One of the cool new toys we are taking to Bali

I thought I would just whack a couple of photos from our new Olympus iu725 camera up here. This one is of Max. I got him to jump off his board and go underwater. So I could see the results. Not bad eh?



Here is one shot across the water at Max sitting on his board. Great angle. Gabi made a wrist band from an old legrope and an old camera strap I had laying around. The camera sits in the palm of your hand and you can just swim with it. Or paddle. Will have to experiment with it on the board.

More of these later, especially from bali.

But first here is one more shot of me in the turn, shot from a different camera. Gabi was on shore with my Nikon D70.
The wind had come in and was getting a tad lumpy but a lot of fun was had by one and all.

The time is right. For all good children to have an adventure. And me too!!

Had a happy festive season so far?, Our's was quiet. Surfing after breakfast, that's me on Xmas day out at Maroubra our local beach for two more weeks. As you can see with the wetsuit it has been a mild summer til now. Although the weather did clear up later on to a beautiful 26 degree day and plenty of sunshine.

Boxing day was very literal for us this year as the shelves were fitted into cartons in readiness for our move to the Indo ilse of Bali. With less than two weeks to go, it's all getting a little exciting.

One of the hardest things is to distil ones life down to a 30kg luggage allowance. Luck for me there are 4 of us! My computers and monitors eat one allowance then and there. Our surfboards (I am having to ship some of them) eat half of another, the Espresso machine the other half. Some where in there we have to take clothes, shoes, medicines and other essential items. We box and weigh everything.

We are shipping another 100+ kilos but this is stuff we will not need straight away. Things we can get by for a week without. Pity I cant ship the boys! Only joking!

So the next time I update this blog we will be EXPATS. Might get some shirts made.

We have a house all rented, lovely place with a guest house in the bottom of the yard. We needed something to entice family
and friends to come and visit. It's working! 4 bookings so far.

On the right is a calender for the bookings we have taken for the guest house. So if your going to come up to visit email us with your dates, or ring.

To have a look at the house go to the site we set up
http://web.mac.com/anomac

More soon.

Peace!

Bali or bust.

Tis the season to pack up the family and move.

Too much time and tide has been settling over us and I feel that the family as a unit needs and adventure, a task to trully align ourselves. We are four souls who swim in the one fish bowl but are more often than not at battle with each other over purely egoistic items. I think a splattering of 'out of country' quandries will sort that out and have us acting as a proper family unit. One with a singulaity of purpose and function.

I am hoping that a move to bali will stimulate and gel the attention of the boys, Max (Now 10) an Oscar (5 in Dec) Not to mention Gabi and myself.

Working as an event designer who delivers everything digitally through the mediums of 2D & 3D programs allows me a certain freedom in respect to workplace location. 2007 is the year we are taking the full advantage of this.

I am ramping up my hardware and my software to offset the geographical issues some of my clients may have with the move.

Mind you most who I have spoken to are in awe of the project. Am starting to realise that we may have to have 'workshops' up there for them.

So you can expect this blog to liven up in the coming months as we start to sell all the crap that inhabits our lives and we make way for the bare necessities. Such as my quiver of surfboards.

Why is it my wife doesn't understand that this is so? I suppose it's the same as me not understanding why she wants to take a sewing machine with her up there.

Anyway it should be different and I will try to be slightly more diligent in keeping a proper record of it here.

Off we go... Yipee!

peace

So we are now a nation of Soccer fans!

Since Australia won a place in this years World cup we are seeing some strange rumblings back home.

SBS one of the 5 national TV stations it's the multicultural channel and has long enjoyed an association with the leather But it gets a pittance from the government so it's the most budget conscious. Well they must have spent half their yearly operating budget to secure the rights for the World Cup, Then you have to have a brand new groovy set, I pitched on the design & production of it but lost (Bugger!) and a plethora of hosts. There is about 6 of them.

Now don't get me wrong, i love the game, in fact I will drive my son MAx to soccer in the morning tomorrow and then again over to the club rooms in the afternoon for the team photos. No i am not one to be jumping on the band wagon at this late date, I had already added our game dates to all my calendars.

But the win in the friendly against Greece last night has sent a wave of Ozzie-ness through the community. People are driving around with the tacky little flags the Sun Herald gave out with last Sundays newspaper. Once staunch rugby fans are softening their stance on 'other' codes of football. The wave has hit but the tide is still low. It will be an interesting one to watch in the coming months.

Go Ozzie go. Oy oy oy

peace.

One door closes and another opens. Oh look, It's a nice wood one this time!

Been a while and a billion gallons of water has passed under my personal bridge. That's a happy (sic) snap of me on the left outside the Summer Palace in Beijing, mind you it's the middle of winter!

10 years ago I started an Exhibit Design company with an old friend, TV. On May 1 this year I sold my shares in the companies and have just started my new vehicle, Blue Sky Design Australia Pty Ltd. I am now an event designer. The difference may seem subtle to the untrained observer. Let me tell you without the long winded explanation that nothing is further from the truth.

Gone are the 12 full time employees, now it's just my wife Gabi & I. Millions of dollars turnover also go to be replaced with (hopefully) hundreds of thousands. The weight that seems to have lifted from my shoulders, although I had partners I tended to take on the overall burden, is amazing, mind you I am already finding that I am overworked now I have to do all the designing myself.

The release from the burden has given us a broader horizon. We're starting to look at the world differently. More importantly how why and where we live differently. At this point in our lives, (we have two boys in primary school) we have a window of opportunity where we can get out there. Where we can experience another culture, maybe even learn part of another language. So we are now planning the sabbatical for a year or so at the end of the year (End of the Australian school year)

Bali seems to be the go even though I receive peoples misgivings everytime i mention it. Perhaps the perceived danger of terrorism makes it a new frontier. Personally I think we have more to worry about with Bird Flu. Either way we are all excited about the idea. The ability to live amongst a beautiful race, learn there customs, go surfing, learn Bahasa, go surfing, and generally travel around the region makes it a wonderful base.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, did I mention going surfing?

Anyway, watch this space for news and updates as we make the SEA change.

Peace