My mission...

...should I choose to accept it – is to try and compose a witty and thought provoking, whilst still informative, update of the goings-on in my life over the past 2 weeks.

However I feel it would be easier to just show some photos.

Prepare yourself for the “stream-of-consciousness” that is my memory; as I recount

MY BONDI WALK.

Last Sunday (after a massive week which included 2 days booming up to my armpits in water...) I went for a walk to break in my new hiking boots (purchased at great expense, and with relative ease from a great hiking supply store in nearby Bondi Junction – seriously I had only just finished lacing them up and on my third step said “that’s it, they’re perfect, ring em up”).



Anyways back to the recap - I’ve heard that the walk south from Bondi Beach is exceptionally beautiful, so I jumped into the car, and punched “Bondi Beach” into the sat-nav. Thankfully it didn’t try and kill me by sending me up every narrow one-way street in Sydney (like some of the other directions I’ve asked), and I managed to find a reasonable parking spot within walking distance of the major strip.

Coffee was required, obtained, and devoured; as I pondered my next step. ‘twas way too cold for a swim, so I indeed decided to go for a stroll, and take some 147 photos along the way (relax, I’ve condensed them into a nice essay of 12).

First up.

Hero shot BONDI BEACH, Sydney.



...ta da !!

Next up is a shot of the (extremely busy) walking track around the first point south,



One of the things that I’ve come to love about Sydney (as opposed to it’s roads, traffic, and general yuckiness) is the fact that EVERYONE seems to be out and about on the weekends. Seriously I think it's cool that people get out and go for a walk, or have a picnic, or play some form of sport.



It’s at this stage that I should back-track a little and show a few photos of the SURF at Bondi – surely one of the main reasons that it is so damn popular.




Hundreds of them, all braving the weather and doing something that makes them happy...



...and I only choose to photograph one of them... d'oh (please note that after purchasing my hiking boots in record time – I managed to catch a screening of the Simpsons movie – very much worth the 18 yr wait)

Another cool thing about Sydney is the number of “natural baths” that are dotted along the coast.



Here’s the Bondi Beach Bath.

Once we return from up north (WAY north-west) I’m thinking of getting back into the pool/baths/water, as it felt really good ('til it got cold and too hard due to work commitments)

So strolling along (at a pace that was probably causing havoc with the joggers) I’d stumble across little moments in other peoples lives.









Including a nifty little sailing boat swanning it’s way around the head.

My time was running short (I was running out of battery power on the camera), and I headed home, stumbling across a local cat; guarding who-knows-what.



I’ll finish up my photo thingy with a nice silvery shot of the sun reflecting off watery surfaces.



Ok the rest of 'my last 2 weeks'...

- Moved into a new sound stage for the first 3 days (stage 2), then into another (stage 1), then back to the first (stage 7), then the third (stage 1), and finally the first again (stage 7). We’ve been bouncing around the sets like you wouldn’t believe.

- My boomie didn’t want to get sick hopping in and out of the water-tank, so I was thrown into the semi-deep end, and completed a few scenes as boom-op (remembering that I’m normally sound assistant on this production)



Un-named crew person walking on water.

- Fishermans-waders are made out of PVC; and if they’re brand-new, will give off a petrol smell non-stop, all day... resulting in massive headaches – yet you remain bone –dry, and strangely sweaty.

- Wet-suits are a much better option.

- Booming in a water tank is not as much fun as it may seem... (I can now see why our main boom decided against it) since you don’t really want to rest the pole in the water, it’s got be above your head whenever you’re in the tank. Due to the framing you’re more-than-likely going to be using a LONG pole, and that’s got to be extended whilst above your head (even HARDER than it looks). When they add in the wave making FX, you start to sway... and don’t stop for another 10 hrs

- Horses are cool

- Wind-Fans are the bane of a Sound Assistant’s job.

- Coffee is perhaps the best legal drug in the world

- Cycling in the cold is quite refreshing

- The Simpsons movie is well worth seeing

- The film “Zodiac” is oddly riveting.

- The catering on my current project is fantastic (I’ve got to start eating less though)

- I'm insanely jealous of anyone who's been able to go to the snow this winter

- the more I see of this current film, the more I'm convinced it's going to be something very special

OK I think that I’ve bored you all enough, so I’ll finish up this blog with my most recent...

...PHOTO FROM THE ARCHIVES

Silhouette of crew on ALL MY FRIENDS ARE LEAVING BRISBANE – which is co-incidently having it’s WORLD premiere at the Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) tomorrow night...



...just as I’m landing in Kununurra, WA. (many 1000’s of kilometres away)

Ok, going internet-dark for the next few days (possibly weeks) as we move onto location shoot #2.

See ya’ll soon
Ian

ok, so it wasn't witty, or thought-provoking, but at least it had information... sort of...