problem with my player. I do intend to upgrade to a bigger and better player like an IPod or Microsoft's new player (Zune), but for now, I will have to stick with what I've got and be satisfied with the songs I have loaded on.
One thing I do realize about getting my new computer is that it may not come with programs I need like Microsoft Office or other programs, but I just have to say that I am a little disappointed in the latest Microsoft Office suite. They've taken out FrontPage, a program I used to use at school for a project. FrontPage was in Microsoft Office 2003, but taken out of Office 2007, therefore I am going to try and see if I can get Office 2003, otherwise, I'll buy Office 2007 and get FrontPage separately (I know I've already got a web site editor, but sometimes it is nice to use another one along side the one you're using). Apart from that disappointment, Office 2007 actually looks really good with its new ribbon bar (that is all I know about the new Office). If Microsoft Office is too expensive, I'll probably use a free, open-source program called OpenOffice.org, which actually sounds quite good, especially since it is free!
I also don't know if people are aware, but MP3 players come in different formats; Flash, Microdrive and Hard Drive. For those of you who don't know what the difference is (I learnt the hard way when I got my MP3 player, more on this later), I will tell you now. Flash MP3 players are the ones that are pretty small and can fit in your pocket without any weight at all, there are also no moving parts (such as a hard drive needle or disc) in Flash based MP3 players, so you can run around with them and do whatever you want with them. Microdrive based MP3 players are good, but from what I hear, these ones are not as successful as the Flash ones or the hard drive based ones. Microdrive MP3 players are bigger than Flash based ones, but are smaller than hard drive based MP3 players (like Ipods). Since there is a mini hard drive in the Microdrive players (this means that there are moving parts that need to access songs), which means that you cannot take it on a run or a jog or else you could cause the MP3 player to skip and the needle to go all over the place.
Around August-September last year, I decided to get an MP3 player because I was sick of having to change CDs while I am busy and I also found it frustrating, seeing as I love to dance to my music, a CD walkman won't help at all because the songs will skip all over the place (and sometimes I have to press STOP several times before it actually stops the CD). The MP3 player I got was a 5.0GB Creative MuVo2 FM, which is fantastic, but still not enough space for me to put all my favourite CDs on it. The sound quality was also fantastic, even having a voice recorder and FM radio is fantastic (I just wish they would include AM radio frequency as that is all I listen to, AM stations). If anyone wants to get it, than I have a word of warning. I don't know if it is just the Creative MuVo2 FM or other brands, or if it also happens on flash based ones, but I find, with the MuVo2 FM, you have to be careful when you have the player plugged into the computer. I get frustrated because after I've finished transferring songs to my MP3 player and I do the usual thing to safely disconnect it via Windows from the USB port, an error comes up on the MP3 player screen saying that it wasn't disconnected properly. Windows XP said it disconnected safely but the MP3 player itself doesn't agree. It tells me I have to run ScanDisk/CheckDisk. You would think that would do the trick, right? Wrong! There have been times when I've had to re-connect to the computer and run CheckDisk at least fifteen times!!! I started to worry that I may lose songs due to this repetitive process or that the MP3 player may eventually stop working altogether. Well, it is still working BUT now the computer won't recognise it at all!! I'm not happy! My Mum has the exact same player as I do and, while she's had the occasional connection problems, the computer is still recognising her player just fine so, obviously, there is a problem with my player. I do intend to upgrade to a bigger and better player like an IPod or Microsoft's new player (Zune), but for now, I will have to stick with what I've got and be satisfied with the songs I have loaded on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)