Just a little OT to keep you up to date also about my private life (if anyone of you cares … ). Last Friday we got a new member in our family, after we lost our precious Doberman after 10 years, we decided to move forward and forget the drama by getting a new dog. This time we bought a Jack Russell Terrier … what a Devil! Her name is Sophie, she is now 3 months old and she is the alpha of her litter … so a little bit a “devil dog”. Really energetic and with a...

This is an off-topic post and I want to spend a space on my wall to my dog, the best “friend” I ever had in my life and probably the best I will ever have. Morgana has been my dog since the end of 2001, as soon as I ended the school and I got the first job I left my parents house and I started to live with my actual wife. I always had the dream of having a Doberman and I decided with Debbie to go to a Doberman breeding farm and get one. ...

Last week, or better this week that just ended I have been to the Microsoft Patterns and Practices Symposium summit which is a very cool 7 days Summit for Software architects, Microsoft and non. Redmond and Seattle It was the first time for me also to be in Redmond, or better to visit Seattle and the suburbs like Redmond, Bellevue and Seattle city. What can I say? It’s really a cool and nice place, it remembers me home ( I am from the north of Italy) with all these trees and mountains but in the same way...

It has been a long time since my last post, so I got some e-mails from my readers (really proud about it) wondering why I am not writing anymore on my blog. Well you need to know what's going on ... It's time for an update. First of all I am very busy in the office, I am working hard right now and the time I come back home I am really tired. We had some busy week-ends here with bad weather, hurricane so I didn't really have a lot of time for the blog. Finally, probably the most amazing reason, I am...

Oh, I am so glad that after 15 days of troubles and problems I am finally able to post again from my blog. An this is just one of the new important news! But let’s start to shame on WebHost4Life. I want to let you know that I am the owner of this domain, starting from the far 2003 and I had various Hosts in these years but I never had such a kind of problem. Around January 2010 the crappy WebHost4Life started the tedious migration under the new Control Panel but this is not the true....

My name is Raffaele Garofalo (aka raffaeu) and I am a NET Software Architect. I was born the 12th of June 1978 and I am Italian. After the University I moved with my wife in Switzerland where I worked for various Private Bank and Software agencies. In 2008 I moved to Bermuda web site where I still live now. Actually I am working as a Software Architect for a Reinsurance Company. I spend my free time reading and writing articles, manuals and guides related to the NET Technologies. My passion is for WPF, WF and the...

Today it’s 2 years that I have opened my blog in English and it’s two years that I moved to Bermuda web site. I should do some considerations about it but it’s not the right time for me so I will try to be as less negative as I can. Job and career. I moved here 2 years ago as a Senior Software Developer working for a public Company as the IT Manager. In this company I was in charge of the entire (small) IT department. Unfortunately, after the Market Crisis of the 2009 I was ‘convinced’...

Hi everybody, as you can see I am off again. Unfortunately this time was not for my fault, directly. I had a surgery last week here in Bermuda web site and now I have to stay on the bed for a while, so no PC and no nothing. I can just spend my time for studying for the new certifications I am going to prepare. I will be back soon and I will post a lot of SQL08 and Biztalk news, just wait and stay tuned!

I want to share with you this video as my first come back post. It will explain in few steps what really happened. The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

This sentence should not be misunderstood. I'm not back to Italy but I can finally say I'm back to my blog. In these last months I was and I'm still a little bit busy. Working on a new system I designed with MS SQL 2008 and Reporting Services with Integration Services has keep me busy for the last 3-4 months. But the plan for the 2009 has changed!! My objectives for this year are 3: Complete my Certifications on SQL Server and complete the MCPD.I want to close this chapter of my professional life, I must complete my Certifications...

I want to post something about what you're heard about Bermuda and a balance of wrong and true. Bermuda is a bad move for your career? Bermuda it used to be a halfway house on the road to professional oblivion for expat business types who were either tipsy or incompetent or both, but not any more. You can find very professional people in Accounting, IT and Financial area. Everything is expensive? Actually, also if we compare Bermuda to Europe after the Euro, Bermuda is merely expensive. A month rent for an house could be from 2000 to 20000 this is...

Last week I have completed my first group of lessons at the Iko course. The level are tree: Discovery, Intermediate, Independent. When you take the first lessons about the Discovery level, you don't need a kite because your teacher will give you everything. But when you start the intermediate level, you start with kiting; and in my opinion, because every kite is completely different, i have decided to buy my personal kite, board, and various instruments. My 5th line kite. This is a new entry in kite-boarding, actually you can find only kites with 4 lines,...

Hi guys and all readers of my blog. I'm really with everyone of you but unfortunately in these days I was very busy and I didn't get one minute to update my weblog. I have receive a lot of requests about new shots from Bermuda so in this short post I will send you some updates. Hope you will enjoy!! Some shots from Hamilton City Front street The Parliament   One of the Churches Some shots from my House From the patio My new Girlfriend...

Happy Birthday to me ... Yep today I'm 30 so please connect to my blog, make a comment and say me HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Incredible. If you remember one years ago there was a terrible incident in London underground for the terrorism. Since that accident, London Customs has restricted so much their immigration policy and also their Customs rules. The most incredible fact is that they didn`t accept one of my Portable USB HardDisk of 20 Gbyte. They say that my USB HardDisk didn`t pass their tests and maybe I can carry  inside that HardDisk some danger explosive!! Ok I can understand their worries about terrorism, and so on, but It`s unbeliveble that in 2008 Customs in London doesn`t have any kind of instrument or tools for...

As many of you know, I'm Italian and I'm relocated in Bermuda. So I want to talk about the experience of obtain a work permit (temporary, for only 3 months) in Bermuda and what's happen here in Italy! In Bermuda you MUST have a work before ask for a work permit and also, you CANNOT ask for it, but your employer must ask for you. In my opinion, this is a very correct procedure, because in this way, Bermuda Government is able to control the Immigration flow. Very good. What's happen in Italy? In Italy many people from Africa and also from the...

One thing that I want to describe It's the large difference there's from Italy to Bermuda regarding clothes Prices. Yep It' true. In Italy you can buy a new Shirt on Benetton for less than 20 USD, but I see that in Bermuda there is a Benetton shop that sell the same shirt at 200 USD!! Incredible. Also for Jeans, for example, a Benetton or Levis jeans, you can buy in Italy in many discount sale for less than 50 USD, but in Bermuda I have found some Levis's Jeans at 150 USD. So there are a lot of differences from Italy...

As I promise to you, my reader, today I will explain my experience in find a job, or better, I will tell you what opportunity this fantastic Job Agency can give to you. For some essential NDA, I will not talk about salary, companies and contracts, It's not my business!I Some months ago ... I have found an interesting job agency, the name is The James Partnership. They are in charge to find you a Job in the Bermuda Island, exclusively Business and Financial jobs, but also something in the Information Technology. Normally they search some interesting profiles like: Accounting ...

Today in Switzerland is my last workly day. I have made a little party this morning and I have received two fantastic gadgets from my former collegues. The first one, It's a fantastic Camera, the Casio Exlim S10, bottom here you can find a shot of: The second one It's a classic Swizerland gift, the myth of Victorinox, a useful small knife. So now, I have two new things to pay duties on the Customs!!

In this period, in principal the last week, I'm finishing my last job in Switzerland and I'm still waiting for my Temp Permit in Bermuda. Yeah guys beleive me, this is the most worst period you can live!! You still don't know when you will relocate, but you cannot do anything. You still don't know the final date, but you are concious that your current job is finished, so you are unemployed! Oh Man I really don't like wait ... But It seems to be normal in BM. So I have to get used.