From the Exec

Our Derpy (Update)

2012-02-28T08:27:00.001+11:00

Our Derpy

2012-02-26T10:25:00.000+11:00

For those who aren't in the loop, here's a brief overview on the character itself. As mentioned before, Derpy was born from an animation error in the first series by having her eyes in a "derped" manner. After someone on a certain site (not mentioning who) found the character, it went like wildfire. From there, she would make regular appearances from time to time, but on that fateful day, Saturday 21st January 2012 during the now infamous "The Last Roundup" episode, Rainbow Dash officially introduced her, and Derpy spoke her first words:

This sent fans into a wave of celebration and jubilation that lasted for weeks on end.

From that day on, fans still talk about that special day. But very recently, somebody decided to be very verbal about the character and spoke out against Derpy, resulting in the episode being pulled from iTunes. Fans pleaded to Hasbro not to give Derpy the boot, and being true to their word, gave their fullest confidence to the character.

From there, the issue was done. Derpy was saved, but yesterday, the missing episode returned to iTunes at long last. But when fans downloaded the episode, they were horrified to see that the character was erased from existence. Her eyes were corrected, her name wiped out and fans weren't happy. This one moment of the show has been wiped from history, forever. The only surviving form of this moment is in the hands of collectors on discs and computer hard drives.

But who did this? Hasbro? DHX? Or was it Apple? The fans are still finding out who done this as of today.

Now I don't have a honest opinion on this issue as I haven't been paying much attention to it, but Derpy is a character by the fans, for the fans. Sure, it was a animation error at first, but Derpy stands as a symbol that it was OK to be different, regardless of how she looked or acted. Heck, Derpy has even entered our everyday lives by her sayings and thoughts.

Derpy gave us something to look forward to when a new episode went to air every single week, fans would go on a find and often came up with some interesting results, such as being in a chicken coop on the episode "May the Best Pet Win!" during the "Find a Pet" song.

Now thanks to all of this, they took away her canon status and tried to have her erased from existence. All because of someone being very verbal about it. I don’t have much else to say about this at the moment, but I’ll leave this video embed to sum it all up:

Ronnie (Cecilia)

EDIT: If you are interested in finding out more on the whole Derpy situation, check out the Save Derpy website here: Save Derpy. There's also a petition you can sign as well if you wish.

UPDATE: I've posted a new video which covers this post in a little more detail. Check it out here:

Crook, Sick & New Tech

2012-02-23T08:43:00.000+11:00

Arrrggghhh!!!! Two months into the bloody new year and I'm sick! Don't know how I fell crook this time round, but I've been knocked about over the last few days and trying to work. Luckily the Soothers and the Anticol come in handy during times like this.

Anyway, despite being ill, I've been on the hunt for a new Mac over the last few days. Why? Well I've recently purchased a one year subscription to both the Mac & iOS developer programs over the weekend as something to do in my spare time. I can't go into details on the programs itself (confidential stuff), but my 2006 Mac Pro that I got last year from eBay seems to be showing it's age. So I've been shopping around for a new Mac and came across a new model Mac Mini through the Apple Online Store.

So hopefully in the next few weeks (after sorting out a huge bill or two), I should have the funds ready for the new machine. I was originally going to purchase the integrated graphics version for around $700, but after some research, I'm opting for the AMD Radeon version which costs a bit extra, but should suit my needs.

I've also been rediscovering my retro gaming side as well and recently picked up a rare piece of gaming hardware. I've recently rediscovered my childhood memory that was the SEGA Mega Drive by picking up a PAL model 1 unit on eBay recently:

But that wasn't the only thing I picked up. I've also, after many attempts picked up this:

Yep, an original Japanese model Mega Drive! I've always wanted to own one of these ever since I found them on a few YouTube videos a few years or so back. This model in particular seems to be a rare type and go very quickly on eBay for a high price. I managed to pick this one up for around $65 plus postage included. The only thing left to do now is get some games for it......

So, that's what has been happening over the last few days......can't wait to purchase the Mac Mini in a few weeks. Didn't need to do it, but as I mentioned in my last deviantART journal:

"(Sighs)....technology goes so fast these days......"

Ronnie (Cecilia)

Valentine's Hell

2012-02-14T09:06:00.000+11:00

(Sighs).....if there's one day that I dread the most, it has to be Valentine's Day. Why? First off, it's not heartbreak and it's certainly not the other stuff.

Well it seems every year on Valentine's Day, without fail, my day falls apart and comes crashing down around my ears for some reason. Especially last year when I had such a horrible day filled with trolls attacking my YouTube channel, work becoming a nightmare and being the subject of abuse and after all of that, I just broke down and cried at the end of the day. I just don't know what happened.....

I've been trying to have a positive outlook on life lately but I've been bogged down with worries plus my stress and anxiety levels are going through the roof, and this day is only making it worse so far. (Sighs).....I just don't know if I'm going to survive today, already blew up once or twice this morning, radio being blasted at full bore and my laptop decides it's not going to boot up.

Please, oh please.....just get this day over with! Arrrrggghhhh!!!!!!!

Ronnie (Cecilia)

The World Watched.....History in the Making.

2012-02-12T11:03:00.000+11:00

WARNING: As per my previous posts on this topic, it contains items that are from a personal retrospective and are based on my thoughts and mine alone. Trolls, haters and wannabe heroes who want to cause trouble will be dealt with and run the risk of being reported. This post also may contains some spoilers for those who haven't seen the show yet, so you've been warned.

Ok....with that out of the road, let's get on with the show.....

The World Watched.....History in the Making

Well, I just woke up to find my email inbox filled to capacity, my mentions timeline on Twitter overloaded and heaps of hits to the RJRTV website and this blog. Why? Well last night, an event took place that united the world. It wasn't a sporting event. It wasn't a horse race that stopped the nation. It wasn't a wedding. But a little thing called.....the Mare-A-Thon took place.

Now before you ask, what the heck is the Mare-A-Thon? Well let me fill you in on a few fine details. The Mare-A-Thon was a special programming block on the Hub which counted down the top 10 episodes from the first two seasons of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic as voted by the fans on their website. The event was splashed across the usual websites such as Equestria Daily, Derpy Hooves News and all the others in the lead up to the broadcast.

So after weeks of voting, the day finally arrived. Saturday 11th Feburary 2012. Now as mentioned before, I currently reside in Australia, so that means no access to the Hub, but I did catch the event on one of the usual streams that I watch the pre-show events every weekend. The event began at 10:00pm AEDT (6:00am US East) and it began with the Hearth's Warming Eve episode that aired two months earlier. The chat room exploded with excitement, especially with The Heart Carol at the end. "Stand up for the anthem folks!"

After that, Feeling Pinkie Keen came on, now I didn't catch the episode first time round when it aired originally and I just watched it. Then Lesson Zero appeared afterwards. At this point, time was beginning to slip and due to the large time zone difference, I decided to retire for the night. Yes I know, not cool, but hey, we gotta sleep sometime eh?

So fast forward to Sunday morning, back to the overloaded tweets and email and after doing the usual breakfast fry-up, I jumped on Equestria Daily to find out what episode topped the list and to my surprise what did I see......number one......Luna Eclipsed. No joke. I was not expecting that episode to rank! Yes I have seen the episode and yes I did enjoy seeing Princess Luna again after her brief introduction in the first series, but I was shocked to find out that episode topped the list!

I also saw the new episode as well (finally) after avoiding spoilers for two days after the leak happened and all I can say is.....it was worth the wait. But that brings me back to the title of this post, sure the Mare-A-Thon was originally going to be a US only deal, but in the end, fans from all over the world, glued to their TV and computer screens plus counting mobile devices saw history unfold before their very eyes. Am I proud to be part of this whole cult phenomenon that is the brony and pegasister movement? Yes.

And this event demonstrates the fan and viewer loyalty that this show provides. As I mentioned before in a previous posting of mine, fans are what drive a show to either succeed or fail. Without the fans, there wouldn't be a show, and with a show, there wouldn't be a brand to look up to. International fans shared in something special last night that Pinkie Pie once said:

"It was moment in time, that will never exist again." - Pinkie Pie (The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 episode)

And I agree with that.

Ronnie (Cecilia)

Uh Oh.....Leaked

2012-02-09T20:52:00.001+11:00

Now this post was originally going to be on two new additions to Cecilia's wardrobe (swimwear), but something has come up that needs to be addressed. If you are in the My Little Pony scene, you may know that the upcoming episode accidentally got released to US iTunes customers today. Yes, you heard me, it's a leak. The worse thing also about this leak is that the episode has since been uploaded to YouTube and it's spreading like crazy at the moment.

Now before you ask and say things like, "proof please?", and "give me the links damn it!", I'm not going to provide any links or sources on where to get it, main reason being that, one, I'll be in serious trouble with the Feds (FBI & AFP) and two this blog will get shut down for doing so.

But from what I've been hearing and reading up on the MLP Wiki and on Equestria Daily and Derpy Hooves News, someone at Apple accidentally set the release date for the episode one year behind and made the episode available to download instantly, the error has since been corrected and the episode pulled, but this isn't the first time that Apple screwed up.

A few weeks ago, Mac owners had major issues with the 10.7.3 Lion update for Mac OS X which saw users suffer issues such as the CUI error to applications crashing and kernel panics, which sadly included myself. (thank goodness for Time Machine backups!)

So now I'm avoiding anything relating to spoilers, video clips and the like until Saturday night. I want to keep the pre episode hype as it is and follow routine, which usually involves watching HaxMega's preshow stream for a few hours, going to bed (blasted time difference!), waking up on Sunday morning, doing a breaky fry-up (devon and eggs on toast, yum!) and then sitting down to watch the new episode.

So what to do for 48 hours....what to do......

Ronnie (Cecilia)

Busy, Busy and......More Busy!

2012-02-07T20:08:00.000+11:00

Whoa! What a busy week of sorts for both RJRTV and myself. Studio renovation work, computer upgrades, new gadgets and of course new clothes for Cecilia, including two new swimsuits that I got off eBay this morning to finish up the summer outfit project.

I've also been doing some extra shoots as part of my Winter Outfit fashion project as well, and I've gotta get a few more items for it soon including a beret and gloves plus some boots. I managed to fit in a shoot over the weekend and after fixing up the lighting issues and finally learning how to apply some eyeliner properly and banning a few trolls on Flickr, the results were......

I had some positive reactions to the shoot so far, and that's only in the early stages of the project. I also purchased some new earrings as my old blue ones that I used for my princess and early shoots sadly broke a few weeks back. So I managed to pick up a pair or two from my regular eBay jeweller, one of which was rose shaped to fit my ring:

So yeah, that's the latest from the shoots, got some more work to do, but I'm having more fun then ever before!

And to finish this post off, I've been rediscovering an old flame of mine in terms of the retro gaming scene over the last few weeks. I recently dug out my old SEGA Mega Drive II from the studio storage shed a few weeks ago and I've been reliving some memories (good and bad) over several weekends playing several classics including the Streets of Rage trilogy, PGA Tour Golf, NBA Live and many other great titles.

But with time, the system is showing its age, thanks largely to a broken reset button. So I went on eBay over the weekend and found a working model 1 Mega Drive (PAL version) with three games, the Menacer light gun (finally I can play T2: The Arcade Game properly!) plus the hard to find Master System Converter and four games as well!

I also came across the Japanese model as well after much searching for a reasonable price as well, but that's with the console only, but with my recent pickup as mentioned before, that shouldn't be a problem. Except for the games of course.....

And that should finish off this post, got a lot of writing to do....got an unboxing video to shoot tomorrow (fingers crossed), then it's business as usual.....

Ronnie (Cecilia)

New Beginnings, New Ways

2012-01-30T08:46:00.000+11:00

Whew! What a long weekend that was. First my new iPhone 4S gets sent to the wrong address and the delivery company screwed up the redirection that I put into place as a result. So after a few things which I won't mention and a drive down to the depot.......

I finally got the phone on Friday night after much hassles with both the delivery company and Apple. I've had the chance to have a bit of a play with the device over the last two days, which also included swapping my SIM card to the microSIM without having to visit the local Telstra Shop. I'm still getting used to using it after three years of moving away from my iPhone 3G that I got, but I'm getting the hang of it again.

Anyway, there hasn't been much going on so I'll skip over some brief info on what I've been up to during the long weekend. I haven't been making much vids over the last few weeks due to renovation work going on and also upgrading my Mac Pro with some new memory and my dual monitor setup as well.

Also I've been hard at work doing my crossdress stuff during the long weekend and I'm still working on my winter fashion project, which is going well so far, but I've gotta buy some new earrings (clip on) due to my other ones breaking on me during one of the shoots. So it was off to eBay and to one of the local eBay jeweller stores which I get my stuff from and $30 later, I picked up two pairs of earrings in both pearl and rose plated. I should have those delivered in the next few days......

And to finish off this post, I've been checking out some vids on YouTube lately on the crossdress scene (modest vids) and came across VeraWylde's (link) video series last night on crossdressing tips for beginners. If you have a chance to have a look at the channel and you are starting out or just want some tips, check out the channel!

Here's one of the latest videos from the series that I had a look at, but I'm not at this stage yet!:

Ronnie (Cecilia)

Goin Back.....

2012-01-22T13:14:00.000+11:00

Sunday, lazy sunday. First off.....(spoiler alert), Derpy Hooves finally has a voice! Caught the new My Little Pony episode this morning at the craziest of hours (2:00am) and saw a few minutes via the livestreams.

Anyway, another weekend is over and I've been having a great one to say the least. I did a bit of a mini shoot with two new outfits as Cecilia in preparation for my winter fashion project in a few months. I picked up two new dresses from an eBay seller a week or so ago, the first of which is this little number:

The first outfit is a black cotton dress complete with a white lace trim on the sleeves and collar. I had a blast doing the shoot in this outfit, despite a few problems with the lighting and the hot weather causing the make up to be messed up. I'm planning to combine this outfit with a winter coat and the usual assessories. (e.g. leather gloves, scarf, coat) I also picked up this as well from the same seller:

This outfit is also a black dress but with black lacing around the arms. Again, I had a blast doing the shoot in this! Hopefully there should be some new pics in the next few weeks as more and more items are ordered in.

And that should do it for this post. Got a huge week this week with a shortened workload due to the Australia Day holiday on Thursday, plus I'm putting the bad memories of the past aside and finally completing the Apple cycle of products by ordering a iPhone 4S! This will be the second attempt at the iPhone....the first experience three years ago.....well let's say, great phone at the time (3G), but I swear it was cursed somehow......

Ronnie (Cecilia)

Internet Users, It's Your Shout (Speak Out Against SOPA & PIPA)

2012-01-19T08:43:00.000+11:00

At this moment, websites like Wikipedia, Reddit and many countless others have been taken off the air. Why? It's an issue that I don't talk about due to the whole scale of it and all, but if you value the freedom of the internet, then this blog post maybe of interest.

Right now, the United States government is in the process of introducing legislation which could see the internet as you know it censored with the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). In a nutshell, both pieces of legislation can and will have damaging effects on the internet as a whole not just for US citizens, but also international folks as well.

The legislation would allow the US government to block websites which infringe on intellectual property. It will also allow the government to ask search engines and payment processors to blacklist a site from doing business with them, and there's no recourse for appeal. Plus site owners will be held liable for any content their users post and overseas operators risk extradition to the US.

Now you may think, doesn't this only affect US citizens only? Think again. Some countries have dealings with the US through several trade agreements such as the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement. If these laws pass in the US, it is most likely they will be passed here as well and could have damaging effects.

Imagine the internet without your favourite sites. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and everything inbetween, all thanks to these proposed laws. Even other sites such as Equestria Daily and also RJRTV could be at risk....here one day, gone the next. These laws will damage the very way of life as we know it.

So that's why action must be taken now. This isn't some straight out sob story or over the top rant, this is pure facts. If no action is taken soon, these laws could, no wait, WILL PASS.

To find out more about how SOPA & PIPA could change the way you see the internet, follow this link below:

American Censorship (by Fight for the Future)

The page will give you the information you need, plus a chance to contact your congress rep or senator if you are in the US. For international folks like us, you can sign the petition to encourage the US State Department to speak out against these proposed laws.

Don't let them get away with it, SHOUT. Speak up, let your voice be known.

Back to Work.....

2012-01-15T17:19:00.001+11:00

"Geez Pinkie! Bouncy, happy and cheerful one minute, cracks under the pressure and cries the next. Crap! My eyes are misty!" - Reaction to the new My Little Pony episode "Baby Cakes"

Oh man....I never encountered such emotion in one episode. Brought back some memories of my late Nan and the stuff I used to do, but as extreme as in the episode.

Anyway, I'm back at work tomorrow after a long well earn't rest, and in desperate need of money! Three weeks on annual leave plus advance wages aren't helping one bit, but the good news out of this is that I can stock up on iTunes cards tomorrow and start using iTunes Match, plus begin to redeem my gift cards from EB and Sanity.

Also I've been busy with some new outfits as Cecilia and recently with not only the beginning of my winter outfit project (yes early I know), but also I've finally took the plunge and finally got decked out as a.........

Yep, a maid! I've wanted to do a project as a maid for a long while and I got my chance when I found a eBay seller who made a custom designed outfit to specifications. I got the outfit a few days ago and did a few shoots with it and so far the reaction has been positive, despite a few who thought putting inappropriate material in the comments section was a good idea.

Åpart from that, I'm just now waiting for an outdoor shoot opportunity to further showcase the outfit further, but for now indoor shoots will have to do, but that didn't stop my chance to pull off some great shots:

And that should do it for now.....studios still haven't been painted yet, and that's been holding me back in getting my new two monitor setup going....the wait still continues on that one....

Ronnie (Cecilia)

Why Hasbro Why? (or why us international bronies get screwed over)

2012-01-03T12:11:00.000+11:00

First off before I begin, this is coming from a content creator's perspective. So please read this article to the very end before jumping to conclusions. Also this post is from an international perspective, so keep that in mind. Ok....let's begin....

Oh Great......

So....it came to this. I've got no objections to it. First the Ponyarchive saga, now YouTube. Just goes to show how screwed up the international broadcasting agreements and a tired and old business model that needs to die. So why Hasbro why? Why are you doing this?

First off, I've been viewing the show for a fair while and been keeping tabs on new episodes through several YouTube channels. Up until now, this was the only way to view new episodes for the international fans, but Hasbro has slammed the hammer down on that practice causing massive claims and account suspensions. Now I don't have a problem with this, but it's a real inconvenience from an international fans perspective.

Now this has left the international fans without a source to watch the show and keep up with current episodes. Now before you ask and say things like "deal with it", let's clear something up. The current status of the show overseas in terms of legal access is a pure and utter mess at the moment.

For example, here in Australia, the only way to watch the show is through Pay TV. Ok, now that's not a problem, just sign up to Foxtel or Austar and you're set, except for one major problem.....they put the show on Cartoon Network (CN) and now Boomerang. Ok, no problem there, except they are one season behind, the picture quality is crap, the episodes aren't shown in widescreen (except CN), shoved in various time slots and are played over and over again and then left to die a slow death.

There's also no legal access to episodes to download here as well due to iTunes locking us out for various reasons, so hence the use of VPN's and other services to workaround the blocks in place, but I'll not go any further on that issue due to Blogger policies.

But the point is this, if Hasbro keep taking the episodes down and they don't provide any legal means to access the show to us international fans, that's going to cause people to start breaking the law by going to illegal sources. The current distribution model that the movie studios and others use is starting to show it's age in a big way. People want access to the content instantly. They don't want to wait a month or a whole year or two for it to become available. This is the 21st century and the technology of delivering new content on a global level is there, but yet they continue to cling on to their dying model.

Hasbro and in fact, the other studios need start taking on this new digital world and make it available internationally at the same time. I understand that may not happen due to international rights holders and other issues, but even it's having to create a separate deal for international distribution through digital means then so be it. Make new episodes available at the same time as the US screenings, heck even get a free to air network to carry the show and do the fast track thing they do with their other shows to prevent fans going to illegal sources.

Also make the show available to download legally worldwide as well using the same principles. (same time, globally) Make the episodes available through iTunes on a global level, heck if you can't get global rights through iTunes, use other services such as Microsoft's Zune video marketplace, or if they are that keen, set up a website for people to watch the episodes and charge an access fee. (one off, monthly or yearly) There are legit fans who want to support the brand, but can't due to the whole red tape issues and region lockout and hence this whole problem. No international access, no money, no money, no show and no show, no brand.

Either way, by allowing international access, your fans stay happy, you earn your keep and the cycle continues on and on. Don't stay in the dark ages Hasbro, this is your fans we are talking about. If you take away the content, they will go elsewhere. Oh and that also goes for the movie studios and such as well.

Ronnie

2011: Year in Review

2011-12-31T13:46:00.000+11:00

Well....what a year. Full of excitement, action packed, discovery and even unlocking a few new things along the way.

2011 has to be considered as one of my best year on record, and that's putting aside the pain and heartbreak of two years ago with my Nan passing away too soon and the stuff that happened after that.

The start of the year saw me ringing it in up in Queensland by seeing Brisbane's South Bank fireworks. I've always wanted to see what another state's new year is like as I'm grown accustomed to the Sydney NYE fireworks over the years and it exceeded my expectations! At the time, the state was deep in flood waters due to the disaster unfolding, but it was a great night to ring in 2011.

After I got back from the trip and worked hard on getting the remaining QLD 11 videos up on my YouTube channel, I took it easy for a while and continued my normal ways, however on a cold and windy March day while waiting for a bus, I received an email. My application for the YouTube Partner program was accepted after a long six month wait! Although I had a few bumps along the way with YouTube pulling one of the videos and causing a crisis, the program has been great so far.

Then came the big moment of 2011.....I discovered the world of crossdressing. The suit was finally shed and I was able to unlock my full potential and live out my dreams and catch up on lost time. Although a few trolls and some so called "heroes" tried to get me to stop, that didn't stop me from doing what I love best:

2011 also saw me rediscover an old flame, the world of Sailor Moon had finally came back into my life after so many painful years and along with that saw the first of the merchandise that I acquired in the form of plushies:

I still have them lying around my office and studios, but I enjoyed filming the unboxing videos for each set that I purchased and I would do it again if I had the chance.

Unfortunately, when I got the plushies, and this still makes my blood boil to this day, those bloody trolls decided to ruin the experience for everyone by trashing the pics not once, but twice on my deviantART page. (Sighs)....not even going to revisit that moment....too painful.....get angered easily.

But I brushed aside the trolls and towards the end of the year, I discovered the whole brony thing and was fully introduced to the cult hit show, and despite Hasbro trying to kill it......My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I never fully understood why I got sucked into the show in the first place, but it took one YouTube Poop (remix) video and kyrospawn's 6 to 10 second vids to convert me over.

Apart from that I could go on and on for hours on end, but there's so such I could fit in to one post!

I would like to say a very special thank you to everyone who has supported the RJRTV network throughout 2011. From the YouTube channel to my dA and Flickr pages, without your support, I wouldn't be where I am today.

Now.......2012. Despite the buzz surrounding a "few events" will be a year of firsts, starting with achieving and living out more of my dreams that I never got the chance to do in terms of crossdressing and crossplay. There are many new projects on the way, including a brand new maid costume to begin the year. From there, I've got a huge list to get out of the way......but more on that in later postings.

Anyway, that should do it for this post. Have a great New Year's if you're going out tonight! Happy New Year everyone!

Ronnie & Cecilia

New Year, New Project, Same old Problem.

2011-12-30T11:35:00.000+11:00

Arrghhhh!!! All those goodies from Xmas and now New Year are starting to catch up with me! I knew this would happen! Every year! Every bloody year!

Anyway with that out of the road, another year is coming to a close, and that means back to project work! Not real world work, video and photo shoots and getting some new outfits for Cecilia. Speaking of which, I've managed to score a new outfit for Cecilia to begin the new year. I've always wanted to dress as a maid after seeing some great pics from Flickr and dA. So I looked around for a couple of outfits and came across a black satin maid outfit from an eBay seller!

I've hadn't had a chance to pay for the outfit, has I'm waiting a modified invoice from the seller to include.....and yes I'm not kidding.....DHL Express. Why? Well I didn't go for the free airmail option that the seller was offering because at the moment, the postal system is suffering major delays for international items, especially from the US with unrealistic wait times for up to 14 days. So in the end I had no choice but to use DHL. Now I wanted to avoid using DHL at all costs after the saga with the Windows 7 Party Pack two years ago, which can be found on my old blog. (link) (Sighs)....don't want to relive that experience....four emails, five or six phone calls, a formal complaint and a massive anxiety attack at work.

Also my Fets-Fash order that I placed last year got chucked on a ship instead of a plane by DHL, so I've had a major gripe against them ever since. But recently I've been reading up on DHL and discovered that they have thrown out the DHL local delivery contractor for my area (Hills ParcelDirect) after they merged with another company. So this time round, I'm yet again flying blind in terms of the final delivery contractor for DHL...so it's a wait and see game from there.

So now I'm waiting for the seller to get back to me with the revised costs, then it's only a case of paying for the item and getting it made and shipped. Hopefully I can get the outfit in time before the break ends, and hope DHL doesn't fail on me for a third time. Apart from that quarantine charge invoice....

Ronnie

Getting Close + Experimenting with Summer

2011-12-15T08:51:00.000+11:00

Well as I usually say, another working week done, and let the three day weekend commence! I've been very busy in the lead up to the Xmas shutdown at work and it's been a non stop, busy and very hectic affair at the moment. But the good news is my Xmas/New Year break could be starting sooner due to the workload, might be finishing earlier than expected.

Anyway, as mentioned a while back, I made one last purchase for the year for a project that I'm doing over the summer break as Cecilia. Now I know what I'm about to say may put people off a bit, but it's been on the top of my to do list for sometime, and that is to do a swimsuit project!

I picked up a one piece blue and teal swimsuit from an eBay seller this week and it arrived yesterday after a day at the post office. The suit looks great and feels and fits right, but my breast forms kept falling out and had to get one of my bras to keep them in place. (note to self, get double sided tape from the Breast Form store in the new year.) The gaff came in handy as well for hiding the you know what.....but enough talking, here's the suit itself:

I've got a extra shoot planned over the weekend to try some more poses and such, but I can cross getting a swimsuit and doing a shoot as Cecilia off the list at long last! I also got a second suit in a different style, but I had trouble with the breast forms.

In the new year, I may improve on this and start including items such as towels, swimcaps, sunglasses to spice the shoots up, the chances of doing a outside shoot in this is next to nil. Too risky, too dangerous and not worth the chance. Which is a shame really........

Anyway, gotta wrap this entry up, got a big day of work ahead and a lot of video work to finish up on tonight. Let's hope that I don't have to stand my ground again like a few days ago....not even getting involved in that one.

Ronnie

Monday Blues & 7 Working Days Left

2011-12-12T08:54:00.001+11:00

Well it's crunch time now, seven working days remain in the year for me and it's been quiet all of a sudden workwise. Not to mention that I almost got hit by a truck thanks to the bus driver who dropped me off in a dangerous place last week and having to run down the road to avoid being blasted for being late by one of the supervisors. (Sighs).....they know where I get off of a morning!

Anyway with that out of the road, I've been very busy over the weekend due to housesitting duties, which came up due to that whole party issue that happened. So I fitted in a special Xmas shoot as Cecilia in my Victorian Era outfit and added a Christmas theme to it:

This was my first night shoot ever and really made it special in many ways, it's not often that I get a chance like this to do a shoot of this nature, let alone one at night! I haven't done a shoot in this outfit for months, and it also gave the chance to try out my breast forms with the camisole that came with it. I was very pleased with the results when I looked at the photos after the shoot, especially the makeup which made the pics shine and glow a bit.

Even though it's almost the end of the year, I've started to put together a list of some new cosplay/crossdress projects as Cecilia for the new year. The list is already starting to look good with a few outstanding ideas including:

* Black Satin Maid Outfit
* Wintertime Outfit (design TBA)
* Catsuit/Zentai Suit Costumes (open hood)
* Princess Gown (Gold)

The list is still growing, but that's a very good indication of what to expect. I'm looking forward to the maid and the winter projects as I've been getting ideas for those recently. I've also made one last purchase for the year recently for Cecilia, despite the holidays and Xmas shopping that I've done and still have to do. I've been planning a summer based project to do over the work break and decided to try out a swimwear shoot.

Now I know many of you will be saying that I don't have the correct body size or shape, but I recently tried a shoot with my metallic green leotard as Cecilia and with a bit of work, managed to pull it off despite the size issue:

Anyway, that should do it for this entry, got a lot of budgeting work to do....billing week this week.....(sighs).....

Ronnie

BDay Tomorrow.....

2011-11-27T15:57:00.001+11:00

So tomorrow......another year older, another year wiser. Yep, the big "26". Geez.....I'm getting on in my older years. Time seems to fly so quickly.....another few years until the mid life crisis......that also means I'm going to keep a very, very low profile at work tomorrow to avoid getting caught, can't go into full details, but it's not going to be easy being stealthy, but it can be done if I can avoid contact at all costs.

But I suppose the good side of things include the Facebook emails, the birthday tweets, a gift card or two and curried pasta plus a classic sponge cake with cream. (sadly no rich cakes due to fuse issues)

Anyway, I finally managed to get the remaining items for Cecilia after the seller who sold me the breast forms up and went on me last week and on Friday I did a bit of a shoot with the new forms and the bra:

I tried a side on shoot but it didn't come out that well, but I managed to catch some extra shots, which included my new pair of polka dot stockings and really brought Cecilia into focus:

Also I may have an extra shoot scheduled this week because of my work having their awards day and due to the crowds and noise issues, I'm taking a backseat this time round and having the day off. I've only been to one awards day in my five years out there and although I had a great time, I couldn't handle the noise and the large crowd and with my stress and anxiety issues flaring up one the last year, I'm not chancing it this time.

Anyway, that should do it for this post, been catching up on My Little Pony: FiM again with the new episode becoming available on Ponyarchive today, but minus the devon and eggs breakfast because i had to shoot a vid this morning which is now available to view on the RJRTV YouTube channel:

A few hours left being the big 25, then avoiding detection at work tomorrow for the big 26.........

Ronnie

Sunday Fry Up + Finishing Touches

2011-11-20T11:35:00.001+11:00

There's two things that I like about Sundays......a breakfast fry up consisting of devon & eggs + toast and watching the new My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episode from Ponyarchive on my TiVo along with the reaction videos on YouTube, which takes the blow of the new working week away a bit, especially with the Fluttershy & Rainbow Dash duet in the new episode that just aired early this morning Australian time.

Anyway, first off, apologies for the lack of video uploads over the last few weeks. I understand how you folks are feeling at the moment, but the hot weather here has been driving me crazy and making filming anything a pain at the moment. Also with the end of the year fast approaching, I'm taking it a bit easy at the moment and I've also got a lot happening workwise as well. So hang in there folks, hopefully a new video is on the way soon enough!

Ok, now on to the main thing about this post. A few days ago I finally got my "finishing touches" for Cecilia delivered from the seller. The "finishing touches" involve.....breast forms?:

Yep! Breast forms! Gone were the days of using socks in my shoots, now I've got "Gold Seal" silicone breast forms to use as Cecilia! These didn't come cheap either as these came with a crossdresser kit that I purchased as well which contained the gaff and the lingerie (minus one bra on backorder) and at $349, it was well worth the money.

But despite the backorder issue with the bra, I found a few on eBay in the size the seller was going to provide and paid for those today along with some new polka dot stockings because my last pair that I'm using ripped and are now unusable. I also did a mini shoot with the new forms as well a few days ago, but I've gotta do a side on shoot when I get the bra's that I ordered, but anyway here are some quick pics of the new forms with Cecilia's corporate black look:

So yeah, a great weekend all round, and with the holiday season just around the corner, I'm starting to wind down operations myself for another year. Need to save that money up to replace some equipment and get the usual gifts!

Ronnie

Week Over, MLP & Zune

2011-11-17T08:50:00.001+11:00

Well it's that time of the week once again. After the drama fill action of the working week with three days of near meltdowns thanks to equipment failing and many other countless things, I'm just about to throw in the towel for the week.

Anyway, I finally made the purchase for my crossdresser kit on Monday after many months of planning and hard work, and despite a few hickups and miscommunication on the seller's part, the deal is done. So either next week or before the end of the year, I'll be completing the look for Cecilia and doing some new shoots with the kit, including the new breast forms to give it that extra kick!

Also as mentioned in my last blog entry (link), I recently was hooked on "that" show that everyone has been talking about lately known as, yes you guessed it, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. With that, I decided to get some merchandise to decorate the studios and I started looking on eBay for the Rarity and Fluttershy (fav characters might I add) dolls. Despite not having any luck finding the stock standard default G4 model ones, I came across two of them and after payment and a day at the post office:

Yep, a Shine Bright Fluttershy and a Fashion Style Rarity! Now I don't normally get stuff like this, but there isn't much G4 My Little Pony merchandise on eBay, well in Australia anyway. Normally it would be the older generations, but there isn't much G4 items on there to buy locally. But regardless, I've got the two new dolls sitting on my editing desk, might have to get a bigger Fluttershy though......

And last but not least, I've been experimenting with the new Zune Music Pass which came to Australia this week, and so far, I'm enjoying it! Found a few artists that I liked on there plus got a few songs to complete the collection and the multi platform streaming between the Xbox 360, PC and Windows Phone really makes things easier. So hopefully after the 14 day trial is done, it better be worth the $11.95 per month fee, because I'm really enjoying it.

That should do for this post, end of the year coming very soon and I'm already starting to plan new outfits for Cecilia and I'm going to attempt making a few outfits myself, although I'm not all that great in sewing and textiles wasn't my best subject in high school......

Ronnie (Cecilia)

It's Cult Viewing: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (A Convert's Story)

2011-11-12T19:29:00.001+11:00

WARNING: This post contains items that are from a personal retrospective and are based on my thoughts and mine alone. Trolls, haters and wannabe heroes who want to cause trouble will be dealt with and run the risk of being reported. This post also may contains some spoilers for those who haven't seen the show yet, so you've been warned.

MLP.....MLP.....MLP.....what the heck is all of this? I'm so confused! If you haven't guessed yet, I've been hooked on yet, another cult television show. It's not a reality show, it's not a sitcom and no, it's not a fly on the wall.

One night, while I was on YouTube doing some routine maintenance on my channel, I came across my usual diet of YouTube Poop videos. And no, it's not the you know what. YouTube Poops, in a nutshell, are videos using content in a remixed form, for example, sentence mixing. Now from time to time, I need a good laugh or two when I'm editing, maintaining or producing content for the channel and YTP's, especially good ones from the likes of cs188 really have me in stitches.

Anyway, I came across one of his new poops and I was confused at first on what the content was. Turns out that one video began my journey to a cult phenomenon. Yes folks, I'm going to cover a show so good, it makes the Nine Network's so called reality and fly on the wall shows a joke, and yes, I'm not kidding on that. I'm talking about........(cue shock horror SFX).....(breaths deeply).....My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (MLP).

Now before you start saying the usual diet of insults and the lines of "grab your torches and pitchforks!" and "burn him at the stake!", this is a similar situation to another show which I covered in a blog entry a few months ago on Sailor Moon in Australia: Link, but this time, this show is a little more recent as it's only been on the air for over a year in the U.S, and recently started screening on Cartoon Network here in Australia on Foxtel and Austar.

For those who aren't in the loop, the new series, also known as the 4th Generation in the MLP line is created by Lauren Faust, who is known for her work on such great cult shows as The Powerpuff Girls and Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends. Simply put, if you thought everything about this reincarination was all girly and such, think again. It's not the 80's cult classic that many of us love and know, and I really didn't pay much attention to the first three generations of the line, but it's a cartoon done right.

Full comedic style, great sing alongs, great stories, moments in the show that make want to cheer or cry and even wanting to throw a bottle at the TV or monitor and situations that we can relate to.

Now I'm going on 26 years old in a few weeks time and yes, I still watch a good toon for time to time, especially with the present state of Australian TV at the moment being in the toilet with cheap reality shows and fly on the wall stuff, such as "blowing in the bag" and fighting the cops over a positive test. That is not TV. But enough on that, moving on......

I became acquainted with this show thanks to a cs188 YT Poop vid and following that up with another video, and from there, you get the rest. I never really paid much attention to the show's following until I came across kyrospawn's videos featuring 4 to 10 second snippets of the show, especially this classic from Fluttershy:

From there, it was on to full episodes and the rest they say is history. So why do I like the show? Is it the characters? Is it the content? Is it both? Well......it's hard to explain.

As mentioned in previous posts, I work for a disability services organisation, and you have to keep a serious tone there at all times, meaning I've gotta keep things like this low key or run the risk of having someone using that against me and causing an embarrassing situation, and yes it does happen. Anyway, the serious tones of work really drag me down at times, so if I'm not gaming or editing videos, instead of going for the TV guide and watching a sitcom, I watch parts or even a full episode of the show to lift things up a bit.

Speaking of which, where can I begin to sum up my feelings of this show?.....well first off, it's the comedic element. Whether it's Derpy Hooves dropping pianos, Pinkie Pie running out of breath during her singing telegram or Rarity having a nervous breakdown after being booed and humiliated from the stage after a fashion show. All of these give the show it's comedic character and charm that you don't see in TV these days.

Secondly, I'm not much into the sing along aspect due to past events of my life. However, there are a few notable exceptions such as Pinkie Pie's "Evil Enchantress" song in the Bridle Gossip episode. 13 seconds long, but conveys the information needed in nine lines or less and will have you rolling on the floor. Another song of interest is Rarity's "Art of the Dress" from the Suited for Success episode. I came across this number while searching for vids and found a rock cover of the song. From the sewing machine, to the opening lines, this one will having you tapping your toes.

While the show has it's comedic elements and toe tapping sing alongs, it's the show's moments that make it what it is. From cheering like at a football match, to being shocked in disbelief or shedding a few tears at something sad in the show, it will tug at your heartstrings. Since I'm only new to the series, I'll keep this one short in terms of moments.

One such moment for me was in the recent Season two episode titled Sisterhooves Social, where Sweetie Belle and Rarity have their differences as sisters, hence the title of the episode. I won't spoil the episode for you, but one moment from that episode involves Sweetie Belle and Rarity going their separate ways and afterwards Rarity starts regretting the choice that she made, eventually breaking down in her trademark hysterical ways after seeing a picture Sweetie Belle made. Was it the music? Was it the picture? Or was it both? You decide.

Of course, with any good moment, comes those moments that make you want to throw a bottle or glass at the TV or monitor in anger or disgust. One such moment in question is, you guessed it, I know it, you know it and every fan knows it. Gilda making Fluttershy cry in the episode Griffon the Brush Off.

Now I don't know why this particular moment made me angry and even feeling sorry for Fluttershy, but that scene makes me want to hunt down Gilda and give her the old one two punch and put her in her place. This episode also sealed the deal with me taking a liking to Fluttershy as one of my fav characters of the show. Especially after reading the comments on several YouTube videos on this scene, I can really understand why people like Fluttershy, especially me! Shy at first, strong, feisty and brave the next.

Now call me what you will, use any insult you may, tell me that I can't watch this show, regardless of the haters and trolls think of it, it's not going change the fact that this show is a cult viewing classic for all ages, regardless of what it's target audience is for. It's a refreshing change to TV, especially with the current state of TV in Australia as mentioned. In fact, the show, could even work in the primetime slots and if marketed correctly by a television network here and aired complete without cuts or editing, it could become a national hit.

So where to from here.....well since I'm hooked thanks to a YouTube Poop, I might as well do the deed, join the herd and be a brony, buy merchandise from eBay and the rest goes on. If you haven't checked out this show yet, give it a chance. You won't be disappointed.

Ronnie

Cecilia's Nails & Finishing Touches

2011-11-10T08:56:00.000+11:00

Well after a day of work due to the local horse races (Bong Bong) and lack of transport as a result, I'm back in business ready to finish another working week.

Yesterday saw the arrival of the false nails that I ordered from a eBay seller a few days ago, along with some nail polish to complete the look for Cecilia and also give the corporate outfit a bit of a standout effect. I had a bit of trouble at first putting the nails on and getting them to stay, and actually lost a nail in the process and had to improvise with a smaller size.

After that, I dabbled a bit of nail polish on them and the end result was........

Considering this was my first time in painting nails, I did a pretty good job, although I've gotta touch up the nails a bit.

After that, I frocked up as Cecilia and took a couple of pics with the nails and outfit, but I had trouble getting everything together and putting everything on, but in the end it was worth it for a mini shoot and a great pic to match:

Hopefully I should have more pics soon, especially with the breast forms that I've got lined up along with the crossdresser kit that I'm planning to get.

Speaking of which, I'm in the final stages of payment and delivery arrangements with the seller. So hopefully, and fingers crossed, I should have the forms plus the kit by either next week or at the most, the beginning of December. After that....it's only a matter of getting new outfits and experimenting with new looks, and maybe even a new wig too.

Ronnie (Cecilia)

A Giant Step Forward

2011-11-07T08:54:00.000+11:00

From humble beginnings as a unknown named Señorita, to the christening of Cecilia, I've been on a very big journey that has expanded from strength to strength. What began as a bit of crossplay which went bad to a classy looking crossdresser, I've been through it all.

I've learn't the art of applying make-up thanks to many of my great deviantART friends, and removing it as well and even matching the lighting settings for each shoot and I'm just starting to now get feedback from the CD/TG community and it seems I've not only hit the mark, but I've got a long ways to go before Cecilia is fully completed.

So hence why this blog posting. Yesterday I announced a very big step via my Twitter account:

"Well that's it. No going back. No chickening out. Just sealed the deal for the "finishing touches" this afternoon. November 14th is the day."

If you have been following my blog, I've been in talks with a well known seller of crossdresser related stuffs, such as breast forms, gaffs and the like. I've decided to finally go for it and get that crossdressers kit that I've been eyeing off for a fair while, but at $349, it's a bit of a steep step and required a lot of thinking, budgeting and risk assessment. It wasn't an easy decision to make on a personal level, but also financially as well.

So on the 14th November, I finally take the giant step forward as Cecilia and finally complete the look, breast forms and all.

Now to get some more of that L'oreal Ivory Foundation Powder.....already hitting the bottom of the jar, and oh, some blush powder as well.....

Ronnie (Cecilia)

Week Over

2011-11-03T08:59:00.000+11:00

Whew! Survived the Melbourne Cup at work and came out without a scratch and finally turning my attention to the three day weekend coming up in a few hours time!

So what's the plans? Well it's going to be a quiet one.....again. Mainly due to the weather situation (bloody 30 degree hot days!) and also preparing to purchase my crossdresser kit in a weeks time, and I've been very excited about that for a fair while!

Well I'm going to get in some gaming time over the weekend before the Call of Duty: MW3 release on Tuesday, my EB online preorder is set to be shipped tomorrow for a Monday or Tuesday pick up from the local post office. I've preordered the Hardened Edition of the game a few months back and it's lucky that I did get my order in early as most of the online stores have limited or even sold out their stock, so I'm counting my lucky stars there.

I'm also preparing to take another step forward with Cecilia very shortly with not only the crossdresser kit, but also some false nails to really make her stand out. I'm also getting some nail polish to compliment the nails, and then maybe also fit in a shoot with the new items! Speaking of which.......

I snuck in a mini shoot in my "Corporate Cecilia" look last weekend and mixed up the poses a bit by bringing in my notebook bag and a coffee cup:

I'm starting to get better with each shoot, and the kit plus the nails should finish the look soon enough, just need time to get the funds ready to go and then it's only a case of making the purchase and taking it from there.

Anyway that should do it for this post, got a heap of gaming time up my sleeve, and a a big plan to put together....

Ronnie

The Race that Stops the Nation

2011-11-01T08:54:00.001+11:00

The first Tuesday in November......a day to have a punt on the horses, dress up and have a great time. Come 3:00 in the afternoon, the gates open up and for three heart stopping minutes, the nation cheers. We call it the Melbourne Cup. The one day were it's a case of drop everything and watch the colour and spectacle, have a grand lunch or two and having fun.

But for me, this day is one of painful memories of the past runnings. Bad bets, mystery bets going bad, getting jumped at work over someone elses loss, forced to step in and stop arguments and play the guardian angel. As mentioned in my deviantART journal postings recently, I dread this day for many reasons and working for a disability services organisation just makes it worse.

I've been working for over five years and I've seen my fair share of trouble during race day. Thefts, robberies, fights, shouting matches over the sweep, tempers blowing up, property damage and violence. And yes, this is all true, and no, I can't provide proof. Company policy prevents that one. So today, I'm going to have to be on my guard at all times and ensure any troublemakers are weeded out.

I'm not placing a bet on the race, and I haven't done so in three years. Mainly due to bills and other costs getting in the way. But I've got the Melbourne Cup iPad app for conducting the sweep draw, so that should come in handy. A BBQ lunch to follow and then it's only a matter of waiting it out for the race to start.

But if you are having a bet or going in a sweep today, remember to do it in a responsible manner, don't go over your limit, don't get angry or frustrated if your horse doesn't finish in the placings and certainly don't take the loss out on anyone or anything, it's not worth getting a criminal record or losing your job. If you feel like you're going to lose it, here's my advice:

"Step out, walk away, find a quiet spot and relax."

Please be responsible today, I know I will.

Ronnie

Stage Two Down, One Step Left

2011-10-19T09:02:00.000+11:00

Cecilia and me, regardless of what people think of my looks, body shape or how I dress (more on that later) have conquered another huge step in the crossdresser/crossplayer road last night.

Over the last few weeks, I've been becoming Cecilia to try out some new looks, including a corporate based one in both a purple silk style as shown here:

And more recently, a black corporate look with a new pencil skirt that I brought off eBay:

So hence, I've conquered another major hurdle in my path, but I still have a ways to go yet. Why? Well, I've been planning to get my CD'ers kit from the Australian arm of The Breast Form Store for a while but when I've had the money and I was ready to make the purchase, something cropped up that needed urgent attention. For example, my external hard drive decided to corrupt itself a few weeks ago and Mac OS wouldn't repair the disk despite the various fixes I've found. So I had to fork out $100 on a program called Data Rescue 3 from Prosoft, and it recovered my files, a very close call indeed.

Hopefully I should accomplish one of my main goals next month and buy the kit itself, which retails for over $345, but hopefully it should be money well invested.

Also lately, there's been some major tension on my deviantART page from the so called TG community. Don't get me wrong, the TG community is great on dA, but it's more than just transformation sequences and stories. As mentioned in one of my dA journals a while back, someone is either jealous or just has a plain and simple gripe with me because I've been getting a heap of abuse from the community ever since I began the whole Cecilia thing. I won't mention the abuse in it's form due to it being NSFW for this site, or anywhere in general.

Also I've been getting some hateful comments from certain people about my body image. Now I don't give a crap about how I look, but it's not easy doing this whole crossdressing thing when you're pushing the plus size range, no offense intended. I've just only found out that I can shop for size 18 or 20 clothing when I purchased my pencil skirt for the Corporate Cecilia shoots. That also limits what I can do in terms of outfit choice, including, when I get my kit, swimwear and such. But I won't let these people stop me from what I could wear despite not fitting the perfect shape.

Another thing I want to do is to get some nails to complete the look. Now I could grow my nails out, but since I'm working part time, that option is out of the question. So I've been looking at false nails and deciding if I want to paint them. So hopefully that would be one of my goals, but as mentioned before, I'm taking this one step at a time, and I've conquered two steps so far and looking forward to accomplishing my goals in full.

I said it wasn't going to be an easy task doing this, and I was right, it's not easy. But I'll keep going, regardless of what the trolls and haters think of it. I'm not stopping for them, I'm not stopping for anyone else, I'm making up for lost time.

Ronnie (Cecilia)