25.12.08

I am DRY


A few weeks ago, I went to visit my mate at work.

I had just finished working on a shoot and thought I'd pop in to say hi.

There was an old book wrinkled on the edges and the cover design was a bit tattered.

The large font "Dry" had a running smear effect... I was intrigued so I picked it up.

Ash was like "dude... this book is right up your alley. You must read it"

So I said "Ok...." without knowing my life would no longer be same as soon as I turn the pages.

I have never heard of Augusten Burroughs before, Ash mentioned the film Running with scissors and I was vaguely familiar with the title. For some reason though the story just had a grip on me from the beginning, I could quite figure out why. It soon became clear that his life was scarily but strangely familiar to me.

Augusten was a 20 something, nice suit (substitute this with an outfit for me), works in advertising (check), pretty ordinary by societal terms. But the story unfolded with early signs of his attachment to alcohol, he never went home and never saw the drinking as a big deal…until his job grinded to a halt based on his work mates’ orders that he needed help. Apparently when alcohol comes out your pores the next day it is not a good thing especially when you need to meet an important client.


I can’t say I have gone through the extremes Burroughs had experienced, but I can sure detect the warning signs on the path I was heading… it is not really a cliché as such when you work in advertising, I suppose you either like to get loose to have fun with it or you remain straight or at least sensible. I am young and liked to have a laugh where possible while my acquaintances surely didn’t slow me down either. I guess we all just gravitate towards souls where we feel most at ease.

My house was not lined up with empty bottles although that would have made a spectacular visual for a photo. But more often than not….I had lived on liquid diets for days and virtually no sleep then I would crash out HARD. The rehab experience told by Burroughs was entertaining and scary at the same time. The story is full of dramatic twist and turns, it is not really about alcohol abuse so much. I came to learn that it was more about his search for love and dealing with his hidden emotions where the worst childhood memories have been suppressed with the drugs and alcohol, the feelings all comes rushing back to him in the face of tragedy and triumph.

I thoroughly liked the story and can’t be more grateful for finding it or it had found me perhaps… either way, it has really changed me in a big way. I have stopped drinking for almost 2 months now but it feels like an eternity. I actually find it not too hard, the only real obstacle is hanging out with friends when they are all getting loose but I still love them and I have learn to deal with it.

I am just excited for a new year where I can do more photography assisting and learning from more interesting people.

23.12.08

An early xmas

Photos from Ho Ho Hoes.

Siren DJs @ Ho Ho Hoes
A few of my friends decided to throw a party on a Sunday night at the good ol' Gilligans (ex-Gaybash).
Most people I knew were already 3 days into the partying, while I was MIA..

I have been working a lot the past few week, Saturday was my last assisting gig for the year which was thrilling but a bit sad too.
The shoot was for Karen Mag, an editorial story with Jessica Hart, she is a pretty amazing girl to work with and the shoot went really well, I got to use a few different lighting set ups and a smoke machine woo. =)

The assisting gig has been really good and I feel like I have been fast tracked to be working with all these amazing people in such a short amount of time...2009 should be even more amazing now that I know a little bit more about the work and people involved.
By Sunday, I was really missing my friends and really wanted to get out and have a dance with them all. Naturally Monday I slept in.... and was not working =)

Andy Uprock, Elvis Di Fazio and Val getting their pose on.

Rose is back from Paris! YAY!!. We worked together on a Kluster mag shoot a while back. You can see her on the Klustermag issue 5 - Desert Rose story

Aaron is chilling by the DJ booth and being tops as usual =)

Emma + Confetti = Awesomeness!

Kevin B is a dancing machine.

I just met Natalia that night.... but we have a few mutual friends and she is pretty rad too. Woo to mutual friends.

Elvis making sure Eddie looks good as Santa.

Steph is back in town as well...model extraordinaire and avid blogger.

Mitch is an amazing Bow tie designer and Cody stylist extraordinaire.always love hanging out



Michael and Dorian from the Teenagers are back in Town again for a NYE show @ Manning bar.


Steph (Batwoman) and Matt Saville (All around awesome dude but too hot to wear the Batman suit all night) just being amazing in general.

9.12.08

Byron flies away and No Answer gets sweaty good

Happy Birthday Cody Bayliss!

Are words really necessary to describe how the night turned out?
I was really sunburnt after assisting on a location shoot at Bondi during the day.

Again I have picked up a few new tricks - optical illusion is amazing, I have so much more to learn.

The photos turned out really well from the storyboard and they will appear in Grazia UK in April 09 I believe.









7.12.08

Numskull takes over MTV gallery


Last week was a super busy week. Work work and so much more work. It is true, advertising never sleeps.

I went to the Moonlight cinemas launch on Thursday night to see Woody Allen's new film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Oh I love Woody Allen and it was a pretty entertaining film especially with the open space moonlight vibe, it was a sweet non boozy night. Before the film, I went to a friend's housewarming at Potts Point where I ran into Numskull and he reminded me of his new solo show at MTV, which is how I made myself come out even though I was ready for a super early night for a super long location shoot at Bondi on Saturday for a Grazia UK story.

Super Nothing Maybe Never! is the name of the show. For those who do no know Numskull is famous for his epic mashes of text and pop figures, the latest exhibition features a new series of paintings on canvas and wood which explore love, hate, mystery, fantasy and false heroes that dominate the airspace via corporate advertising.

It is apparent that growing up in the suburbs and weekend travels with a skateboard to the city dominated by billboards and advertising scape, Numskull's psyche has permanently been wired to these iconic imagery. Like the rest of us, it is perhaps a condition that we have learnt to live with, like it is a form of external wallpaper that gets renewed every so often, as one campaign ends and another goes up...a bit like pretty weeds produced by commercial art teams.

Having grown up on a healthy diet of comics and cartoons myself - I definitely appreciate Numskull's artistic direction, he draws from similar comic references and a love of graffiti and signwriting to create original and often controversial pieces by stencil and paintbrush.

Trivia Fact: Numskull is a full-time artist based at World's End Studio in Sydney, Australia, he has held numerous solo and group exhibitions; his work has featured in a number of magazines and books worldwide and he has collaborated with Mambo, Von Zipper french label Sixpack. Most recently he has done a mural at wall of the Sydney creative shop
BMF.

For more info: check out
NUMSKULL's website
SUPER NOTHING MAYBE NEVER!
5th - 10th of December 2008 /Gallery hours: 12-3pm
Opening night:
5 December 6-9pm, MTV Gallery
4 Yurong Street East Sydney



30.11.08

A night like no other


It hailed, it poured but the party must go on since the generator and tents are already set up. I went to see the Lion kids at Annandale.

The weather was surely doubtful for a long night but having some thai for dinner made me feel a little more at ease with the gloomy outlook. I was totally stoked for the late night beach party. There were so many kids planning to get loose at this gig... To add a little bit more spice to my life, Sweetie decided to lead me on to go for a slightly more adventurous detour to see some sick humbros with their fast and furious cars but at least we arrived (belated as it may since most people were fashionably late or rather enjoying the Finest late night public transport Sydney had to offer) at the amazing beach set up.

Thanks to everyone who put on the party at such an unlikely time for a beach soiree. Hooray for wet sand and friends!








15.11.08

Cut Off Your Hands


I missed the Cut off your hands album launch gig last Thursday and I was a bit disappointed. They have been one of my favourite acts for ages and I haven't seen them in such a long time, their sound feels like a distant radio airwave in my mind.
However. like all good surprises and fortune, I unexpectedly rock up to the MCK AIRBAR launch for all media and advertising agencies, and WHAM the guys were just chilling by the side. Their show was amazing and I was so excited I had to ask them for a portrait.

If you are keen to see the boys, they will be playing at the Falls Festival close to new years and Laneway Festival early next year!

13.11.08

MJ has never looked so GOOD!


If Imitation is the highest form of flattery, I think MJ might just blush a little on Saturday night. Mitch and Elvira threw a house party to celebrate their birthdays last Saturday. Like any good party there has to have a extraordinary silly theme, this one happened to be Michael Jackson or anything that might be related the the legendary MJ.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MITCH and ELVIRA !!