28/07/05
Well, I DID have no plans to go back home any time soon... but with news articles like this surfacing, I might have to reconsider....
27/07/05
If you haven't heard already, the Brazilian guy that got shot 5 times in the head on the tube by cops after he ran from them was innocent (i.e. not a bomber). Crazy just sent me this from local tube station:
25/07/05
Phew, so much has happened in the last week I haven't gotten around to posting some pics of the previous weekend!
The other weekend after Clay pigeon shooting with Stef, Adele, Crazy and Shannon, I went with Crazy, Richard, Matt and Tash to a BBQ at this guy Mike's place (Crazy's workmate, open invite). He was a bit of a legend for 2 reasons:
1) I didn't even have to introduce myself because he recognised me from my web site and said he liked my work, nice way to instantly go straight into my list of "top blokes", Mike. Now I know how popular the Queen feels when she turns up to parties :-)
2) He threw the most organised and perfectly put together BBQ I've ever been to. Not only was all the food and snacks you could want there (including some NZ shapes) but the music was sweet, he had fairy lights in the trees, gas AND wood BBQ and put Jamie Oliver to shame with his home made ice-cream (3 varieties - the rum and raisin was particularly nasty after 2 weeks of soaked raisin's!) and home made vodka (2 varieties)!
To top it all off, he brought out a ceramic pot with a chimney on it to light a fire in it to keep us entertained, such as watching Crazy put his hand in it... Here's Tash, Matt, Crazy and Mike by the fire:
So, if ya wanna gate-crash a party, may I suggest one of Mikes. You won't be going away hungry and feeling bored!
23/07/05
Sharm el Sheikh was just bombed (archive)! You might recognise that name from MY LAST FREAKEN WEB-SITE UPDATE!
I don't know, where I visit being bombed, where I live being bombed, Crazy having success with women... Look, I'm not a religious whack-job or anything but I don't need any more of these un-holy, un-God like, satanic signs to tell me that Armageddon is upon us and God is loosing!
Right, I'm off to the pub, that's all you can do in a situation like this (man, I'm sooo turning into an Englishman).
P.S. An eye witness account from the Egypt bombing: "This flaming mass flew over my head, faster than a torpedo". Now it's probably not an appropriate time for me to nit-pick here, but I somewhat doubt that this person is an expert in torpedo air-speed velocities... and I'd like to meet someone who has actually seen a torpedo flying through the air.
22/07/05
Wow, undercover cops shot an Asian looking guy 5 times on a packed tube today, stink for him that cops are now allowed to shoot to kill if they suspect a terrorist.
I've also obtained exclusive video footage from Heathrow passport control, check it out (no sound, you don't really need it though).
21/07/05
Oh crap, looks like more bombs going off in London. Warren Street Oval and Shepherd's Bush. No reports of any casualties. Looks like one of the bombs (backpacker) didn't go off properly.
Seems to just be dummy explosions reported.
No-where near as bad as 7/7. One injury is currently reported and that is from the dumb ass who was wearing the backpack with the detonator in it that went off.
17/07/05
Well, aren't I the luckiest guy in the world to have such top mates that they would shout me out to a day's outing going clay pigeon shooting and lovely country pub meal! Stef was the mastermind behind it all (with Adele, Shannon and Crazy pitching in too). On top of all that Stef was the one who got me my birthday cake on my actual birthday! What a top mate. I now feel sooooo bad about posting that pic of him in Dear Diary on 03/06/05 that I now feel compelled to revel that it was FAKE! Yes, you heard right, I actually PhotoShopped that pic.
As a small token of my admiration of Stef I would like to post a "REAL" pic I took of Stef of a typical relaxing day at his flat with a few friends, years ago just before he met Adele (who is obviously a far superior woman to anything that Stef could hope to encounter again):
Cheers you lot, I had a fantastic arvo.
15/07/05
Well, it's been over a week since the bombings in London now (called 7/7 over here, who says the English don't copy Americans). 54 people dead.
I've gotten a few email from people asking me what it's like in London now and how horrible it must be. I've also heard of people freaking out and leaving London to go home and people cancelling trips to London because of it.
I've noticed almost no change over here at all. There is a large number of cops around the major train and tube stations now, but that's it! The weathers been fantastic (perhaps the UK's best since I've been here), the beers have been flowing and the tube is unfortunately as packed and sweaty as ever. It's always been a case of when, not if and now that it's happened, it's like a relief almost. I think I'd be more worried about living in the major cities that haven't been bombed than living in London now. I'm just glad that New Zealand isn't on most maps.
Oh, and I think there has been some record set for lack of sick London bombing jokes. I haven't received any in my inbox yet... far longer than 11/9 (sorry, 9/11) which I got within a couple of days.
Wow, after that rant I need a beer, bring on the weekend! Fri 27 degrees, Sat 25 degrees, Sun 26 degrees.
14/07/05
I took this pic from Putney Bridge the other night:
I'm wanting to move to Putney soon, so I'm getting into the swing of it.
Also, Petra would like to remind you all to wear sun-screen in this fantastic weather we're having, Crazy, let this:
be a warning to you...
13/07/05
Stef was my photographer on the 29th when I had my birthday dinner and manage to get a few nice pics!
Here's Ian, Richard, Ray, Stef and James at the pub beforehand:
Stef also got me a birthday cake, top man, salt of the Earth I've always said. I almost feel bad about the pic of him I posted in Dear Diary on the 03/06/05 now:
I was pretty stoked about getting a cake, especially after letting off a few dozen party poppers to annoy everyone else in the restaurant:
Here's Karen, Crazy, me, Jordana, Matt and Chris:
Amanda, Stu, me, Charles, Adele, Amy and JP in the foreground:
Shannon, James, me, Ray, Richard and Crazy:
And here are at the table Ray (off camera), Richard, me, Amanda, Stu, Charles, Amy, Matt, Chris, Jordana and Karen (not looking), JP, Ian, Shannon (not looking), Mel and James with his usual cheesy grin:
Thanks again to all of ya who managed to make it, I had a fabulous night!
12/07/05
Crazy John just sent me this joke:
Edward was at school this morning and the teacher asked all the children what there fathers did for a living. All the typical answers came out; Fireman, Policeman, Salesman, Chippy, Captain of Industry etc, but Edward was being uncharacteristically quiet and so the teacher asked him about his father.
"My father is an exotic dancer in a
gay club and takes off all his
clothes in front of other men,
sometimes if the offer is really
good, he'll go out with a man, rent
a cheap hotel room and let them
sleep with him."
The teacher quickly set the other
children some work and took little
Edward aside to ask him if that was
really true.
"No"
said Edward, "He plays rugby for the
Lions but I was just too embarrassed
to say."
08/07/05
Wow, it feels somewhat ironic coming from the safety of the Middle East back to the dangers of London! 37 dead so far and 700 injured, I hate to think of how bad some of those injuries will be. I don't know of anyone affected by the terrorist attack.
Crazy, Mark, Craig and I had a fantastic time though, the diving at Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea was unreal. I've got so many pics and vids. Saw a shark too! Incredible.
It's gonna take me a while to go through all the footage and put a page together, especially as I'm off AGAIN in a few hours to go camping for the weekend in Croyde, no rest for the wicked!