It’s always funny when you go traveling with friends – because they see sides of you that aren’t apparent in everyday situations. That’s never more brutally exposed when you wake up first thing with them, hair everywhere, looking like a zombie and (if you’re like me and a non-morning person) communicating via a series of hand signals and the occasional mumble. You’re blind as a bat when the curtains are pulled back, irritably shaken from the sweet respite of sleep with the jarring of 3 iPhone alarms simultaneously screaming for attention and THEN you have to be civil and vaguely human. Not an easy task I think you’ll agree.

But after 6 hours sleep, that was the scenario as Dan, Jesse & myself ambled around our apartment in a daze, foraging for warm clothes, camera chargers and maps, before diplomatically deciding who needed to use the bathroom more badly. It’s a scenario that was essentially repeated every morning on the trip and every morning it was as awkward as it was amusing.

This was the first ‘real’ day with the three of together and it was shaping up to be a big one. We’d done some research before leaving and found that a suburb called Iga Uneo was home to the origins of the traditional Japanese ninja. The area a housed a ninja museum, castle and booby-trapped house – every 2 hours they even had a real ninja fight taking place.

The 3 of us at some point in all our childhoods regularly fantasized about being a ninja (I know I did, but I also put that down to playing WAY too much of this, so you can imagine how excited we all were to be living the dream so to speak.

What we didn’t realize and what quickly became apparent as we were on the train was that it was literally located in regional Japan. Outside the train window, the skyline of Osaka with all its buildings and logos began to fade into the surrounding suburbs – it was a strange overcast day at the time; everything was awash in a muted grey, fading out any signs of life on a Monday morning.

Our train (and when I say train, I literally mean carriage) continued onwards and soon even the rooftops of Japanese suburbia had melted away into the background, replaced with open flat fields, rusty brown hedges and barren trees preparing for spring. We were seeing a part of Japan, well off the beaten track at this point – as the train chugged along, climbing the occasional hill and stuttering past the surrounding mountains.

After what seemed like an eternity, we finally arrived at Iga Uneo station, a stop that was just as barren as the surrounding area. And just when we starting to wonder what we’d let ourselves in for, we spotted it – a map of the area, brightly colored with pictures of ninjas and attractions, it shone like a dagger of hope in the bleak landscape.

Unusually enough, there was a single cab waiting – after we’d spent the best part of 2 minutes finger pointing to a picture of a ninja on a map, he decided he knew where to take us.

In broken English he asked us where we were from. “Australia” we all replied with mild relief that we’d found some humanity in such a remote region. His response was immediate; in fact he was so excited at that point he let go of the steering wheel to declare “Ahhhh! Kangaroo! Yes! Kangaroo! You fight! Box box yes?” before running through a series of boxing punches that would have made Mike Tyson nervous.

It was a great moment on the trip and certainly one that was to be repeated – our interactions with the Japanese always turned out to be humorous, good-natured and welcoming. And more importantly he didn’t crash the car so that was nice.

We arrived at the “Home of The Ninja” first, a classic Japanese styled house complete with sliding doors, wooden beams and opaque blinds. Our tour guide was a young girl who only spoken Japanese, but as we walked around the house she revealed countless hidden passages, doors which flipped 360 degrees, weapons hidden under floorboards, escape routes, secret spy areas, cellar doors and dark hiding places in the ceiling.

We even tried a few out ourselves, but none of us were as fast as her! It was a fantastic experience, because literally the entire house had two elements to it – walls were doors, beams were ladders, floorboards were trapdoors, we all walked away wishing our houses back home in Sydney were as entertaining.

Next we browsed the ninja museum, a small place of maybe 3-4 rooms – but containing ancient weapons, shrunken, grappling hooks, garments, even explosives and guns! There was even a hilarious dramatic “reinterpretation” of a day in the life of a ninja on TV which Jesse was transfixed by – actors leaping around in costumes at night, set to an epic soundtrack with close-ups of people squinting in the half moonlight.

But that didn’t really compare to what we were all basically there to see, which was the ninja fight in the battle arena. So we made our way to the theatre only to be confronted with a picture of a ninja dog high fiving his ninja master complete with the phrase “Ninja Show Is Rest Today”

It was all very underwhelming, because we’d been talking about it all morning – but what can you do? At the time, 12.30pm on a Monday during spring there were 5 of us there, so they probably didn’t think it was even worth putting on the show for such a limited audience, understandable but still more than a little disappointing.

Next stop of the day, was a short walk over to a ninja temple, as unique as it looked, it was also locked – which was shame, so we took a few token photos and scratched our heads about what to do next.

And then we saw it. “Ninja Castle This Way –>”

The first sighting of made me truly start to feel like I was in Japan. A 3 story white castle looming large over the area, complete with the classic Japanese curved roof and finished off with orate & intricate features.

Again there were very few people around and even less inside the castle itself. The three levels inside were by and large unspectacular, complete with token pieces of Japanese pottery, a few paintings and some maps. Although there were a few admittedly imposing Samurai outfits whilst the view of the area the top was impressive.

The foundations of the castle offered even wider views of the local landscape whilst below lay a huge rich emerald green lake. All in all, quite a startling little area.

Jesse thought it would be amusing to attempt to get a photo climbing the foundations of the castle itself, a gesture he later admitted to being “That was kinda disrespectful wasn’t it?” but as eye-brow raising as his actions were to the locals, did it make for a funny, if ill-advised photo. Spiderman goes to Japan as it were.

On our way out of Iga Uneo, we made a flying stop to another ninja museum – but this one contained life size characters of Samurai Warriors, along with some demonic looking soldiers complete in their full battle regalia. They made for some spooky photos that’s for sure, if you saw an army of these characters marching towards you – as the enemy you’d probably be legitimately terrified at times.

After we’d made our way back to humanity, we took the train to Nara district – a vastly more urban area but still with a touch of the past mixed in. Amusingly enough their mascot is a Buddha with antlers, a little unusual certainly but during the course of our evening, all would become abundantly clear….

We were there to see the  Shuni-e – or for us Westerners, the Buddhist Fire Ceremony which only happens once a year. Literally thousands of people crowd around the foot of the Todaiji Temple whilst above on the top level, the Buddhist monks set fire to huge mounds of leaves and twigs, gently waving them around on rods – the embers which fall on and drift over the audience are meant to bring them good luck over the coming year, whilst paying respect to nature and the elements.

Just from looking through all the information on the ceremony itself, visually it seemed to be a jaw-dropping spectacle but in truth its not until you are there, taking place in front of you that one can appreciate its beauty and tangible sense of spirituality.

To get there, we first had traverse the back streets and park lands of Nara itself and for me, it was just one of the many highlights of the day. We stumbled upon a 4 story temple, towering over all the surrounding park and woodlands – really was a sight to behold. It was fast becoming dusk and everything slowly began to take on a very gentle amber hue, once again there were very few people around – the whole experience was one of calm introspection and quiet reflection.

As we made our way to the Todaiji Temple, the atmosphere changed dramatically, by now it was nightfall and the cobbled stone streets were filled with people all making their way to the ceremony. There was a tangible buzz in the air, families with little children excitement etched on their faces – I think to them, this was the equivalent of say Guy Fawkes night in the UK, that same level of wonder about seeing something spectacular and unique.

And then suddenly, as we were about 5 mins away from the temple itself, this particular person appeared.

And that’s when I put 2 &2 together, regarding the mascot of the Nara region. The historical area itself filled with temples, parklands and open spaces is rife with deer! This one just wanted to introduce himself and see if we had anything yummy to eat.

It was a truly funny moment, because the last thing you expect to see are deer’s casually walking along the back streets of Japan. Many of the locals simply walked past them having seen them countless times before, but of course there were a few kids who were going bananas at the sight of this furry little person – we were too.

Finally we made it to the temple, with a few minutes to be able to take up a fairly decent position. Before the ceremony commenced the Buddist Priest read what I assume to be a prayer over the PA system and then ever so slightly you could slowly start to make out a few flickers of flame being carried up the staircase.

One by one these huge flaming balls of fire where held out on sticks from the balcony, with the audience staring up at them from below. Everyone remained silent (save for a few Ohhhh and Ahhhs), as the crackling flames lit up the surrounding area, the biting cold crisp air of 2c warmed slightly by the sheer intensity of the fire.

It was an experience to take the breath away, fire is hypnotizing at the best of times – but when it was on full display, blazing away in such a unique setting, it was a sight to behold. There was a tangible sense of wonder in the air, not only because the flames were so big but also because at one point it looked like the entire temple had been consumed in an inferno. All around, thousands of faces were lit up from the glow of the flames, eyes and mouths wide open.

As the embers rained down onto the crowd, it reminded me that despite the tragic earthquake, devastating Tsunami, worrying radiation leak and even the troublesome volcano erupting, the Japanese were trying to continue their normal lives, by paying their respects to forces outside their own comprehension – a concept that certainly wasn’t lost on the three of us watching from the sidelines.

Afterwards we headed back into Osaka for dinner and after prowling the streets in the cold for the best part of 40 minutes, I decided that we should follow two girls who disappeared down a stairwell into the ground below the street. The logic was, follow the locals

It proved to be an excellent choice, because it was by far the best meal of the entire tour. A cool, yellow dimly lit bar with lots of mid 20-somethings huddled around tables giggling away, there was even a birthday party going on in a private room behind us. With lots of laughter happening and genuine relief at getting out of the cold, we quickly ordered a wealth of dishes, beef, chicken, gyoza & vegetables and 3 large beers for each of us. We honestly ate like kings at times.

It came to a staggeringly cheap 6,000Y (which is about $65AU) back home in Australia; we would easily have paid that each. I can’t quite remember the conversations we were having, but they were easily some of the most amusing on the trip – this photo is testament to that.

And with that, a quick stop to Family Mart again for supply’s (ok ok, Asahi and Sapporo) we headed back to our hotel. It had been a whirlwind of a day complete with ninjas, castles, lakes, flames, chanting, temples and of course all those deer!

The Japan experience was well and truly in effect.

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p.s. View photos from the W.T.F. Japan Tour

48 hours ago I commenced my first official photoshoot with a band (or in this case a solo artist called Eugene Clifford featured above). He’s the driving force behind indie band BEARHAWK.

It was a great shoot to be involved with, unexpected and inspiring. He’s such a vibrant character that he gives anyone with a camera a lot to work with – nothing was really off limits and I think that shows in the images.

I’ve handpicked some of my favourites below.

You can see the entire gallery here. I’m keen to know which (if any) is your favourite – mine keeps changing.

As you know, I’m my own worst critic but I have to say, I don’t think I fared too badly on this, my first foray into the realm of portrait photography.

Hope everything is cool with you….wherever you are in the world.



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LINKS
Official site for BEARHAWK
Listen to their music

This particular blog entry, however, is about the second part of my holiday in Melbourne (not my most recent trip) and if I don’t write it down now, I think it will fade from the annuals of my memory entirely (especially as the past few weeks have become nothing more than a frenetic blur.) So I’m going to just dive straight in (Alzheimer’s permitting), from where I left off last time.

So, day number two in Melbourne commence with a brisk and vigorous search for breakfast in the city. As I’m sure you’ve been told, Melbourne has a wealth of cafes dotted between various side streets and alleys, perfect for that mid morning brekkie urge, when you’ve woken up with the munchies and an intoxicating need for bacon.

After looking at the menu at Hairy Canary (I don’t know why you’d name a cafe that either, but there you go) it instantly got our seal of approval. Their menu laid out a utopian breakfast in such yummy and intricate detail, that it actually made you MORE hungry as you were reading it.

Perfect way to start, what would become a busy Sunday.

(Or so I thought.)

I sat there, partially drooling, my mind clouded with thoughts of the wondrous gourmet feast about to make love to my eyes, the sizzling bacon, the warm fluffy scrambled eggs & the crunchy sourdough toast.

And then, without warning,  I was suddenly hauled back to reality, with a stiff and firm clunk. My ‘breakfast’ had finally decided to emerge from its former home, the clattering & quarrelsome kitchen.

I’d chosen the “Big Brekkie”, which essentially is bacon, roasted tomato, sausages and eggs – a heart-attack on a plate I’m well aware, but so utterly amazing you’re willing to run the risk.

Well, usually.

However, the big brekkie that half-heartedly stared back at me, wasn’t ANYTHING like I’d imagined. Served in a mini frying pan, everything was literally fused together, in a sort of pan-fried vomit ensemble.

The eggs were poached (not scrambled) the bacon was mere strips of fat in disguise, the tomato looked like it had been microwaved to within an inch of it’s life and the sausages took the form of some strange phallic-shaped Spanish salami.

W.T.F indeed.

Apparently, at least for the chef’s at Hairy Canary, this is gourmet breakfast Melbourne style. But as I nervously poked and prodded at it, my stomach rumbled with the almost instant realization, that it was going to have to go on being hungry for a little while longer.

I left the Hairy Canary feeling almost as empty, as when I went in. Not the ideal start to the day I’m sure you’ll agree.

Along with it’s cafe culture and boutique fashion stores, Melbourne is also predominantly known for embracing of all things arty. If you’re an artist (in whatever form) in Melbourne, you will get numerous fuzzy hugs from the arts council and even more opportunities to display your wares.

There are galleries, live venues and stand-up clubs all scattered around the city – infinitely  more than there is in Sydney. In fact,  even graffiti is promoted as a tourist feature and in the case of Melbourne at least, with good reason.

There’s the famous ACDC Lane (named after the band) which showcases some of the cities upcoming graffiti artists, but there’s several other lane-ways and passages nearby which are home to hundreds of vastly more intricate and interesting characters. Each have been spray painted with care, ablaze in colour with many of them peaking from behind recently pasted band posters.

You can tell many of these wonderful and often mischievous characters are the result of a generation who’s youth was spent watching trippy 80′s cartoons, daily doses of  Seseme Street and endless hours spent playing Mario Brothers, Pac-Man, Sonic The Hedgehog, Alex Kidd and Donkey King.

You can see more images from the streets of Melbourne, in the slideshow at the bottom of this blog and here

Now we’ve covered ‘static’ art in Melbourne, it seems only appropriate that I shed a bit of light on some ‘moving’ art we took in as well. Centrally located, the Australian Center For The Moving Image (more commonly know as ACMI) really was a highlight of the trip.

Admittedly, it’s name is rather pretentious, but once you get inside the center itself, it all begins to make sense. Throughout the entire exhibit, the history of “the moving image” is showcased. From its initial incarnation of shadows and puppets, through to the arrival of TV, its expansion into movies, strobe lights, delay effects all of which which lead onto video games, personal computers, the birth of the Internet, wireless devices and motion capture technology.

And far from being one of those tedious galleries where there are simply pictures and information heavy wall mounted plaques everywhere, the ACMI has models you could touch, twist, turn, rotate, pull, press and interact with.

ACMI – Matrix Stop Motion

Alex | MySpace Video

We even shamelessly played a few rounds of Pong, danced in front of a screen as giant Godzilla shaped shadow (complete with sound effects) and jumped very briefly into a starring role in The Matrix movie.

It’s the type of place where as a kid, you’d be unable to contain yourself, destined to walk around with your eyes wide open and a huge smile swept across your face and in fact, even as an adult, you’d be hard pressed not be impressed by the sheer fun and trip down memory lane on offer.

Next door was an exhibition by NZ artist Len Lye. Now I freely admit I’d never heard of the chap, indeed when I walked into the first room featuring his work, I rashly came to that conclusion as to why that was.

Projected onto the walls, was a collection of video displays featuring various coloured slides and shapes, in random patterns. It was tedious, directionless and incredibly uninspiring all at that same time. “I could have done that.” I thought and judging by the disappointed and weary looks from everyone else in the room, they all collectively agreed.

But how silly I was judge Len Lye with such flippant disregard, because as I rounded the corner into the second room, I was greeted with a spectacle that really did make change my opinion of him a complete 180 degrees.

The room was covered in dark grey carpet surrounded by even darker walls, 6 or so high intensity spotlights projected downwards onto 6 metal sculptures, all of which moved with a calm kinetic energy entirely of their own accord.

Sheets of metal that waved violently as you walked past, tiny strands of steels the width of your hair that shimmed as the air flow changed direction – it was as if every object had a personality, a mood and energy of its own. Beautifully done, crafted to perfection and mesmerising at the same time. The inanimate, literally coming to life.

The final part of the day, was spent under the band of a blurry rainbow, as we traversed some small market stalls, saw a lifesized cardboard castle / art installation (sounds exciting but it wasn’t lol) and then headed back late afternoon for a seriously yummy Mexican dinner in South Yarra.

Later that night we went and saw the second Marilyn Manson show in Melbourne (we had seats this time) and I have to stay it was a marked improved from the night previously. The band seemed to put more effort in and the sound was noticeably better. ( Still not a patch on the Sydney shows though.)

After the show, we found ourselves back at the Crown Casino (the only thing centrally located that was open past 11.30pm on a Sunday) having the few drinks in the lobby, surrounded by the constant whirring of machines and squeals of delight as people hit numerous jackpots.

There was even a famous b-grade actor floating around, I have no idea what his name was, but his ADDIDAS tracksuit and Brooklyn accent lead me to believe he was probably in The Soprano’s or another mafia / gangster affair. But probably the funniest part of the evening, was reserved for the food court at the casino.

Imagine the type of people you’d get in there at 2am, ties all loose, bloodshot eyes, empty wallets, high heels in hand, ordering kebabs and a chips whilst wearing suits and sequins! If I tried to remember all the wonderful characters that were stumbling around at that hour, I would be here forever – but the stand outs in my mind, would have to be the guy in the baby blue, one piece suit with trainers on and SERIOUSLY a cougar version of the lovable Vicky Pollard from Little Britain. I can’t tell how upset I was, that I didn’t have my camera on me

And then, Monday, quick breakfast in the city (yes, it was MUCH better than Hairy Canary I’m please to report) before leaping on the SkyBus and heading back to the airport.

It had a been a quick holiday, but a much needed break. I think looking back on it all, Yummy Yasmin and I really crammed in a lot of things during such a short stay, I only really went down to see Marilyn Manson, so it was great that we got to do all that extra stuff in between.

Melbourne then….would I live there? Probably not. But do I think it’s a great place to visit? Absolutely

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You can see more photos from the trip here, or by hitting play on the slideshow below

Giving a demo at the MySpace Music press conference October 1st 2009

It’s been a hectic few days, in fact the last couple of weeks have been somewhat of a blur. This is largely due to spending excessive hours @ work, in preparation for the launch of MySpace Music in Australia and New Zealand.

On October 1st, key media players across Australia were invited to come down for the great unveiling and celebrate it’s arrival at the press conference. From the major record labels (who have equity in the venture) through to established news outlets such as SMH, News Ltd, to industry coverage from the Music Network and support from the ever dependable ABC, everyone, who is anyone in Australian media, was there.

As you’d expect, there was a tremendous amount of excitement, fanfare and relief on the day. The product had been in development for over a year, with on-going rumors raising the expectation levels each and every day, however, I’m delighted to say they’ve been met & even exceeded with it’s launch. It really is a fantastic avenue for musicians and there’s little doubt in my mind, that it’s a massive step-forward for individuals who are fans of music and want free, quick and easy access to it.

As a result, Australian and New Zealand MySpace users can listen to songs & albums from over 5 MILLION artists on the site, including their extensive back catalogues.

It’s mind-boggling trying to even begin to comprehend that isn’t it

To give you an example,  Elvis Presley alone has 121 albums available on MySpace all of which you can stream in their entirety, unlimited, legally and for free.

(I’ve been listening to Daft Punk’s 2007 Alive album religiously recently).

Plus you can create your own playlists and share them with friends – just like you did with those old-skool mixtapes back in the 80′s & 90′s. Even Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has put together his own personal playlist on the site, respect!

Those two quick examples alone, should demonstrate the reach, influence, impact and potential MySpace Music has. It truly is instant and free access for everyone who is a fan of music. Come and try it out.

Exciting times ahead

Speaking of exciting times, in under a week, I’m heading down to Melbourne to go and see Marilyn Manson play two shows there, how is that for dedication hehe, I seriously can’t wait, my version of a mini-holiday.

I’m actually seeing him twice in Sydney, so all up 4 times in 5 days, and if I’m really lucky who knows, I might even get to meet him again. If I do, rest assured I’m going to send the world the photos! His new record ‘The High End Of Low’ just keeps getting better and better with each listen.

I’ll be updating and using Twitter whilst I’m down there, so please do stay in touch if you don’t already. It blows my mind that I can take a photo from my Blackberry, send it to Twitter, which then syncs with my MySpace and Facebook accounts, allowing you guys to all view it.

I used it today actually.

I found this chap, around the back of Oxford Street, left for dead on the side of the curb, after a big night out. So I took it upon myself to prop him up and arrange him in a manner the locals would approve of….

I left him there like that, so here’s hoping he gets lucky tonight.

It’s true, I rarely fail in finding ways to amuse myself haha!

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p.s. Today I watched my beloved Sydney FC return to the top the league, Arsenal hammered Blackburn 6-2 and EVEN Norwich City won 5-1. Talk about a great weekend of football!

Aside from the fact that I woke up today, to see this is anyone else feeling a little shocked it’s nearly October already?

It seems only moments ago that I was thinking about what hidden surprises 2009 might have in store, yet here we are, with less than 100 days to go until Christmas.

I feel if I’m not careful, I might close my eyes for a few seconds, only to wake up in the future, reclining in a nursing home, with a Yogi Bear cookie jar next to me and a mangy moggy on my lap, who goes by the name of Mr. Bigglesworth….imagine the thought.

One thing I often DO imagine, is the first impression people have when they stumble across my Flickr page. They must genuinely think that my friends are entirely comprised of some of the loosest drunken pirate fiends in the entire Sydney metropolitan area.

I wonder where they might have potentially got that idea from?

But enough of dust, cats, old men and drunk people, there are more important things to consider in this world aren’t there? Specifically, hehe, that back in June (just realizing it’s been THAT long already baffles me) , I mentioned that I was starting work on a new little project . Since then, there has been some seriously late nights spent beavering away, and whilst the timeline has moved a little, I’m really pleased to report that we’re looking good, to potentially reveal all before the end of the year!

It’s been really fascinating watching it develop over the past few months. You feel as if you’re achieving something as each little piece slowly slots into place. But until nearer the end of the year, I’m going to keep you in suspense about any further details. As the below picture shows, I’m all about keeping things on the down low haha

And finally, to recap on worldly matters since my last post

HIGHLIGHTS
I’m playing tennis again (Yes, even I was surprised!)
Sydney FC are top of the table
Got a decent return from Mr Tax Man
Credit Card balance $0.00
Bought tickets to Marilyn Manson
This photograph of Barack Obama

LOWLIGHTS
Still need that new bed
Fucktards who use Facebook to tell me things like this
Tax return is going on dentist
Waking up to the Sydney Dust Storm this morning!
My body trying to reconcile the notion of “exercise”

Hope all is good in your world, over and out

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I want to preface this blog by saying that I feel extremely privileged and lucky to live in such a uniquely diverse country. I’m surrounded by different cultures, languages and backgrounds, all of which combine to form the rich tapestry of the Australia public.

We have over 140 nationalities represented, making Australia one of the most multi-cultural countries in the world. It highlights that we as a nation in the 21st century are (by and large) an open-minded, respectful and fundamentally accepting society. A nation where few regard ethnic background or varying languages as barriers.

If you took ten photographs, of ten everyday Australian’s in the street – you’d be presented with ten wildly different personas, which collectively form part of Australia society. It’s something to be justly proud of and embraced.

And whilst there are some, who say the wealth of all these different nationalities dilutes Australia’s cultural identity – you have to ask, what really IS this sacred perception that the select few, fear Australia will loose?

Well I can give you a little insight. I moved to Australia in 2000 from the UK. Prior to my arrival, my impression amounted to the following:

Steve Irwin & Crocodile Dundee typified your average Joe in the street, kangaroo’s were jokingly reffered to as a mode of transport, koala’s were present hanging from traffic lights on every street corner, everyone lived in either Ramsey Street or Summer Bay, every 2nd person who walked past was Aboriginal, fashion was encapsulated in stubbies, thongs and a pair of Oakley’s and finally the national cuisine revolved entirely around “throwing another shrimp on the Barbie” a can of Fosters and a meat pie!

Shockingly misguided yes, but there are certainly worse stereotypes to be saddled with. But does Australia deserve to have such a hokey and uninformed stereotype? Why would anyone wish to embrace, perpetuate or contribute to the notion that the ‘Land Downunder’ is the back waters of the world?

We deserve so much more.

Australia deserves so much more.

Every country is lumbered with a stereotype, Britain with the bowler hat and cucumber sandwiches, Spain and the bullfighting Matador, Germany with bearded men in Lederhosen, France with their berets, stripy shirts and garlic necklaces. And whilst I enjoy Steve Irwin, Crocodile Dundee movies, prawns on the BBQ and the occasional episode of Neighbours – surely we can find better examples, which highlight, reflect and more accurately define us a nation? The need for such definition is more vital than ever, our generation, have a real opportunity to make a difference.

Why can’t we be regarded as the leader on climate change? Or the country noted for our innovation? Or the beacon in progressive thinking for social issues and international affairs? Why should we merely cater to the self-imposed whims of tourists and their burning desire for Crocodile hunters and Macadamia nuts?

Australia hasn’t always been a model of tolerance and just a deeper exploration uncovers a few chilling facts. Its recent history is darkened by the actions and racial tension that ignited during the Cronulla riots. An event watched and frowned upon by the world, that left a sour taste in the mouths of all those who love this country.

In your grandparent’s lifetime, the ‘White Australia’ policy was enforced, a time when civil rights, compassion and decency were disregarded as ignorance and racism were firmly embraced.

Here’s an actual quote from Prime Minster Stanley Bruce during his 1925 election campaign speech.

“It is necessary that we should determine what are the ideals towards which every Australian would desire to strive. I think those ideals might well be stated as being to secure our national safety, and to ensure the maintenance of our White Australia Policy to continue as an integral portion of the British Empire. We intend to keep this country white and not allow its peoples to be faced with the problems that at present are practically insoluble in many parts of the world”

In a country only 100 years old, there are still poisonous attitudes which need changing and more work and education to be done. And yet this superiority complex hasn’t been merely restricted to ‘white’ Australia’s – minorities discriminate too.

I understand no country is perfect and my views are that of a general nature, but in our attempt to be accommodating, tourist-friendly and perhaps too quick cover up our past indiscretions – has Australia become too politically correct?

Have we shifted from the abhorrent and aggressive “White Australia Only” mentality to the polar opposite of “Come One, Come All”? Are we to accepting of those, who have no intention on embracing Australian values? Are we leaving the gate unchecked and our expectations dangerously low? At times, it seems to me, that we forgot to stop somewhere in the middle ground.

I was both stunned and sadden by the story my grandfather told me. Being a huge fan of Oriental cuisine (who isn’t right!) he was in an Asian Supermarket buying ingredients, which he couldn’t get at his local Woollies. He went to the counter and was charged $2 more for the item, than the price originally displayed on the shelf.

“Excuse me, hello. Aren’t these $4? They say $4 on the shelf, not $6?”
“Oh $4 price on shelf for Asian’s only.”

My grandfather had a right to feel outraged at such blatant and appalling discrimination in his own country.

But is sadly doesn’t end there. I went to a club in the city, lined up in the cold, finally get to the front door only to be told “Your type can’t come in here”. I ask him what he meant by “My type” and he pointed to a sign on the wall which read “Asian Only Dance Party”.

Can you imagine the public outcry, if I put on a “Whites Only” event?

In this day and age, it defies logic and it’s a truly sickening feeling being discriminated against, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

But nobody points out the hypocrisy there, for fear of being un-PC. I’m sure there’s a minority of white Australian’s who are equally guilty of these quiet and individual forms of racism – but the frustrating aspect, is that none of it is needed or warranted from either side, minority or majority.

If you are living and enjoying the limitless perks of a democratic and peaceful Australia, if you wish to run a successful business – why on earth would you wish to create a divide by charging a group more because of their ethnicity? Why start a business and limit your customer base by only having your signs, menu or prices in a foreign language? Why not offer both? Double the custom. Why did white’s in Cronulla deem it necessary to beat upon anyone who wasn’t caucasian with sticks, baseball bats and broken glass?

Why internationally harm another human being, an innocent stranger purely because they look different? Why is the average bearded man of Middle Eastern descent with a suitcase at the airport, the subject of constant stares and murmurs of “he looks like he could be a terrorist?”.

Has the media REALLY been able to manipulate us to that extent?

It’s all so illogical, uninformed and unfounded. We as a nation should be better than that; we collectively need to rise above it.

Universally people are wary of the unknown, I understand that we’re all susceptible to that feeling. But Australians need to be open and receptive to change, not fearful of it – it’s inevitable. If minorities could be less introverted, less divisive and more inclusive, if we could all come together to understand and respect the subtle difference in each others cultures – then the world wouldn’t just stereotype us as ‘that place famous for Kenny The Plumber and all those Anzac Cookies’, but TRULY, as the greatest country in the world.

Your Friend,



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I don’t profess to be the greatest photographer ever, but when it comes to taking  photos, I try to do so, first with my heart and then my head. 

I hope you find a little bit of Sydney in them like I do. If you can’t see the slideshow below, click here 

Enjoy,



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So before I went back to work, on the 6th of January I did the Coogee to Bondi Beach walk along the cliffs. if you haven’t done it yet, you really should it’s beautiful. Also a really good way to clear your mind, get away from the city and just stare out in the vast expansion of the Pacific Ocean.

I took some photos whilst I was there, here’s a preview of one of them.

You can view more at the bottom of this blog, or on my official Flickr profile.

Hope you like

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