Alpha Beta Gaga

New Zealand, Queenstown Part 2...

With the light rains that accompanied the Shotover jet, came the start of a storm system that would not leave Queenstown during the week we were there. As a result, high winds basically screwed up chances of riding the Wednesday, as much as some of us tried to get out there.

Tuesday night however, was Simons birthday and a very large session was had by all. After some dinner at home, we headed out to Dux de Lux and joined in the trivia night; of which chances of winning were slim sue to many of the questions being very much of a Kiwi nature. Lots of pool, beers and high jinks led everyone to a late night.

On a Wednesday where many were hungover, I did however get a few runs in before we called it a day and went for another legendary FergBurger - my wish/prediction of nailing 4 of these in a week was very much on target.

With Thursay, some of the snow that had fallen over night was finally rideable, and something other than fish-market slush could be felt under board. A few of us went to Coronet Peak once again, and I'd have to rate this as the best day so far. Conditions were still quite windy, but the lifts were mostly open, and there were plenty of fresh lines to be had. To this day I don't recall ever being the guy that got to cut the first tracks in the powder down below the main lift... but I managed it today; and it rocked!

With some awesome riding in the last few days, Lauren and I also managed to get in a nice meal together at a restaurant I'd re-visit in a heartbeat; The Botswana Butchery. Lamb shoulders from the next village, sublime cocktails.

With one of the resorts closed due to high wind on our final day, we figured it was natures way of telling us to do something different... I'd heard from various people about the prospect of doing a Lord of the Rings horseback tour... but due to the last minute nature of this, we had to settle for a regular horse tour. However, it was pretty damn cool! After meeting our steeds for the afternoon, we trotted out of a picturesque farm and on through the rolling hills of Queenstown. Lots of wildlife including deer (which I would later eat in a juicy FergBerger). My horse decided to push my un-ease by going for a wash in a pond; with me of course thinking I would go over his nose and in the drink... thank goodness, that didn't happen, it wasn't exactly warm weather.

With a final nights drinking with everybody, it was soon time for our departure from Queenstown, back to Christchurch and then homeward to Sydney. Great holiday.

Oh!

Queenstown, Otago,
New Zealand

So after no significant amounts of Annual Leave since July 2008, a year had been a long time to wait for my next overseas jaunt. Surprisingly it was only with a week or two to go that I really started getting excited, and feeling those feelings that I was feeling when I first started writing to this blog.

I left work on Friday night feeling more pumped than a hyperactive 6 year old. I'd already done my packing the night previous so all was left was to go grab some dinner with Benny who had just celebrated his birthday; a few of us met up at Thai Riffic in the Spot, wined, dined and then stuffed our faces with Cold Rock ice cream. Then it was just a single sleep, and we were headed for Sydney Kingsford international terminal. I love going to the International terminal; especially when the end result is somewhere I've never discovered.

We were soon through all the usual security stuff and jumping on board our Air New Zealand flight direct to Queenstown.

A few short hours later, we were flying over snow capped mountains and dipping down over a beautiful lake, glistening in the midday sun. We jumped out, and I have to say, I don't think I've ever been so impressed by a country, from the airport! It was cool, I could see the snow on the mountains and I was in holiday mode. It was just a shame the Europcar counter was so under-powered, we had to wait an hour to get the car sorted out, but alas we were soon on the way and getting ourselves settled in to the house we'd rented out for the week, overlooking lake Wakatipu.

That night, we met up with the majority of the other guys on the trip - around 20 all up, at Pog Mahones pub.

The following day it was time to get back on my snowboard, also for the first time in a year; the venue, Coronet Peak. The sun was shining, everyone had sunscreen on through fear of instant melanoma it was so strong. Surprisingly the snow was better than I anticipated, but obviously a fair way from awesome. It was however a very good day for everyone to regain the legs, and learn some new skills where appropriate. Day 2 followed right on from Day 1, except this time we headed up to the Remarkeables. This place seemed to have a much better feel than Coronet to me; it was higher and as such the snow quality was a little better too. By this point a few of us were really starting to hammer it down the pisted runs - awesome fun in the sun!

Tuesday came, and so did the rain clouds - the precipitation totally smashed what little snow quality there was and I immediately boycotted any riding in such wet conditions; I did it once before and had no fun! Lauren and I instead headed out to Arrowtown to mellow out and enjoy the best of the day, as dry as we could.

Later on we picked up Shae and Oren, and in a fit of spontanaeity, we jumped on the Shotover Jet Boat ride. 750BHP engines pump several hundred litres of water PER SECOND. This thing seriously shifts. It can also make it thru water around 15cms deep as it basically skims the surface. The skilled drivers take you so close to the rocky walls of the ravines, that if you put your hand out, you could touch them. After that exhileration, they dump you into 360 spins causing waves to smash up the sides of the boat... only negative was the rain that felt more like hail against the face at top speed!

Beautiful Calm Driving

30th Golf Celebrations - Randwick Coast Golf Course

COME ON, you only turn 30 once in your life right!?

So, instead of the (nice) quiet celebrations of last weekend, it was time to notch things up a little. By playing GOLF!?!

Okay, so it doesn't sound that crazy, but I figured, I'm getting older, so why not do something that fits that vein a little better... and then tweak it by loading the golf carts up with beer!

So I had the pleasure of Todd, Benny, Azz, Rog, Claire, Al, Wedge, Greg, Alan, Glen, Daniel, Conor, Spoons and of course, Lauren to head around the most part of 18holes (we started at 1, and were only on hole 5 by 3pm...). With some stunning shots hit by all, and, well, Rog managed to make one go backwards - it was amazing that we made it to the 13th/14th hole. As the sun dipped down, our gang short cut to the final hole to at least play back to the clubhouse... I could barely see my (10th) ball as it fell into the hole to make that satisfying putt sound.

We headed back to my place where Lauren had decked the place out with a childhood photo of me and some huge ass 30 balloons... the music played, the beer continued to flow, and we even had a huge profiterol cake... I was definitely 30 now; and just the old man hangover left to deal with.

Thanks everyone for making it such a memorable day for me. You are the bomb, and I love y'all.
30 year old Fon.

Fire

Another Friday night finish, this time knowing I have 3 days off. I leave 29.

I go home, feed, and return to the city with Lauren and meet Benny for a small Blues gig at the Oxford Art Factory. The highlight a Japanese Busker who played the blues; with broken Englishand slide guitar. Several beers and some interesting Aussie blues artists later , it was time to keep it sensible... It was going to be a tough, but enjoyable weekend.

I took it easy through Saturday, went to the driving range with Oren to get in some practice for an upcoming round of golf. An afternoon of tea and chatter followed before heading home for some dinner and then a Katherine Heigl movie at EastGardens movie theatre.

Sunday morning, I awoke, got dressed in light weight running gear and then hopped on a bus at 7.35am. Before I knew it, I was stood on College Street next to Hyde Park in amongst several thousand other people, dressed similarly to me. I plugged in my ipod and listened to random tunes whilst I waited for the inevitable shuffle. at about 9.15ish, we started to shuffle forwards. I ran across the electronic start line, and my tag clocked 0.01 on the computer, and I started running up William Street, the first turn of a 14km route from Sydney to Bondi Beach.

Bloc Party, Doves and Kasabian were helping me along the way... I was totally zoned in this time, and determined to make the entire 14km non-stop, including the 2km incline 'heartbreak hill'.

I made it, and past the 10km mark feeling pretty good. As I passed the 12km mark with Bondi Beach insight, I stepped up my rate, still having to skip past some of the other 84,999 people. On to Campbells Parade, I was sprinting, or something like sprinting, the slightest knock woulda sent me flying, but I held on, and managed to lock in a time of 73mins 44secs. I missed out on 10,000th place by a few hundred spots... old age definitely kicking in!

I returned back home to get showered and eat something before Lauren and I headed back out of Maroubra, and wound up in Clovelly rather than the packed out Bondi. I think I sank about 7 celebratory beers, and left, well, pretty well sozzled. I woke up at about 4am having already taken in 8hrs sleep and realised my legs were feeling about as responsive car on bricks.

A few hours of broken bad dream sleep later I awoke sober and happy. It was my birthday, an apparrant "big one". Lauren and I had the day off from work, so decided to recover from the comfort of home.

After some Breakfast, I was spoiled rotten with gifts. Some awesomely stylish cuff-links and a lensbaby for my camera (a type of the lens that allows for some trippy effects).

At this point, I was casting my mind ahead to the following weekend, and as such decided to go for another practice hit at the driving range, this time with Todd & Lauren. We blasted nearly 200 balls off the platform before retiring stress free on a

After I'd played about with my new toys, we headed out to North Sydney and got lunch at one of my favourite Thai restaurants (Stir Crazy) in Kiribilli, near Luna Park. We filled our bellies with some awesome meaty tastes and then let the food settle, before driving along the North Shore to Toronga Zoo to go visit the newest addition; my namesake (ish); Luk - an 8week old elephant.

When we initially arrived, he was asleep - though not like the snow leopards (I have yet to see a snow leopard even when zoo's report to have one, as they are always asleep). He was asleep standing up, using his trunk as a fifth leg; talented little blighter!

After checking out all the rest of the zoo had to offer, including an entertaining mating ritual courtesy of the giraffes we headed home and cooked a fresh Salmon dinner... awesome.

I return to work, 30.

Kingdom of Rust

Doves - The Metro, Sydney

If the Flaming Lips were an explosion for the eyes, the Doves were to do the same for my ears and soul. For about a decade I've been listening to their 4 albums, and have had many an emotional moment to them, driven very fast or just day dreamed of being somewhere else. In short, I love their music.

I was just a little excited to be going to see them. Lauren and I locked in our now regular spot at the Metro, optimal for sound and vision... it was time to stand back and let the band do the business.

The addition of the new album really added some greatness to a set. The band can even afford to leave out some awesome older tracks like Catch the Sun which in fairness, they are probably sick to death of playing. Jetstream and Kingdom of Rust were amongst my new faves, but Black n White town and Pounding just did it for me.


11 out of 10.

It Overtakes Me/The Stars are so Big

The Flaming Lips; The Hordern Pavillion.

A gig back at my love/hate venue... love it cos it's a decent size and there's usually a pretty decent atmostphere, hate it cos I can never get close to the stage to get the shots I want, and the security are usually pretty hot on SLR cameras.

That said, I smuggled in my 40d with my 50mm lens in my other pocket without any problems again. Once buried in the crowd I put my half drunk beer in my pocket, replacing my 50mm lens and set up, ready for the gig I'd anticipated a very long time indeed.

This band, as you may have heard put on one hell of a stage show; stunts, props, actors, lights, balloons etc etc they try it all out and just have a whole heap of fun with the crowd. The lead singer split from a giant TV wall that at the time was projecting an intimate part of the female anatomy as if being born, the rest of the band followed and before we knew it, there were 50 giant coloured balloons bouncing around, along with the front man inside a zorb, rolling about over the crowd!

Streamer and confetti cannons blasted, as kids dressed as frogs and kittens danced away at the side of the stage all the way thru the gig. They only made way breifly for a large inflatable Slug and sunshine!

The light show went on and it was undoubtedly the best small (ie. not Daft Punk at Homebush or U2 at Wembley '96) touring show I've seen in Australia, maybe even the world... fantastic and highly recommended, even if you're not so familiar with their music.

Food, Glorious Food

Lithgow, Blue Mountains Degustatio - Weekender

After an interesting week, that started with getting some dodgy virus, right around all this Swine Flu hoo ha, I got signed off work for 3days, only took 2 and was back, shakily on the Wednesday. By Friday evening, I still felt like I'd done 10days straight so was totally stoked to be packing the car at 5pm with enough chicken to feed 15people, and enough clothes to get me thru a weekend of rest and relaxation.

I picked Lauren up and set off down Paramatta Road toward the Blue Mountains.

A mere 3 hours later, and we were pulling up at Toad Hall once again, as 2 Kangeroos bounded in front of the head lights. We carted our gear from the car to front room, and then busily prepared what would be the first meal of the weekend for everyone there; a FonMacca Massala!

Toddles managed to pull out from his bag, a delicious, rich Pecan pie, home made of course.

What then followed was 44hours of fine dining, great drinks, maaaany laughs and some nice chill time...

I woke up early for some reason on the Saturday, so decide to sneak out of Toad Hall, with my camera and go for a little wander. I found myself leaving the outskirts of the property, finding that the frosty ground led me further and further down the road. I barbed fence caught my eye, before I was hopping over it in search of a cool morning panorama.

As I made my way thru the fields, a couple of Roo's skipped in front of me - ahh yes, I was definitely in an Australian Winter Wonderland!

My feet started to get wet, so I turned back, I probably only covered 1km but it felt like I'd been gone longer. As I walked back into Rog's place, a few of the guys were basking in the early morning Sun out front, from there, we ate fresh bread, muesli and then played some backyard cricket. Nice.

I gave Oren a hand making some Rice Paper Rolls which would be our mobile lunch, before the gang collectively wagoned up and drove out to the Pulpits Rock BushTrail. about 6-7km of medium grade terrain with some killer views.

So we marched, down steps, across streams, looking over sheer drops, along cliff faces and under some craggy cave like rock formations - before stopping for our lunch. A swig of Jack fueled the return journey. 12 or so sets of tired legs headed back to Lithgow for some dinner and drinks.

A chicken dinner followed by Choco Lava cake and ice cream with strawbs topped off a perfect day.

I coulda slept longer, but around 9 hours was enough to recover before being awoken by the smell of some delicious blueberry pancakes courtesy of Rog n Claire... from there, it was time to clean up, and head home back to Sydney.