Nearly Christmas.....

So - It's coming up to Christmas and I just don't have any enthusiasm. None at all. Totally laconic. Whilst its black as night in the UK - its blazing hot here. Though - being sub tropical - its dark at 5.30. So no nice lazy evenings here then. Damn it.

Jacks all excited and for him its not about anything other than that magic that kids feel and the excitement of new toys etc. He's missing snow or at least the prospect of it. He's being a pest and I keep telling him to behave, else its a lump of coal for Crimbo.

But, how do you get excited about Christmas when its bang smack in the middle of summer? It sounds Idyllic doesn't it. Sitting on the balcony - a vodka in hand and bare feet. But its wrong!

Sort of like Chips and ice cream all mixed up. Both nice but plain wrong together.

Hmm....

The Aussie neighbours seem equally confused. Houses are beginning to be decked out in LCD icicles and fake snow. Oh - not to mention that the mental Christmas Bugs are out too. They fly at sunset blindly whizzing and flying about in clouds of buzzy insects, welly-ing themselves of the windows of the house with alarming impact. Sounds like people taking pot shots at the house.... Happens every year. Crack - ping - BZzzzzzzz.. Crack!!

Surreal.

We went to Toys R Us the other day and walked about watching people madly stack trolleys full of boxes. Interactive this and that. An Exercise bike that connects to the telly - where you control a character on the screen. Peddle harder kids.

Fuck this...said I and we went and got coffees. I sat musing for a while and determined that I'm missing home. I mean really really missing home. Its nice here and shit back home. Isn't it. Isn't it?? Or at least that's what I'm telling myself - but its just not true. It's just...different. Good things all around. We have to give it one more year - we need to get citizenship before we can leave. It's for Jack and his future. I like the idea he can be here or in Europe... so I'm prepared to stick this out. He can do University here - what a blast - Uni on the Gold coast - wow.

We bought flights the other week. Jacks basically 70% of an adult fare. I thought about stuffing him in a bag but that's not going to sit well with his mother. 70% fare....though realistically he's only 50% of my height so that's a load of Cr@p. $6000!!! But it does include one day in Korea - Seoul. Time for a Starbucks there then and maybe a look at a building from a taxi window.

Audrey and I are attending a wedding in August in Liverpool. My cousin was quite insistent that we attend and it will be a good excuse to come over. Naturally peak season so the flights were a bit pricey - but we booked via a travel fair and saved about $2K on tax! Crikey.

I'm hoping to pop over and say a quick hello to people and good mates who are not forgotten, despite that fact that no-one ever communicates as much as they should. I was hoping to come and say a quick hullo to people at Rare too - assuming, that is if people will let me as far as the front gate. I suppose I'm a traitor to the cause. But I defend myself - I'm holding up the company from this end. LOL. FYI - Every time there's been an issue down here - I've got the flak from the Pinata Lead. All in jest of course, or was it... hmmm. Apparently I'm solely responsible for Rare's output....*BIG LOL* Oh and according to the Journo's - Rare did all the VP:PA graphics for the game too. so the best aspect of that assumption is, apparently, I got to sit here for 9 months on my arse getting paid. LOL. Nice if you can get it eh....? ;-)

But hey - VP:PA - not as good as it could have been, but certainly not bad either - but shit - a good 9 solid months with a lot to show for it. All helped of course by solid design specs and tried and trusted formulaic gaming - but what else can happen in a deadline like that!! The team down here had to rework and re rig and totally re-interpret the engine, remake models, characters etc to get it to work. They worked from the Four Kids models in the end - and its been interesting seeing Four kids take our models in return, to use in the show!! It's also been a complement to hear reviewers say the graphics have been great, even if the game wasn't quite what they (adult reviewers) wanted. I still say "Its for Kids - 6 year old KIDS!!!!" *sigh

Ps - VP:PA just won 2 awards in in AUS. GDAA awards for Graphics and also Audio. Yay.

Pps - my 5 year old is in love with Horstacio or what ever the saccharine stuffed equine is called....

Best to all and if I don't get around to posting before Crimbo - Happy X-mas. Fall over in an alco-haze everyone.

Would love to hear from you all - give us a mail....

Jim, Aud and Jack