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gorgeous rock 'n' swing gear
gorgeous customers pages
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gorgeous customers info
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pikkies of gorgeous customers
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pikkies of gorgeous customers
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pikkies of gorgeous customers
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gorgeous supporting charities
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comments by gorgeous customers
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comments by gorgeous customers
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pikkies of some of our gorgeous customers, not only in Australia, but across the world...
they proudly wear their gorgeous shoes, shirts, skirts, pants, jackets, sox, whatevers...
where appropriate, we also include their contact details...
Our gorgeous shoes range, much
of our clothing range, our
various other bits 'n' pieces,
& details of our exclusive
"personalized" Gift Vouchers
are available online in special
"print-friendly" versions.
Our print-friendly section serves
as the gorgeous "Catalogue".
Just click on the link below:
Also, because of requests from
some of our gorgeous customers
who "feature" on our website,
these pages are now available
on our "print-friendly server
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Joe Robassa
Joe Robassa certainly has a great musical pedigree...
As well as a being an especially talented singer, performer & musician, there's
a well established tradition of music in Joe's immediate family...
Joe's mum Tina has been a great singer since the 50's, & she's still belting out
a tune or two - that's her above just a few years ago performing on stage...
Joe's sister Marika is also a talent in her own right, both in art and music - she's a
singer/pianist, shown above with partner singer/songwriter/musician Fulvio Cabrera...
Marika is now back in Australia after 10 years living in Portugal...
Joe has performed with some fabulous other talents over the years,
including the Melbourne “Three Tenors” tribute trio...
Joe's “love of the melody” is even reflected in his private life...
Joe & his wife Angie have named their beautiful new baby daughter
“Melody Georgia”...
You can find out more about Joe (including buying his music) by checking out his
Swingtastic
South Florida Swing Dance Productions' dance troupe, Swingtastic,
are located in Jensen Beach, Florida...
Swingtastic performs original choreographed high-energy dance performance
routines for entertainment at any occasion with appeal to all age groups...
Their style is fun and enjoyable to perform & watch, and their passion for the
dance inspires them to bring the entire Swing era back to your community…
Swingtastic has recently performed at Disney World in Orlando, FL...
The troupe provides their own costumes and music, or they are just
as pleased to dance to your band or DJ'd music...
Swingtastic have a fabulous website with a great selection of info & photos,
If you would like to book them to perform at your next event, then email
Octane Espresso
If you're lookin' for the very best cup of coffee in Melbourne,
then there's only one place to go - Octane Espresso
This is what "The Age" Newspaper had to say in their "Epicure" insert:


Top of the coffee chain
By Leanne Tolra
February 28, 2006
IN THE short time this column has been running, readers have shared the names of myriad people and places across Victoria that they frequent out of loyalty, admiration, interest and habit. Emails have been witty, clever, opinionated, self-promoting, humble and inspiring.
One place that stood out in the first batch was Octane, a coffee kiosk in McKillop Street in the city.
Octane is a refuelling stop, and it doesn't pretend to be any more, with signature colours of orange and silver-grey, fresh, fast food and consistent, well-made coffee. On my first visit, I was impressed with the clean appearance and simple philosophy of the place. Partners Gabe Davidson and Kahlia Pyle are smart business people with a commitment to quality coffee, efficient service and a sharp eye for appealing, approachable staff.
On a second visit, without having any idea who we were, Davidson began discussing water-quality problems with another companion of mine - someone who knew plenty about the importance of perfect water in the search for perfect coffee. His passion for what he was doing, his knowledge and his commitment were notable.
The coffees, on both occasions, were very good and made me want to know more about the place.
A few weeks later, I spotted Davidson striding down Carlisle Street, Balaclava, with a toolbox in his hand. He walked purposefully into a cafe and began to work with its barista at the coffee machine.
Now I was really curious.
So I made my way to Octane's more secret location on the top floor of the Baker Heart Research Institute and ordered a coffee and a snack: same slick appearance to the store, consistently good coffee and extremely pleasant service.
Finally, I contacted Davidson and Pyle to get their story. They are New Zealanders who moved to Melbourne just over five years ago and they were willing to share the NZ secret to good coffee.
"It's because of geography and population size," says Pyle. "If you are going to open up a cafe, you just have to be better than the people down the road. There is not the population to support average cafes."
Davidson says he and Pyle began working together for NZ company Fuel Espresso. Davidson was promoted to head barista and Pyle took on a managerial role. "When we came to Melbourne we always had the goal of setting up our own espresso bar," he says. "We spent our first three years trying to get the coffee flavour that people in Melbourne were after."
They opened in McKillop Street in 2003. A year later, while in Fawkner Park, they saw the opportunity to set up a coffee cart in the courtyard of the Baker Institute across the road. The institute encouraged them to set up a cafe on its top floor instead. Their third outlet, a custom-designed coffee cart in the forecourt of the Victorian County Court building, was set up eight months ago. Because of the "pit-stop" nature of Octane, paper cups are used for larger coffees, although espressos are served in china cups.
"Octane is not a cafe," says Pyle. "Our main focus is to provide excellent take-away coffee."
But Davidson says they are so conscious of the environmental impact of what they are doing that each Octane outlet sponsors a child in a coffee-growing region. The company measures its carbon emissions and plans to plant trees each year to offset the effect. There are also plans for thermal travel mugs for regulars.
One of the points made in the letters about Octane was the pair's commitment to perfection: they time their espresso shots to ensure the ultimate extraction (30-35 millilitres in 25-30 seconds is considered the standard).
"Timing eliminates one variable in perfect coffee," says Pyle. "We like our baristas to time their shots, but we also have precision grinders, hand tampers and our baristas are taught to apply the same pressure every time."
Octane has eight baristas - including Davidson and Pyle - and the pair says it chooses perfectionists, with the right attitude, passion for people and coffee, rather than those with formal qualifications.
"We always use double shots and all of our staff are trained to recognise a perfect extraction. If it's not perfect, they throw it out. For us it is all about consistent quality," says Davidson.
They also work as consultants for Amanti Coffee, training baristas and as coffee-machine technicians - which explains my toolbox experience.
They also claim their hot chocolate is extraordinary. "We have developed a blend of two West African cocoas, with the help of Craig McKenzie of Grounded Pleasures, which are high in cocoa butters and contain no sugar or milk. The taste is amazing," Davidson says.
So to complete my research, I headed to the cart - a stainless-steel pod staffed by two charming and efficient baristas. The hot chocolate was amazing - deep, dark, sweet and mysterious - and the coffee was a pleasant, reliably good brew.
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Octane wanted to create a "retro" look which included
their signature colours of orange & silver-gray
So we worked with Kahlia & Gabe to especially design the
bowling shirts now worn by all the Octane staff
If you'd like to know where the current & planned
Octane Expresso cafe kiosks are located
Or you'd like some info on becoming an expert "barista",
or buy the best Italian coffee brewing equipment,
or purchase their fabulous coffee blends
Then you need to contact Kahlia & Gabe on:
tel: 03 9600 2577
fax: 03 9670 8570
mob: 0400 993 051 (Gabe)
mob: 0400 993 050 (Kahlia)
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We have many, many people who buy
our gorgeous shoes 'n' clothes
for their “most important day”
Here's an email from Rachelle & Rob
Hi Guys
We bought some Billy shoes from you early this year for our wedding and they went off! So now I am looking for maybe a pair of Lindy Hopper straps or saddle shoes for myself.
Would it also be possible for a copy of your catalogues? Do these have prices included? I am interested in the Bleyer, Alexi and Jitterbug ranges as well as clothing.
Attached is a pic from the wedding featuring the much-commented upon shoes (including a public announcement from the priest who was quite jealous!)
Regards
Rachelle Burgoyne
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Lorraine & David
"Stepping Out" Dance School
41 pairs of gorgeous shoes !!!
Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you...
Lorraine & David are the gorgeous "record holders"...
Lorraine has so far purchased 16 pairs of gorgeous shoes,
& David has purchased 25 pairs of gorgeous shoes...
We jokingly (& fondly) refer to them as "Mr & Mrs Imelda"...
As well as having "incredibly good taste" in shoes, they're also
extremely delightful people, & just FABULOUS dancers - they're
the current Rock 'n' Roll "Dance Masters of Australia" Champions...
Lorraine & David run the very successful "Stepping Out" dance school,
teaching most forms of partner dancing - rock 'n' roll, rockabilly
swing, ballroom & latin dancing - as well as line-dancing...
David is also a carer for people with brain aquired disabilities, & plays
base guitar in a rock 'n' roll band with a number of his patients...
David ordering his 16th pair of gorgeous
shoes at Barham "Rock by the River" Festival
For Lorraine's 15th pair & David's 20th pair of gorgeous shoes,
they ordered matching Rockabillity "music-note" mudguards...
So if you'd like some dance lessons from two of the best
teachers in the business - either class or private...
Or you'd like to arrange a top-flight floor show or demo...
Contact Lorraine & David on 03 9386 1490 or 0431 175 872...
Actually - David is not really the record-holder
Mary (from gorgeous) has 27 pairs of our shoes - but
she hasn't paid for a single, solitary pair
She's "sending us broke"
Ray (sob, sob, sob)
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Jon & Alisha
Jon & Alisha have been dancing together for over 5 years, & have
established themselves as two of Australia's very best swing,
rock 'n' roll & rockabilly dancers - & they're so damn young...
They're always in "top demand" & have travelled throughout Australia
competing, performing & demonstrating at world-class venues...
In fact, they've won just about every top-flight dance competition
that's held anywhere in Australia including:
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Victorian State Holders - 2001, 2003
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Aust South East Champions - 2002, 2003
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Pan Pacific Rock 'n' Roll Title - 2004
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Australasian Championship Title - 2004
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'Best of the Best' Sydney - 3rd place
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Jon & Alisha are not only such fabulous dancers, they're also
very experienced & skilful dance teachers...
We've seen them teaching & conducting workshops - their classes
are just like their dancing - heaps of pizzazz & fun...
Jon & Alisha are now passing on their fabulous dance techniques
at their newly-established "Alley Catz" dance school...
All students are not taught to dance the same way, they can take
established dancers to the next level providing them with the
knowledge, skill & encouragement to develop their own styles...
They provide the perfect fun-learning environment for those
who've never previously danced - to get them goin' on
the first night and meeting some great people...
You can find out more by contacting Jon & Alisha at:
03 9503 8301
0419 507 626
The Alley Catz Hops
Jon & Alisha run monthly Rock 'n' Roll dances in Melbourne's western suburb of Sunshine
They're always great nights & their dances are widely known as the "Best in the West"
To give you a "taste & feel" - here's a few pikkies from one of their recent dances
As well as wearing gorgeous dance shoes, the "Alley Catz" dance school,
performance & bowling shirts are of course also made by gorgeous
Gal's
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Shirts
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Guy's
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rear
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Sandy & Ray
There's very, very few dancers in Australia with the all round
grace, style, skill & pizzazz of Sandy & Ray Ivory...
Their dance school on Queensland's Sunshine Coast is acknowledged
as one of the best in Australia - & with darn good reason...
The skills they impart is demonstrated by the many competitions won by
their students - & with the sheer quality of their performances...
It's not much wonder that they're in such high demand throughout the
Country to conduct their workshops, performances & floor shows...
Sandy & Ray also have a fabulous range of dance DVD's for sale, &
details are included on their website - see below...
They had a stall at the Wintersun Rock 'n' Roll Festival & sold heaps
of DVD's to people who were aware of their teacing skills...
During a relatively quiet spot, they started dancing outside their stall...
When people saw how they dance - they came from "everywhere" to watch,
and heaps of their audience then went on to purchase their entire set...
Where we surprised ??? Not even remotely...
Sandy & Ray can be contacted at:
07 5479 4859
0419 658 879
Jake - aka "Spincat"
Time 2 Dance
There's heaps of great dance teachers around, but we
doubt there's many who make the learning experience
as enjoyable & as much fun as Jake does...
But it's not only the "fun" aspects - it's also about skilful
teaching - & Jake "sure fits the bill" in this area...
Jake's prowess as both a teacher & dancer has grown to the
extent that he's now teaching around 150 students a week...
Another "string to his bow" is teaching engaged couples
"simple to perform" but stunning swing dance routines
for them to dance at their weddings...
Jake's other great passion is helping young people to develop
an excited & positive attitude to life - & he is an
experienced youth camp director...
And if that wasn't enough, Jake also does a bit of singing with
the Albury/Wodonga-based Jazz Band "Hidden Agenda"...
Jake is teaching classes & private lesson at Ringwood in Melbourne,
Albury in NSW & Wangaratta & Bendigo in Victoria...
If you'd like to arrange some expert, fun-filled dance tuition in
Northern Victoria or Southern NSW with the "Spincat",
then get a group together & pick up that phone...
Or to arrange a demo for your corporate or social function - or
to add some "spice & difference" to your wedding plans...
You can reach Jake at:
0410 505 145

Swing Patrol "Legend of the year"
awarded to Jake Meadley
In grand tradition we have nominated another Legend of the Year for 2006. This year we broke away from tradition and for the first time, unusually, awarded the status to one of the teaching team.
The legend of the year for 2006 is Jake Meadley.
Jake is a foundation rock in the swing scene across all of Victoria having taught weekly classes in Melbourne, Albury- Woodonga, Wangaratta, Shepparton and two courses as well in Bendigo too in 2006. His contribution to the swing scene goes way beyond fulfilling his teaching duties; he lives and breathes swing, builds communities around him and brings people together to dance at classes, festivals, picnics, local and larger events.
How he has the energy to do all of that in amongst all the travel we will never know and will always be astounded by. It is testament to his conviction and devotion to getting people to dance and enjoy their time together. Your contribution is amazing Jake.
Congrats on being a legend.
(Swing Patrol Is the largest swing dance school anywhere in the world,
& they're located "down under" in our home city of Melbourne,
so check out their websites below)
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Glamour Puss
Having fun while you're learning to dance is "quite an understatement" if
your lessons are at Miss Jane's Glamour Puss Tap Dancing Academy
Glamour Puss Studios are based in Melbourne, Australia - & put
the T&A back into TAP, with their unique brand of retro &
hip tap dancing, known as "glamourtap".
Although tap is their "thing", Glamour Puss also dip their character shoe
encrusted toes into other styles of dance - with Swing Cat Fridays (swing
dance with Swing Central) & Tina Sparkle Saturdays (ballroom).
And they just "hate" to dress up & put on a show:
Check out those "Flame" shoes - wonder where they came from ??? :o)
If you want to have as much fun as Miss Jane's other students,
then you can contact her at:
03 9824 1343
And when you visit the Glamour Puss site, make sure
that you click on the "complaints" button
Iain
There's many, many fabulous people in the Rock 'n' Roll, Rockabilly
& Swing scenes - but Iain is certainly one of our "faves"...
He is one of the most delightful people that we know, possessing
a "generosity of spirit" which knows no bounds...
And our comments have absolutely nothing to do with the fact
that Iain is one our regular & most loyal customers...
Iain even had us make him a bowling shirt with gorgeous embroidered
on the rear so that he could "publicise" us...
Iain (whose knickname is "Rattles") hit on the idea of him & a couple
of friends getting matching bowling shirts made up...
Here's the result:
Sam
(Shake)
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Iain
(Rattles)
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Mike
(Roll)
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Rhode Island Rockers
Like many other Rock 'n' Roll & Swing dance schools & clubs
throughout Australia, Rhode Island Rockers conduct
events to assist various worthy charities...
Brian & the rest of the crew at Rhode Island Rockers held a dance
on Good Friday, with all of the proceeds going to help raise
much needed funds for the Royal Children's Hospital...
The local "Star" newspaper gave a bit of pre-dance publicity to help
"swell the numbers" - as you can probably guess, Brian, Wendy,
Aaron & Mary are wearing gorgeous shoes 'n' clothes...
gorgeous was there on the night - & of course contributed a range
of "goodies" to be auctioned & raffled to help things along...
Viva Las Coopers Wedding
ELVIS LIVES !!!
A few happy snaps from Ishan and Inala's
wedding with THE KING!
(Ishan of course wearing his gorgeous Billy shoes)
Can you pick the real Elvis ???
Kobe "Elvis" White
Kobe loves Elvis because he's the King of Rock'n Roll and the best.
He's been listening to Elvis since he was just 2 years old
and he's been singing his songs ever since.
Kobe has watched all the Elvis movies, & loves to sing Elvis Gospel.
He loves to get up in front of an audience & perform - & he's exceptionally
good at it, with a "stage presence" remarkable for his tender years.
Kobe has just released his first CD & there'll soon be more
info on his Blog, plus samples for you to listen to.
One of the biggest Rock 'n' Roll Festivals in the world is Wintersun,
held each year in Coolangatta on Australia's Gold Coast.
Wintersun conducts a series of "Elvis Performance Competitions",
including a very competitive "Elvis Junior section".
It probably "goes without saying" that Kobe won the Junior section.
Here's what the Herald-Sun newspaper had to say about Kobe:
Just like any other talented singer, Kobe is very particular about
what he chooses to wear for his onstage performances.
And yes, you guessed correctly - Kobe wears our gorgeous shoes.
In fact Kobe's Dad Bruce was a bit on the "jealous side", so he
also bought himself a pair of our gorgeous shoes. :o)
Philip Pliskin
Philip is the lead singer in Belgium's "Walking Tomatoes" Rock 'n' Roll Band.
The "Tomatoes" play a fabulous range of classic R 'n' R standards, such as:
Born to be Wild, Cocaine, Johnny B Goode, Move it On Over, Gloria,
Keep Your Hands to Yourself, The Jack, Pinball Wizard, Proud Mary,
Moody River, Wicked Game, Hey Joe, Knockin' on Heaven's Door,
Fortunate Son, Caroline, I Can't Get No Satisfaction, & more.
When Philip wanted a pair of black two-tone "Fire" shoes to wear
on stage - naturally gorgeous were there to help him out.
The "Walking Tomatoes" are a combination of great talented musicians,
together with Philip's bluesy/rock voice & electric stage presence.
If you live in Belgium & you haven't as yet seen the "Tomatoes" - or
you live elsewhere in Europe & they're on tour in your area,
then make absolutely sure that you go to see them.
at some of the video's, you'll see Philip's gorgeous "Fire" shoes.
We've personally downloaded most of their videos,
& we definitely have them on "high rotation".
Almost forgot - Philip's next gorgeous shoes will be in Blue Suede.
gorgeous contact details
p o box 69, craigieburn, vic, 3064, australia.
Australian Info:
tel: 03 9305 6509
fax: 03 9305 7737
mob: 0414 811 525 (Ray)
mob: 0414 811 081 (Mary)
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International Info:
tel: +61 3 9305 6509
fax: +61 3 9305 7737
cell: +61 414 811 525 (Ray)
cell: +61 414 811 081 (Mary)
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If you live in Melbourne, Australia - or you're here for a visit, then
you're most welcome to make a time to call in to personally
check out our gorgeous range of shoes, clothes, etc
at our home-based showroom in Craigieburn…
We also display our range at rock `n' roll & swing dances, classes
& festivals in Melbourne, Victoria & occasionally Interstate…
You'll be most impressed with both the quality & range of items
that you certainly “won't find in your local shopping mall”…
Not to mention our friendly & personal, efficient Aussie service…
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We've been experiencing quite a few email
problems lately - both sending & receiving...
If you send us an email to our usual address at:
& you don't receive a timely answer,
then please try our alternative email at:
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FREE INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE CALLS
You can talk to us at gorgeous from your computer absolutely FREE
It's just like talking over the telephone - but you don't have to pay
those horrendously expensive international phone call rates
You'll need to install a clever little freeware program called "Skype"
Once you've installed "Skype", search for us under "gorgeous-gear"
in Australia - & you can then speak to us completely FREE
You can even call people who don't have "Skype", or have a computer
Yes, it does cost you a little, but we really do mean "a little" - & it's
also considerably less than those International Phone Cards
eg: Check out the costs of a 30 minute call between Australia & the
following Countries - & the costs are the same in either direction:
USA:
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US 62 cents
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New Zealand:
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NZ 98 cents
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Canada:
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CA 72 cents
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South Africa:
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Rand 3.8
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United Kingdom:
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UK 35 pence
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Japan:
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Yen 73
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Europe:
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Euro 51 cents
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Singapore:
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SG 98 cents
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Switzerland:
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Franc 0.80
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China:
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Yuan 5
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Details are on the "Skype" site - under "SkypeOut"
If you have a webcam, we can even "eyeball" while we're talking
with "Skype" video calling - & this is also completely FREE
"Skype's" PRIVATE chat function includes a conference call facility
In the course of our gorgeous business, we make many calls to our
customers right across the world - & as you can probably tell
from all this, we're absolutley rapt with "Skype"
"Skype" is a fabulous utility & so easy to use - it's saving us a "bundle"
“I knew it was over when I downloaded Skype,” Michael Powell, chairman, Federal Communications Commission, explained. “When the inventors of KaZaA are distributing for free a little program that you can use to talk to anybody else, and the quality is fantastic, and it’s free – it’s over. The world will change now inevitably.”
Fortune Magazine, February 16, 2004
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gorgeous are located "down under"
in Melbourne, Australia
The current time here is:
Please note time differences between
where "we are" - & where "you are"
if you intend to skype or phone us
If you "click" on the clock, it will open a new window
showing you the Day & Date here in Australia
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If you live in - or you're visiting Melbourne, & you're
lookin' for somewhere to "dance ya sox off"...
then check out Mel's fabulous gig-guide & site at:
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