Festival of the boot...

The weekend seemed to go very quickly. One minute it was Friday afternoon, the next I'm sitting back at work on Monday morning.

Saturday was a bit of hard work but I finally removed all my stuff from my old address and had the place cleaned. It's such a relief to be away from that place.

Saw two games of footy on the weekend too. Two different codes. I saw a great union game between the Waratahs and the Crusaders. It came down to the wire and unfortunately the 'tahs lost by one point. The other game I saw was a league game between the Bulldogs V Titans. This too was a good game. There were very few mistakes in this game and it was a very enjoyable game to watch. The Titans went down. Looking forward to seeing a few more home games this year if I get the chance. I'm not a fan of the Doggies, but I think if they keep this sort of play up then I might just start to follow this code a little more.

Root, shoot or marry...

One of my fave bloggers has taken a break from blogging. Part of her blog that I miss is RSM. So, I'm going to pick up where she left off and revive it here on my blog. This may become a regular feature if you all enjoy it. The rules are very simple. In the comment section tell me who you'd root, who you'd shoot or who you'd marry. Whether you choose the opposite or same sex is your choice.
(For example, from Tony's explanation, if I was to give you: Russell Crowe, John Howard and, say, your boss, you then have to tell the group which one of the three you would root (for non-Australians: have intimate relations with); who you would shoot; and who you would marry. Only one go at each of them, so don't choose all three to root.
By the way, the rooting is a one-off and one night stand only, so don't go thinking you could marry Russell Crowe and have a long-term affair with the PM - not fair.)
It's not always going to be an easy choice, but after a few wines or beers you'll get the hang of it, and maybe even come out with some truthful responses.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

So, since I have updated my blog for April with a comic theme, I thought I'd choose villains. This may be tricky for some of you as sleeping with evil is not something you would normally choose, I hope. So here's your chance to cross over to the dark side and partner with, play with or just be evil yourself and rid the world of an evil force:

The Men


Dr Evil :: Darth Vader :: The Riddler

The Ladies


May Day :: Cruella De Ville :: Wicked Witch of The West

Have I made it too hard for you for #1 RSM? No, I don't think so. So, tell me, who are you going to Root, shoot or marry and why?

bland - blănd:

lacking either stimulating or irritating characteristics.

There is something very average about the colours here. Take a closer look. Where is the contrast between hair, face and shirt?

As a designer, I'm very interested in colour. Hue and tone can portray your taste and personality. It was pointed out to me last week that Andrew G, from The Contest, was very achromatic. I checked this out last night and guess what?... These 3 colours below are the average colour samples from Andrew G. These three colours represent: comfortable, homey, warm, gentle and elegant. BORING.

"Did you know"
These three colours also can be represented by food. These foods are matsutake mushroom, clear soup and dried cuttle fish and these colours were fashionable between 1100AD and 1400AD with Chinese ceramic designers.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Groovy :: yeah yeah
   
2. Jealousy :: green eye monster
   
3. Watching :: and waiting
   
4. Kenny :: Rogers
   
5. Games :: without frontiers
   
6. Bread :: and butter
   
7. City :: of dreams
   
8. Stems :: and thorns
   
9. Birds :: of a feather
   
10. Listener :: and speaker

2nd night in...

and it feels great to have had a meal in my new place and sit back and relax after a day of IKEA madness. I'm not a fan of shopping centres at the best of times, but today I braved the largest IKEA in the southern hemisphere. I nearly didn't make it into the store after having to go to level 9 of the carpark to find a spot. LEVEL 9! I panic when I'm around so many people in one place frantically shopping. I just don't like it. But I did get a tasty $1 hotdog, so that made up for it.

Then, this evening I realised my bike has a better view of the city than me! Yes, this is the view from my carpark, NOT from my unit.

First night in...

and I'm loving it. This is the view from my new digs. It's raining outside so the light from the buildings is being amplified by little drops of water on my new windows. I'm feeling pretty good about things right now.

I still have a bit more to move in and a bit of house keeping left to do at my old place but this place I'm in is just what I need right now. And I don't just mean the unit. Emotionally this is just where I want to be as well. I'm going to bed tonight with a smile on my face.

Moving on...

Things I won't miss:

• Transport trucks heading past my bedroom from Port Botany, starting at 5am every morning
• The two women in pyjamas at 5pm in the local IGA arguing over who will get the larger maintenance payment from the same man.
• The constant rain of leaf litter and bird poo dropping from the tree in the backyard
• The heat from the afternoon summer sun in my bedroom
• The overcrowded train platforms
• The large unavoidable potholes in the street that scare the crap out of me when I'm on my bike.
• The poor variety of breakfast options on weekends
• The bakeries with pigeons nesting in them (on the ovens!)
• The toilets in the local chicken bar that double as a cheap crack house
• The re-enactment of scenes from Jerry Springer being played out on the streets
  

Things I will really miss:

• The local pubs
• My huge living space
• The cheap eats
• The big nearby parks and tree lined streets
• The Greek barber who I never understood a word he said
• The ease of riding to so many good places close by
• Newtown and Erko
• Trivia nights
• Those tasty fresh Vietnamese rice paper rolls from the dodgy restaurant.
• My friends being so close

TEF mentoring the young 'ens...

I rode my bike to work this morning and look at how the kids gather around to learn.

Sometimes I'm glad I don't have kids...

because I really would not set the best example to follow.

That freshly cooked sweet smell filled my helmet as I rode past and before I knew it I was sitting at the edge of the airport, next to a runway with a bag of goodies watching planes take off as lightning and thunder filled the humid Sydney sky.

This lad here is so bumped up on sugar tonight that I'm sure that I'll be awake for hours to come. Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Unconscious Mutterings

Sorry I haven't done this for a couple of weeks.

1. San Francisco :: I like to disco
   
2. Sadness :: and wine are friends of mine
   
3. Spirits :: from beyond
   
4. Harriet :: and Henry
   
5. State :: of affairs
   
6. John :: Boy
   
7. Offense :: committed by me
   
8. Timeless :: like a tailored suit
   
9. Account :: to be payed
   
10. Refuse :: entry because I'm wearing shorts!

Web 2.0 is interesting...

You are part of it.

Another great weekend...

This weekend I managed to get up to the mountains for a bit of exploration. I went for a very damp walk to see Wentworth Falls. It was beautiful. I love the mountains when they are shrouded in cloud and mist. The temperature had dropped considerably making it cool as well. It was great sitting at Wentworth Falls watching the clouds form as the wind seemed to race across the valley and up the escarpment. Very beautiful. Unfortunately our plans to go right to the base of the falls to find a goecache were foiled by these conditions and the fact that National Parks had closed a few of the tracks. So, instead, we decided to head to Katoomba to do some more bush walking. I'd never actually had a go on the mountain railway or the Scenic Cableway so this was a good day to do it. Well, actually, it probably wasn't the best day considering that every thing was hidden by mist. However, the walks around this part of the world were enjoyable and I got to see my first Lyrebird in the wild. This little critter seemed to have no fear of humans and went about his scratching search for worms without paying any attention to me. The heavy rain continued and it made the forest come alive with some beautiful sounds. I will return here on a fine day sometime. Sunday was another good day. I started the day with a run around the National Park adjacent to the harbour and Balgowlah. (Need to get serious if I plan to compete in another race in 5 weeks time!) I'm so unfit. But, it was a great place to run with some amazing views. Then came back to The Alex and picked up my bike for a ride up to Wiseman's Ferry. Was a great ride. Even getting lost provided a good opportunity to discover even more of this city that I had no idea existed. However, I was tired, losing concentration and the rain was coming back, so we cut the journey short and headed back home.

Note to self...

- Traffic calming bollards are actually very soft
- Don’t try and tackle one
- Bitumen is worse than grass

Today is the day...

that I begin to write the final chapter in a book that was started 10 years ago.
I'm currently full of some very conflicting feelings.

I signed a lease today on a neat little bachelor pad. It's on the 7th floor of an older building and it overlooks the CBD of North Sydney. It's quiet, leafy and soon it will be my own space. I should be happy about this, but I'm not. Somehow, here in this last chapter, there are two broken dreams and two broken hearts.

--==--

Cheers then, here's to two old friends
We thought we'd never say goodbye
But those good times came to an end
And its not worth another try

Familiar place familiar face
But feeling's not the same
Try to relive what we once did
It's just a silly game

Cheers then, here's to two old friends
We thought we'd never say goodbye
But those good times came to an end
And its not worth another try

One of the crowd
It felt so safe
I never felt alone
Together everyday and night
When you and me were young

Time that lapsed a bond collapsed
We never planned for that
I felt betrayed, I let you down
We're better on our own

Cheers then, we're saying goodbye
Cheers then...

Not again with the bike?...

Yes, and what a great day for a ride. Took the bike for a bit of a spin to help run in the engine this weekend. Did a round loop up to the mountains, down to the Megalong Valley, back up the mountains, along Bells Line of Road along the M2 back across the bridge and home. There were some great roads and coming up the Megalong Valley was a bit of a highlight. It's a short curvy side-track. Coming back up I could test the bike's handling on corners. Speed is a good thing. Bells Line is another brilliant stretch of road. The legal speed limit on most of it is 100. This gives you a chance to open the bike up and test the sweeping bends at some decent speed. The bike swings from corner to corner. I took it easy on most of the ride but occasionally it was nice to test myself. Stopped off at the Kurrajong Heights pub for a drink on the way down the range. Great view from up there.

And for those who are interested...

here are some details about my new bike. Yes, I'm in love!

It has twin fuel injection and is 6 speed. The clutch is a slipper clutch. The bike is slightly biased towards the front wheel for improved handling. It's a reasonably light bike weighing only about 162kg. It has dual disc brakes on the front and single on the rear. It has a titanium muffler which is short and light, this contributes to the balance of the bike. The frame is aluminum. The throttle is microchip controlled where sensors monitor it to within 1000th of a second and maintain a smooth response. It's power curve really kicks in at the 4000-6000 revs. I've tested this and, when you moving and twist your wrist on the throttle, you have to hold on tight or it will take off and leave you behind.

I went shopping today and bought this...

Here's another pic.

I'm such a sucker for...

a steak house. Hog's Breath, Hooters, Lone Star... I like 'em all. Tonight included a trip to Bondi to sample it's steak house, Hog's Breath. I was hoping to top the steak with some prawns, but it seems that HB don't do that, so calamari was the go.

I'm lovin' this right now...

love I get so lost, sometimes
days pass and this emptiness fills my heart
when I want to run away
I drive off in my car
but whichever way I go
I come back to the place you are

all my instincts, they return
and the grand facade, so soon will burn
without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside

in your eyes
the light the heat
in your eyes
I am complete
in your eyes
I see the doorway to a thousand churches
in your eyes
the resolution of all the fruitless searches
in your eyes
I see the light and the heat
in your eyes
oh, I want to be that complete
I want to touch the light
the heat I see in your eyes

love, I don't like to see so much pain
so much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away
I get so tired of working so hard for our survival
I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive

and all my instincts, they return
and the grand facade, so soon will burn
without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside

in your eyes
the light the heat
in your eyes
I am complete
in your eyes
I see the doorway to a thousand churches
in your eyes
the resolution of all the fruitless searches
in your eyes
I see the light and the heat
in your eyes
oh, I want to be that complete
I want to touch the light,
the heat I see in your eyes.

Peter Gabriel
"In Your Eyes"

I took THIS for a spin tonight...

and man was it fun! Thanks Judo for letting me take your bike out. This time I ended up going a little further than around the block a couple of times. 80kms later and I'm home safe with a grin on my face that goes from one side to the other.

and so today...

I delt with the biggest f-off spiders I have dealt with for ages! Man these things were big. Serves me right for going first on a path that obviously was not well defined ... or even a path. But, by going off the track the view was pretty spectacular. I ended up on the central coast today clambering across stuff that was probably not meant for people to cross. I went on some bush tracks and I even gave my climbing skills a bit of a work out. The image to the left is of the boulders that I went a "bouldering" on. It was amazing. It seemed like we had stumbled across a section of the hill where it had tumbled down upon itself in big chunks. The way the rocks had landed on each other had created some small caves. I tried to squeeze through some of these. I actually had some very cool adrenalin pumping at one point when I discovered the boulder I had just climbed on to revealed another large solid boulder that went straight up like a wall and to climb further over it I would have had to have had some mighty good climbing equipment or if I tried really hard I may be able to squeeze under it. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I had a nagging thought of being squashed under 350 tons of solid rock so I had nowhere to go other than re-trace my steps back down and follow a path up the other side of the rockfall. "BIG GIRLS SKIRT" I hear you say.. but I was wearing my "good" t-shirt and didn't want to dirty it. :) It was hot, sweaty and I was not too happy with the humidity (the second last pic). After trying to climb some more of this rock fall, I now understand how it may be easy for climbers to be trapped beneath boulders. You can see from the third pic to the left how big some of these boulders were (Judo is in the left of the pic. This incline of boulders was greater than 65 degrees). Now, I know this is a stretch but, do you know of Aron Ralston? He's the dude who cut his own arm off when he was trapped by a boulder that moved and pinned him with no escape. It was playing on my mind, knowing that these rocks were here because they "fell" here and I was putting my weight on them as I pulled myself up higher and higher. I could never understand how he did what he did, but I can understand how you would assume these boulders were not going to move. It was just a very freaky accident.

I was having fun. We never found what we were looking for, but, we both had a good time exploring a place that we had never been before.

Speaking of weird...

My weekend so far has involved large crowds. Last night I headed to the rugby at Aussie Stadium. The season wasn't off to the best start for the Waratahs. The game was nothing more than sloppy. The final score was 16 all. The Western Force should not have got close, but we fumbled, lost possession, kicked too much, collapsed scrums and had too many bad reffing decisions go against us. Grrrr. But I love going to the rugby so it was a fun night. Today I bought myself a new bike helmet. It's actually one of the really good ones. I decided I needed something a bit more robust now that I'm becoming a fully licensed rider this coming week. There's another reason too, but more on that later in the week. While I was in the bike shop I got a call from a mate of mine who asked me what I was up to and if I was free if I could help him out. "Sure. How?" Well, I didn't see this coming, but within the hour I was heading to volunteer and help support an entry in the Mardi Gras parade. We had a huge hire van we were to drive behind the boys on bikes in case one of them broke down and needed to be carted away. What an eye opener. I felt a little uncomfortable but I was there in the thick of this amazing uniquely Sydney event. I got to see how well things were run behind the scene and got to see a parade from the "inside" of the fences.

There were thousands upon thousands of people. All cheering and laughing (mostly laughing I think) at the guys and girls in the parade. As the lads pulled into the centre of Taylor Square, in front of the very large screen, I sprung into action. We had one down. So while thousands cheers us on, we pulled the plank out of the van and pushed the bike up into the back and were off to catch up with the rest of the bikers.

The whole parade was over for me within less than half an hour from starting and I was probably home before the last float had even crossed the finish line. I'm starting to enjoy this volunteering caper. I'm now realising how import a good support crew is to the success of events.

This is just too weird, even for me...

How often has a bird fallen from the sky and missed hitting you by 2-3 feet? I'd say not many. Well, in the last 6 weeks it has happened to me 3 times. And every time it has been a pigeon that has landed with the most horrible of sound. It's freaky. Not in living memory can I ever think of birds just falling dead, or almost dead, from the sky.
The first time it happened to me I was walking down the Brisbane mall. It landed with a sort of muffled crunch/plop. Scared the crap out of me. I'd say it missed me by less than a foot. It flapped it wings twice and I quickly jumped away from it. Then, as it struggled to lift itself up, a crow swooped in and attacked it... rather brutally.
The second time I was with a mate sitting outside a cafe in Glebe and that same crunch/plop sound happened in between my seat and the people sitting behind me. It flapped once then moved no more. Dead as.
The third time was this arvo on my walk home from work. Plop. Within a few steps of me stepping on it. It didn't move at all after it hit the footpath.
Why are birds falling from the sky near me every couple of weeks? Huh?! WHY?...
I'm currently working on a weird nuclear energy emanating from my body theory.
Any other suggestions?

It's not easy being green...

Having to spend each day the colour of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold
Or something much more colourful like that

It's not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky

But green's the colour of Spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
And green can be big like an ocean, or important
Like a mountain, or tall like a tree

When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why
Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful
And I think it's what I want to be

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

March heralds the onset of Autumn. Although, you won't feel Autumn this month here. It'll still be hot and humid. With the amount of rain we've been having recently I've noticed that there actually is a lot of green around at the moment.

It's a colour that I don't often get the opportunity to use, but it's a colour I love.

There's just way too much wrong...

with this post. Example: 1: It's after 2 am 2: I'm awake 3: I've wanted to try one of "those" burgers for years (I've been a vego for aprox 25 of my 37 years on earth). So tonight I gave one a go. Needless to say, I didn't eat the whole thing. But now I'm, at least, aware of what I'm not missing out on. 4: <-- This is the hottest car E-V-E-R! 5: I'm thinking thoughts I shouldn't be thinking about the owner. Shall I go on? ok...

6: "River Deep Mountain High" by Tina Turner is a brilliant song
7: I discovered the Jim Henson Co is touring with an adult only show - A must see in my book. I loved The Muppet Show when I was growing up.
8: After a small hospital stint, I've been feeling so much pain in my throat for the last 4 weeks but tonight i'm not. I actually feel good!
9: I don't feel like sleeping because, I actually feel like wandering the streets and enjoying this weird feeling. (so I did)
10: Did I mention that on my walk I saw what I think is the hottest car ever?!

They are at it again...

and I really don't understand why. Last week it was my yoghurt now this week it's my milk - a whole unopened carton! Who steals other people's food from the fridge at work? Get your own dairy products people!

It was hot, humid, cold and wet...

and that was the weekend that was. Judo and I rode down to Canberra on Friday night because we had an early start on Sat morning helping out on an AROC (Adventure Race Outdoor Challenge). I've wanted to do one of these races for about two years now, but have kind of lacked the confidence to actually just put myself out there to compete in an actual race. Well, this weekend I agreed to help out and be a race official and was set up at some of the Transition Areas. It gave me a first hand look at some of the competitors and what an actual course comprised of. There were people from all sorts of fitness levels. Some didn't complete the race, some just had fun and others competed very seriously. Picture #1 is of the teams registering. Picture #2 is my first transition area. The teams of three picked up their bikes here for the first mountain bike leg in the race. I was on my motorbike, as was Judo, so we managed to have fun riding in our shorts and official T-shirt between the start, transition areas, Australian Institute of Sport, and the finish. Storms were brewing late in the arvo, so we decided to pack up and head home. On our way out of Canberra we seemed to be heading straight towards some intense lightning breaking through the black clouds. We pulled in to Golburn and had a snack at the Paragon (Picture #3). While we were inside the heavens opened up and bucketed down. We decided not to go any further and spent the night there.

We wandered the streets of Goulburn and went to the Hibernian pub (The Hybo) for a few beers. Steve, if I had some contact details on me I would have called you to say hi.
We woke this morning to more dark grey (Picture #4), but Judo had to be back in Sydney by lunchtime so we pressed on... and got wet and it was very cold as we passed through the Southern Highlands. The ride down through Macquarie Pass was a bit hairy as the roads were wet, slippery and the visibility was not ideal as we rode on through the mist. But I loved being out on the bike.
So, I had a great weekend.

-----
*I've just noticed that this post looks crap on a pc. It looks much better on my mac.

Unconscious Mutterings

I haven't played this for a couple of weeks, so here goes:

1. Threshold :: of pain
2. Jason :: and the Argonauts
3. Suspicion :: jealousy
4. Tender :: hearts
5. Tempted :: by the devil
6. Crimson :: roses
7. Repulsive :: troll
8. Bulldog :: Rugby League
9. Garage :: band
10. Racket :: noise

You can play too.

For all those who didn't get to see it...

I have posted my photo of the two great ocean liners, The QEII and the QMII in Sydney Harbour together here.

I'm at it again...

I just can't help it. I really like Yoshinoya. Today for lunch I had the "Combo Bowl" meal. Surely I can't be eating un-healthy food here. There's meat, there's veges and there's rice... not one fried thing in sight. Oh, other than the side dish of Karage.

I'm lovin' this right now...

Catherine Tate. I have only recently discovered this chick thanks to Steve who shared it with me. I don't watch TV, so thank you YouTube.

Damn paparazzi...

Why, oh why don't they just leave me alone and let me live my life!

I cooked...

this last night. Tasty. However, I made a few changes (thanks to a very poorly stocked local IGA) and I substituted the stock for consommé and halved the recipe... I wasn't planning on feeding a family. As I'm not a huge fan of salty food, I went easy on the soy at the end. In fact I think next time I'll leave that off mine. I'm sure the consommé added enough flavour and salt for the dish.
This is a really boring post... Although, you may be able to read between the lines on this one, with last night being Valentines Day and all... Mwaha hahahaa...

Notice anything different?

I've made it obvious by adding two big arrows. This is the left and right hand side of the swingarm on the rear wheel on my bike. For a few weeks now, I've been hearing a clicking noise occasionally when I ride. I was never sure what it was and looked and looked for what may have been causing it. Well, I finally found it. My chain was very loose and my WHEEL COULD HAVE FALLEN OFF!
Ok, that may be a little dramatic, but I have heard that it has happened before to riders. Luckily, I noticed the missing swing arm nuts and plate on the weekend and put young Ude in for a service and repair. I have him back in my garage tonight with all his bits and pieces checked, repaired and back in place. Sometimes I feel like I have more than my fair share of luck on my side.

How crap is this!!!!

England won... I just don't get it. I spend good money at the pub to see Australia flog the poms and THIS is the result!?!
I feel ripped off.

It's a first attempt ok...

There's something really good about...

an $8.50 steak for dinner. And it's even more special when it has a big dollop of sour cream on the side.

After Kookyknut and I had our dinner at the pub, we moved on to another pub to catch up with Jackie and watch the end of the cricket. Now, Kookyknut and I like to have a good laugh, but, when there's some drunks playing pool in line of sight of the cricket on the big screen, our laughs may have been miss read. One dude, who I would term "rough as guts", thought I was laughing at his pool playing ability. I was threatened by him. His "10 boys" would drag me off to a dumpster somewhere. Nice. He was so smashed I think I would have been too quick for him, but the cricket ended and we took to the streets to find a cab to take us to the final night of Club Kooky.

Club Kooky is/was a Sydney institution. It plays nothing but the coolest underground tunes and the crowd goes there for the music and not to look pretty. I liked it so much. It was one of the few clubs where I felt I was home amongst freaks and friends. I rarely go to clubs because, well, I'm not into that scene, but Kooky was unlike any other club. Kooky will be sadly missed, but I'm hoping it will resurface in a new venue. I got home at 4:30am this morning and thought I put in a mighty good effort. I love Friday nights.

The Coast Walk...

What a great way to spend 3 days. My mate Kookyknut and I caught the ferry from Cronulla to Bundeena then hiked from one end of the Royal National Park to the other. The walk takes in some magnificent views, beaches, marsh flats and climbs up some very tall escarpments.

We packed enough food and water for three days, however, after the first day it seems that we may have only packed enough water for 2 days. We didn't count on some of the walk being difficult and hard work with two fully laden packs. It was hot and we were drinking the water very quickly. So, after breaking camp on the first night we were conservative on the water. Unfortunately, the water in the park is not suitable for drinking. Luckily the walk to camp 2 was shorter, only about 6kms. The second night saw a line of storms blow in. Usually when camping, you don't really look forward to storms. There was one point during this second night where I began to imagine all the nice food and drink I could be having back at home and I was nearly temped to call Judo to come in and drop off a big bottle of Gatorade and a pizza... We had numerous pots, pans and plates out to capture as much water as possible. The rain water was sweet and we had more than enough to continue our walk in the morning well rested and hydrated. I really enjoyed this walk. It was challenging in parts and absolutely stunning in others. I have put some pics up on Flickr. Here's a brief explanation of the pics on the left from top to bottom: 1. Us at the start of the walk. We'd actually already walked about 2-3km's from the ferry at Bundeena to get to this "official" start of the walk. I was so very hot and sweaty already. 2. A view near the start of the walk. Looking south towards Marley Head. Marley Head was the halfway point on day one. 3. Storm brewing... 4. Looking out of the tent at Nth Era camp ground (camp 2). Just after the first storm had passed through. I love the colours of evening storms. 5. Sunrise this morning. There are some very nice beaches and rock platforms that are only accessible by doing this walk. This was right out the front of our camp ground on day two. 6. The view back north at the end of the walk. In the far distance you can see Marley Head from photo #2. What a great way to end an enjoyable holiday from work.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Plaster :: of paris
2. Cabbage :: roll
3. Jazz :: blues
4. Darts :: from left to right
5. Poke :: in the eye
6. Bribe :: 'y Island.
7. Whale :: of a time
8. Receipt :: exchange
9. Answer :: me please
10. Dentist :: rip off merchants

You can play too.

Sometimes a day turns out to be so very unexpected.

On Wednesday I discovered a new Japanese restaurant that I hadn't been to before for lunch on Oxford St. So, Thursday I decided to go back there for lunch again to try something new from their menu. While I was sitting there waiting for my order to arrive a mate of mine walked in to try this same restaurant for his first time. I called him over to join me and we talked about what we had planned for the next few days. Me, I had nothing much to do other than relax because I'm on holidays. He was heading to Melbourne in 2 hours for work. He asked if I wanted to go with him. My brain went "No way, I couldn't do that". A few bites of a new Japanese curry dish later and my brain was saying "Go on... I dare you to go!" I finished off my lunch and called Qantas to see if there were any seats left on his flight (now scheduled to leave in an hour and a half). There was. I quickly threw a few t-shirts into a bag, called a few mates to let them know I was off and before I knew it I was on my way to my favorite city in Australia yet again. Melbourne continues to be a city that just seems to have its shit together. And each time I go there she reveals to me a side of her that, even though I knew was there, I had yet to experience. This trip Melbourne was even more creative than usual and she showed me a playful sexy side to her. Ahhh Melbourne. So much to offer a lad like me. I love the way she delights the ears and eyes. She teases the taste buds. She introduces you to new sensations and above all, she does it in a friendly atmosphere. Every time I go there I discover something new. For me, discovering and experiencing is living.

Welcome Feburary...

and this month's theme is history... I'll try and keep the self reflectiveness to a minimum. But let's start with a look back at the month of January:

There were ups and there were downs but all in all it was good. I made new friends. I found inspiration to be creative again. I spent time with all the people who I really care about this month. They showed me a huge amount of support. So, really, that was a good month. Oh, and my trip to Italy and Spain was booked for May-June. Look out MotoGP! I just have to work out a way to pay for it now...