i finally get it

please allow me to briefly introduce you to my lovely feet. they get hidden most of the time and poor dears, they kind of suffer by being hidden. they are go-getters and really want to be out and about. they want to be raw, naked and 4WD (more 1976 landrover troopie than 2010 lexus, prado, pajero, discovery or pathfinder).

They want to explore, discover and recover from a few oyster/barnacle grazes without having to visit the doctor. They don’t have ABS, airbags, AC, cruise control. not even power steering, but they will never fail.

my feet lament the ‘good old days’ when they used to tread the beaches and hot asphalt of the eastern suburbs of sydney unperturbed. my feet also complain that the eastern suburbs in which we grew up together in, have been swamped by wankers. i can not disagree.

In a previous post, i gave a bit of a hard serve to the tongans for being so lazy.

i have come around full circle i think. look at the map below to see where tonga actually is:
View Larger Map

these people live in a dream place and in splendid isolation.

it was a massively bad move of the king to sell off citizenship, a move that has potentially destroyed tonga’s way of live forever.

tongans can grow all the food they need, if they want to, and become a small self sufficent island community.

as long as the majority doesn’t lose its way and all want to aspire to i-pads, i-phones and hummers, they should be fine.

it seems that before the now dead king fucked up and blew the whole kingdoms  cash, most tongans were pretty content with life over there.

i could easily imagine living an i-pod free life over there, growing my own fruit, veg, goats and pigs as well as spearfishing and surfing. what a life!

i take back part of a previous post of mine on tonga. it’s not so much about being lazy – it’s about assessing you priorities. If your priorities are are about staying alive, feeding your family and living a happy and stressless life, then do it tongan style.

Edited: August 29th, 2010

when the sky meets the sea

ahh, how good is this!?!?

Edited: August 12th, 2010

a tongan supermarket and the tongan diet

welcome to the largest supermarket in tonga. this is one of all its about 10 aisles. i kid you not, but EVERY CAN YOU SEE IN THIS SHOT IS CORNED ‘MEAT’!

well shit, no surprise so many of them are so ‘large’.

with a perfect climate and perfect soil to grow things in and abundance of life in the sea, i wonder what compels these people to eat this salty, fatty crap in a can. it doesn’t even taste good.

it has been proven genetically that the metabolisms of the tongan people really can not cope with too much fat, refined sugar or salt in their diets, yet this is precisely what they eat. they have skyrocketing rates of ‘grotesquely obese’ people and diabetes is on the rise.

any fresh veg is imported because they can’t be arsed growing it themselves. a bunch of celery costs AUD$12, because it’d airfreighted in from NZ.

the majority of ‘fresh’ meat they eat (ie: not in a can) comes in frozen from NZ – it’s called ‘lamb flaps’. i thought it came from a particularly sensitive part of the sheep, so i needed to ask around for more info. it’s basically the lamb belly, it’s also where the most fat accumulates. this stuff is near unsaleable in nz (or anywhere else really), so it’s frozen and sent of to tonga where it’s rapidly devoured. to be fair, i need to say that we DID stumble across about a dozen pigs troughing through some rubbish, so someone does cut animals on the island, and we DID eat some pretty awesome suckling pig on a spit, so someone, somewhere is doing the right thing.

Edited: August 11th, 2010

peak hour just outside nuku alofa, tonga cbd

not much road rage going on here. good to see…

Edited: August 10th, 2010

the kids in tonga are little legends

these kids are awesome. what a place to grow up!

everywhere we went the kids seemed to think they were little homies which is a bit of a worry.

in general, i feel that the people of tonga are really sweet, hospitable and caring.

seems there is a real cultural lock-down on them. it’s a church run society and they have only 3 radio stations. (which only seem to play UB-40 which is funny because the tongans are prentending to be black and they listen to, and are influenced by, the music of white boys who are pretending to be black – figure that one out.). their choice of films at the cinema is also heavily censored.

i look at these beautiful kids and wonder how many of them will end up coming to australia or nz to work in security or construction. no problem with that, it’s just that a disproportionate amount of pacific islanders end up in court for stomping on peoples heads for ‘fun’.

i don’t want that for these little fellas – they are too awesome to become that. what should change?

Below is part of the soundtrck to Tonga:

Edited: August 8th, 2010

bustling port at nuku alofa in tonga

this is the main port at nuku alofa, capital city of tonga.

a little bit different to port botany., but that’s the charm.

if you wander down to the docks in the afternoon, you can meet the local fishermen.

they hand spear all their fish while snorkelling. you can pick up a plastic bag full of fish, maybe 3-4 kilos worth (mixed species) for about AUD$5.

not bad at all. makes me wonder why they keep eating this.

Edited: August 7th, 2010

day one in tonga – nuku’alofa

ahhh Tonga, I love you, but you are stupid.

Much like australia in the olden days, you are the land of  “she’ll be right mate” and “it’s all sweet”.

Actually, it’s not. And you guys better sort it out and learn how to work before you are all forced to learn to speak Chinese. Chinese eh, you hate them, right?

The individuals who have come from China to control your food supply were sold residency on the cheap by your former King (who was not a wise investor). Don’t hate them. They were invited by YOUR King and YOUR Country. You can’t fault them for giving it a go. Fault yourselves for being so fucking lazy and apathetic. They are just willing to work harder and smarter  than you.

You have god blessed volcanic soils and a climate that anything can grow in. You own the land, get up off your fat lazy asses and make your land productive.

Fuck it, I don’t have that much money but I’d just love to come over and buy some of your land to form a local co-operative.

Grow fresh fruit and veg and get you fat lazy Tongans off that canned and imported shit that you call a diet.

Edited: August 6th, 2010

nice to see the sun come back to us again

shame i’ve got to get to work instead of enjoy it….

Edited: August 5th, 2010

stunning vista across the magnificent alexandra canal

it is actually near the confluence of the sparkling alexandra canal and the crystal clear cooks river.

alexandra canal has the dubious honour of being the most toxic waterway in australia. it is so full of heavy metal contamination, that no one knows what to do with it. they believe that it’s best left alone, as it would be a bit of a disaster to disturb the mud at the bottom.

Edited: August 4th, 2010

we play in the rain

Edited: August 3rd, 2010

crazy weather tonight

hammering down with rain and winds of up to 100 kmph, not a nice evening to be out and about.

Edited: August 2nd, 2010

blue sky and lamp posts

not all too interesting, but pretty colours

Edited: August 1st, 2010

back to botany bay

i love this place, it never sleeps. there are people always driving and walking about at all hours.

may even print this pic up large and stick it on my wall

Edited: July 31st, 2010

atm reciepts at the crix

seems the discerning folk at the cricketers arms pub in surry hills don’t have that much cash at hand, or instead they are hedging their funds in stocks, options or international currency markets.

funny how people leave their atm statements lying around. i didn’t even set up the shot.

Edited: July 30th, 2010

sydney central station

late night, not many about. it a scene waiting for ‘our russ’ to pop up in romper stomper. it was a school night obviously. see the clip below to get the russel crowe/ romper stopmer reference, if you didnt’ get it already:

Edited: July 29th, 2010

in the jungle, the urban jungle….

some people certainly have interesting ideas on adornments for house and garden.

i particularly love how the tiger stands guard over the fallen wilderbeast, snarling at the lion circling the prey.  i can almost hear them roaring now…

the coloured woodchips and central stand of vegetation faithfully recreate the flora, fauna and colours of the african deserts and savannahs.

you can’t buy this stuff for sure. it had to have been created. art i tell you, backyard art.

it has got to be said that, unless you are a wog, and an old wog, you have no chance ever of creating a masterpiece such as this.

Edited: July 28th, 2010

heading back to the big smoke

and i’m not so keen to do so

Edited: July 27th, 2010

taking the road less traveled

you know when you are taking the road less traveled when you see lichen growing all over the road.

i love the big sky you get when you are out of the claustrophobic big city. love those rain clouds thundering in from left of frame. hope these guys got some rain, looks like they could do with some.

Edited: July 26th, 2010

abandoned sheep shearing shed

from a bygone day. there are still half-full cans of ointment and australian blowfly repellent bottles lying around. according to the chalkboard, the last sheep shorn here was in april 1996. the shed has certainly been standing for over 100 years by the looks of the timber and there were still a few piles of wool lying about.

i looked into one rusty can and saw where some small bird had once made a nest in there. the place certainly had a ghostly ambiance to it. it sort of has that whole wood, rust and animals feel to it as the centennial park stables, just a whole lot more abandoned.  i’m sure there have been a few hundred itinerant shearers pass through here, as well as many thousands of sheep.

it’s a good thing the owners of the property didn’t tear it down, it’s a little piece of archaeology.

Edited: July 25th, 2010

just a little bit of fog and frost

a bit chilly this morning.

if you live around the sydney area and feel that you need to take a little time out from the hustle, bustle and craziness of the city, i’d well suggest this could be your remedy.

only about 20 minutes drive out of bathurst is this lovely property stacked with friendly farm animals and a bit of fishing in the adjoning macquarie river too. the owners, sue and chris are absolute gems.

forget about 3g connectivity here. my group was with telstra, optus and vodafone and none of us got a signal. a bloody awesome thing if you ask me. perfect getaway. see pics and more info at this link – watton cottage bathurst farmstay.

Edited: July 24th, 2010

bathurst netball mania

the lovely people of bathurst sure must love their netball. with a population of some 38,000 people (?), that makes one netball court for about every 100 people. i bet they’re pretty good at it too.

Edited: July 23rd, 2010

sun punches through the clouds for a last hurrah

this light lasted for all of about one minute and i enjoyed while possible.

man, i am over winter. i was over winter when it started. it’s cold and the days are short. hey winter, i don’t like you very much unless you bring me snow that i can ski on – and that’s just not going to happen here in sydney – it’s about as likely as a dust storm.

although i am in a bit of a complaining mood, i have to say that the crappiest winter i ever had was in london. absolutely and utterly miserably crap i have to say. i bet suicide rates soar over there in winter. so it’s not all bad (well it is for the londoners).

speaking about london and complaining (i’m starting to sound like a whinging pom), the picture features a london plane tree. i’ve thoughtfully provided you with a link.

it is one of the most widely planted trees in sydney because it grows fast, can deal with neglect and pollution and it is deciduous – which is great, because it provides shade in summer and allows sunlight through in winter. what’s not so great is that they are starting to drop these little balls in which the seeds reside. each seed is covered in thousands of tiny bum-fluff-like hairs which come off the seed and fill my house and clog my drains and gutters. at least i don’t have hay-fever.

council, could you please stop planting these things, could you instead plant some flowering natives? that way we could attract more wildlife into the city and give us something more interesting to run over in our cars than just cats, pigeons and indian mynas.

ok. rant over.

Edited: July 22nd, 2010

refinery at night

think i will start doing something on surveillance cameras soon, it’s not as if there is any lack of them about these days.

i’d love to know how this tank got that huge dent in it. perhaps the lamp post fell on it once?

Edited: July 21st, 2010

fast moving train

Edited: July 20th, 2010

ummm, wouldn’t even think about it

do you really need a sign to tell you that you shouldn’t cycle where fuel tankers are doing 90 km/ph?

i don’t know how cyclists do it in sydney – drivers are impatient, aggressive and intolerant. although there’s no culture of bicycles or motorbikes in sydney, give me a motorcycle anyday, at least i’m heard and can pull out of a situation quickly.

obviously not one of the city of sydney’s awesome new cycleway network.

Edited: July 19th, 2010

one lamp post, a windsock and some sticks (on a grassy hill)

it is half-brothers uncle of two lamp posts and a rubbish bin (on a grassy hill)

Edited: July 18th, 2010

fun with racial sterotypes

this could be a fun theme…down with political correctness i say, it seems to divide more than unite. people should stop being so serious.

i wonder where i can pick up some of that astonishingly lovely decor from?

Edited: July 17th, 2010

what could this be a picture of?

well, a thumb, a finger and an armpit of course!

amazing.

Edited: July 16th, 2010

unloading containers at port botany

see this ship and all it’s containers?

it’s being unloaded of its cargo of imported cheap chinese crap that you buy cheap, use once and then throw away.

the ship has traveled far.

Edited: July 15th, 2010

desolate industrial cityscape

another from the desolate series.

Edited: July 14th, 2010

first exciting view of he golden mile (for some) – welcome to the jungle

Whoaaahhh! how exciting, we’ve driven from Merrylands to the Cross!

got your modified wrx, nissan skyline, (add any rotary or bolt-on turbo) or maybe even your harley-davidson?

try a hummer, or are they not noisy enough?

LET’S MAKE SOME NOISE!!!!

got your crew together to punch random people in the head for fun?

hit the big time by being gangsta!

girls with your fake tans, fake titties and fake nails, you might just meet that big shot dealer with a big house in vaucluse – and the life you’ve always dreamed of – getting slapped about and treated like shit, but hey, you get a shopping and french nails allowance, right.

i enjoy living in the middle of the city and i have dones so for a long time. what i don’t enjoy though, is hearing the crap that you all put out.

Sometimes, only sometimes, i wish i could pick up the cross and dump it out in campbelltown. kings cross really is a lovely place during the week, it just turns ugly on the weekends when the packs of dogs from out of the area come in to party and try to get a root.

Edited: July 13th, 2010