Gossip girl here, your one and only source in to the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite. Wait.. that’s not me, is it? That’s a secret I’ll never tell.. xoxo.

Moving right along..

Since it’s been almost a year since I made my final blog entry, I thought it might be a good time to refresh the page with what has happened this year, and what’s planned for next year. And what a year it’s been, full of new highs and unfortunately new lows, but I guess that’s what life is all about (or so they say).

Last year I vowed to spend more time with my friends and family, complete some new projects, and take a few trips overseas.

Spending more time with my friends and family is definitely a box I can tick, as I’ve been lucky enough to spend a lot of time this year with my parents (State of Origin and John Farnham in Melbourne were definite highlights), I’ve spent time with my sister and her kids (Pink in Adelaide was the best concert I’ve been to!), and I’ve spent just about every weekend with my best friends Craig and Kim, and their kids.

The new projects have also been successful, but I’ll talk about those a little later.

And the overseas trips? Well, not quite as I planned, a very short hop over to Nevada is about it for this year, but there have been plenty of domestic trips from Melbourne to Sydney, Canberra and Adelaide.

Some great things have happened this year, starting with my new business IntraIP. When I was given the opportunity to acquire the COVE business, it took me a little while to make the decision as to whether or not it’s something I wanted to do, but it’s something that I enjoy doing and so I just went for it. It’s turned out far better than I imagined, and since the takeover in July the business has been going from strength to strength with plenty of things planned for 2010.

While I can’t give too much away, we’re bringing in a range of new services to take the business to a whole new level. Sorry, that sounded very George Calombaris of MasterChef fame, didn’t it?

This year also saw us add a new addition to the family – Chloe! She is a beautiful brown maltese cross shih tzu, and her and Fred Bear get along very well together.

And probably the most exciting this year has been the construction to my new house. While it was meant to be finished before Christmas this year, it’s been delayed which means I won’t be spending this Christmas in my new home. There is nothing like owning your own home, and seeing it take shape before your eyes is just an incredible feeling. It’s not all been smooth sailing, with some issues with a leaky roof and some cracked roof tiles, but it’s almost there and I can’t wait to move in.

As for the highs and lows, forming a company in the United States and planning our next trip out there has certainly been a high (even though it’s primarily a business trip of visiting data centres, I’m going to get to see more of Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York, but also see San Francisco and Orlando). I’ll be going with Michael and Angelo, and it will be Angelo’s first time in the United States which should make it all the more fun. It’s hard to believe that next time I go there, I’ll actually know my way around most of Hollywood and Century City, and how to get from most streets in New York.

As for the lows, having to take out an apprehended violence order against somebody who claimed to not only be a close friend, but somebody I could trust, definitely takes that prize. Going before a Magistrate is probably the most daunting thing I’ve ever done, but unfortunately I had no other choice.

But perhaps the most positive thing to happen to me this year has been reconnecting with a person who is truly very special to me. I won’t embarrass them by naming them here, but they know who they are. They are a friend that I know I can always trust and rely on, and they also know that they have a very special place in my heart, and I’m very thankful that I’m able to be considered a close friend by them again, and hopefully for a very long time to come.

There have been times this year when I’ve thought to myself “why am I doing this?” and “why put yourself through this?”, but at the end of the day it’s always come back to having a passion for doing what I do, which is bringing a service to people that is not only affordable but of good quality – and that is how I run my business.

A lot of people often ask how I put up with the negative comments made about me personally on forums, and the answer is simply “I don’t give a shit”. The people making those comments either don’t know me, or have never taken the time to actually discuss any of their issues with me personally, and I’m not going to be hung up on something like that, it’s just not worth it.

I’m not under some false pretence that I’m going to become super rich or powerful by providing budget web hosting services, but to be perfectly honest, that’s not what I want anyway. I want to be able to go forward in my life with a steady income, a job that I truly enjoy, and working with all of my close friends. If I can do that, with a little bit of fun mixed in, I’ll be extremely happy.

I wish all of my friends and family all the best in 2010, and if you want to follow me throughout the year, add me on Facebook (username cj1982) or follow 'cheynejonstone' on Twitter.