January 5th 2016

Just letting you know that I will be appearing at the King Street Theatre these school holidays in EMU Productions rock musical for kids "Jungle Book" - the Musical.

I will be playing the villain Shere Khan the savage tiger two shows daily 1030am and 1pm from January 11-30

Really looking forward to the season and working with the cast as its my first time performing at the King Street theatre.

For further details or to book tickets - please click on the link below


JUNGLE BOOK - The Musical

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all

Hope all my friends who follow my blog have a great day tomorrow and happy and successful 2016

Don't forget to look out for my book when your having a break hehe

Take Care

James

Garden Palace Deal - Latest Update

Garden Palace Bookstore

** UPDATE ** - This has been postponed to mid- January 2016

Book is still available for purchase at $4.99 USD - appreciate your support

James

I have been monitoring the progress of the eBook sales for Garden Palace and whilst its still slow, given that there has not been any promotion, there is a cool period coming up after Christmas that could change all that.

The current Price is US$4.99 but this will be reduced for a very short period of time between Christmas and New Years Eve.

The idea is to make it more accessible to a broader range of people at a time when many have more spare hours to read :-)

So if you haven't bought a copy - keep monitoring my Garden Palace Store - the link is to the right of this page.

James

December 10th 2015

Friends

In the beginning when I was writing my book I was greatly influenced by the people around me at the time and they contributed to the creation of the characters in differing amounts. Some were loosely based on friends and some were caricatures of people I seemed to encounter from time to time. There were also a couple of characters that were a mix of people all in one and some were just incarnations from my imagination. I am happy to divulge some of those identities but, naturally, not all. Again, they are merely the base for building the character and have no real similarities as far as the plot is concerned, but it often helps to picture these people in order to write about their counterparts.

Nanako 

is based on my good friend and artist/illustrator Nana Sakata. We previously worked together for 6 years and have remained friends ever since. Nana has recently become a mum for the first time!




Abigail

is based on another good friend and fellow singer Ali Manifold. We also had worked together and remained friends even though she is often in the UK with her partner Mike.






Annabella

is based on a friend and former supervisor Angela Magistrale. I haven't caught up with her for a while now but hope to do so in the new year.




Bart


is based on another former colleague and mate Marcus Burton. I haven't seen him for ages but I still get updates through Nana and Facebook occasionally.






Lana

is a bit of a mix of people but I took the name from friend and colleague Alanah Willis.





Ramon

is based on friend and former member of the Australian Ballet - Yosvani Ramos. Yosvani is currently in the US travelling around in The Nutcracker. Luckily he is a big social media user and keeps everyone well informed of his daily adventures.




Ruth is based on my first ever singing teacher, now passed away, Florence Taylor. Florence was a real powerhouse and would teach in Kent street Sydney many long days. She was tough and strict but she cared a lot about her students.

Maggie is based on a few people too as there were many oldies to draw upon for this character :-)

Dimitri is based on Ivan (cant spell his last name) - the best theatre manager I ever worked with.

As for the rest...

Quaaralia is based on...  Frieda is based on.... Wendy is based on... Terrence is based on...

That would be telling :-)

James

December 8th 2015

My company sometimes issues t-shirts and polo shirts to celebrate a launch or a campaign and we are allowed to wear the polo's during the week which makes laundry a very simple thing for me. On Tuesday's a little group of us always wear a blue one and hence our reason for "Bluesday" - I'm sure you feel enlightened now in a massive way.

Has anyone seen the first episode of The Office US and compared it with the original Office UK? I enjoy the US version and last night I watched the UK episode one and I fell asleep twice. I notice that the US version is 22-23 minutes per episode and yet the UK is 29-30 minutes. That extra 7 minutes of waffle is excruciating. I'm sure there's many die hard Ricky Gervais fans out there but it's no contest as to which is funnier.

Looking around my own 'office' I think it would be very easy to do our own version - there's quite a few nut-bags here. Funny how we don't realise how odd we are to others. I guess being a try-hard is in the eye of the beholder. This is a call centre though and that usually requires people who are a bit left of normal.

Today is that little bit extra difficult as I'm getting headaches from this neck issue and treatment - hope it can be all over by Christmas. Anyway I better get back to the coal face.

James

December 7th 2015

Monday morning

I don't know anyone who likes Monday mornings. For me personally I really don't like them, however I do like it when it's lunch time and you know that you have already gotten through half of it.

I survived the staff Christmas party last Friday and managed to escape around 8pm when the live band karaoke began - genius idea right.

I was happy to get the Christmas tree up yesterday, though it still hasn't been fully trimmed so no photos as yet.

Received an email from Amazon suggesting I should buy my eBook "Garden Palace" based on my recent searches - what a clever website.

Have been restricted to cardio exercises whilst my neck receives physio as its a very slow recovery. Kinda feels more painful and tender whilst undergoing the treatment so still needing the ibuprofen to get through the day.

Only discovered recently that Blueprint Studios has stopped doing headshots for actors - that's a shame - need to look around for a new one now.

Speaking of looking around, it's time to move again so checking out east Sydney for a new place. Not much around - particularly not much good value for the ridiculous rent!

I noticed today that people have been borrowing my eBook to read some pages - cheapskates - just buy it already.

On a happier note - I rediscovered the Sims 3 yesterday on my PC - what a cool game - what a great way to waste time when you should be doing other things :-)

James

December 4th 2015

Christmas begins

It's that time of year for me when the office gets together for its annual Christmas Party.

We all have them and whilst the companies and people may differ, the same silliness seems to follow.

Last year we went to the Establishment in Sydney, a nice upstairs venue, for a cocktail party. Judging by the pics, I had a fair bit to drink. But this is par for the course.

 


After taking a battering from my physiotherapist, dulling the aches and pains sounds like a very good idea.

Trying very hard to get my contract signed and sent to my agent today too but the damn printer here wont work for me - stupid thing. Hopefully some friendly colleagues will help in time to keep my representation.

Don't forget to leave feedback if you enjoy the book. Try not to sound like an advertorial though or the moderators will delete your entry :-)


Have a nice weekend

James

December 3rd 2015

I have started to research the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow as part of my next writing project. As you can see it is a beautiful theatre on the inside, but it too had a very unique history.

If you are familiar already with my novel Garden Palace, you may have already seen a possible connection to Moscow and the Bolshoi Theatre. Whilst some of the characters may have a personal connection, there is also a connection between the earlier Moscow Theatres that stood before it, and Sydney's own Garden Palace. Synonymous with the Bolshoi Ballet, the Bolshoi Theatre has seen many performances of ballet and opera, but it has also seen its fair share of drama off the stage as well.

Apart from researching the theatre I have been contuning treatment on my neck, its slow progress but the spasms were quite severe and the spine of course is also affected. But I am in good hands so I just have to do whats necessary to get back to normal.

I was watching a documentary recently on bloggers in Bangladesh and how they risk their lives to report on the oppression that they are expereincing. A list of around 100 names circulated in their country as being anti-government and at least 10% of these people have already been killed, some lucky ones have managed to flee to Europe. It makes you realise just how good this country of Australia reallly is and how lucky we are to live here. These people fear that they will become another Iraq or Pakistan as they are wedged between the two countries and although about 90% of the population follow Islam, the country is still considered secular. The bloggers are protesting how Islam is influencing the government and the violence and oppression is extreme and gruesome. I do hope that those who are living in fear can find a peaceful life one day.

I'm quite disheartened at the amount of noise I hear from the extreme left in Australia who are unfortunately loud and influential. I hear many people call Australia a police state and some women say they are oppressed and dont have a voice in this country. I don't appreciate the way people enjoy the freedom of speech in this country to completely denounce it. If you honestly feel Australia is too oppressed and awful to live in, move to Bangladesh and then see if you have a right to complain.

I enjoy blogging, and I'm glad that I don't have to worry about being hacked to death in front of my family for expressing my views. Doesn't mean it wont happen, as pissing off lefties these days results in a poo-nami of hatred coming at you.

Anyway... back to creativity... thank you to those who have bought the book already. It was never intended to be a best seller but its very rewarding to know that people are taking time to sample your work.

Till next time

James

December 1st 2015

So it's already December and the first day of Summer in Sydney is going to be a hot one.

Since celebrating my birthday last week I'm back at work and counting the days till the Christmas Public holidays.

Went to the doctor last week to finally see about a stiff neck problem I had been having. Was getting tired of defending myself to friends that it was not a Viagra tablet stuck in my throat. Turns out I have about six muscle spasms in my neck and I am off to physio today to start treatment. Looking forward to some relief - hoping they don't drag it out too long.

I haven't done any promotion of my eBook yet - just letting it simmer for now.

Submitted it to Penguin for publishing today - not expecting it to be accepted but at least I have completed what I set out to do.

Have started researching my next book already and it's good to start moving on again.

James

Garden Palace eBook

   

eBook on sale now!!I

 

I'm very pleased to announce that my novel is now for sale on all Amazon websites.

Currently priced at $4.99USD

The eBook includes 15 illustrations by Sydney artist Nana Sakata.

We would appreciate the support if you purchase a copy for your PC, laptop, phone, tablet or Kindle and any other device I have forgotten about.

I have included the link on my blog.

Thanks for your patience guys

James

 

Life on 42nd Street

 

42 Years 

It was 2013 when I last posted on this blogspot as life certainly got in the way of having time to do what i like best - writing and speaking my mind.

Now that it's November 2015 so much has changed and yet so much is still the same.

After celebrating my 42nd birthday yesterday - I recently completed my much anticipated first novel.

There was a lot of drama surrounding my previous attempt but I have used the past two years wisely to create a new book that I am very proud of.

It will soon be availble as an eBook on Amazon and hopefully its good enough to attract the interest of a publisher but I'm just happy to have it completed.

Was also very close to the birth of my illustrator Nana Sakata's first child Ellie so good to see her collaborations are going well still as well.

More on that later - hope you follow my blogs again and watch this space for the link to the novel.

James

 

J G S HABITAT #7

Goodbye apartment!

Well after 8 months I finally left my apartment in Redfern and I couldn't be happier.

Whilst it was a brilliant layout with new carpet and only 5 minute walk to the station, I never had a moments peace in there and when I look back on what happened in my time there, I truly believe it may even have been cursed.

Whilst I was bang on Cleveland Street and only a floor above street level, the traffic noise was not a problem. Sure it was noticeable during peak time or when a motorbike or ambulance roared past but by bedtime it was quite peaceful enough.

The issue was in the building's design and construction. Firstly, the unit above had hard surfaces in all areas so when everything was dropped or dragged I would hear it. But the space in my unit amplified the noise too so it sounded heaps louder. Plus their sliding balcony door actually made my lounge vibrate every time it opened and that was at least 5-6 times an hour.

Added to that, and unbeknown to me before signing the lease, the unit above me had their kitchen situated above my bedroom. Another hard surface with the same issues.

Now this would be okay if ordinary people lived above me in that unit, but as it was a split level 3 bedroom flat, it housed 6 university students from France and there was activity up there 24/7 particularly in the Kitchen. I would hear everything through the floor, laughs, cheers, screams, shouts, guitars, chair sounds, door sounds, tapping, stomping etc and not just sound but reverberations as well.
Nothing could therefore block it out, music, ear plugs or relaxations tapes.

So why didn't I  complain? I certainly did complain -  to everyone.

Real Estate Agent said they couldn't do anything because they didn't manage the other unit.

Strata said that it needs to affect more than one unit to be dealt with by them - I was the only unit underneath theirs.

I even rang the agent of the unit above who reported that, after speaking to the tenant, they believed them when they declared the noise wasn't coming from them - honestly!

So I was advised to call the police when i heard the noise again.

"Hello Officer, the people upstairs are making pancakes at 2am and I cant sleep"

Mostly I don't blame the students, they are who they are and most of their noise should not have been heard by me if the building was properly sound proofed. But being French their disinterest in caring about anyone but themselves was also a disadvantage.

The days leading up to leaving was the worst noise imaginable too as they were on holidays but knowing that I was getting out allowed me to just handle it till then.

So where am I now? Back to the Burn. (Ingleburn - for those north of the bridge)

I will stay out here for a while to recalibrate and work out where I want to go next.

Added to that I am also starting a new job on Monday which is another change I really needed. Sorry to disappoint many of you but I am still not going to sell ice creams in Darling Harbour :-)

But I will be continuing to help people which is something I seem to have a knack for.

You all know that my day job is just a money job and that the real fun happens in the writing department and of course the performing department.

I am happy to report I am back in the audition game this weekend and next weekend so hopefully there will be some extra exciting opportunities down the track.

So that's why my blogs have fallen behind a bit lately as there's been a hell of a lot of packing, moving, and cleaning to do but now things should get slightly back to normal.

If there is such a thing.

Till next week

J G S

COMICAL CORNER #7 - GARRY LARSON

Garry Larson is most famous for his The Far Side series of humourous pictures and gags.

Born in America on 14th August 1950, Garry's single-panel cartoon series was syndicated to over 900 newspapers internationally for around 15 years until his retirement on 1st January 1995.

During this time he sold over 45 million copies of his 23 books of collected cartoons.

But enough of the info, you wanna see his work :-)

Heres some of my favourites.

1. CATS

 

2. DEER

3. DUMB

There's heaps more of them out there so if you want to see more of his work go to...

The Far Side

Enjoy!

J G S

GRIPE NIGHT #19 - PUBLIC SERVANT BULLIES

The workplace is full of bullies but in the media of late there has been great emphasis on the magnitude of bullies in the public service.

It appears to be absolutely rife and in NSW there are currently internal investigations and formal proceedings taking place in order to address the issue.

But it seems the problem often is that the people appearing to be doing the ground work or the noble act of taking this action are quite often the main culprits themselves and in showing such public disdain for it they attempt to shield themselves from scrutiny.

The public service appears to be full of power hungry nobodies who thrive on being big fish in little ponds and crush anybody who infiltrate their territory, and those who don't behave within their expected parameters.

It sounds very much like a coven of witches with a head witch wielding the office power, flanked by a powerless witch who does all the grunt work and finds out all the gossip under the guise of a friendly colleague.

They hear everything, see everything and know everything through networking under the table and covert operations and if they discover something they do not like, they use this network to crush and destroy.

To the unsuspecting worker, they appear to be lovely and very helpful people. But its all a ploy as they help you so that you are indebted to them, and they own you. The minute you stop feeding them the information they thrive on, they begin to dispose of you.

Bullies and the public service go hand in hand, so if you choose to enter this arena be prepared and have your wits about you. Never give them anything that can be used against you and remember above all else, no one is ever really your friend. They will throw you to the wolves the minute it's in their best interest.

Now there must be thousands of lovely people who somehow manage to survive amongst the witches, but bullies are despicable and I pity them for their lives must thrive on negativity and bitterness.

Give me the private sector any day, but yes, even that is not immune from the evils of bullying.

But only recently the Public Service in New South Wales has admitted it's full of bullies and we all know that bullies must be stopped and exposed for the cowards that they really are.

J G S

SYDNEY INSIGHTS #19 - CROSS CITY TUNNEL

The Cross City Tunnel first began way back in 2002 when then Premier of NSW Bob Carr awarded Cross City Motorways the contract to build, own and operate an underground tunnel crossing beneath the Sydney CBD in an East-West direction.

Three years later the Cross City Tunnel was opened by new Premier of NSW Morris Iemma on 28th August 2005 with the same scissors that opened all major Bridges and Tunnels in Sydney since the Harbour Bridge in 1932.

The Tunnel cost $680 Million to build and it was expected that between 60,000 and 90,000 cars would use it every day. However due to its cost and negative publicity it struggled to garner 30,000 cars per day. 

After massive public campaigns and discounts and free trial periods that were offered to the public, there was some increase in usage, however this did not exceed 33,000.

Naturally the Motorway went broke and fell into the hands of the receivers after amassing debts of over $500 Million.

It was then sold to Leightons Contractors and ABN AMRO bank for $700 Million.

Whilst the tunnel remains privately owned it will revert to public ownership in 2030.

Should you wish to take a trip you should be aware of the prices and you must have an eTag as it is cashless. Most motorways and bridges are cashless now but the CCT was the first to be completely cashless.

The full journey from end to end will cost $4.91 one way. If you break your journey at Sir John Young Crescent in the City it will cost $2.32 one way.

Travel times indicate that you can get from World Square to the Airport in under 14 minutes. Of course if you live in Sydney you know that that figure is rubbish as it does not include the high volume of traffic at the beginning and end of the tunnel journey.

A few other facts about the CCT include a maximum speed of 80km/h, between 16-18 traffic lights are skipped using the tunnel, and a 60 metre high ventilation stack in Darling Harbour excretes the air that congests in the tunnel.

The Cross City Tunnel was brilliant in theory and an utter failure in practise which saw it turned into a gross white elephant.

Today its usage has increased to around 45,000 cars per day, but that is still half the expected use. 

It will be interesting to see what the NSW Government does with it when it gets ownership in 2030.

J G S

NRL REVIEW ROUND 19

The Roosters were the big high flyer's in Round 19 when they obliterated a very humbled Sharks outfit 40-0.

The win was quite comprehensive with the absence of star player Sonny Bill Williams and the score line was not indicative of a Top 8 clash. The Roosters are now within striking distance of the Minor Premiership while the sharks have slipped down towards the rim of the 8.

The round kicked off on Friday with a very solid performance by the Warriors who overcame a lacklustre Tigers side 24-14. The win kept the Warriors on target to stay in the finals race and give the Top 8 a really good shake.

Canberra maintained their unbeaten record at home with a 14-0 win over the Eels which was quite respectable given the difference between their performances this year. The win cemented the Raiders position in the Top 8 as well.

On Sunday the Knights showed a very professional performance in another Top 8 challenge when they convincingly defeated a strong Panthers side 32-14 in Penrith. This win puts the Knights in the top spot of the second tier of the top 8 and their for and against record is one of the strongest in the NRL.

The other Sunday game saw the Sea Eagles convincingly topple the Titans at Brookvale 38-20 after the Titans tried to mount a comeback from 24-4. This result not only cemented the Sea Eagles top 4 placing but it also pushed the Titans well out of the top 8.

Finally to wrap up the Round on Monday Night Football, the St George Dragons stunned the entire NRL world especially the South Sydney Rabbitohs, when they stole victory from the Bunnies in Golden Point to win in a huge upset 22-18. This loss has relinquished the outright control the Bunnies had on the Minor Premiership but they still hold a two point lead.

All other Clubs including the Bulldogs had a bye this round which completes the byes for the season and full rounds will now ensue right up until the finals.

So with 7 more games left of the regular season here's how the ladder currently stands. A clear top 8 has emerged with 3 others contenders still in the race. Forget the rest.

32 RABBITOHS
30 ROOSTERS
27 STORM
25 SEA EAGLES
22 KNIGHTS (95)
22 BULLDOGS (10)
22 SHARKS (-41)
22 RAIDERS (-44)
20 Panthers (47)
20 Titans (-23)
20 Warriors (-71)
16 Broncos
16 Cowboys
16 Dragons
16 Tigers
10 Eels

J G S

BLOG REPORT #3

Welcome to the 3rd Blog Report of my daily J G STEVENSON series.

I drastically changed the line-up for my daily blogs during this period and provided more personal insights into my world and how I see things through these rather parochial eyes of mine.

The results were incredible, somehow there seems to be a big interest in my dull little escapades and the stats have gone through the roof. 

The increase overall in terms of views of my blogs is a whopping 34%

So how is my audience shaping up these days? Well it's pretty much unchanged except for a few interesting trends but here is a recap of my previous views since making the change to the current format 18 weeks ago.

Before I changed the format here was the top 10 audiences.

 %

81.4 Australia

12.9 USA          

 1.9  UK              

 1.0  Ireland             

 1.0  South Korea    

 0.8  Germany          

 0.4  Malaysia          

 0.2  Qatar                

 0.2  Sweden           

 0.2  Canada

After 6 weeks of the new format this became....

73.0 Australia       

14.7 USA                  

 5.3  Germany         

 2.5  Russia              

 1.5  UK                    

 1.1  South Korea    

 0.5  Ireland              

 0.5  Romania          

 0.3  Malaysia           

 0.3  France 

Then after 12 weeks, the figures became the following...

65.6 Australia 

20.4 USA

 5.0  Germany

 4.1  Russia

 2.1  UK 

 1.2  South Korea

 0.5  France

 0.4  Ireland

 0.3  Romania

 0.2  Canada

So after changing the daily topics of this new format the figures have now become...

63.7 AUSTRALIA

22.3 USA

 4.8  RUSSIA

 3.9  GERMANY

 2.2  UK

 1.0  South Korea

 0.7  Ukraine

 0.5  France

 0.5  Japan

 0.4  Ireland

The local audience is still dropping in favour of an international audience which is slowly becoming much broader yet the USA market is still increasing to almost a quarter of my overall audience.

In the last 18 weeks over 35 countries have figured in the weekly Top 10 figures as well.

So what are the most popular pages now? Well here's the list.

22.3 FRI    - JGS HABITAT

14.4 SUN  - WAAPA YEARBOOK

13.8 WED - GRIPE NIGHT

13.6 THU  - COMICAL CORNER

13.1 TUE  - SYDNEY INSIGHTS

12.0 SAT   - BOOK UPDATE

 9.9  MON  - NRL REVIEW

I'm thrilled with these results and will continue to keep these topics into the next 6 week series. 

I have been quite erratic with the postings of late, thank you for still following the blogs as they are posted and I can now say it is all up to date.

I hope you enjoy the next 6 weeks of adventures which will certainly see a lot of changes and stories in the J G S HABITAT series and greater updates with the BOOK REPORT. The NRL REVIEW still has another couple of series to go and the Bulldogs look like they will head into the finals series. I will also be commencing the publishing of some interviews for the WAAPA YEARBOOK. There's still heaps of funnies to share for the COMICAL CORNER, more secrets of SYDNEY INSIGHTS to share and I will always have something to bitch about for the GRIPE NIGHTS.

Lots to look forward to.

Till then

J G S

  

             

      

NRL REVIEW Round 18

The Bulldogs were the big winners this week when they took advantage of an under strength Melbourne Storm side to smash them 39 - Nil at ANZ Stadium on Sunday in beautiful sunshine.

Last year the victory against the Storm was the turning point for the Bulldogs as they stormed into the semi finals, no pun intended.

Sure, Melbourne didn't have Cronk, Slater or Smith, but they are still a good team without them as they have shown already this year, and the Bulldogs weren't able to contain other sides under strength previously.

But they threw the ball around from start to finish like it was the entertainers of old and it was a delight to watch every minute.

I haven't seen them play like this all year and Josh Reynolds showed just how stupid Laurie Daley is by taking the bull by the horns in a massive display of defense and attack.

But what about Tony Williams... he was amazing... I'm still in shock over that... but good on him.

And my favourite player Sam Perrett stole the show with a hatrick that was totally deserved as he gives 110% week in week out.

Tim Lafai was on fire and Benny Barba nabbed a try finally after disappointing last week in Mackay.

All in all it was a comprehensive effort for 80 minutes and I hope they roll this on into the finals.

With the BYE this week and a following round against the Eels which they should win, the Bulldogs will be giving that 4th spot a real shake, so the Sharks and the Sea Eagles should watch out.

It was the Sharks who stole a one point win on Friday night against a fast finishing Broncos outfit 19-18, but the Broncos do seem to be heading for the second year ever of missing the finals.

The Panthers had to work really hard to hold out the Eels to win 17-10 in a local derby as well.

Finally on Monday night the Sea Eagles had a comprehensive win over the Cowboys 34-14 and held their 4th spot position over the Sharks.

All other teams had BYES and so the Top 8 has become quite a tussle indeed.

Here is the ladder after 18 rounds.

32 RABBITS
28 ROOSTERS
25 STORM
23 SEA EAGLES
22 SHARKS
20 KNIGHTS (77)
20 PANTHERS (65)
20 BULLDOGS (10)
20 Titans (-5)
20 Raiders (-58)
18 Warriors
16 Tigers
14 Broncos
14 Cowboys
14 Dragons
10 Eels


Go the Doggies

J G S

WAAPA YEARBOOK #6

So to wrap up the first year at WAAPA it's fitting to discuss the people who graduated that year because they are the people you automatically looked up to when you were the new students on the block :-)

Of course the biggest export from that class is pictured above, Ms Lucy Durack who has been Australia's Galinda in Wicked and of course just recently completed her run as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. When Wicked returns in 2014 Lucy will be also returning to the bubble once more :-)
Back in 2002 Lucy turned 21 and invited everyone from the WAAPA Music Theatre course to her party which was one of the highlights of the year. She was the first to leave WAAPA that year too after securing a spot in the Australian production of MAMMA MIA.

But there were many others in that year that have gone on to be very successful in the industry and I still enjoy seeing them pop up all over the place.

One of my personal favourites was Kaeng Chan who has done very well for himself.

Most recently I saw him in Jonathan Biggins' play Australia Day and he was very funny and held his own alongside the rest of the brilliant cast.

But Kaeng has gone from Disney to Miss Saigon and has graced many publications with his heart-throb good looks.

But best of all he is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and I am very glad to see him doing so well.

Last year I was lucky enough to see many of these guys in several productions too but noticeably Andrew Broadbent and Natalie Alexopoulos (pictured in Avenue Q) both in South Pacific and Monique Pitsikas in Forum.















Other favourites of mine included David Somerville, Melle Stewart, Hayley Johnson, Dean Vince, Frank Hansen, and Joseph Connell.

Apart from ogling these guys in performance and social events, we also had to do a few performance pracs and it was pretty exciting for us being the only performance we could do that year. Although the boys in my class were offered the opportunity to perform in the ensemble of the Opera course's production of L'Orfeo and we took it up all except one of us. Luckily enough for one of our boys, he got to share the lead role with then student Andrew Moran who is now a regular principal with Opera Australia. My pracs began with Duets, and I performed Sue Me (Guys and Dolls) with a female classmate of mine. I then did a kinda fail with What Kind Of Fool Am I (Stop The World I Want To Get Off), and ended the year with Those Were The Good Old Days (Damn Yankees).

Then it was time to farewell the graduating guys at the end of the year with their Showcase, and then we all had to undergo exams of course.

After that it was time to hear the announcement of the shows and the castings for the following year.

It was announced that the second years, my year, would do an outdoor play called The King Stag, a Commedia dell'arte type of performance, then be the ensemble for the mid-year musical Fiddler On The Roof, and then end the year with a musical review called Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris. I had no idea about any of them except Fiddler but many of my class got very excited at these announcements. Tony Sheldon was announced as directing us in the Jacques Brel one as well so that was pretty exciting for us also. 

I was cast as "The Bear" in King Stag, "Reb Nachum" the beggar in Fiddler, and given the song "Jackie" in Brel.

We sadly lost one of our class mates that year and I regretted not spending more time to get to know him better. He certainly didn't let it beat him though and went on to work continuously in Musicals all over the world. He is always included in our get-togethers and will always be considered one of the class.

But that's a very quick run down of the first year hope you enjoyed a slice of what it was like.

J G S

GARDEN PALACE BOOK UPDATE #18

Hello book fans,

Above you can see a candid shot of me and Nana Sakata, Artist and Illustrator of my yet-to-be-released novel with a current working title of Garden Palace.

For those who are new to this blog, I originally wrote this book last year and published it as an eBook on Amazon.com but sadly had to remove it from sale and completely revise it to ensure its longevity.

This was a blessing in disguise as it forced the premise of the book to shift to a new and totally fictional location which has caused the adventure to explode in detail and the book has grown dramatically.

I had professed last week that I would have the draft of Chapter 6 complete by this blog, but I have to admit I have not reached this target. It was a very strange week trust me.

But I can say that I have been sent 5 illustrations from Nana for the first 4 chapters and the prologue and they are awesome!

If you read the original published book you would have seen her brilliant sketches for the chapters and if you liked the artwork then, you're going to love the new images.

Here's a sneak peek of one....

BAHAHA - SORRY GUYS YOU'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO WAIT :-)

See you next week

J G S