Big shot shouted;

New Nikon D5000. My cousin Damo carving.

"Also guys there are sharks around here. If you see one don't panic. It's not going to eat you"

I looked across the boat and exchanged worried glances with the three french girls.

Now I've been in the water with sharks before, they generally don't phase me. But I knew what my uncle was hinting at, we where right near the south passage and occasionally large sharks (mainly tigers) will come through looking for an easy meal.

We jumped into the freezing water (snorkelling on a rainy day - not fun) and first thing you notice is the visibility. Because of the rain it's poor. No problem.

As the tourists blubbed around the coral shelf pointing at the little fish and other critters I was busy chasing a lobster. I'm that cool.

Giving up on my game I looked around to see where I was. Right in the mouth of the passage. And that's when I saw it. A sleek bullet was making its way towards me.

My heart skipped a few beats until it got closer, I then got a good look at it. A 1-1.2m Galapagos shark. As it swam underneath me the best idea ever came into my head. I took a breath and dove after it.

The shark wasn't moving to fast so I caught up to it easy. I rolled over so I had my back to the sand and reached out and grabbed it's tail. It must have been in shock because I was able to pull myself underneath it with no problems. Guess what I did then. Nothing?

I opened out my right hand, and slapped it's right fin.
I high-fived a shark.

I drifted away from my new friend in a shocked state of 'I'm so awesome!' And bobbed up to the surface.

Back on the boat my uncle asked me if I'd seen a shark.
'Oh yeah, just one. No biggie.'

I'm sick and bored, so it's story time kids.

My dad was always a hero to me as a kid. This big friendly monster of a man who I'd spend a whole weekend I'm guessing once a month. We always had fun - he'd have the newest Mighty Max for me, and we'd walk down to Bondi beach for chips and ice cream and I could watch all the morning cartoons I could handle.

As I grew older I saw less of my dad, but my image of him being a hero remained. Probably due to my earliest memory of him diving after my poor drowning Raphael toy that I dropped off the jetty.

When I was 9 or 10 I went to Lord Howe for 4 days. At this time my dad was living next door to my grandma. Every day I went across to his house, played with his dog and watched David Attenborough's 'Blue Planet' with him and his girlfriend.

I would have been about 14 or 15 when I next heard about my dad. He was in sydney. He and his girlfriend had broken up, he'd tried to burn his house down and OD'd. He was in rehab and I couldn't see him.

My dad was still my hero, he'd just lost his way. I saw him again when I was 16. I was at Lord Howe again and I felt like a little kid again. Every day I'd run to his shack and just sit and talk with him and my uncle Weston (who took the greatest photos in the world imo - even if they where mostly drunken snapshots) and I'd look around and see photos of me on the walls. We'd go fishing and I'd put on his sunglasses that still felt 1000000 times too big even though they weren't and I'd walk behind him to tread in his footprints - only to have my feet cover them.

Not long after that he did it again, succeeded in burning down his house. This time my dad wasn't put into rehab. He was institutionalized. My hero had fallen. I still lie awake at night wondering if he took the photos of me out before he burned it.

When I was 17? Everything I knew and thought about him was wrong. To everyone else my dad wasn't a hero to anyone. He was a liar, a cheater, a junky and mentally unstable.

It crushed me.

It's hit me recently that even though I always thought he was the greatest did he think the same of me? In my teen years I only saw him once. Before that there was at least a six year gap. Since he was released from the hospital he's been in sydney, Queensland and last I herd Darwin 'to find more people like him'. I was told none if this buy him. Nothing. In a world of mobile phones and email and facebook he hasn't said a word to me since I was 16. Maybe he's ashamed? Maybe he's as crushed as I am?

But dad. Mark. I can't do that. I can't contact you alone, no-one WANTS to give me any information. It's all on you.

Even though it's unintentional I've gotten the 'fuck you' from you many times. So dad, here's yours.

I've been meaning to update for ages but NOTHING has been happening. yet here we are and my fingers haven't stopped yet so it must be good.

lets see now...

-I've recently been promoted to 'assistant stock manager' at work, it's pretty sweet. there's been a budget cut at work so there's not much work at the moment but otherwise it's going great.

-I'm sick of my holga. Sure of only gotten one of the two films developed but the one that did come out was pretty dodge. (I mostly know it was due to the shutter being stuck halfway between normal and bulb, messing up the vignetting effect and my hand movement as I push the button) but I didn't get insta-art and I'm not insta-happy. But trying to decide a replacement is even harder. I'm going to put 2-3 more rolls through and see how I go.

-Ummmmm. Had one of my life long dreams crushed today when it finally clicked that Zuniceratops, possibly my favorite (or maybe 2nd favorite? Torosaurus and Styracosaurus are pretty close) Dinosaur, is too small to ride at 1.5m tall. But that does mean it's small enough to keep in the backyard. In the end dream crushed? no. Dream improved.

I think that's all for now.
out.

Two things about the above photo.

1. I think it's fab and would love to take photo's like that. Pretty sure http://www.andymueller.com/ is my new fav. photographer.

2. I can totally relate to couchgirl. I'm bored. Sure I've started work at City Beach (and loving it) and I'm all pumped for warmer weather so I can finally get my schtick wet (my surfboard, I just wanted it to sound a lil' durrty) and I've got my photography to keep me occupied but I think I suck. Bleh. And I constantly get distracted with new plastic cameras. Google the 'Diana Mini' I'm in love with that little thing. NEED.

I'm currently trying to not get pissed at my Holga 135bc (I've already wasted one roll due to it's fucking square film chamber blocking shit) and getting that old Brownie jnr I found good to go. I'm going to run a test roll through it to see how it goes, then if it works I want to get more film and shoot portraits with it. I need models, hit me up.

So when I'm not working I just sit around and either play new pokemon, which imo is the BEST of them all so far or read Steve Alten books.

Who is Steve Alten I hear you ask? ohh just some horror writer. Huh? want to know more? ok.

Imagine a book that starts off with your main character searching for giant squid, finds giant squid but also finds sea monster and almost drowns. yada yada ends up in Scotland due to fathers murder trail boringpartofbook and bam! - killer Loch Ness monster.

Other books? GIANT PREHISTORIC SHARKS HELLBENT ON EATING YOUR ASS.

STEVE ALTEN IS MY TWILIGHT.

Anyway couchgirl, we're still on point 2. and how bored I am. It's honestly not a 'I'm not getting out of the house, so I'm nored' bored - I work almost every day. It's a 'I'm down and out fucked on what to do - wtf is there to do?' bored.

Eh. I'm sure I'll figure it out.

I love looking through my mums old photo albums. I have a bunch of albums in my room, and my favorite photos have made it onto my wall and as various display pics.

It makes me happy seeing old stupid photos of her and her friends having fun aged 12-18 (the kind of stupid 'who cares' photos I wish we where making), seeing my dad and relatives who were still alive then, and just them being dorks.

It also helps me tie in everyones relationships and what year this happened (because lord howe is just one giant mess of everything. Would make a great soap opera haha)

But there's always a few things that make me pause.
One is pictures of me. It's just so weird seeing a bunch of 18 year old kids - our age - having fun and there's my mum in the middle holding a baby. Me. It just does something to me, it makes me feel responsible for my mums life. Like my birth ruined it, no matter how many teary nights my grandma has told me otherwise.

Another is this article:

TRAGIC ACCIDENT SHOCKS ISLAND COMMUNITY

19 year old Melissa Davis died from injuries received last sunday night when she was riding pillion on a motorcycle that crashed into a stationary vehicle. The rider of the motorcycle, 20 year old Ricky Shick (my mums old boyfriend prior to this), is a patient in sydneys Westmead hospital.

The accident occurred at about 10pm. The couple had left a party at Neds beach and gone to collect some music tapes. They where returning to Neds beach when the motorcycle crashed into a vehicle parked opposite 'Somerset' (a hotel/bed and breakfast type joint)

Both were admitted to the local hospital and arrangements where made to have them conveyed to sydney for medical attention.

After it had been established that the NSW air ambulance could not carry out the evacuation, the Royal Aust Air Force was contacted. A Hercules aircraft left Richmond RAAF base at 2.30am.

Melissa died at 3am.

Ricky was transferred to Westmean hospital by the RAAF. He has a fractured skull, both jaws and cheek bones broken, chest injuries, and a broken leg. His condition last night was described critical. (He lived)

What they didn't mention was Melissa was flung up into the air and wrapped around a tree branch.

It explains why late at night it's always so cold around that tree...

Yesterday my mum bought a new camera for herself and I - our first DSLR. She bought an Olympus E-602 and it is fantastic, it does everything i want it to do easily.

There's only two problems.
1. It can do the same thing as my Holga, so I'm scared I'm going to neglect my new, perfect Holga (but i know I wont, the novelty of the Olympus' pinhole function will wear off, my Holga will aways be there for me) could I have said Holga anymore times just then? yes. Holga Holga Holga Holga Holga.
2. There is absoultely nothing around my hood that I havent taken pictures of/is worthwile taking pictures of!

But I came up with a solution to that. Go outside and take a picture of the first 5 things that catch your eye. So out I went into the backyard with Public Enemy's 'Public Enemy no. 1' blasting out of my earphones to drown out everything that isnt fly, and well yeah, here they are.

( I'm not saying they are the best... )

I don't have too much to say lately. Just been hanging with people, eating wayy to many pancakes and skating on my days at home.

So this is mainly a picture entry - i apologize in advance, my scanner wasn't working so i had to takes pictures of pictures, and the camera sucks anyway so some pics are blurry. That will  change tomorrow when i get my new DSLR. yeahhhh.

( pictures )

Not much is happening lately really.
But i thought i better update just to keep this thing going instead of dropping it every other month.
I just got back from a skate around the hood (my trucks are too wobbly, it was perfect at first but now it just pisses me off) and i think all the little XTREMMMEE kids are either scared of me or intimidated. They shouldn't be though, because if they saw me try and do the shit they do they'd probably mug me as i cried for help. But it's fun, it works out being the cooler older guy because when i sit down on the bench watching them they try harder to impress me resulting in some nice little moves.

Feeling a bit lost lately, the future is scary etc etc. Everyone feels the same way, no body is 100% certain. Live with it little bitch.

but no seriously, in the biggest funk right now. Creative block? nahh got ideas man, my god damn pencil just decides to scribble the complete opposite of what i'm thinking. Maybe i should get rid of it and get a new one? yeah a nice fresh'n. You know i like those 2b's gal.
(ps that was the only pencil joke i could think of, appreciate it)

I also think summer at Lord Howe has spoiled me, every time i want to hang with people or do something i automatically think:
"I know! we can go to blinkys, half-moon should be pumping this time of day"
"Dude look where you are"
"Oh...Right, well maybe later we can all meet up, have a bonfire, crank out some sweet tunes, shark fishin' if the moon's rig-"
"DUDE!"
"...fuck."
It's not always that lengthy a conversation, but you get the idea.

I'm one bored cat right now.

yeah, i miss it. It courses through our veins, gnawing at our insides 'till you howl relief and profanities at the moon.

I really really need to update this thing more often, my problem is I don't think I do much. When I do venture out and hang you're all there anyway.

But after all this is my livejournal, not my liveupdatewithfunnyshittokeepyouentertained.

So I'm going to update about my little movie reviews of 80s horror movies, my journeys poorly skating around the streets and when Chris and I potentially endanger our lives by filling an empty Jack Daniels bottle with sparkler dust and getting surprised when it fireballs and showers us with hot glass.

Huh, maybe I do have fun stuff to update about.

Keep your eyes peeled jerx.

I don't really have much to talk about, but i figured i better post now because otherwise i probably wont ever.
A few weeks a go i got a new lizard, a juvenile Eastern Water dragon to accompany my 2 Broad-Tailed Gecko's.
( Picture + )

All I have to do is scroll down my friends page and all I see is dresses and floweryprettygirly things. My journal is basically a girls one. Yes, I only have like three actual friends on here. so to try and balance it out

( Here's my toy collection )

So far my week is promising to be gay and boring and shitty.

My mums having pregoproblems and is in hospital, and my whole family but me is throwing up. Shit sucks.

I'm almost out of tv series to watch (I like too put them on when I get into bed) I don't have any new pokemon, skins is done for now and I've almost borrowed everything from chris. Speaking of, I made him buy season 1 of a show that used to be on late night cartoon network called the Brak show. It used to be a favorite of Damo and I's..myself? Eh. Anyway we lolled hard as 14yr old and chris purchased it.

A few days later he was like 'dude that wasn't that good' we put it down to our differnt taste in humor eg. He finds robot chiken and morel orel funny. I don't. The other day he lent me the brak show, I got home and put on my what was my favorite episode. I sat through it and sent him an sms saying 'I'm sorry for wasting your money' it was shit. I'm going to start gossip girl instead. I already hate chuck bass.

Also speaking of chris, the share house next door is empty because they want 800 a week for it, so naturally we went exploring. There where no locks on the windows and the house is fulllll of termites, you can put your finger through the wall without any effort. But they do have 2 kitchens and a pool (that looks like a pond, tadpoles and all) but we have bikes and boards and ramps and balls and video cameras.

Actually for what I'm about to say I'm going to remove my balls. I can understand what you wenches are moaning about twilight for (ps my grans reading it. Eww). Now I'm not frothing over Ed babee not at all. The vampire in my book is a 70 foot prehistoric shark nicknamed Angel and shit is shamefully addictive. You don't want to read it, you know its going to be crap but the blood and guts and giant sharks (or if you have a vagina, a sparkly vego-vampire) draws you in like a swede to a metal band.

Also jess, harriet, I googled 'mormon pilgrim old lady dress' and found dresses exactly like the red one from the car boot sale but blue.

I've been sick all weekend and it suckssssssss.

 
Also these are the Marty Mcfly Nike Hyperdunks.
They are pretty freaking sweet, maybe not the colour scheme, but but because  they made 'Back to the Future' shoes.
Unfortunately they don't come with a hoverboard, but the sole does glow in the dark.

I am in love with these shoes!
I first saw them in a magazine, then ebayed them (I found them for around $500 american! hell no!) then whilst in the city this afternoon I went to the Adidas store and they had them but for $380. Im kinda crusheddd.

Coming out after the movie we (Jess, Liz, Chris & myself) passed some ultra dope dude who was wearing these haha.

I really hope I can find a cheap pair on either ebay or even a knock-off pair.
I neeeeeeeeeeeeed them!

So I went to the movies last night with chris and watched Watchmen.
I went in with very high expectations and they were blown away! The whole movie - apart from the last 30 mins were they changed the ending to make it more feasible - was almost cell by cell perfect and accurate.
Almost all the characters were perfect too (they probably all were, but the actress who played Silk Spectre II voice pissed me off)
one of the biggest characters and fan-favorate, Rorschach, was flawless! even down to the voice I had in my head.

The film uses older music such as Bob Dylan & Lenny which fits perfectly with the brightly coloured cold war era NY, theres so many things to look at on screen, you dont know where to pay attention!
There are a few gory and gross bits, such as people exploding and there body parts hanging from walls and people, dogs chewing on a little girls leg and an almost rape scene. this movie doesn't leave it out. Theres also a bunch of sexual 'easter eggs' such as in the opening scene one of the characters has a wooden dick next to his tv, comic book porn, and real porn on a tv screen later, and the sex scene is graphic.
The action scenes are almost Sin City style, but only in the fact that people wont stay the fuck down! but they are trained super heros (only one actually has powers though) so i guess they can take a beating, but it looks very painfull.

There's probably soooo much more i've already said to jess but i can't think of it right now.
JUST GO AND SEE IT! ahhh

For mine is a generation that circles the globe and searches for something we haven't tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience. And if it hurts, you know what? It's probably worth it.

You hope, and you dream. But you never believe that something's gonna happen for you. Not like it does in the movies. And when it actually does, you want it to feel different, more visceral, more real. I was waiting for it to hit me.

The only downer is, everyone's got the same idea. We all travel thousands of miles just to watch TV and check in to somewhere with all the comforts of home, and you gotta ask yourself, what is the point of that? 

I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it's not some place you can look for, 'cause it's not where you go. It's how you feel for a moment in your life when you're a part of something, and if you find that moment... it lasts forever...

When you develop an infatuation for someone you always find a reason to believe that this is exactly the person for you. It doesn't need to be a good reason. Taking photographs of the night sky, for example. Now, in the long run, that's just the kind of dumb, irritating habit that would cause you to split up. But in the haze of infatuation, it's just what you've been searching for all these years.

I had nothing left to offer but pure reflex. Pure reflex and mankind's basic drive for survival, that somehow shouts, "NO - I WILL NOT DIE TODAY!"

I love these quotes.

You should watch Small Soldiers again, & if you haven't watched it, it's awesome so do it.

Also I want thessseeeeeee.

So I finallyyyyy got my Xbox 360 today and it is soooo freaking good! I've played Chris' before but he only has Halo 3 and Skate 2 so we havent ventured out of that much.

it was with a deal with 4 games, the games are;
-Lego Indiana Jones
-Kung-fu fucking panda (hells yeah!)
-Ranbow Six; Vegas 2
-Brothers In Arms - Hells Highway

I've only played BIA so far, its a WW2 game where you not only have to make sure you dont die, but you command a squad of 2 guys as well and you tell them to follow you, go over there, shoot that etc theres wayyy too much to think about instead of just point and shoot. One of my guys has died already and I feel really bad :( I sent him out into the open...Anyway the graphics are soooooo goooood its like 'playing' a dvd!


& When we get it chipped I'll have sooo many freaking games, I'm already building lists of what I want, and it's far into double didgits.
I have to buy a real copy of Call of Duty: World at War & Halo wars though because for some reason you cant play burnt games online, and I want to play against/with Chris (as in heychris, not Chris chris)  in COD and Halo wars is all about the multiplayer! haha.

I also finally (I've been wanting one for a bit anyway) got a plain grey bonds hoodie too.