scottydenholm

Designing my new website

2011-01-29T22:07:00.002+10:00

I've been on a mission for the last few months to redevelop my website. I've always been one of those people who believes you should never design your own work because you are always going to be too attached to it. And this process has definitely proven this right! I've completely started from scratch at least 5 times and each time I've taken a completely new perspective.

I have now been working on it all day and I'm glad to say that I'm happy with it so far and I have also got a lot done!

I also have a couple of other websites in the making for a couple of local businesses. And I'm currently sourcing some specific art supplies for a return to my painting. It's all a bit hush hush right now and I don't want to give much away, so you just have to wait a couple more weeks :)

For now, here's a sneak peek.

Testing my new Canon 550D

2010-09-11T15:21:00.000+10:00

I've recently got me a Canon 550D so I thought after using it for a bit i'd show off some 'test' shots.

I'm not new to DSLR's but i've only had a short amount of experience with Canon DSLR's, having said that I got a hold of the setting pretty quickly. It's a very intuitive camera.

I only got the standard Twin Lens kit so I can figure out what lenses I will really need.

Here are a few shots I got after mucking around with white balance and ISO setting for about an hour, shooting finches and wrens that came up to a bird feeder near by me.

Test shot - Superb Fairy-wren

Test shot - feeding Double barred Finch pair

Test shot - wet Double Barred Finch pair

I also took a bunch more photos from a short trip to Sydney last week. Go over to my Flickr page to check them out. There's a few nice photos, if I must say so myself.

Audi 2010 Green Car Super Bowl Commercial

2010-08-24T20:23:00.000+10:00

HTC Desire

2010-08-08T14:15:00.001+10:00

The last few years i've gone through a few hand-me-down phones as i've been holding off buying a smartphone for one reason or another and just waiting for the right one. And i'm glad I did!

Google announced Android, then HTC came along with Nexus One and a few other beauties, I figured it was only a matter of time till I would get my hands on a great phone and OS.

Anyway, long story short... along came the HTC Desire and I finally got around to getting one off ebay and a BYO plan from Optus, and I couldn't be happier with the result!

The Desire is a smooth, powerful, sexy little smartphone and I would highly reccommend it to anyome thinking of getting an iPhone or upgrading, I can't speak highly enough of it. You could ofcourse go with the status quo of a frustratingly inflexible iPhone or Nokia, or you could do yourself a favour and get on what I believe is one of the best smartphones around on the best platform around. Android.

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Sea Shepherd at Deepwater Ground Zero. Exclusive footage

2010-07-08T09:37:00.000+10:00

Surfing industry green, but no cigar

2010-04-26T23:02:00.005+10:00

When you're talking about industries that optimise the green movement, you would think that the surfing industry should be leading the way. And why wouldn't you? Practically every surfer in the world has an appreciation for the ocean and our environment. Most of the big names are involved with conservation and green organisations in some form or another. Slater, Rasta & Occy are affiliated with Sea Shepherd. Rasta started Surfers for Cetaceans. Most are involved with the Surfrider Foundation and there's a lot of other smaller organisations.

With all of these big name ambassadors you would be forgiven for thinking that the industry should be a stand out when it comes to eco friendly products in the consumer market. The case however could not be further from reality. Shamefully the big name brands continue to pay lip service about eco friendly products but flood the market with unsustainable, crude oil dependant rubbish. Big name surf shops look more like fashion stores with little to no effort given to their eco friendly range and it's about time they took a good hard look at themselves.

I believe the heart of the industry is in the right place, but given the nature of the beast it should be pushing harder for a deeper more meaningful eco stance rather than a superficial perspective and become a leader and inspiration for other industries to follow.

As a bodyboarder / surfer I am pleading the big companies to develop their product range from a measly few products to atleast 75% eco friendly products. I have little to no option for some of the products I require, boards, rashies, wetsuits, fins, shorts, leashes, etc. I'm currently on the hunt for a new wetsuit but there are no green options, which is a bloody disgrace. With all the money these companies make they should be putting a lot more effort into developing wetties from recycled rubber or plastic and free us from our dependency of crude oil.

In this current situation I cannot bring myself to pay for another expensive product from a company that is not willing to make any significant effort and I will continue to use my ragged old wettie, holes and all.

Here's something to think about... There are 17 million surfers around the world... think about the impact that something as simple as board wax can have. Surf wax is created from a mix of petroleum by-products, harsh chemicals and synthetic materials... basically everything we shouldn't be leaving in the water and on the beach.

Thankfully, however dim it might be, there is a light at the end of the tunnel... well kind of. There are a few small companies striving to make a positive impact by developing products from recycled, less oil dependant materials for the environmentally conscious surfer.

I've found a handful of products to get the ball rolling. Hopefully everyone starts buying these in droves and the big four finally realise that environmentally friendly surfwear and surf products are what surfers demand.

Treehugger Wax is a great alternative to normal petroleum based wax. It's made from sustainable and biodegradable ingredients like bees wax. And in all honesty is the best wax i've used in 14 years of surfing. I rave about this stuff and now all my mates are too. You can buy it online and from a few stores around the country. It comes in 4 temperature types and is made locally in Noosa. There is absolutely no reason why any surfer in the world should not be using this wax! As an added bonus, even the packaging is made from recycled paper and printed with soy ink.
http://www.treehuggerwax.com/

For my American friends, there is also an eco surf wax for you. I haven't tried this before but I know a few people who have. Look up Matunas http://www.matunasco.com/

West Wetsuits unfortunately don't make eco friendly wetsuits but have a small range of rashies made from bamboo and recycled PET plastic (Plastic water bottles). I'm due for a new rashie and will definitely be investing in one of these. They are priced the same as any other brand but are a much lighter burden on the environment. Win.
http://www.westsurfing.com/wetsuits/lycra

Billabong has started a green initiative to recycle 5 million plastic water bottles and turn them into boardshorts. This is a good start, but not good enough. This is just a few shorts in their whole range which is quite extensive. I'm my opinion is not nearly enough when it comes to eco friendly items in their product range. This is a massive company that should be leading by example and bringing the industry to the top of the green consumer food chain. I haven't supported Billabong in more than 10 years and will continue to avoid their products until they make a responsible change in their way of thinking.

Surf Green - Exactly what it sounds like, eco boards, products and articles. http://www.surfinggreen.com.au
Flexcomb - Recycled plastic wax combs - http://www.flexcomb.com/home.html
Surf Rider Foundation - http://www.surfrider.org.au/
Surfers for Cetaceans - http://www.s4cglobal.org/
Famous - Cork traction pads - http://www.famouswax.com/ (they also have an eco wax but not all of their range is eco)
Phoresia - Eco surfing website - http://www.phoresia.org/

Although none of these products and companies claim to be saving the world, they are atleast making a difference in their own way and are forging the first steps towards a completely environmentally friendly surf industry.

The photo is by my mate Paul Collins

700:1

2010-04-26T11:39:00.002+10:00

A little unknown fact keeps getting my attention. I'm not sure where this comes from but I thought I'd share it because it's something to think about and even action on if you feel it necessary.

For every 700 humanitarian aid organisation there is 1 ( one | uno | ich ) organisation directly protecting animals.

Pretty incredible when you think about the state and rapid decline of many animals species. Don't get me wrong, I'm not having a go at humanitarian aid orgs, just the lack of concern for animals rights and action.

Even more incredible is the fact that, of the few animals rights organisations there are only a handful doing anything specifically in the oceans for our marine animals and there is just one single organisation using direct action tactics. That being the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

By direct action I mean getting in between the harpoon and the whales, seizing shark finning boats, etc and upholding international conservation laws (established by the United Nations World Charter for Nature) that no country or governing body has the guts to enforce.

Earth Hour 2010 official video

2010-02-17T10:10:00.001+10:00

If the environmental reason alone for voting Earth and participating in Earth Hour isn't pulling on your heart strings, than maybe this years official Earth Hour 2010 video will inspire you to pledge your support in turning off your lights at 8:30pm Saturday March 27th.

Hundreds of millions of people and business worldwide turned off their lights in 2009, not only to make an environmental statement but to also stand up and have their collective voices heard in what has now become the largest movement and call for change the world has ever seen.

Go to www.earthhour.org to spread the word, pledge your support and help WWF achieve what the planet is screaming out for. Change.

Why I will be boycotting the Vancouver Winter Olympics

2010-02-12T22:43:00.002+10:00

And why the Canadian DFO is without doubt one of the most corrupt governmental departments in the western world.

This isn't an issue about Vancouver, the winter olympics, boxing roo flags or Canada in general, it's actually very specific, it's been happening for decades and there needs to be a radical change in mindset before we soon hit the point of no return.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is simply put; the most out of control, blood thirsty, money grabbing governmental department of any western nation. The DFO is responsible for the conservation and sustainable use of Canada's fisheries resources. This however could not be further from reality. There is absolutely nothing sustainable about the policies and incompetecance of the Canadian DFO.

The issue at hand should start and end with the annual baby seal hunt, but there are so many other illogical points I don't even know where to start. Anyway, try as I may...

Annual seal hunt;

Hundreds of thousands of baby Harp Seal are brutally masacared on the ice of Canada's east every year. In the last 3 years alone 3 million Harp Seal pups have been shot, battered and smashed in the skull with battons and picks and then left in their own blood to die the most agonizing death.

The hunt is supported and funded by the federal government and and refuses to budge on its stance. Funnily enough their only reason for not ending the hunt is "cultural" and the only livelihood of the Inuit people of Newfoundland.

Boo fucking hoo... The government could easily train these people in other trades and subsidise incomes to the same amount of the seal hunt with no problems. It just seems like the Canadian gov has the same childish mentality as the Japanese stance on whaling. If you tell them what to do, they'll do the opposite, very professional right? However, like everything else it comes down to the bottom line, why else would a government continue doing something that should have been left in the 19th century with slavery, against increasing pressure from the worldwide community and governments.

Narwhals murder

In November 2008, one of the most shocking and undefendable decisions of the DFO lead to the ruthless murder of 500 innocent Narwhals trapped in ice in the Arctic. The DFO out did themselves this time... the most evil, incompetent and dangerous bureaucracy in Canada insanely decided to shoot every last one of them. The Canadian gov has a fleet of powerful ice-breakers and could have easily broken the whales to open water. Their response to this darkest, most heartless of decisions?

"the noise of the icebreakers would have been stressful to the whales."

WTF! Are you serious? ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS!?! So instead of temporarily stressing the whales to break them free, you decide to shoot them like fish in a barrel - literally? Ofcourse as per usual, there is a hidden agenda... $$$. Again this gave the Inuit the perfect motivation for the killing, the tusks or "unicorn horns" are a rare bonanza and sell for thousands on the black market pumping plenty into the economy of the white far north.

A few months ago the DFO suggested that the Canadian Winter Olympic team wear seal fur uniforms in the opening ceremony. Most of the athletes and some sane beurocrats objected. Apparently rendering them all unpatriotic.

Just this week, the G7 Finance Ministers (France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, United States, Japan, Canada) were invited to a dinner by hosts Canada consisting of Seal meat both cooked and raw, Narwhal whale meat, Beluga Whale meat (both whales are listed as Endangered by the IUCN) among other native meats. The deligates wouldn't come to the party, rendering them racist.

But it doesn't stop there. Nothing is sacred under the incompetent watch of the ever so corrupt Canadian DFO, nothing is safe.

Among many other things, the DFO is responsible for the collapse of the Cod and Salmon fishing industries.

A good example of one of the poorer uneducated excuses for making some of the rediculious decisions, is the classic behind one of the piss poor justifications of the seal hunt. In the wake of destroying the fishing stocks, the buerocrats felt the need to justify the "seal harvest" as they put it... so what better way than to come out and say that seals are not only competing for the same fish that is taken for human consumption but that the seals were the reason for the collapse of these stocks. Obviously this is utter crap, a 5 year old could tell you that sustainable practices would have prevented this in the first place. Not to mention that both the fish and seals have lived harmoniously well before human interruption.

Another point worth mentioning is that the commercial seal hunt was shut down in 1984, but was revived in 1994, two years after the collapse of the North Atlantic cod fishery. Coincidence... yeah sure.

Despite the resources at their finger tips urging them to carefully manage these industries they have failed very miserably and in most cases have defied all reasonable logic comitting some of the most horrific environmental crimes imaginable.

For these reasons and many more I will be shunning these winter olympics and asking others to think about it themselves.

You can also ask the Winter Olympics committee to help end the slaughter!

Palm Oil shopping challenge

2009-11-04T14:35:00.000+10:00

I am sick and tired of companies using palm oil in anything and everything they produce - Palm oil is the cheap, unhealthy, environmentally damaging poor excuse for an option stained in the blood of the entire dwindling Orangutan population. Palm oil has brought the Orangutan and other wildlife to their knees and if nothing is changed soon will single handedly bring the Orangutan to extinction. That is reality, that is the blood big companies will have on their hands. There are no two ways about it.

A while ago I stopped buying anything with palm oil and I hope everyone follows suit. "Ethically" sourced or not, do not support the use of Palm Oil.

Monday night I went grocery shopping and was checking the label of everything I buy (as I do). Specifically I was looking for an environmentally friendly dishwashing liquid and I came across Coles "Green Choice" dishwashing liquid. The fucking nerve of these pricks... at the bottom of the bottle they lay claim to supporting the environment with "10 cents from every bottle sold goes to a carbon cleaning program" or some shit like that (i'll check what it actually says next time). Then I turn it over and have a look at the ingredients... Palm or Coconut Oil. Fuck these hypocritical mongrels and their contradictions. Using palm oil is just contributing to the problem you dumb arse squeezers.
Anyway as I write this i'm also writing a letter to tell them what I think of their so called green choice cleaning products. Be aware of this range of "green" products.

HERE'S YOUR CHALLENGE #1: - Do your normal shopping without buying ANY products with Palm Oil.
Next time you go shopping (and then every time after that) check the label of EVERY SINGLE item you buy and put back everything that says palm oil. ALSO, put back everything that says Vegitable Oil plus has a content of saturated fat... you can bet your arse it's palm oil. Unfortunately peanut and soy are the only ones that need to be labelled. And these companies will hide the fact they're using palm oil by labelling it Vegtable Oil - Don't be fooled!
Let me know how you go and even suggest alternative products!

BUT, fortunately there are people striving to make a change in the laws so that companies must be held accountable to label Palm Oil as Palm Oil. Shove the palm oil back in the face of these pricks until this shit is over. It's time to make these companies pay for the damage they're doing... Bad PR and economically is the only way they will listen. Public outcry and loss of sales will end this war. Look how quick Cadbury was to reverse their poor decision to use palm oil and appologise prefusely. Positive changes can be made.
Check out these website for action and info.
http://palmoilaction.org.au/
http://www.zoo.org.au/palmoil
http://www.orangutans.com.au/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5231183738
http://twitter.com/Project_18

CHALLENGE #2: - Write to companies using palm oil and request they change their habits.
Check out http://palmoilaction.org.au/ they have all the details on how to do it properly.

CHALLENGE #3: - Encourage all your friends and family to do the same.

In the words of Earth Crisis
"The time to react is long overdue from protest to confrontation by me and by you."

Whale Watching - Australia Zoo style

2009-10-31T20:12:00.002+10:00

Went whale watching today onboard Australia Zoo's Steve's Whale One. I've been whale watching on the boat before with other Zoo people, this was the first time in my civies with guests. It as a really nice day out on the water and saw a handful of whales too.

How's this for a breach!

World Cup update - setback

2009-08-07T14:26:00.001+10:00

So tonight i've had a set back with my World Cup training. I've strained the inside of my right hamstring... i'm not sure how long this will take to get over or even how long it will take to heal. Never-the-less i'm still on my way to Melbourne for the GKR World Cup injury or not. I'll just have to take my last week nice and easy and see how it goes.

GKR Karate World Cup

2009-07-16T14:25:00.001+10:00

Long time no update... i'm currently in training for the GKR Karate World Cup in Melbourne 15-16 August.
After winning the last couple of tournaments and achieving to my last kyu grade I feel like i'm in great form and have plenty of confidence.

I'm not really wanting to win any world titles or anything. This World Cup and the other tournaments i've competed in are all part of a goal I set at the start of the year for my karate. Every year I set something to achieve, this year was to enter tournaments and get what I can from them. So far i've gained some valuable experience and the qualification needed to enter the World Cup.

I think it will be a great experience and will go a long way to contributing to my goal for the year.
My other goal was to grade to 1st kyu mid year and that is now checked off. Now 6-12 months of hardcore training for a peek at a black belt.

Family trip to Western Australia

2009-05-20T14:07:00.002+10:00

Aaaarrrrrhhhhhh Western Australia was AMAZING. Best family trip ever! Swam with Whale Sharks in Ningaloo Reef. That in itself was something i'll remember for the rest of my life. I love the west coast, so barren and desolite. And so bloody beautiful!

I took plenty of photos so here are a few. You can check out the rest of my picasa web album http://picasaweb.google.com/scottyxxx/WesternAustraliaFamilyTrip

Do yourself a favour and take a slow drive up the Australian West Coast!

Cheetah conditioning

2009-05-07T14:16:00.006+10:00

Today I went up that back of the zoo for a cheetah experience at work for "cheetah conditioning'. This is just to get the animals used to people without khaki shirts - hence why I have a tshirt on with my ID badge and not my uniform. Man these animals are amazing, just so sleek and agile! I'm sure i'll have a heap of new pics from animal experiences at the zoo throughout the year so later in the year i'll upoad a bunch a photos from all of those.

In the mean time, here's me with Echo behind the scenes at work (Australia Zoo) Touch job!

Bow to your sensei

2009-01-07T22:10:00.003+10:00

So, some for some strange reason i've not mentioned on here that I've started as a Sensei. I was given this because the last sensei @ Palmwoods dojo had to leave and handed the dojo over to me.

I've been sempai'ing this class and a couple others since the start of the year and officially since I started my sempai course after i graded to 3rd kyu on Mothers day 08 (I have also been graded at training since then). So running the dojo isn't a new concept, just the next step for me and my karate I guess.

Tonight was my first class(s) on my own and I think I did pretty well. I went over time because the Kids Club started late... all 3 of my students rocked up 20 minutes late so that put me off a bit, however I think i'll take a while getting used to the concept of keeping an eye on the time so I can fit everything in.

Although I'm going to have to get some control over the few kids in the Kids Club who continiously talk over me and don't listen to a thing they say. Shit I hate kids.... probably all the better coz it makes it easier to get up them and leave them out of fun things when they mess up.

Anyway, I think my students in the 2nd class will really get a lot more out of my classes than anything from the previous boreing bag of bones.

Anyway, so far so good.
Hit me up if you want to start karate, i'd love to share it with as many people as I can.

peacexxx

Sharks Tale

2008-12-29T22:05:00.000+10:00

Another summer, another storm.
I'm sitting on the side of a hill at Palmwoods watching a massive lightening storm creep closer from the west. The air is dead still, the frogs are croaking in anticipation and the mozzies are eating me alive as I sit here in the humidity watching the light show. I love this time of year in this part of the world.

Unfortunately this time of year also brings a lot of media hype about a number of things. The one I'm specifically fuming on right now is the hysteria over shark sightings. One man was 'taken' by a shark in WA and the very next day there are several sightings on Qld beaches. What a coincidence! These media outlets will beat up anything for a six o'clock story. Even make most of it up, bit what's new right?

Firstly, this bloke in Western Australia wasn't seen to be taken by a shark, no one actually witnessed it. The only fact regarding this so called 'brutal attack' is that a white pointer was seen in the area.

Closer to home and we're been told to stay out of the water on certain beaches because 'packs of sharks' have been seen. What a load of horse shit! Not one of the countless news stories on the tv showed more than a solitary shark cruising by.

The fact is, if you've been to the beach any time of year, a shark has probably cruised by you, unnoticed. So why all of a sudden are shark sightings the new six o'clock headline? Well that's easy, it doesn't take a genius to realise that it's the middle of summer in a tourist region. There isn't an increase in sharks, there's a significant increase in the number of eyes watching the water.

But ofcourse the ignorant media outlets need to make money so they'll ignore the most logical explanations and continue to instil fear into the public.

Fact: Vending machines kill more people annually than sharks.

Some ISHC lyrics I've messed around with.
"Sharks in the area, mass hysteria. Media's always right, swim and you'll die!"

The wind has just picked up and I reckon I've only got a couple of minutes before this storm hits. Outta here.

Later - scotty

Sharkwater - Watch this movie

ipod test

2008-12-26T16:17:00.000+10:00

So this is a test from a new app I just downloaded for my ipod touch.

So far so good. It's called iBlogger, pretty unoriginal name but so far it's the best blogging app that i've come across BY FAR!

Anyway, if this app turns out to be a winner you can expect a bunch of random posts a lot more often.

Later
scotty

Woah

2008-12-02T21:27:00.002+10:00

So its been ages since i posted anything... pretty much out of laziness and the fact that i havn't had any internet.
I'm getting over a leg injury from karate (full sempai now) and i've been writing lyrics to try put some life into this band...

New news, as of the start of next year, Palmwoods GKR Karate dojo is mine. I'm inheriting some 50 students and a lot of responsibility, but i'm up for it and ready to get stuck into some hard karate sessions after been injured for ages.

In the next few days or so im going to post some of these lyrics and also have a dig at some environmental issues that are getting under my skin.

Thats it for now...
scottyxxx

Hectic karate weeks

2008-08-08T20:08:00.002+10:00

I've just had one of those weeks with my karate schedule been as hectic as they come.
Mon: instructing @ Bli Bli
Tues: senior training @ clown town
Wed: instructing @ palmwoods
Thurs: training @ coolum
Fri: instructing @palmwoods

I'm sore as hell and soooo looking forward to doing nothing this weekend... but we're putting a show @ noosa (Against, Provoke) tomorrow nite so I wont get a chance to rest till sunday.

I get the feeling though my karate week is about to get thrown upside down again because I will be taking my sempai course test next thursday to become a legit sempai... i've been been instructing all this time without 'officially' been an instructor but that was the regional instructors call so who am I to argue... It's been another huge learning curve and i'm only at the bottom still!

Anyway, time to hit the books again... karate books that is... yes I am not only training as a karate student & instructor but i'm studying Go Kan Ryu class formats, japanese words for everything we do, dojo etiquette & ethics and also 'the way' of karate in general. Pretty cool stuff, well more me anyway.
later

PS, random thought that came from a random conversation with Jaz at work thru the week... you know that show 'The farmer wants a wife?'... well i'm totally doing my own show 'Scotty wants a nice/normal girl'... weekly video updates, blog, website... the whole lot. Kinda just for shits & giggles and kinda out of bordom and something different (as with all excuses for doing something stupid like that)
Step 1, brainstorm ideas
step 2, get a webcam or vid coz thats kind of essential...

Apple of gold

2008-07-30T22:19:00.002+10:00

So I had the most amazing apple last week. No that's not code for anything... I seriously had THE best apple i've ever had in my life!

Details:
Type - Red Delicious - 4016 (not to be confused with 4015)
Bought from - Duggins IGA (The 24 hour one on Maud St)
Selected by: Zoe - from the stand... good apple picker that kid! But she learnt from the best. Id have to say it was beginners luck though.

Must be the time of year for amazing apples though, coz today I had a contender for the "best ever apple in my life". It started pretty good (I wasn't expecting it to challenge last weeks after the first couple of bites) and ended on cloud 9, it just got better with every bite. It came in a close second but was slow off the blocks. Good effort though.

Addicted

2008-02-14T20:49:00.002+10:00

I'm currently addicted to a few songs and can't seem to stop listening to them... i've even resorted to purposely leaving my mp3 player at home so i'm forced to put on the radio and listen to some old tunes on mix fm.... I think i've listened to Connected by Means about 20 times a day for the last few weeks, NOFX - The separation of church and skate about 50 times and I think my iTunes has 1000 next to Rise Against - Injection in the play count. Ok maybe i'm a few hundred off but it feels like I havn't stopped listening to it.
Oh, I also had Rose Tattoo - Bound for Glory stuck in my head for about 3 weeks... seriously, try listening to it and not getting it stuck in your head, constantly singing the chorus over and over and over and over and over and over and over and (yeah u get it) to yourself, all day, every day, for .... eveeeerrrr! I'm not sure if it's even possible... big call, but that's the challenge.... go! "Because we're bound for glory, oh we're booooound for glory, a heart felt victory, it's the warriors destiny, bound for gloooorry". Umm, k sorry. Luckily i've got a much less boring song stuck in my noggin now... don't get me wring though, it's an Aussie classic and every Australia Day playlist should have it.

If you don't have any of those songs, I urge you to get them... even if it's not your style, they're stuck in my head for a good reason :)

Speaking of Australia Day.... had a freakin great day! I got home from Canada around 9am and went straight to the zoo to watch John Williamson... what a champ that's 3 years in a row i've seen him there.... amazing stuff!
I've got some pretty cool pics of Australia Day on my facebook and flickr, it's just random stuff that we ended up doing very early in the morning on the beach... again, good times.

Life is good.
Scottyxxx

P.S. JT, that's 2 now.... well get to it.

2 down, 10 to go.

2008-02-14T20:26:00.005+10:00

Hey ho, I think this is my first blog of the year (yes it's only because i've been too lazy) and it's already Febs, crazy stuff...
Well it was a good start to the year, New Years at my place was a bunch of good times with a bunch of good eggs laughing at and heckling the drunk people getting drenched by the rain... sucks to be them. Well I had fun anyway.

I was in Canadia for most of Jan, I pretty much just hung out with Alex and snowboarded the whole time. Loved Toronto, what a city... so much to do and had bugger all time for it. And the snow was next to amazing, takes me back to my days at Mammoth & June.... good times. Ah the pow and blue birds!

Anywho, I've returned from Canada a single man, flourishing in the light of bachelorhood. HAHA na not really, actually, it pretty much sucks and i'm scared shitless of it haha.

So the last few months, Lee, Chips, me and a couple others have been practising Freebording, (yes, that's spelt correct) it's a snowboard simulator for roads... basically it's a skateboard with wider trucks and middle wheels that swivel to give you a sideways slide effect. Anyway, so we were all struggling with it, then I got back from Canada and went for a ride... it took just a couple of runs before I fugured it out. Then explained to lee what we should be doing and he's pretty much nailed it too.... Shibby! Seems the snowboarding helped a crap load and now we're busting out a bit bigger and steeper! Check it out www.freebordaustralia.com
I'll get some pics and video up when we go out next (just have to wait for the rain to piss off)
Good times... if anyone is interested in hitting the road on a freebord with us, just hit me up and we'll get you hooked up!

Tell you the truth, the purpose of this blog was to 1: write something coz it's been so long and 2: INSPIRE JT to whip up some hilarious bloggy goodness for me to read.... K, your turn Jess :p

peace xxx

Means - Sending You Strength review

2007-12-22T13:22:00.001+10:00

I've recently come across an album by a band called Means. These guys are Canadian Christian metal-core on Facedown Records. You're probably thinking the same thing I was... 'Here we go, another generic metalcore preach band.'

Well I couldn't have been more wrong. First of all, if I didn't tell you they were Christian (or on facedown) you wouldn't know it by reading their lyrics.... they're positive, empowering and about subjects we can all relate to, lifes struggles, family, friends, unity.

Secondly... i'm finding it hard to call them metalcore. I've been hooked on they're first album release Sending You Stength, March 07. They have all the great things in a hardcore band (along the lines of Comeback Kid) crew vocals, great vocals both scream and singing done by the guitarist, a little bit of mosh and catchy, speedy tunes that you cant help but getting excited about.

Musically this recording is flawless, there is nothing I would change and I love that... and it's not just a couple of songs, it's the whole album. Sure they don't break any boundaries but the crisp drumming, flowing sections and well planned guitars just make this an unbelievable release. I haven't been able to turn it off for a week now, but I also haven't played anything else and for me that says something. Lee is probably going nuts though.

Any hardcore fan should pick up this release, you wont be disappointed.

Merry xmas from me & SCUM

2007-12-22T12:57:00.000+10:00

Hey kids (I haven't set up a scum blog yet, so this will have to do... it's on the list of many things to do)
On behalf of the SCUM crew i'd like to wish all our friends, family, people who've supported us and bands that have played for & with us throughout the year a safe, happy & fun christmas and new year.

It's been a great year for us, we've had our highs and lows but most of all we've enjoyed the music we love with our friends. Everyone is probably wondering what's going on with SCUM lately.... well, everything and nothing.
We're having a break from shows over the last and next few months only because some of us are away living life. Chips, JD and a few of the other Citi Rock kids have just come back from a missionary trip to the Phillipines, so that took up most of December and i'll be in Canada for most of January snowboarding and finding balance in my life.

Our first shows back will be around March sometime. But untill then we have a lot to plan and sort out. Future goals for SCUM include setting up a permanent venue in Maroochydore, so it's something we're all striving and working hard towards. Eventually this permanent venue will be a youth centre, indoor skate park and a central place for everyone to hangout, relax, jam, record, make art, make friends.... the list goes on. Exciting times!

On the hardcore front: It's pretty obvious to say that grass roots hardcore is far from cool anymore. The second half of this year we've seen numbers at our shows and many others rapidly decline. As a promoter this is a hard pill to swallow because we want to see our scene grow and expand. Not to mainstream global dominance levels, but to a point where the scene will be able to support itself. When it's not been supported from the very bottom it makes things extremely hard to secure the bands that everyone wants to have come and play here, we just can't justify bringing out international/interstate bands if the support isn't there.

However, personally, i'm not worried at all by the lack of people and support. I can see that the kids who have stuck around and shown their support are the true kids who'll always be around. We don't have fakes, posers and outright losers at our shows anymore.... everyone is here for the right reasons and that puts a smile on my face. Although i've been around long enough to know that sooner or later it will be cool again a we'll have a new flood of kids trying to buy scene points. These things happen, so for now i'll enjoy what we have.

The promising thing is, I know SCUM has built a strong foundation over the last 2 years and it's something we can all be proud of and continue to build upon.

On that note, personally i'd like to thank the moshpit boys for their continued support of our shows and the scene in general, at times they're the only thing sticking this all together and they've done it all for you.
Chips, Zoe, Lee, JD, Jesse, Mum dad & everyone elses parents who've helped out in any way, Allan & Citi Rock and all the church people who I don't know, Jordan, Greg Bower, Curtis, Zanesha, Pride of place boys, Greg against, matty c, all the bands who's played with and for us and all the kids who continuously turn up to our shows (no matter how short a notice we give haha)

Thanks
scottyxxx

P.S. Anyone who wants to come and hang with us, just give us a yell. Over the next few months we'll be freebording (snowboard simulation) and skating most nights and generally just hanging out doing summer stuff.

drop me a line scottyxxx@gmail.com or 0414259614

Echidna's Rule!

2007-11-03T14:00:00.001+10:00

I have been a little obsessed with Echidna's for a while now. They're an extremely unique animal in so many ways and they have a lot of other cool qualities too. Anyway have a read of this article I found... very interesting stuff.

"The echidna's neocortex, associated with reasoning and personality in humans, accounts for nearly half its brain's volume, compared to about 30 percent in so-called higher mammals."

The Enigma of the Echidna - National Wildlife Magazine

Blogged with Flock

Been a while

2007-11-01T22:15:00.000+10:00

It's been a while since I last got on here. Flock has just made things a bit easier. I'm grading soon for 4th Kyu, but first I have to be assessed by Sensei Anthony at senior training next Thursday. Things get serious from here on in, but that's definitely not a bad thing. I'm being encouraged to basically bust out more because I'm close to been unstoppable... one of my sensei's words, not mine. So I'm stoked with that, but i'm in no rush to conquer the world just yet.

On another note, I have just 67 days till I go to Canadia and see Ally... can't wait! Been apart for so long we're both learning a lot about ourselves. I've learn't I'm an idiot and go temporarily slightly insane for short periods. Haha, I guess she just makes me a better person. Should be snowing where she is soonish, give it a week or so.

Lee has just come home with the best pornstar movember effort ive ever seen. It's horrible, but I can't look away....
I had more to band on about, but it's time to go...

Scottyxxx

Flock

2007-11-01T21:27:00.000+10:00

I'm hooked on a new browser called Flock. It's a 'social' web browser, specifically designed for blogging, social networking and media. It's only in the early stages of development but so far so good, it's really intuitive and extremely handy. Also, it's based on firefox, so you know it's good, secure and has plenty of cool additional things to play with and make all the good things even easier! I'm lovin it, give it a go!!

Tigers

2007-10-05T00:43:00.001+10:00

Having 3 tiger cubs just arrive at the zoo i've been doing a little research for various things and I've found some pretty alarming stats and other things.

As most people would know, the tigers population is in danger because of poaching and habitat loss. There are estimated to be 5000 tigers left in wild, this includes all sub-species. 3 Sub-species have become extinct in the last 70 years and if things don't change there is a sobering possibility that every tiger sub-species will be extinct in our life-time. Tigers once inhabited over nearly one fifth of earth's land, since the early 1900's the tiger has been pushed into tiny pockets of land about 1% of where they originally roamed and no sub-population with more than 250 mature breeding individuals.

Illegal trade in China & Tibet are the biggest threats to tiger poaching, although in recent years the Chinese government has made some offenses in connection with Tiger poaching punishable by death. Also, the Dalai Lama, a friend of the zoo in January 2006 preached a ruling against using, selling, or buying wild animals, their products, or derivatives. There was an out-cry and immediate action taken in part by Tibetan people who destroyed wild animal skins including tiger and leopard skins used as ornamental garments. It's too early to tell whether this will make a long term impact, but is a very good sign for the immediate relief of poaching.

Illegal trade in China however is the biggest problem and recently a joint conservation operation headed by the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (Along with WWF/IFAW, BIAZA, WCS, ZSL, WSPA, TRAFFIC, CATT, SSN, Conservatin Internation and a bunch more) were successful in rejecting China to allow raising captive tigers for trade in their parts. This was rejected at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting. Inparticular, parties to the international wildlife convention also urged China to phase out its large-scale commercial tiger farms. This is huge news!! Currently in China there are about 4000-5000 tigers in illegal farms.

In the USA there is another problem, there are some 12000 tigers are being kept as private pets, this is more than double the wild population, how can the government allow this sort of thing to happen? It's estimated that there are some 4000 tigers in Texas alone. It's time to cut the red tape and bullshit. Only 19 states have banned private ownership of tigers, 15 require only a licence, and 16 states have no regulations at all... and ofcourse Texan rednecks are one of them.

So I was thinking, imagine if all these animals could be released back into the wild. This would more than triple current wild population. Some experts say it can't be done, that tame tigers could not properly survive in the wild. Then I read that this has already been tried, and this experimental tiger has proven a success in showing survival capabilities. Tara, a hand-reared tigress from a zoo in England was released to the wild in India with the permission of India’s then Prime Mininster. Unfortunately the zoo was irresponsible in breeding programs and released a hybrid Siberian-Bengal Tigress instead of a Bengal as they said she was. Now the population in which she was released has subsuquentially polluted the otherwise pure Bengal Tiger gene pool. This has the potential to spread to other tiger groups, at its worst, this could jeopardise the Bengal tiger as a distinct subspecies altogether. Idiots.

Anyway, that's getting off track, the bottom line is to stop the illegal trade, don't buy animal products and to put pressure on the governmemnts and those who are supporting it. Also put pressure on the rich Chinese businessmen dicks who think that tiger penis is an aphrodisiac. Unfortunately many people in China believ that tiger parts have medicinal properties. Don't be fooled, there is no scientific corroboration to these beliefs.

Make sure you're aware of the products you buy, their impact may be more than the obvious things that we see, like fur coats, ointments, etc. Side effects of things like buying wooden furniture/products, this wood may have come from a rainforest that could be tiger or other endangered specied habitat. Also, there is some comfusion around some products. Tiger Balm, for example is not made from any tiger parts. The name came from the inventors sons and is named for its virtues of Strength and Swiftness. Infact, some proceeds from Tiger Balm sales go towards tiger conservation efforts.

Here are some links, read about the conservation efforts and see how you can help.

www.australiazoo.com.au

www.wildlifewarriors.org.au

www.savethetigerfund.org

Effin Milo tins

2007-09-28T10:07:00.000+10:00

Why the hell do Milo tins have the old seals again? These are the most dangerous things I've seen on a food container and my finger felt it’s wrath tonight, slicing extremely deep into the tip while I was washing one out. Oh Bob Saget!
What happened to the ring pull seal thingy they had a year or 2 ago? That was easy to get off, secure and NOT dangerous. I’m sure nestle are saving on materials, but who really gives a shit, stop being stindgy and save a few fingers?!? Ppsssstt… oi nestle guess what? No one likes them! I'm sure I'm not the only anti-dangerous-milo-tin activist out there. Nestle, you’ve got some answering to do. I’m pissed and it’s still bleeding 4 hours later. I want answers? I think I'm entitled. I want answers? I want the truth. I can't handle the truth.
I'm sure I could handle it... umm, ok

What ever
Show tomorrow, atleast I'm excited about that.
If you’re wondering about the pic, well I'm just experimenting with new blogging software called Blogjet. So far so good.
Fuck nestle
Scottyxxx

Home stretch

2007-09-13T17:59:00.000+10:00

Hey all
We're well and truly into the home stretch of the year, things have been going so fast and i've got plenty on my plate as usual.
My karate schedule has been shaken up because my normal Tuesday class (Which i've been going to since day 1) has been closed because the numbers weren't good enough. So it kind of opens up my week for more classes. Looks like i'll be doing Monday at Bli Bli with sensei rod (from my normal class), Wed & Friday at Palmwoods with sensei's Joan & Kim respectively. I'll also throw in a Buderim with Amy on some Tuesdays and senior training is Thursday. I'm going to try and do a class every day of the week sometime, just to try it out. Ofcourse my graphic and web design commitments have been restricting me to do this, so hopefully it'll happen soon when I get a couple of jobs out of the way.

Speaking of which, i'm in the final stages of finishing Natasha Zuvela's portfolio website, Tash is in the Entertainment Crew at the zoo. www.natashazuvela.com
It's looking really nice and she's very happy with it!

When i've finished that i'll get my new Red Lion Design website finished (the design is looking really cool) and i'll setup a seperate blog specifically for that side of things. Shibby!
SCUM - Sunshine Coast United Music is also pretty full on, i've started designing the site for that, along with organising 7 shows to the end of the year, writing proposal documents to council, procedure docs and the rest of it.... very busy. for now, you can see all the show details at our myspace. www.myspace.com/scum00

On a quick note, a friend from Belgium who was an exchange student with us in yr 12 is honeymooning here in just a week.... good times. And mum & Zoe are off to the Mediterranean and some parts of Europe for a few weeks.... nice one. I chose not to go because i'll be seeing Allie in Canadia at xmas.

Righteo, can't stop. Catch ya
scottyxxx

Rain

2007-08-22T00:06:00.000+10:00

Gotta love the rain, I don't know why but it just seems very soothing and makes it easy to chillax and get to sleep easy too. Speaking of which... zzzzz zzzz zzzz

The dissappearing fish scandal

2007-08-19T01:38:00.000+10:00

There's a scandal at my place and it's huge... well it is for me.
So the story goes...
Last year I had this Siamese Fighting Fish for about 7 or 8 months named Buddy. Anyway one day I went to feed him and he was gone... just like that. No note, didn't leave me a msg or anything... or kidding. But he was gone. And there didn't seem to be any reasonable explanation. I had my suspicions, but nothing more than that. So I got over it and got a new fish and named him Google. So i've had this fish for about 4-5 months and all was fine, until I went to feed him this morning and he was missing. Same deal... no trace of him anywhere, I can't effing believe it! Where the hell are my fish going???? I now someone or something is conspiring against me. And I have my theories that involve Pozi Kris and a rat... For obvious reasons, I cannot elaborate.. infact I may have said too much already. Shhhh.

I'm now determined to figure out wtf is going on, because it's got me buggered! I'm thinking of setting up a surveillance cam... not really, I could be there for months watching a fish in a small tank.. hrrmmm sounds like minutes of fun.

If anyone has any ideas about what has happened, or have seen Buddy and or Google please contact me or your local police. Crime Stoppers even... not sure this warrants OOO, we could bypass that and go higher like the federal police or APS.

no karate pics

2007-08-16T23:37:00.000+10:00

I just realised that in all this time i've been doing karate I've got no photos of me doing anything in or out of a gi or dojo. I do remember dad did take a pic of me at a grading a few years ago and Zoe took a blurry one of me at a tournament, but they were lost when my old laptop died. So I have nothing... shame shame shame.
I think i'll get one of the photography girls at work to do a photoshoot. I can picture it now... on top of a mountain or in a dry grassy paddock under a tree in the afternoon light.... sounds a tad spiritual/hippy.

Couple of things about karate do. It is a combination of chinese kung fu and Japanese/okinawin martial arts. It was brought over to Japan and Okinawa a couple of centuries ago and was first called te (hand) or was sometimes referred to as Chinese hand. Then the Japanese decided to give it a Japanese name to be more appealing to their people. So they called it Karate (empty hand)... Then some time later they added 'do' meaning 'way of'... karate do. The way of the empty hand. Implying that it is not just a physical martial art but a way of life and gave it a spiritual element that also gave it more appeal to the Japanese. Other martial arts around the same time did the same thing... changing names and adding 'do'... Akaido, Judo etc.
I'll get into the finer details of karate and where i'm at with it another time.
cheers
scottyxxx

Borneo

2007-08-13T22:45:00.000+10:00

So, I'm really facinated by Borneo at the moment (among other things like echidnas and humpbacks... but that's another story). So a few facts... just so we're all on the same page... It's the worlds 3rd largest island, also the 3rd highest island. It's in Southeast Asia and is divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Ok, so down to business... This island has some of the densest, spectacular and oldest undisturbed areas of rainforest in the world making it the centre of evolution and mutation of many exclusive species of plants and animals. A good example is the snake and lizard species who have adapted to the unique formation of the jungle by learning to jump and glide from tree to tree and form the right muscles, skin and bone structure to have this ability.

I'm particulary intersted in the fact that new species of plant and animal are being found on a weekly basis. This isn't just things like small fish and fungus that might easily elude humans for hundreds of years, but things like small mammals, snakes and frogs to name a few.
In December 05 WWF scientists got a couple of photos of a red-haired domestic cat size carnivore mammal. They showed these photos to locals and Borneo wildlife experts, all of whom said they have never seen it before. If this is infact a new find it would be the first discovery of a new mammal species in South East Asia for over a hundred years... that's just freakin amazing.
Another amazing discovery is of a new Leopard species. The Borneon Clouded Leopard was offically named and classified this March. Until recent DNA tests, it was thought to be the same species of cat found on the mainland. It's also found on neighbouring island Sumatra. Take a look at this beautiful cat, it's bloody awesome!

This alone should be enough for people to wake up about the destruction of the rainforests of Borneo. You can always get involved with organisations like WWF (World Wildlife Fund), National Geogaphic and ofcourse Wildlife Warriors. I know that the money donated will go towards saving habitats and animals in places like Borneo. Australia Zoo is also affiliated with a group of people including ex keepers who help rehibilitate orphaned Orangutans in Borneo.

There's PLENTY of other unique animals found on Borneo that I want to share that I will get to another time. Like gibbons, rhinos, pygmy elephants, orangutans and a bunch of others... for now I need some sleep.

peace out
scottyxxx

Avoild Palm Oil!!!

2007-08-12T22:48:00.000+10:00

There's some disturbing stuff you should know about Palm oil products and the effects the farming of it are having on the Orangutan populations in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Habitat destruction is the biggest threat to most threatened and endangered species of animal around the world, and this is another example of the blatent disregard governments all around the world have for our environment and the wildlife trying to exist in it.

Please have a read of the important issues these sites stress, print out some flyers and avoid the products mentioned. There is also a petition, so fill it out and make your voice heard.

http://www.orangutan.org.au/palmoil.html
http://www.palmoilaction.org.au/
http://www.orangutan.org.au/petition

"All this time wishing our voices could be heard, now finally have a voice and no one says a fucking word.
So lets scream as loud as we can and make it fucking break, and let nothing stand in our way!"

facebook flurry

2007-07-31T23:07:00.001+10:00

What's up with facebook? I've had an account for ages and done nothing with it the whole time because no one i knew was on it.... now all of a sudden in the last 2 or 3 days i've had like half a dozen ppl added, mainly old friends from school which is cool. Don't get me wrong, i'm not complaining ... bit of a weird flurry is all.
Here's my profile
scottyxxx

Website updates

2007-07-31T23:00:00.000+10:00

I've just got hold of a sweet flash/xml gallery for displaying images thanks to a mate at work. So when I finally get around to updating all of my sites, art, design, artist community and scum I will have all images and videos setup with this noice lookin flash script. Choice bru. Can't wait to get stuck into it.
I also can't wait to get all of my sites off the gluggy, ridged bloody joomla shitty cms. I'm sick and tired of those sites.
Righteo
scottyxxx

Wicked wireless

2007-07-31T22:52:00.000+10:00

I've finally got me a wireless router and im broadcasting from my bedroom now rather than 3ft away from my modem in the lounge room. It's about bloody time but now i'm stoked. So all good.

Noticed how over priced the RRP's of modems and routers are?? Freakin crazy, I got a standard DLink for $55 on ebay, the same thing retails for $100-130. What the?

Oh that reminds me, i've gotta leave some posi feedback for the seller. Only took a couple of days to get here. Nice one.
later gator
scottyxxx

Mini road trip

2007-07-24T22:32:00.000+10:00

Hey ho, Lets go! So I went on a mini road trip on the weekend to Byron Bay with Chips, Jesse, Zoe & Lee. We went down for a show and decided to make a day of it, so we left nice and early so we could spend some time there and chill before the show.

We checked out Dbah and showed Jesse the border on the way down because she hadn't been there before. Dbah was pretty big, so we thought the coast south would be even better... haha were we wrong.

We got to Byron and checked the surf straight away... wreck, small... main, small... clarkes, small... pass, small. We decided to muck around on a small but very clean and nicely shaped bank half way up clarkes. It was bloody cold, so after a couple of short quick tubes and a nice role I decided to get out and warm up.

Then we went for a walk into town and get something to eat. Looked at all the surf shops n the usual Bryon stuff. Then on the way back to the car bumped into some of the local hardcore kids... they all seem to stand around in groups listening to their ipods. Sometimes spoilt, rich kids with trendy hair cuts like this give me the shits sometimes.

Anyway, then we went for a lil drive to show Jesse around a bit more... lighthouse (was raining and cold so we didnt get out) and Wategoes. Then kicked it back to the Wreck carpark to hangout for the afternoon to kill time, take pics and chillax. Good times.

Oh the show... yeah pretty good music, but i'm over the Bryon scene... it's so...... scene. No athmosphere, no pride, no heart. Just a bunch of rich, fat, spoilt scene kids slaying the crowd. Wow good on em. They can have their crappy little scene, they fucked it, then can have it. It used to be a nutorious place for heavy, packed, unforgettable shows... i'm sure the bands that played wont be back in too much of a hurry.

Well that's enough, check some of the pics I took here at my picasa profile or my ringo profile

Transformers

2007-07-01T21:36:00.001+10:00

Transformers - The Movie... Giddy up. Not much I can say about this but go and see it as soon as you can. Like, right now, because it's the movie of the year... probably last 5-8 years for me. I havn't anticipated a movie like that in a long time and I wasn't dissapointed at all. I'm not going to give anything away. Just prepare for an intense movie, strap yourself in and enjoy the ride!
Scottyxxx

Whale Watching - Steve's Whale One

2007-07-01T18:14:00.001+10:00

I went whale watching last week on Steve's Whale One. Australia Zoo's new whale encounter experience. A select few employees have been lucky enough to go out on the maiden voyages before the first official voyage, today, Sunday July 1st.
What an experience! It was unbelievable and I recommend anyone and everyone to spend a day watching the giants of the ocean.

Onboard Steve's Whale One you'll get a full experience with a Marine Biologist, Professional Photographer and several Australia Zoo staff to help you with your every need. You'll get a great lunch, get to watch some footage of Steve Irwin in Antarctica and all the whale action you want.

You can see my pics here

photo sharing

2007-06-26T23:26:00.000+10:00

So i've just done a bunch of research for photo sharing/storage network site, I had a look at about 7 or 8 different sites. Some of them are OK and some just lame. So i've decided and recommend www.ringo.com . It's pretty user friendly, very fast uploads, no limit on storage space and looks nice too. (Just watch out for the sneaky little ads, you have to Skip>> a few things.)
So i've got a bunch of stuff up there and will be using it for my file storage for this blog in the future. Anywho, so i've got some work pics from Australia Zoo and just friends/family and travel shots... also some random stuff. Go check it out, heres my profile.

Countdown till I have an internet connection... T minus 12 days... give or take a month... who knows.

Oh I got some photos from alex on her farm in Connecticut too if anyone wants to see.
Righto, cheers
scottyxxx

odd karate

2007-06-20T13:12:00.000+10:00

Had a weird karate class last night. It was outdoors, which doesn't sound so weird because we've had beach classes and other things for seminars and special classes.

But last night we rocked up to the dojo to discover it being renovated, covered in scaffolding and surrounded b a 10ft fence. So instead of packing up and going we stayed and toughed it out. We ended up under a part of the school on the cement with seats and handball lines everywhere. Pretty bloody cold, and a bit rough on the feet, but it's karate... not craft

First post

2007-06-19T14:44:00.000+10:00

So here's my first post, there's plenty to come.
I'll have internet at my place soon which will make this much easier and convenient.
Well, currently... i'm at work, which means this has to be quick. Work is bloody fantastic! Anyone who doesn't know as of yet, im the website designer at Australia Zoo. Here's my web profile.
Alex left the country for New York just 2 days ago. She's just arrived at her Summer Camp at Bucks Rock, New Milford Conneticut. It's all a bit weird becuase i've just been messaging her and placemarked her location in google maps, she doesn't seem all that far away really.... strange.

Well like I said, there's more blogs to come, including seperate blogs for my music SCUM, website design RED LION DESIGN and art and landscape paintings BURNT UMBER. So as soon as i've got them up and running i'll keep updates on how those sides of my life and business are going.

Also, i'll keep updates on my karate progress. Currently Zoe and i are 4th Kyu Blue belts. I'll be starting senior training soon for my Sempai (student teacher) course and then Sensei... Where I might end up with a dojo of my own... crazy.

Pics, i'll also be updating my pic library at ringo or faces fairy often too... i'll keep adding links to the latest of them too.

Anywho, thats enough.

Cheers
ScottyDONT