Spitfish (alis: Trevis Jean Smythe) and myself have been engaging in discourse about education for some time now. He says that he is not going to send his kids to school- he will educate them at home instead so they don't waste away their days. Some other friends think that this is a little too drastic. I personally think that there should be major changes made to the education system. I would like to see more education towards good citizenry. Get kids doing work experience once or twice a week, learning about their local communities. Google “Tsunesaburo Makiguchi” and his value creating educational models. Some great ideas! This thread about education will continue for some time.

Wondering about the relevance of the photo? We just spent a week or so in Moo Baan Dek in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. My wife had volunteered there for a few weeks back at the start of the millennium. The kids all come from disadvantaged segments of society. Some are orphans, some are victims of extreme poverty or abuse, and some were born with missing limbs. Each child gets a very personalised education- they don't even have to attend classes if they don't want to. But most of them do want to, and they devour information with amazing passion. Google Moo Ban Dek and you will find something interesting. I would recommend volunteering there. Contact me for more information. Or wait for the Big Kamo #4. DVD- it will be featured.  I will also be making a documentary on my bamboo teacher in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned.

Thinking outside the cube. I knew a kid who could solve the Rubik's Cube (TM) from any position in about one minute. He did not excel in the classroom and neither of his parents worked- both were long-term recipients of public welfare payments. Other sources of pride for this kid were activities such as intentionally making himself faint, farting in my watermelons (well it only happened once), stealing food from the supermarket garbage bins, throwing assorted bicycle parts at flying foxes at night, filling a mug with artificially sweetened chocolate milk powder and adding a little milk to render it into a thick paste and “drinking” this in lieu of an evening meal etc. The list goes on. Anyway, this kid could solve the Rubik's Cube in a couple of minutes at most. How did he do this? Simple, remove the coloured square stickers and stick them in the desired location. Genius!

Day 1. A new flower pot is left on the street with a couple of healthy looking flower plants.

Random nostalgic flashback:

“You're a try-hard”. That's an insult in my hometown and it reveals a lot about the culture. I now find it pretty hard to imagine that trying hard could be considered something bad. This particular insult is reserved for individuals who don't quite make it into the group they seek so desperately to rub shoulders with. From this point on I move that “try-hard” be a badge of honour.

2^nd of January 2007. Happy New Year and all that jazz. I just looked and noticed that I haven't put an entry in here all year. I had a big Japanese test in December and I spent most of my time preparing for that. After that I read a few English books on the trains and my sister and her boyfriend came over and now my mum and aunty are over here. Currently on editing some of the footage I took from China in August into a 40 minute video. More soon on that later.

In the last 6 months I have uncovered 3 fresh and disturbing cases of people who wipe their dogs' bums with tissues. This phenomenon is much more widespread than I initially feared.

New Year's Resolutions? Me? More work, more focused work, more appropriate work. Probably sounds empty to an outsider, but this is all quite specific and meaningful to me.

This will not be uploaded until I get back online- if you are reading this you know that has been uploaded by a new speedy fibre-optic connection.

He moved to Australia in January 2005. Unfortunately we would not be in Australia at the same time-except for when I went back for my wedding. Hollingsworth and his wife have made me one of their family. I look back with a huge grin on my face to realise what an amazing stroke of luck it was that we started talking on the streets of Port Vila that day. Click here to read the cyber-interview that I did with him.

　Artistic Revolutionary!
18th of October 2006.  My Internet connection has vanished somehow.  So this will not be posted until the issue is resolved.  In the meantime I would like to talk (write) about "Free Learning".  This was originally the term I used to refer to me visiting certain lectures on my university campus.  I studied business but my heart lay in other subjects.  So I would get onto the internal computer system and find all the subjects I was interested in and join the lectures.  Sometimes they were too small and I would not be able to sit in without being noticed- so I avoided these classes.  My favorite classes were part of the "Human Rights" subject required for certain students doing a B.A.  The lecturer is now a leading figure in the Australian branch of Amnesty International.  
A Buddhist friend of mine was relating her experiences in Cambodia.  One of her students was going for a job that he was capable of doing but lacking any paper qualifications.  He was also a fan of free learning and most of his education was made up of sitting outside a classroom window with a notebook furiuously taking notes.  So on his CV he wrote "window student".  Perhaps the company at the other end assumed it was some kind of computer-education program and he actually got the job.  Do you have any free learning experiences?
The $100 is currently being developed.  Once these get into the hands of kids in dire financial situations, the realm of free learning is going to spread like wildflowers or fire... whatever it is....  Free textbooks will be downloaded onto these and they can take their laptops home, crank the gyro hand generator and do some quality free learning.. I raise my ceramic cup of soy milk to that!  
Another Steve Irwin related story.  I once impersonated Steve Irwin.  Well, I was in Texas in the late 90s and Steve was a huge star there.  Brandon, whose mother helped me out a lot, had told some kids at school that the Crocodile Hunter was staying with him.  So one afternoon one of his mates called his house.  I was there, so I got on the phone "G'day there kid, I hear you like crocs".  The kid nearly pissed himself with sheer excitement.  I could hear him in the background "Hey Mommy, the Crocodile Hunter really is staying with Brandon!"  Well, I think the truth came out in the end. I did it with the best of intentions- not that it makes it believable though.  If I was speaking with an Albanian accent the kid probably wouldn't have picked up on it.

　13th of October.  The Lancet reports the findings of a study: The invasion of Iraq has caused the death of  655,000 Iraqis. 

　12th of October 2006.  Look at this new sport.

　11th of October 2006.  Everyone would no doubt know about the passing of the Crocodile Hunter. I saw him in person once.  It was when I was in Vanuatu and I had gone to the airport with my large bushy beard to pick up my gap-toothed sister and her friends.  At the airport I got a big group of kids to yell out my sister and her friends' names from the observatory platform.  I saw one of them stop and say to the others something like "hey, they are calling out our names" and they then stopped to respond "don't be stupid Lori, how would they know our names?"  Well the correct answer would have been: Because David is also hiding up on the observatory platform egging the kids on.  Anyway, they all quickly got through customs and came out and had a good laugh at me and my beard.  As we got onto a  mini bus my gapped-tooth sister remembered something she had to tell me: "Dave, the Crocodile Hunter was on the same plane as us!"  Are you sure it was him?  I asked a little sceptical of another one of my sister's stories.  "Yeah, it was definitely him" , she assured me.  At that moment he came marching towards us carrying all types of gear including what seemed to look like an inflatable raft.  "Now what the hell is he doing in Vanuatu?"  I wondered.  Was he going up north to the Banks Islands to catch one of the resident crocodiles?  There didn't seem to be a TV crew with him.  I wasn't sure why he was in Vanuatu.  Not only until he passed away was I too find out when I read a transcript from Andrew Denton's "Enough Rope" . Andrew asked him "A lot of people see you as this... this larger than life STEVE IRWIN, in some ways a one-dimensional, almost cartoon character. But what they, perhaps, don't know is you've bought huge tracts of land in Australia, Vanuatu, Fiji, US. Why have you done that?"  Steve replied that he was creating his own national parks or wildlife habitats.

　10th of October 2006.  I told some kids today that my name was Takoyakibimbamboomba.  They believed  me.  Furthermore they memorised this name and were able to reproduce it accurately.  

You have probably already dragged your cursor over the cryptic equations there on the left hand side. These were questions that Japanese companies asked their marketing consultants to consider when branding. And you can see the consequences. It is probably lost on native speakers of the language.

Reading another Japanese book. This time it is called �gIDEA HACKS�h. The basic concept comes from Life Hacks. But it is more specific about how to generate, record, store, reference and manage ideas. It is quite interesting and it has given me some ideas. The first thing that they said is that an idea hacker should always have a pen and paper on hand. I have been carrying a notebook around with me everywhere I go for the last 10 years or so- and I heartily recommend this to everybody. My mates used to give me a hard time about it- well about lots of stuff. They asked me why I had a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on my bedroom wall next to skating and punk posters.

　14th of September 2006. We are having a teacher from Tanzania stay with us later this week. Last night we went to a hotel reception for them. There was a speech from a Jamacian teacher. She said that education is the second most personal exchange. She also said "and don't ask me what the first is". The English speakers burst into laughter, but when this was translated into Japanese, not a single soul laughed. The translator got the words right, but wasn't trained at delivering punchlines. OR perhaps the joke didn't translate. I remember at my wedding my brother told the story of Shaun Wanless farting in my watermelon. The English version evoked healthy laughter, but in Japanese he had people scratching their heads.

The picture on the right is part homage to my dad who took a similar photo when he was younger.. he looked slightly more ape-like though. the hills hoist is such an aussie icon... the barbed wire was added for no good reason at all.

　3rd of September 2006. No postings for a long time. We have been in China. If you want to read about the adventures we had there, well, click here and you can read something I cut and pasted from an e-mail (hence the mistakes/typos). Also if you are concerned about the disposable chopstick phenomena read this. I am not writing much these days because I am busy studying for the big Japanese Language TEST in Dec. I have developed a new artistic kanji study method. What this space for pictures.

　2nd of August 2006. Just finished the editing, transcoding and production of the first of many Big Kamo 2006 DVDs. Let me know if you want a copy.

Also- I had a faulty memory card so I sent it back to get it repaired or replaced. Look to the right to see the ridiculous packing it came in (on the left of the photo is the product and on the right is the packaging (both in relative scale). We are off to China next week.

I am busy studying for the Japanese exam. Reading as much Japanese as I can manage. Currently reading a book that has been translated from English titled "50 facts that should change the world". Stats includes: in England supermarkets have more personal information on citizens than teh government does; in China 44 million womens' whereabouts are unkown; in America there are over 88 cases weekly of students who are suspended or expelled for bringing guns to school ... etc etc... interesting reading.

　17 of July 2006. (the Junkmiester's birthday). There is a Japanese custom called the "kanchou" it basically consists of someone sticking their fingers into the anus of another person. This is considered, by children, to be one of the finest comic pranks around. I have no idea how this began, but it is widely known throughout Japan. The dictionary entry you can see here is a word that many Japanese people don't know. I tried to drop it into a casual conversation once, but everyone stopped and asked me what I meant. So I replied "you know. like as in sucking the pus from someones carbuncles and licking their hemorrhoids in order to curry a bit of favour" and I was told that such an expression did not exist So I carried this photocopied scrap of paper around with me for a year or so in a little homemade folder that I used to take with me everywhere I went. I also read that 18 Chinese miners were killed this week.

So far I have had one friend take a photo of an ashtray, and no photos of urinal cakes. C'mon people, help me out.

Spitfish has introduced "Happy Day" to the world. Basically it is a day of celebration that can be held on any day. Just include a card with the words "Happy Days" written on it and send it to a friend when the time feels appropriate.

　18th of June 2006. Once sitting next to a window, that would not open, on a bus in Los Angeles I vomited. I managed to keep my mouth shut and avoid spraying anybody in the vicinity with vomit. But after about five minutes my cheeks were starting to feel quite strained and the bile was starting to dissolve my taste buds. It was actually quite unbearable and I feared that my mouth would give way at any moment. So I pulled out the notebook that I always carry around with me and scribbled down "do you have a plastic bag?" I showed this to the large set lady sitting next to me, who was virtually closing me off from the outside world. She took one look at the note and then my puffer-fish face and said "no"- in a way that said, "What the hell does this weirdo want with a plastic bag?" I felt defeated as I pressed the bell to stop the bus. I pushed my way out of the bus and vomited in the gutter emitting a hybrid sound similar to mixing a shaken-up carbonated drink bottle and a fire hose.

New links: Ben Sully (Redcliffe boy in London) & Tyler Reid (Vanuatu/Thunder Bay boy in Hiroshima mountains)

no recent updates, no excuses.

　21st of May 2006, From the news this week: Aussie miners out, they are now millionaires. Meanwhile ABC news reports "It is believed 44 miners have been trapped by floodwaters in a coal mine in northern China" and "China's mines are seen as the most dangerous in the world with nearly 6,000 workers dying in coal mines last year, while another 2,235 were killed in other mining accidents, according to official figures." Hmm, how far does solidarity stretch?

　18th of April 2006. Still going through old stuff and I came accross this old picture I drew- it took me ages because I would get it out when I was on a train and had some time to spend. Click here.

And click on this video link for a video that will blow you away. I love the whole concept of doing what you can with what you have.

　10th of April 2006. I know that I aint written for ages. And I doesn't have any good excuses or nothing. I've been reading Ned Kelly's pseudo autobiography and that's why I isn't writing proper. It kinda grows on ya. Anyway, it is worth a read. Check out Peter Carey and "True History of the Kelly Gang". Readin TinTin in Japanese now. What a scream. Also, found the picture you can see in an old national geographic. Some say it looks like me. What do ya reckon?

Also my friend Spitty recently sent me an e-mail which included the following:

>>Recently on the schoolbus i was annoyed to hear of the fate of a savvy student. This kid took it on his own to go to the local, what are they called, you go to these "health" shops and get free condoms and counselling and stuff for kids, cant remember what the shop is called. Any way he stocked up on free frangers and then took them to school and sold them for $1 a piece to his mates. Now when i heard this i thought it was brilliant. He has taken an item that cost him nothing to acquire, move or distribute and turned it into an infinite profit. Zero outlay and infinite profit. Brilliant business sense and also ethically sound with the safe sex policy being spread throughout the school and his mates, to an age group that should be targetted for that sort of educating. I was horrified to find out that when the teachers caught him, rather than fill him full of praise and encouragement, they scolded him and threw a 3 day suspension on his arse. So now whenever this kid thinks outside the square in any furture venture, he will associate the negativity of getting a three day suspension with the brilliant ideas he comes up with. Surely detrimental to any further development this kid might have in the future. Maybe he should have been selling drugs behind the school toilets. Just another example of the incompitant nature of our education system.

btw: franger=condom... not to be confused with "sanger"=sandwich.

And I am still waiting for pictures of urinal cakes and ashtrays. Do you think that Guy Fawkes should be considered a terrorist?

　29th of January 2006. Just uploaded a letter to McDonald's that was written back in 1996 about an amusing episode that we were involved in. Click here to read (PDF)

　NEW: BIG*KAMO 2005 DVD. Full of fun and excitement. Contact me to arrange your copy!

　28th of September 2006. Well happy new year and all that jazz. I have decided (again) that this is the big year for me to take solid action to follow my adulthood dream and be a journalist. 2006 is the year for such action.

Going through some old stuff the other day I found some letters and responses that I had written to the local newspaper regarding a logo that I wanted changing. In the end it was changed, but apparently not in response to any of my letters. Click here to see the logo in question and the newspaper clippings.

Also, currently reading a book about Australia's involvement in Papua New Guinea. Anyway, I found the following anecodote rather amusing:

I had a mankimasta (later they were called domestic servants), and I suspected that he was drinking the whisky. I kept both whisky and rum. I preffered rum. I didn't drink much whisky, only when people came. But I noticed that over a period the level of the whisky bottle had gone down. So rather than just front him and say, you're stealing the whisky, I thought that I'd make the message more potent by playing a trick on him. Each time I noticed that he'd dad a swig from the whisky bottle, I'd piss in it and bring it back to its former level. And I did this for some months. I finally thought, well fair enough, I can't go on treating the fellow like this. He's doing his job, and he considers it's one of his lurks and perks to have a bit of a tipple from the whisky bottle. So I'll tell him the story. I called him up and said, "Well you've been caught out this time. You normally have been good, done everything I've asked you to do, and generally been good in looking after the house. But why have you been knocking off my whisky for the last couple of months?" With a most affronted look he said, "Masta, I haven't been drinking you whisky. When I worked for the previous masta he always liked a nip of whisky in his soup and I have been doing the same for you."

That is a classic case of instant karma for you. Be careful before you judge!

　Slightly updated version of my 2001-2 trip to Vanuatu available here: now on bigkamo.

　12th of December 2005. "Terror Nulus? Terra Nulus?" Just found out about the news from Cronulla. It is a complete disgrace and something that left me profoundly disappointed to say the least. The multiculturism that I grew up surrounded by is a fine point of Australia. Right from the beginning of the Australia was a stolen land and in effect every person who has came here in the last 200+ years is an invader. The people who read my news are more than often an enlightened bunch so there is probably a better place to share these thoughts. Celebrate culture in a way deeper than enjoying a falafel!

I did the Japanese Language Proficiency Test a week ago (level 1) and it was bloody hard! I've got so much to learn.

　15th of November 2005. Still in study mode- got another three weeks until the test. I have classes every week night- normally at least 2 hours in length. I am still battling through the book and even though I am more than halfway through the book the author is still not living in Samoa like he promises in his title. The most adventurous thing he has done so far is to communally drink soft drink straight from the bottle without the aid of a cup! Wow, how outrageous!

Um, some stuff from the news here recently- just random. Within the next three years they are hoping to install special card systems for the tobacco vending machines in an effort to curb youth smoking. People wishing to purchase smokes will need one of these cards to use the vending machines. Last night on the news I saw an electronic interpreter at work. The Japanese model said something to the effect that she wished to purchase a souvenir, and this was translated into English and then blared through mini speakers in converted English. It is a pretty complicated system and I hope that all this study I am doing is not being wasted.

　24th of October 2005. Almost a month since my last entry. Well, I have been busy studying for a big Japanese exam later this year. At the moment, this consists of reading a Japanese travelogue of Samoa (previously Western Samoa). I am about 80 pages in but a little disappointed. I was expecting a crazy adventure across the islands in canoes with warriors eating wild boars and wild roots, but he seems more interested in writing about the different beaches and their "emerald green" beaches- he is particularly fond of this "emerald green" term and he uses it excessively. Maybe, I am being a bit harsh. But it is the first complete book I have decided to read from cover to cover in Japanese and I was expecting something a little more adventurous. If you haven't checked "Ask Jack" do so. It is on the core-3 homepage... you can't miss it (go to my links section). I also came across a blog by two volunteers stationed on Ambrym, Vanuatu. I was living with Ambrymese people in my village so I find this particularly interesting. I was also a volunteer on the same program as them. Click here to have a look. If you are wondering about this photo, well, it just shows that you haven't seen much from me lately. It was taken at a recent school culture festival. Over and out.

　25th of September 2005. Just got back from a trip to Shikoku- Ehime to be more precise. Great place with a lovely castle and hot springs. Junko went to a friend's wedding while I scooted around town on a rented bicycle. Nothing outstanding but I just enjoyed myself watching some farmers harvesting some rice and then watching an old house being demolished. I have actually decided to write a giant essay/book on Japan. I have wrote pretty much about every other place that I have ever been too so why not Japan. I am going to try to get it published. So if you have read any of my stories, please give me some constructive criticism because it is really needed! For those of you with some interest in Japan please make sure you send in your anecdotes and information. I am going to put a lot of time into this project. I will post frequent updates. Stay close!

And please check out my new fotolog page.

　11th of September 2005. Back from Australia now and by all accounts an officially married man. I have also finally finished the long awaited story from our trip to Antigua back in March. It sits at a little over 30,000 words so make sure you have a comfortable seat. Click here to read about Guatemala.

You can also see a triple scrotum pole there on the right. Taken recently in Australia. Time for me to get studying again. I am going to have a crack at the level one of the JPLT.

　10th of August. Look to the left to see me jumping on Sheldon's trampoline. It is quite a complicated task to jump with a large SLR type camera and click down but an enjoyable one.

Yesterday I went to the hospital to see my Buddhist friend Louie who had been admitted due to extreme leg swelling. Louie is a hero of mine. He was born in Italy and was asked to serve Mussolini's forces in the Second World War. He resisted on grounds of conscience and was ostracized by his contemporaries for his courageous actions. He was sent off to do the dirtiest jobs collecting dead rotting bodies from the battlegrounds. He lived in France before moving to Australia and settling down in Brisbane with his family. About twenty years ago the doctors told Louie that he would soon die. But he has defied professional opinions and with his optimistic spirit and numerous medicines has lived on and on. The doctor came in when I was there and told him he was responding well to the treatment and would be discharged soon from hospital. I feel extremely fortunate to know Louie.

　7th of August. I have been sleeping at a different house each night for the past week: all over Redcliffe, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Ipswich, and the Sunshine Coast. I'm now obsessed with the Kokoda trail. Papua New Guinea is a major hub in the Melanesia and then there is the involvement of the Australians and Japanese that brings it close to my heart. Spitty, Todd and I promised to make the pilgrimage at some point in our lives. I was given a Kokoda slide show DVD that has also given me a lot of inspiration.

Yesterday I met up with my friend Hollingsworth from Ambae, Vanuatu. He is in Australia, with his wife Christina and son Dale, on an AUSAID scholarship to study renewable energy. They seem to be settling into the Aussie lifestyle pretty well. This morning I am going to visit my old diving coach to make some fruit bowls on his wood lathe. Joseph my brother will be arriving back in Australia tonight. The picture you see above is of the Glasshouse Mountains taken from the Bruce highway.

　2nd of August 2005. Writing this in Redcliffe, Australia. Loving the wide open spaces. I was walking along the beachfront yesterday taking a few pictures and this big bulky guy came running over to me. "Nice camera mate!" he said to me in a way that suggested he wanted to be friendly rather than steal my camera. He continued, "hey, you look like you don't have a criminal record...." He continued to tell me that his mate "Robbo" was locked up and they needed someone without a criminal record to pay the $1,00 bail that he had in crisp $50 notes. He had exhausted his friends, but alas they all had criminal records. Well, seeing as though I didn't know this guy, or "Robbo" from a bar of soap I declined this offer despite being offered $50 for myself no questions asked.

　31st of July 2005. Writing this in the transit lounge in Port Moresby, I just hada brief chuckle at the "no smoking/chewing betel nut" sign in the airport. Papua New Guinea. It is extremely early in the morning and I have a few hours before my plane leaves for Brisbane. Well as you can see from the above (non-doctored) photograph, I was recently in China. Spent a few days there with Junko and her family. We went to Shanghai but then strayed up into the mountains up to a rural area where Junko's dad established a scholarship fund for kids who can't afford school fees. It was a good trip and met lots of good people. I had a dreaded case of "shitshit water" for the entire duration of the trip I am sorry to say.

After coming home (Osaka) I left the next day and spent a night with my brother. He lent me a book for the bullet train. A comedian had been deceived with the card trick the same way my brother had been in Bali. The old card trick hey. On the bullet train I wondered why people were not sitting near me. Then I realised I was wearing a skullcap, unshaven and carrying a lot of baggage. In the wake of the London bombings people are quite alert and suspicious.

I then spent a night in Tokyo quickly catching up with a few friends in a hurried frenzy. Then out to Narita airport to board the flight with Air Niugini- that I hastily recommend by the way. My mate's uncle was actually piloting the plane, so I had a quick chat with him before boarding the plane. Arrived at Port Moresby International Airport at 4am. The man sitting next to me told me that he had just walked the Kokoda trail and it was the most intense experience of his life and he has shed more tears in the last week than he has in the rest of his life. He had heard the brutal stories that said had changed his life forever.

　3rd of July 2005. Writing again. Above you can see a preview of the skate video. Still on the topic of media I try to stay informed by visiting the sites of non-mainstream media. I first read a Noam Chomsky essay titled "What makes mainstream media mainstream" and it really got me thinking. Since then I have been actively seeking smaller and more humanitarian based media outlets. I enjoy watching Australia's "Media Watch" online (have a look). Recently I came across this sight where the whole purpose is to interrupt live news broadcasts. The members wear a variety of costumes and basically dance around in the background. The accomplish is recording everything at home and then uploads it onto the net. Have a look here.

　2nd of July 2005. Been too busy to get online recently and have been neglecting a lot of e-mails. Getting pretty hot in Osaka and the rainy season has come upon us. Heading to China later this month with Junko and her family. Then back to Australia probably late this month or early next.

Trevor Haddock who used to work with me in Vanuatu came and stayed with me for a few days. I scanned a few of his pictures from Vanuatu that included this beuty of me with my beard in full splendor.

Another old friend Evan Burrows is also here at the moment filming a documentary on an Australian magician doing a world tour. He brought some footage from the Team Spinal Hazard video filmed in 1995. It was all filmed using Betacam which guaranteed a brilliant result. Part 1 now available on DVD.

I was writing about technology a few weeks back. Anyhow, I came across another interesting device here in Japan. It is basically a window in an elevated train that instantly clouds up when passing resdential buildings in order to offer them some privacy. I am not sure if it is a chemical solution or something similar to a liquid crystal displa, but it fogs up and clears instantly.

　8th of June 2005. Tonight I spent an hour or so helping Junko's father with some of his herbal medicines that had been brewing under the staircase. There were about 40 litres that had to be drained and filtered. I was curious to know what was contained in the large jars but the rather opaque brown liquid inside tended to hide the contents. So it was not until I was finished my draining that I saw the ingredients. I was able to identify: lizards, twigs, seeds, seahorses, nuts, leaves, fungus, snakes, bones, branches, mushrooms and the like. I chewed on one of the pieces of fungus and if leather sponge was ever invented, it would be similar to this fungus.

Pictured on the right is a commerative picture of one of the late lizards with a strawberry in his or her mouth. I took some kissing pictures too, but they didn't come out as well as I was hoping.

Also have you heard about the Great Wall of China jump? A skateboarder named Danny Way is going to jump it on his skateboard in July and if successful he will set three new world records for length of jump, height of jump and speed. More information is available by clicking here. This guy is an incredible roller!

I have also been given some advice from a graphic designer regarding drawing. He says to improve I should practice drawing the same object over and over again. This way I will also improve my attention to detail. Click here to see his site.

　6th of June 2005. Talking about Japanese television. You see all kinds of things here on TV. I got a mail on my mobile telephone last night telling me to watch channel eight because Vanuatu was being featured. I love Vanuatu! Anyway, that were showing all these amazing places from around the world. They showed a place called the "Blue Hole". There are several of these holes around Vanuatu but the one being shown was on the island was on the island of Espirito Santo. Anyway, according to the program to reach this hole it requires an enormous hike through the mountains, then down a steep cliff, through a series of caves and then a narrow path. But I am quite sure it was the same Blue Hole that I know is only twenty minutes or so away from an unpaved road. So it seems that they were trying to sensationalise and romanticise the Blue Hole and the "ordeal" of getting there. I have always been sceptical about what I hear on television anyway, but there wouldn't be many people who would know much about the Santo Blue Hole to risk provoking. Next they showed the Great Wall of China. Despite walking along and handstanding on a section of it I didn't realise but the Wall actually stops at the ocean at one end. I would say this is true because I saw the actual shots taken there.

Anyway, something else I saw on TV here was that in the 19th Century a Japanese postal worker walked an average distance of 200 kilometres! And the average person walked about 40 kilometres a day. Again, this could be a load of crap but even so, it is pretty interesting.

I tried taking some photographs of the last full moon with a 300mm lens, but it came out over exposed. Any tips on how to photograph the moon?

Also, in another artistic pursuit I recently attempted to draw a panoramic scene from my last apartment in Shinjuku, Tokyo (felt pens, waterpaints, spray-painted stencils on a free stip of white cardboard). Unfortunately the scale and angles are quite far from accurate. Hints and tips would be appreciated. Click here to see the picture.

　16th of May 2005. Getting warmer here in Japan. Had a great day up in the mountains yesterday for a Budhist training course. Afterwards we started to a guy on the bus who also happened to be Buddhist. Anyway he invited us back to his house. It is without a doubt the most remarkable home I have ever seen in my life. You really had to be there to appreicate it but if you want to see some pictures just click here. It really was incredible. Three storeys, over 10,000 books in 5 languages, tens of thousands of vinyls, thousands of videos, a home theatre, a toilet in the clouds, a magnificent view, ancient antiques, two pianos, several fireplaces, a ping-pong table, a pachinko machine etc etc. He doesn't drink, smoke or gamble and that is why he says his house is the way it is.

The picture on the left shows an ad in the subway for one of many mobile phones that can play and record television programs- they can do anything. What next?

　8th of May 2005. Golden week has ended and it is a weekend and I don't have to work. I took that photo of the guy breakdancing as an apology for the Hirano competition that I posted (see 12th of April entry). Went for a good bushwalk the other day around Tenri which is near Nara. The city starts to get on my nerves so I have to leave it every now and then.

If you are interested in my neighbourhood please have a look at the panoramic-scrap book I made.

　5th of May 2005. The other day I was at work and I suddenly got an e-mail from my mother on my mobile phone just asking "are you okay? Please reply so I know you are alive!" I had no idea what had happened so I aksed some coworkers if they knew of any earthquakes or natural disasters that had occured in Japan recently. Nobody else knew of any either. Then a few hours later a teacher came in with a special edition newspaper with pictures of a train that had crashed into the side of an apartment block building. At least 35 people had died in the crash resulting from a derailment.

At least one person I know very well has lost a good friend in the crash. It is a tragedy that has affected many people in this region. The press is going mad over the story, they have been renting out apartments near the scene of the accident for resident photographers and even hiring helicopters. As time progressed it was discovered that over 100 people died in the crash. In the first carriage there were around 30 deaths, and in the second carriage over 70! Apparently the second carriage suffered so much from the intense impact that the width of the carriage was reduced to ten centimetres in the narrowest point! Can you believe that? This is a tragedy that has shaken the Kansai region.

There are lots of theories going around- some state that the driver was at fault, others state that the rail company overworks employees. I am not sure which to believe. I am currently reading a book that Ben Dorman kindly sent me: "A Public Betrayed- An Inside Look at Japanese Media Attrocities and Their warnings to the West". It is a very good read but bloody alarming! The weekly tabloids here are extremely influential and reckless with so many stories nothing more than outright fabrications. Anyway, my point is the media loves the sensationalism that sells, so it is hard to digest everything.

　12th of April 2005. Isabel's birthday! Happy Birthday sister! I didn't really need to write anything today but my brother just sent me this picture he made of me morphing into Val Kilmer and I thought it was funny enough to warrant inclusion on this page. If you want to see some other celebrity look-a-likes have a look here at my CORE-3 page. Did you ever read my musings on the Japanese Post system? Well, once brushing my teeth I discovered that I can create their corporate logo with the wrinkles in my forhead. And they don't know that Vanuatu exists. Well, I have a new episode to add. I recently moved from Tokyo to Osaka so I arranged to have all my mail sent to my new address- this is all done by computer and then checked by a real person in order to lessen the chances of error. Anyway, normally this wouldn't be a problem but another "David" is living in my old apartment, and to the untrained eye his surname is quite similar to my middle name. So I have been getting all of his (important) mail. I had to go to the post office three times before they understood the problem. I was getting responses like "but that is your name!" or "do you live in Tokyo and Osaka at the same time?" Well, in the end it allowed me to pad the picture with some text. Did you hear that I recently hosted the Hirano break-dancing battles? Yeah, everyone who was everyone was there <see pics>.

　11th of April 2005. I still have a few days off before I start my new job, so I put some pictures together from 2004 and made a scroll down panoramic scrap book style picture. Please have a look: 2004 scrapbook. Another thing I just finally got around to was putting up a couple of photos and captions from my quick trip to Hong Kong last year (click here).

Feels like I just wrote something yesterday. It seems that some people don't like reading through 20,000 words to hear about the adventures Spitfish and I shared in Vanuatu so I have uploaded a new page with limited captions underneath. So if you want to take the lazy option click here. But I would prefer you clicked here and read the story. Okay now I am going to get started on the Guatemala essay. Please, if you have a chance visit Guatemala. You can study Spanish one on one with a professional Spanish instructor for around US$100 and see some pretty amazing things. The people are really friendly too!

　10th of April 2005. Well as you can see on the left there is a photo of some cherry blossoms. They cover most of the trees here in Osaka and everywhere you look there are people underneath having parties. I finally finished my Vanuatu essay so please have a look here by clicking here on the blue text- hope you have the afternoon free though, it contains over 20,000 words and about 25 photos. Now I can get started on the next one- USA, Mexico and Guatemala. Some interesting things happened there too! I have virtually all of next week to myself, but after that I have to buckle down and get started on my new job.

Did you hear the wedding news? Yeah Prince Charles got married last week! If you do a search on the net you can probably find some pictures or something.

Expo 2005 has started in Aichi Prefecture where Joe lives. He has almost destroyed both of his legs so he was only able to wait around for a few hours. Then he went and had a quick but delicous meal in Ringer Hut.

　6th of April 2005. Found myself more work as a teacher at a junior high school. Should be an interesting experience. I will be a lot busier than I was beforehand though. I just noticed that this page is getting pretty big so I split the news up into two pages. Makes more sense this way. Went for a ride today with Tyler (Canada) and Chou (China). The cherry blossoms are just starting to bloom. We saw a couple of guys in the park near Osaka castle that seem to be reserving a corner spot in the park for this Saturday- they still have a couple of days to wait. I was a prime position but I wouldn't sit in the park for three days to ensure I had it reserved on Saturday! There seems to be a much bigger homeless population in Osaka than there was in Tokyo. Their temporary shelters are also more sophisticated. Rodney Rude doesn't have much time for the homeless, he criticised one guy for walking around in one thong made out of an old salmon tin. I personally think recylcing is great.

　2nd of April 2005. Still looking for work. Was thinking of working at the orange juice factory, but my mum told me you get canned pretty quick if you can't concentrate. Enjoying life in Osaka but still looking for work. I may work in the countryside- countryside by Japanese standards, in Australia it would be desrcibed as a bustling cosmopolitan hub. Bought a fisheye lens (look to your right for a picture taken of Tyler) yesterday and ready to take some nice pictures. It always seems to be overcast in Osaka and I am not sure how to eliminate the unsightly grey from my photos. Doksik directed me to a pretty nice photography site where users rate each others' photos, give feedback and share information. Have a look at by clicking here for more. And also have a look at the stencil site for some unbelievable pieces of art done with stencils and spray paint. And did you read in the news that a BBC interviewer requested an interview with Bob Marley for a documentary in the making? Or did you hear about the iceberg B-15A, which is the size of Luxembourg, on the move in the Antarctic region? It is apparently the largest moving object on earth at the moment. I saw some nice icebergs in the North Atlantic on the way back from Guatemala, but they now seem puny in comparison with B-15A. Hip, Hip, Hurray for B-15A.

　28th of March 2005. Started a new life in Osaka. Currently unemployed as I quit my last job. Now seeking employment. Just came back after a three week holiday with stops in Guatemala, Mexico and a couple of nights in US&A too. For now have a look at the Antigua page I have created or a cut and paste. Before long I will try to get onto writing a complete travelogue. But I am still battling through one from a trip to Vanuatu last year with Spitfish. They were both good trips that deserve to be fully documented. One thing that impressed me so much was how bloody hard the kids work! I have come to the conclusion that I was a spoilt little shit as a kid. I didn't have to get up at 5 every morning (well actually I did have to get up at 6 each morning to give dad's bongo van a push start) and go out and work just to put food in my belly. Intricate hand woven pieces of fabric were available at ridiculous prices- in the west such a piece would be written off as an individual's masterpiece and an infinite source of pride for the weaver. Anyway, I am rambling on a bit now...... An interesting link you may want to have a look at is this one: http://www.abc.net.au/homeless/ My brother and I were talking about making a documentary on the homeless in Japan but someone has beaten us to it. That's what too much talk and not enough walk brings. It has one homeless man from Japan profiled as well as about 5 other people from around the world.

　23rd of February 2005. Just about to leave Tokyo and live in Osaka. Got about another week or so here so I am busy packing up. No longer going to Italy, but Guatemala instead. Planning on doing an intensive Spanish course for a week or so and then a bit of travel. Also a few nights in Mexico and the U.S.&A. due to booking complications. Have a look at some accidental flags here: [Asian] or [Melanesian]. Also if you have a chance check out a, now, ex-coworker's homepage- his name is Dylan and he used to be an animator. And if you are wondering... I passed level 2 of the JPLT so this year I have to pass the 1st level... then I can study at a Japanese university. Also got a new camera that I am planning to take some really nice shots with... Will do my best... Keep checking this page.

　30th of January 2005. Just got back from a Sunday shift in Tsudanuma, Chiba Prefecture (notorious for the Narita Airport and Disney Bland). Still awaiting my test results from the test I took in early December last year. Planning a 2-3 week trip to Italy in March. It should be good. Been looking through a Japanese book recently that seeks to explore the world of foreign humour. Some rude ones but some harmless ones too: A baby rat saw a bat and said "look mum, an angel!"

If you have a minute have a look at the Vanuatu baseball-like-cards I made for some friends here, or see the "artist not slave" collective here.

　26th of January 2005. Well, it is Australia Day today and I saw that the Australian of the Year award went to a plastic surgeon, and my first thought was, why can people be happy with how they look but then I read a little more and noticed she did mostly work for burns victims and realised how quickly I jump to conclusions. So a late new years resolution is that I will be more open minded.

I still cannot believe the extent of the carnage that the tsunami caused. Like a friend wrote: <<The tsunami recognized no distinctions of race, ethnicity, religion, class, gender, or age. It devastated poverty stricken coastal villages as well as luxurious beach resorts.>> So this reminds me how precious life is... And am I making the most of it? I promised myself after malaria that I would never take life or good health again for granted, but I probably need malaria again once every few years.

I have started doing some volunteer work for an organisation in Tokyo that promotes solar energy. At the moment I am translating their homepage into English. It is pretty difficult but I am learning a lot in the process. I will put up a link here once it is finished. I have also made some friends at a Japanese trade union. You can get yourself into a lot of trouble by being an active union member over here. Seven rail union members recently spent almost a year in prison for their (legal) activities that the ILO basically said was absolutely unacceptable. If you have time I suggest you go to http://www.abc.net.au/news/world/default.htm and look for the story (vision & sound- scroll down and look on the right) on Japanese youth. It is very interesting although maybe too many extreme examples were shown. But certainly some current issues that need highlighting are presented. One school forces the kids to good to school (even in winter- close to freezing) topless: everything from classes to playtime outside.

And on a lighter note have a look at my brother's kissing site and a recent doodle of mine (not literally).

　5th of January 2005. Happy New Year etc! Got a couple of New Year's resolutions: 1. To get journalistic work, 2. To pass level one of the JPLT (Japanese test) & to be able to read a Japanese newspaper without the aid of a dictionary. So please remind me about this stuff.

Had my brother Joseph up here in late Dec and then I saw him again down in Osaka for New Years that we spent with the Kamitani family. They look after a few Chinese exchange students who were also there. Came back to Tokyo and found out that our sink had been leaking and caused the people directly underneath us some problems.

Joe has recently been on a commerical (see left) shown in the Nagoya region. It is for a wedding agency and it has some tacky background music "if you are happy and you know it clap your hands" in English. A good laugh at any rate.

For those interested in Vanuatu check out this news link: http://www.vanuatudaily.com/

　Still keen for another newsfeed? Click here for older news.