My Biography
Born and raised in Pontypridd some 5 miles to the North of Cardiff, known as the hometown of singer Tom Jones, and the place where the national anthem of Wales 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau' was written.
As a child I was one of the first pupils at school with access to a personal computer (16bit 12.5Mhz Amstrad PC2286). As computers grew with technology so did my desire to keep up with it. From knowing how they worked to simply playing games or making a simple spreadsheet.The real passion was obvious to me in the early/mid 90's when the world and I had access to the Word Wide Web. Information became accessible and websites became more creative, it seems with our high speed fiber optic connections we are only limited by our imagination when it comes to designing a website today.
When studying at University my course had a diverse range, I studied PC fundamentals to website development, graphic design to sound engineering & video editing. Having left University many years ago I've noticed an increase in so called 'web designers' who complete a 2 week WYSIWIG course in Dreamweaver.
With very little or no knowledge of getting the website seen by potential clients/browsers the website becomes an inefficient marketing tool. The black art of Search Engine Optimisation (not to be confused with Search Engine Marketing) has become the difference between a good website designer/developer and the amateur.
I am now looking to better myself in the art of SEO, giving my clients websites more exposure.
When I'm not sat at my Mac/PC there is nothing I like more than to get out and fly with family & friends over the British countryside and coastlines. If weather conditions make flying unsuitable then kitesurfing makes for a very satisfying second option to have.
My Awards
Rugby. Starting at the age of just 9 years old I represented every school I attended, including captaining my new 6th form school against my old school with teammates such as Michael Owen and Gethin Jenkins.
As a regular player in the University rugby league side I was the highest try scorer in the 2000/2001 season. As I gained weight and became more knowledgeable of the game I was moved from the wing into the physically demanding position of centre, our team won countless tournaments and made it to the semi finals of the BUSA cup losing narrowly to Loughborough University.Doing my best to stay away from the high risks that go hand in hand with full contact rugby, I enjoy playing touch rugby at Touch Rugby Wales with friends. Being a competitive team we take the games seriously and train together during the week. This has led us to winning many leagues over the years - although this year (summer 2011) we lost in the finals.
Water Skiing. Competing from a very young age at club level I won many competitions at both club and regional level. And went on to represent Wales at Barefoot water skiing.
Athletics. With long legs and explosive strength I had the right genetics for many Athletic events, 60m and 100m sprints were never easy events for a tall runner but I excelled in 110m hurdles, 200m and 400m sprints setting new records at my schools.
My Hobbies
- Flying
- Kite Surfing
- Water Skiing
- Rugby Union
- Rugby League
- Touch Rugby
- Circuit Training
- Mountain Walking
- Photography
- Motorsport
Education
Educated through the medium of Welsh until the age of 16, I moved to an English comprehensive for 6th form. Then studied higher education at University of Glamorgan.
At 3 years old I started my education at the only local welsh school Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Castellau. Coming from non-welsh speaking parents it proved an interesting few years translating my work to English so that parents had a better idea of what I was studying.
1993 saw me transfer from my junior school to Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari where I enjoyed studying chosen subjects as well as being a member of a very dominating rugby team.With a keen interest in Information Technology I enjoyed the hands on aspect of my studies as opposed to the academic studying of the technology within. This led me to look into studying toward an Advanced General National Vocational Qualification (now called a BTEC Advanced Diploma) in Information Technology. With no option to study this subject at Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari I made the move to join Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School.
Moving schools for most is difficult but having known most of the pupils from the local rugby team and other clubs/organisations I was quick to settle in. The idea of studying GNVQ Advanced IT & 'A' level in Physics soon put me in a predicament, I wouldn't be allowed to study 'A' level physics without studying 'A' level Mathematics. The end result would see me study for GNVQ Advanced IT accompanied by 'A' level Mathematics (Mechanical).
With my sights set on becoming an RAF fast jet pilot, a visit to RAF Cranwell soon proved that as a 6'2" sixteen year old I was already too tall to fulfill my dream. It was time to see what the booming IT industry had to offer and I choose to study Multimedia Technology & IT Studies at the University of Glamorgan.