I can make it to lunch.

Bees get an added buzz in cocaine-fuelled dance.

Sure we’ve done some very weird things in the name of science, but feeding crack to bees really takes the cake on ‘out there’! I’m seeing a line of crack honey next – forget the sugar high, we want to block us some dopamine and serotonin receptors too!

You are the dancing bee, strung out high on esctasy
Dancing bee, slipping crack into honey oh yeah
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that bee, high off his head, better not OD

Clearly I’m cranky. It’s Christmas Eve, I’ve not bought all my presents yet, I’m short on sleep, and I’m at work… and the next door office is blasting Abba. Blasting. Abba. That's a new one, eh?

I can make it to lunch… I can make it to lunch…

A morning.

Walked around Fremantle a bit after dropping Char off at work. I haven't really had much opportunity to shoot anything here since the middle of the year. And as most you you already know, I'm not the earliest of risers!

I like the mornings here in Perth, especially on the weekends - it just feels like a weekend, not just another day. You see people getting breakfast, people cycling, walking the dog... Sure we get all of that in Singapore too, but it's somehow different here. I'm inclined to think it's because people tend to take their time as opposed to the rush and bustle of Singapore life.



One of the signs that summer's upon us. Ice cream in the morning! That looks like a decent dollop of creamy goodness, eh? Makes me nostalgic for the roadside ice cream vendor with that weird multi-coloured blend of ice cream haphazardly piled into a slice of multi-coloured bread.

I have to eat that when I'm in Singapore. Please tell me it's still a dollar!



Sitting at the coffeeshop, watching the world go by. Arguably the province of artists, old people and Frenchmen. I've got this little vision of living in a place like Freo. I'd get up early and walk to the coffeeshop around the corner, grab a cuppa with the morning paper and watch the world go by for a little while, then whipping out my laptop and write a book while sipping coffee and occasionally waving hello to the familiar faces that go by.

Well, someday, eh?

I like the old fellow in this picture - there's something about him that makes me think of Winston Churchill... the squint maybe?



I really like this picture. It's the 'in the moment' capture of her expression and posture that really speak to me.



Took this shot just when I got out of the car. Seriously, you can't argue with that kind of blue in the sky. That's just beautiful. You can just see Freo starting to wake up and the shops just starting to open. There's a serene beauty in that calm solitude before the storm that will descend on Freo in a matter of hours. I rather enjoy it actually.



One of the many little churches in Freo. I really like these older churches with their old brick walls and architecture. They've got a certain character that understatedly screams peace and reverence that you don't get from some of these new glass and steel constructs that they're calling churches nowadays. A certain church in Singapore springs to mind.

Sure bricks and mortar don't make a church, but there's a certain reverence that comes through in many of these old church buildings. Glass, steel and concrete don't quite carry the same vibe of timelessness and dignity that some older churches have.

Even though we shouldn't overemphasise the building, the very nature of the building lends an unspoken affirmation of the building's purpose. Prisons are grey and foreboding, government buildings lend towards stately, museums strive for a certain gracefulness... and churches should ideally create an air of reverence that's inherrent in the building's design.

I for one don't find some of these new modern churches with their fancy office-buidling-like glass and concrete and lecture theatre-like church halls at all condusive to prayer and meditation.

Still no mini-village pics.

I can never get over how beautiful the beaches are here, compared to the yellow-brown water and coarse sand we get back home. I doubt I'll ever head to a Singapore beach under my own volition after seeing these beaches in Australia. This is a beach at Hall's Head, just a couple minutes south from the Mandurah city centre.



Shot this at the miniature village. It looks much like a doorway to some hidden garden, eh? Guess what's behind the door? You guessed it... the 'secret garden'. Seriously, the imagery might be apt, but there's only so many 'secert gardens' behind artfully overgrown wooden doors that my lame-o-meter can take.

Nice door though.



And beyond the door of lame secrecy we find... A random tree with some odd shaped fruit that looks suspiciously like macadamias... with star shaped spikes! Well, at least I think it's a fruit. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, after all I probably am! My intimate knowledge of horticulture begins and ends with what veggies I eat.

Still, it is a marvel of creation. I'm continually amazed at the sheer diversity of life that God has placed upon this earth.




I like little wooden bridges like these. They remind me of the little red wooden bridge over the pond in the quadrangle of my primary school. I spent many recesses catching tadpoles in a little paper cup in that pond. Even contrived to fall into it once.

I've got a huge sentimentality for my childhood - things always seemed much simpler then. You were less jaded, didn't have responsibilities, and everyone was your friend. Things would be simpler if we all just got along hey? Well, we can only imagine.



Note the little eski in Char's hand in the bridge pic? That carried our picnic lunch. Smoked salmon, olives, cheese, smoked oysters and crackers. Might not sound like much, but it gets really filling. Going for a picnic at the beach later today too. Hey, it's summer! Time to hit the beach and soak up the sun!

Note to self: put down camera and start eating when girlfriend gives you the 'feed me' glare!

Later all! I'm off to the beach!

Flower power.

Took some shots when we visted Abingdon Miniature Village down in Mandurah. It's a pretty place, but spoiled slightly by the omnipresent mozzies. Seriously, Pulau Tekong's commando mosquitoes will be given a run for their money here. I kid you not.



Still, it was a pleasant afternoon. The gardens are immaculately maintained and the lush grass practically screams for you to plonk yourself onto mother nature's bosom and soak up the sun. We had ourselves a little picnic, and naturally tried to squeeze in a little photography too!



I know it's a mini village and all, but what really captured me were the many flowers that practically perfumed the place. There's something about the flower that hints at some almost ethereal sexual tension. There's something about those vibrant hues, languidly splayed petals and tantalisingly faint bouquet that almost screams seduction. No wonder flowers are the common symbol of heartfelt love and affection - among other things.



More pictures coming soon!

Listen up, bitch.

You're a selfish, self-absorbed, narcissistic, manipulative bitch and you expect sympathy from me? Seriously, what the hell are you smoking? I've read the post. 'You'll always love me?' Please! You don't deserve love. You deserve far worse than you've been getting.

Let's review the facts:

You took my money whenever you had the chance. When asking didn't work, you pleaded. When that didn't work, you begged and promised. When that didn't work, you stole. I've never brought this up before, but when you take someone's atm card and go on a spending spree without their knowledge, that's called theft. That's not something I'm going to forgive you for. You owe me, and I intend to collect.

You were unfaithful. Sure you say that you haven't slept with anyone, but there has been hints to the contrary - dare we trust you? When the distance became difficult, you went off and dated one of my best friends for a month. I had to wait a year for him to pluck up the courage to tell me and apologise, and I forgave him for having the balls to do that. You never did; I'm not going to forgive you.

And that's not counting the kisses and cuddles. Remember your ex-boss at the restaurant? Or that birthday party I missed when you were reported 'flaunting' that guy to mutual friends? Or all that flirtation with that bouncer fellow? You don't love people; you play them to get what you want, and that's just disgusting.

You neglected me for over half a year. That's right, 'neglected' - and it's your word, not mine. What did you expect after that? That I come back to you after having minimal contact for months? That I'd still care even though you forgot my birthday until a full month after, lied to me about sending gifts, never picked up the phone, and didn't call or write me?

You're a drugged up alcoholic party nut. Maybe you can even drink yourself into thinking that I care. I stopped caring ages ago - right around the time you forgot my birthday, in fact. I even told you that it was over, yet you persisted in thinking that we were an item for months. I'd think that 'we should go our separate ways' and 'I don't have feelings for you any longer' would be clear enough, even if you're on the booze train.

And what do you do to get my attention after being broken up for months? You MSN me and say that you're pregnant! What do you expect from me? That I'd keep my mouth shut and not tell your folks? Or people who can help you? Then you come back and insult me for doing the right thing. Believe me, I wasn't being all nice and chummy during that conversation - I was playing you for information, and you walked right into it.

To top things off, you offer to sleep with me for old times' sake. What the hell? Lets go right ahead and add 'slut' and 'whore' to the list of grievances. That's what you are aren't you? Someone's got to support that lavish lifestyle after all. Sugar daddies want a little sugar of their own, don't they?

Let's get this clear. You wasted two years of my life, my time, my effort and my money. You drained me out emotionally. You played me for a fool, and I admit that I was played - for a while.

I thought I could change you for the better, clearly I was wrong. Let's be clear, I never loved you enough. You were always going to be the rebound that I settled for and was too stupid to get rid off immediately. Trust me, I've learned my lesson.

Today I'm dating a girl who loves me. She's smart, funny, and relates on a level that you could never reach. She's a thousand times more than the person that you are, and I love her very much - millions more times than I cared about you. You don't deserve love. You deserve to be exposed for the cheap shallow fraud you are. The person who is never truly happy because they've got nothing inside to live for - just an empty shell that's terrified of letting others see just how empty she really is. I might pity you, but you're not worth my pity.

So here's to the one year anniversary of one of the best decisions of my life.

Good riddance.

And now the real work begins.

With a sense of unerring inevitability, we can now pause and reflect as America celebrates (or bemoans, if you're racist, stupid or rabidly Republican) the first black man in the White House. Who didn't see this coming? It's history making to the nth degree and the vindication of the Civil Rights movement which spawned such exemplaries as Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr.

But race is not the issue today, even though it is a giant leap for racial equality. Today's issue is the platform upon which Barrack Obama has conducted his entire presidential campaign - the need for change.

Forget novelty, racial bias, the 'cult of personality', inexperience and all the other criticisms tossed Obama's way recently. To my mind, Obama won simply because he recognised something fundamentally wrong with the American nation, and demanded change. He's promised a government that doesn't try to solve every problem - and has acknowledged that they realistically can't solve every problem -but will do its utmost to solve the issues plagueing America and the larger world. Now that's a far more realistic premise than the somewhat vague Republican promise of a 'stronger America' and 'future good times'.

To be sure, Barrack Obama is an icon just by winning the election and he deserves the celebratory fireworks and accolades; but once the red, white and blue streamers settle, the real work begins. The work of rebuilding a country battered by mismanagement. The work of helping stabilise and grow a national and global economy teetering precariously on the edge. The work of creating a better future for tomorrow. Obama's legacy will not be measured by simple election victory, but by tomorrow. The crafting of that legacy starts now.

It's tempting to think that everything's all well and good now that the presidency's won. That's obviously not the case. Obama's not the messiah. Change won't happen overnight. The mistakes of the Bush administration will take a lot more than a simple election to erase. I dare say it might take Obama's entire term.

I don't envy him his job. There's the issue of climate change, the staggering economy, healthcare and education, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the war on terror... I doubt any president anywhere has ever stepped into the Oval Office with that many diverse major issues hanging in the rafters.

Sure Obama's got his shortcomings. He's inexperienced, he's been accused of being passive, he's been accused of playing politics (what a shocker!). He's not the messiah, but right now he's the best man for the job. In a sense, we've all bought into Obama's call for change we can believe in. For better or ill, he carries - directly or indirectly - the hopes and dreams of millions globally.

Change isn't something that just happens. You have to want it, believe in it, and work your damnedest best to get it despite all the rocks that will come your way. Change is supremely hard, but change is precisely what we need.

God be with you in your presidency.

Things that tickled me in the last 15 minutes.

By the way, do the current American elections strike anyone as being almost Star Wars-ish? Seriously, we've got:


1. Archiac irrelevant government



2. Kindly-looking (somewhat dubious?) old fellow



3. Damsels who cause distress



4. Evil flunkies in the wings



5. Inexperienced hope for the future



6. Strangely ambigious outside forces



7. Draws satrical comparisons to Monty Python



Yes, I know I'm a little behind. I only just got introduced to the punditkitchen webbie, okay? (Thanks Ame!)