long time coming ....

40 degrees ...
need i say more ? hot town, summer in the city. after a late night, we all ventured out late this morning. easing into the day with a light breakfast as we knew we we're off for a Jet Boat ride round Sydney Harbor.

on booking Rich felt it may have been a waste of his money, soon to learn its probably the third best thing on offer right now in SYD. least to say this Jet Boat ROCKED! upon boarding we were told "might wanna sit up the front, it gets wet up the back" .. our response, Back seats thanks mate! :)

heading out into the harbor, under the bridge and round the Opera House, it was a blast, cruising around at 80KMs, 270 degree turns, handbrake nose dives, least to say we had the best adrenaline rush, and got soaked in the process. this was simply awesome.

moving from there it was now 1PM, lunch and we hit the SYD Aquarium. what a show indeed. as mentioned this city is up to international standards in terms of attractions and facilities. the one thing lacking is internet connection and speed in all outlets. Dad, you would have loved the aquarium. its set up as 3 main sections. fresh water, northern and southern oceans. each section having multiple mini tanks showing off various species. as well as including a seal enclosure and main shark tank. Dad, they even had schools of the typical taylor, cobia, whiting, mullaway, you should have seen the size of some of these! and a fresh water barramundi .... HUGE

knackerd we headed back, changed and chilled for a dinner in the city. gotta get up early tomorrow as mark and i are off early to go hit the fish market, for a guided tour. the SYD fish markets are the largest in the southern hemisphere and auctioning occurs every weekday as far away as norway. should be cool. take care everyone, all is well and safe. bit sunburnt here and there but eh, you get that. for the speed boat shots, we got absolutely soaked so hence these shots werent taken by me in the boat :) but its the boat we took out. @ 80KMs +, 6+ 270 degree turns, 3+ nose dive brakes, and much wave action :)

next ....

S.

Saffies are all over...

AHHHHH what a day, definitely feels like i never left this city. its large enough to be an international location but still feels small enough to navigate easily around. its geography is perfectly laid out in terms of locations. theres no one "hot spot" to be in, each corner has its own thing going on. very cool, very new and modern, reminds me of an aussie mini manhattan.

all in all we are well and happy. Rich is a bit spaced in terms of it being his first major trip out, no parental guidelines and hes just soaking it all in. mark was a bit directionless the first day but i feel like i know the place well, kinda studied the map too much.

much apologise for the slim pickings of pics, my camera has gone to LCD heaven and mark hasnt taken many shots, will bust it out soon for you all to see some of the sites.

personal note im looking at units for UNI SUN and MON, and will be available for the phone on TUES arvo if you need me mum. so call if you need to, otherwise thanks a million to Ty for helpin me out. owe ya one mate.

middle of the day Rich and I ventured off to the NSW Art Gallery, while Mark caught up with family in the rocks. Rich felt it might be interesting, but gave me the line "dont think your going to stay here long and stare at every picture Shaun" haha. well turns out ... HE was the one more interested than me, inspecting and reading everything he could soak up. it was fantastic, for both of us and an eye opener for him. we got through about 40% of the gallery when it began to close. might go back and check out somemore.

well end of day one we had some quality 100% marinated beef burgers and chili wedges, awesome stuff, and low and behold a south african from JoBerg behind the counter ... funny stuff, we chatted and his words were to the effect of "good place to live in eh man (heavy accent) , home from home, glad we're here" i had to agree all the way. we dont know how good we have it here until we hit the outside world and realise we wanna go back home. the night was ended with Rich dragging the old fellas to some Bar called the "Mandarin" of all places in chinatown. we enter and go down to this basement, and upon arrival we all look at each other feeling like we've just stepped into a tokyo bar. when had a beer and chilled out. made it back in one piece all safe and saw the end of the tennis. heres to the sunday and our jet boat ride + aquarium + 40degrees.

oh yeah btw. i got toasted today. :) time to shop indoors.
S.

HOT!

:)

All is well and hot in sydney, just cruising around and shoppin abit. :)
funny thing is i found a mac store and im hoggin their connection to check email etc for 10 mins.
ok time for lunch .... pic for proof.

S.

Arrival ...

All is good and well in the East. :)

Flight with qantas was a breeze and probably the best domestic ive ever been on really. quite a large size jet so we tended to get better service and general seats. as we were checking in with electronic tickets mark and i got seats seperate to Rich, no big deal, he survived al ok. meal was pasta or mediterranean chicken.

ahhhh arriving an hour late due to wind, we finally got in to good ol Sydney. feels like a second home this place, like we left it, remembered it all, and its lovely to hit a location where you are comfortable in your bearings and surrounds. caught the shuttle out to the Y Hotel in the inner city which is really in a killer spot for the inner city price. but it reflects it as you can imagine, but hey it beats the dumps we hit on the world trip. so far so good in the Y, bad thing is no net. no wireless in the room, paid downstairs, so im currently posting this from a cafe, which there is plenty of around, all paid wifi. but the room is great, and quiet with an aircon for the 40+ days ahead.

we hit chinatown for dinner last night and well still being on the west clock, we were out till 11:30PM really lovely weather at night, t-shirts and shorts allround ... everyone was living it up in sydney. the nightlife starts up round then so this is truely an "international city". we walked round to darling harbor having been here before many times its like we never left. this place is geared to entertain and truely brings the public into the city with locations like this. beatiful! shots in the day time to follow. my cameras giving me a hassle lately with the LCD but weve got the backup of marks.

Rich is still trying to find his money tree but managed to pull a 20 out last night for dinner. as of 7AM SAT 20th, he is still chasing his money tree, dont worry Deb he'll be fine :) . so today is setup as pretty much a free day for Rich and I as mark is off to visit family in the Rocks.

ok posting soon with pics. still gotta find time today to sit down and check out UNI units to choose. great to do when ur in a non free WIFI hotel and its like $10 for an hour of net access. we are so behind in Oz in that respect. i mean Lima had a net connection .... tells ya something.

all in all safe and sound. happy to be here. we all get along like a party. Rich is the comical little brother of the 3 ameigos. his two older siblings taking the piss outa him as often as possible haha. just kidding. talk soon. cant wait for TOOL.


S.

46 and 2 are just ahead of us....

Suitcase - check
Bag - check
Tickets - check ...

Yes folks its that time of the year again :)
as i bounce off the walls trying to pack all essential items for our trip to Sydney, i cant help but be reminded of a phone call i got from someone earlier this week. the question was posed "who are you going to see in concert again?" then i realised i better educate some of the less aware of you out there. who exactly is this band we call ....

TOOL.

Tool is an American progressive rock band, formed in 1990 in LA, California, when drummer Danny Carey joined Maynard James Keenan and guitarist Adam Jones and bassist Paul d'Amour. The band turned out to become a highly successful act, "introducing dark, vaguely underground metal to the music public. To the oldies ... think modern day expanded version coalesce of Pink Floyd / Black Sabbath / King Krimson / Led Zeppelin. that kinda flavour.

They have gained appreciation and critical praise for a complex and ever-evolving sound, that ranges from "slam and bang" heavy rock metal on their first release to more progressive influenced songwriting on newer albums "Lateralus" and the current 10,000 Days, which in another era (think 70s Pink FLoyd) would have been considered progressive rock. Their overall sound is "primal heavy music, as distinct as it is disturbing to the unfamiliar"

They are known for addressing philosophical and spiritual issues in their lyrics, such as evolution and psychology, unwelcomed organized religion / authoritive force and spiritual transcendence.

Maynard (lead singer sums things up nicely):
Tool is exactly what it sounds like: It's a big dick. It's a wrench. It's also what it sounds like: It's a verb, it's a digging factor. It's an active process of searching, as in use us, use our music, use your emotions, we are a shovel, we are the match, your tool; use us as a catalyst in your process of finding out whatever it is you need to find out in life, or whatever it is you're trying to achieve.

So i'll leave you with some images from their recent live shows in germany and the states. this is the reason we travel to see this group perform, because the visual presentation is worth half the admission alone, theres more i could say on this but i dont want to spoil it for our youngest member.

In the end, Im sure most of you wont "get all this" thats fine ... but you know its alot more interesting on the other side ... think outside your top 40 radio, made to order, pretty face, verse chorus verse song box for a moment, step through, see you on the otherside.

..................................................................................

the following is an outdoor show in Germany, similar setup for the Big Day Out. the rest are all indoor venue sets, which we will see at the SYD Entertainment Center. updates as we go into Sydney soon.

What Comes First ... the name or its acronym?

A new bill introduced in the US Senate this week would force satellite, digital, and Internet radio providers (but not over-the-air radio) to implement measures designed to restrict the ability of listeners to record audio from the services. Called the "Platform Equality and Remedies for Rights Holders in Music Act" (PERFORM)

If the name of the bill sounds familiar, it should. The bill was originally introduced in April 2006 with the support of the RIAA. It died in committee, but the senators are hopeful that the bill will pass this time around.

Like its predecessor, the new legislation would require content protection on all satellite radio broadcasts along with cable and Internet broadcasts. Broadcasters would be required to "use reasonably available and economically reasonable technology to prevent music theft.

The music industry's overexaggerated fears of piracy are driving the legislation, just as they did last year. "New radio services are allowing users to do more than simply listen to music. What was once a passive listening experience has turned into a forum where users can record, manipulate, collect and create personalized music libraries," said Sen. Feinstein. "As the modes of distribution change and the technologies change, so must our laws change." Under the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, consumers have the right to make noncommercial analog and digital copies of broadcasts. That would change if the PERFORM Act passes this time around.

Ahhhhh, scary stuff. on other news, things in the west are all fine and dandy for me. planning and listing for our upcoming Sydney holiday. cant wait, and it seems this week will scream by fast. Itinerary and regular daily posts coming soon.

A Fresh Look To Telling A Story ...

Relating to the previous post, "A Scanner Darkly" is a new movie just dropping in on Australia at the moment.

"A Scanner Darkly is set in suburban Orange County, California in a future where America has lost the war on drugs. When one reluctant undercover cop is ordered to start spying on his friends, he is launched on a paranoid journey into the absurd, where identities and loyalties are impossible to decode. It is a cautionary tale of drug use based on the novel by Philip K. Dick and his own experiences."

as with 300, this is jaw dropping stuff. not to mention it's core themes of social chaos in a not too distant future. or is it already here? for a designer, artist, creative, the images should say the 1000 words :) aint that cell animation refreshing? a new way to see movies, actors, and an unfolding story. now get off ya butts and go see it in a cinema. support the good stuff before its taken away from your eyes by big brother.

TRAILER HERE

TECH INFO HERE

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Think ...

Sci Fi or real life ?

MPAA - Motion Picture Association of America. second cousin to the RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America. the world leaders in anti piracy measures, and big brother tactics. wake up world, your freedoms are being taken away day by day, and your letting it happen.

MPAA head Director: Dan Glickman
"Just because you buy a DVD to watch at home doesn't give you the right to invite friends over to watch it too. That's a violation of copyright and denies us the revenue that would be generated from DVD sales to your friends," said Glickman.

is that scary or what ? i mean when are theses corporate organisations gonna stop milking you for every dollar you have?

Los Angeles , CA - "The MPAA is lobbying congress to push through a new bill that would make unauthorized home theaters illegal. The group feels that all theaters should be sanctioned, whether they be commercial settings or at home." "We have a right to know what's showing in a theater." .......

*hits head on wall* .. by theatre they mean YOUR HOME LIVING ROOM ! where are our rights? our rights of freedom to watch whatever the hell we want to when we want to.

"The bill would require that any hardware manufactured in the future contain technology that tells the MPAA directly of what is being shown and specific details on the audience. The data would be gathered using various motion sensors and biometric technology."

WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!
when do we all stand up and say .. this is going too far? is it before or after they begin sticking registration chips in our arms? before or after they begin sticking in GPS toll tracking devices in our cars or phones? before or after they dispose of cash and hand you a plastic card or microchip to buy your groceries using electronic money? before or after they flood your market with industry standard, chemically engineered foods full of vitimins and chemicals? Think for yourself. Turn off the TV. Question everything.


FULL ARTICLE

ORWELL WASN'T FAR OFF IN 49

AXIS OF JUSTICE

Lomo

this just made me chuckle for a full minute.
it therefore needed to be posted up here :)
it just reminds me of the semi rural backwater of Bakersfield in California. Summertime and see how americans can eat. we're talking plate fulls for a single serving of anything. it became clear why they are plagued with an increasing obesity level in young children and adults.

too much sugar. salt. chemicals.preservatives = your favourite Red and Yellow fast food chain. speaking of which, do yourselves a favour and check out the new movie out called Fast Food Nation. a fictionalised drama story about the truths of what really goes into those burgers we love so much. its been the catalyst for the golden arches to plague us with those bias tv ad campaigns about "making up your own mind" what a crock.

TRAILER

SITE

BOOK

Flickr Updates ...

Ive been messing around with Flickr lately to sync with my blog, allowing for me to post a whole bunch of photos to a wider audience and in a more open interaction format.

the link below is a direct link to my page. whole bunch of stuff going up there in the coming weeks. ie all holiday photos. bookmark and add comments.

snapfoxsnap

for those not cultured in what exactly Flickr is? you need to step aboard, the Flickr train rocks. basically its a free outlet for anyone anywhere to post photos and interact with others over the images they post. think of it as an online photo album, accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime, but 100% controllable by YOU the user. you can restrict what people can see and do with anything you post. secondly as it develops, Flickr's interface grows. meaning it looks better and operates more simply.

Flickr homepage

what is Flickr?

Not Just Any Old Toilet Paper Roll...

This is just one of those "What The Hell Where You Thinking Moments!!"

you have to wonder how this got past the board of directors with the rubber stamp of approval :) i mean whats next, seriously. an iPod waterproof holder for your shower? .... oh wait, thats already been done.

300

this just gets me excited...



hands up those who have seen the movie "Sin City" ? ok then you should all know who Frank Miller is and what he does. no ? ok quick history lesson, famous graphic novel writer and artist who through the late 90s created world famous stories, focusing on his strong black and white art and adult drama themes. suddenly with the explosion in hollywood of every studio seeking the next greatest "comic book movie" Frank's got his chance.

following on from Sin City, and the upcoming Sin City 2, Frank's latest book to film is 300. a retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas (played by Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite.

the point for me is seeing Franks work come to life on the big screen. from the pages and imagination of his art, with the aid of modern CGI, to the visual art of film. check out the pics below for a clear comparison of art and scenes from the novel translated to film. incredible! click the pics for larger formats. and the trailer is linked below.

check check check it out ...

TRAILER HERE



original art from the graphic novel




snapshots of how the art / novel to film adaption has been done. notice the use of green screens which allow for the digital departments to add all the exterior details in after filming. digital film, saving money on props and locations. the film industry is changing. click the pics for enlarged verisons.

Are We There Yet ?

Where have you been!
is the first thought i recon you will all be having. things have been busy in terms of grinding the wheels of work, and not much play lately, so hence not much to report. working part time at HR means i cant take paid leave, so what ever i miss in terms of days, i need to catch up on when i arrive back. so ive been working my tail off full time for 3 weeks + freelance on top of that + University applications and the list goes on. im now back into the swing of things with 2 days a week dedicated to freelance and portfolio.

well SYDNEY is all go!
Mark and I have booked and paid for all flights and accommodation, and cant be happier. really excited to hit the east coast again for an extended break before i possible start UNI. Richard has also pulled through with funds for flights and accommodation. this i hope is all out of his own pocket, but i cant control parental assistance :) the point of this journey for him is not to "to see a band" its to get him to achieve a positive short term goal, make some personal sacrifices of time and money and see the results of his hard work. its not about getting handed a plane ticket. you tend to respect and appreciate things a bit more when you've had to sell your left kidney for a plane ticket :) ..... just joking kids

lastly ive recently grabbed a movie called "Loose Change" 2nd edition.
you may or may not have heard about it, but im making copies and sending them out. once you see it please pass it onto friends and family. its a documentary produced about 911 and the conspiracies surrounding the facts we all know. its a fascinating watch and thought provoking to think, "what really happened?". it poses questions that we all have forgotten to ask, especially our 6PM mainstream media. keep an open mind, comments welcome. visit the website below for more info.

http://www.loosechange911.com






views from the Y Hotel in SYD CBD, the first stop for our trip...





picked this little critter up out of the second hand shop :) purs like a kitten and will be used for UNI and Freelance work outside of the office .. PB 1.67Mhz 2G RAM 128VRAM 100G HDD DVD-DL ... just cant beat that in the old PPC Macs. this will be the new machine for Bloggin while in SYD aswell.

BIG DAY OUT

Planning for JAN - SYDNEY 2007.

everything is underway and moving quickly. the plan is to try and spend some time in sydney to soak up more of the sites and sounds rather than the quick dash we made last time. :) as mentioned we are primarily going for the TOOL concert at the Entertainment Center in Sydney, but theres a bit of a back story to that all ...

AUG 23rd (4 days prior to leaving for a world trip)
Mark and I hear word of TOOL touring australia next year. after we pull ourselves off the wall, we agree that we have to at least get tickets for the show, and we can work on getting there after we come back from the round the world trip. you might be asking yourself why dont you go to one in Perth? simple reason, Perth is too far away and has no large indoor venues left for a band like TOOL to play in. they were in fact the last band to play in the old Perth Entertainment Center prior to its closure.

so we figure ok, lets get tickets to SYD. but then i hit a brainwave. Rich (cousin) had been going through a few hassles lately and had wound up without a car, no license, and the prospect of ... not much :) so to try and pull him out of his black cloud, my thinking was and still is this. Lets give him a goal. a short term goal that he has to push for and is acheivable. so we bought a 3rd ticket to the show, giving it to Rich as a birthday present, with the condition that he present to us proof that he can save and make it to the show, then he will get his ticket on the other side.

well im pushing him. and so far so good. we will see what happens come JAN:)
but you know we dont do things by halves, so we also managed to secure Big Day Out SYDNEY concert tickets to see the show the next day. two concerts in two days! the story here was once again we bought three tickets, it just so happened that the event sold out in 20mins and now the spare ticket can be purchased by Rich. he doesnt know how lucky he is ....

next up is booking flights and accomodations. we need to jump on this quickly because alot of people are streaming into SYD for that BDO concert. just waiting this last week cost us $50 for flights. crazy stuff. more as we go along....

pics below are a taste test of what we will see in JAN at the big day out 2007. these are from a friend who went in 2006.

Back to the start

Yep im off again.
SYDNEY : JAN 07 ~ 20th to 27th
holiday / TOOL concert / possible Big Day Out / business portfolio drops.

lightly planning from here on in, the thought is to zip over and have a break before the chaos of 2007 begins. ok i lie, the plan was to go and see TOOL play 1 of only two shows in Australia again, and i swore i did it once and wouldnt hesitate to do it again.

this time theres a catch, theres a stowaway. Mr Richard Clements will be joining Mark and I to form the 3 Ameigoes. more to this story as we go along... until then some applebites of sydney. and our transport wagons :)



Opera House from the inside .. how cool is that!




the camels are right around the corner ..

Who Killed John Oneill

think you know what 911 was all about?
an independent film maker and research analyst in the USA has put together this short Doco on the 911 terror attacks and the mysteries surrounding it. what we see everyday in our media outlets is only one side of the glass. see the otherside, keep an open mind, think for yourself and lastly make up your own mind.

if you have a broadband connection, click this link, sit back and watch. if not then ask me for a hardcopy and i'll try and pass one on.

CLICK HERE




PS. where is Miguel these days? love to chat to you about this sort of stuff. right up the Coast to Coast alley if you know what i mean .... type Bilderberg Group into google

StarBucks ? whats that then eh?

this topic came up recently as many have, discussing my holiday travels. it began with, so are there heaps of McDonalds in NYC?
OH YEHH!!! and then i reflected on all the street corners we crossed and i kinda felt i had seen more StarBucks than golden arches through manhattan? then the responce "whats StarBucks?"

so this post should clear things up for all those out there uneducated in the worldwide domination of StarBucks and the coffee addictions of the western world. StarBucks is the world's largest multinational chain of coffee shops, originating from Seattle, USA, and spreading round the globe. specialising in everything coffee, from hot and cold drinks done in every form imaginable (with one key ingrediant you have to push the envelope here and there, Maccas still have fish and chicken to play with) to pastries and wireless internet. ... my personal reason for visiting. free wifi on arrival, just open your laptop and bang your surfing the web. Mark did grab a couple of coffees while we were trekking through the streets, but as usual if your not american, order the smallest size you can, or face the next hour drinking a 1L of coffee.

for more info check out wiki .
we all know what the wiki is right ? or is that the next lesson for all the oldies out there :) and no its not the bloke behind the stumps. he isnt the vice capt and his nick name aint gilly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starbucks

http://en.wikipedia.org

search and you shall find.