New Camera - Canon 50D

The latest addition to the Surf the Dream family is the new Canon 50D.

I've done a quick write up on my other SurftheDream site, New Canon 50D.

For now though I thought I'd show you a couple of snaps that I took around the garden at Paulie G's house.

First off we have me, with the camera, in the mirror using the monochrome setting.


Now to the garden.

I spotted a little catapiller chowing down on some leafy goodness. Using the macro setting I zoomed in a little, manual focused the little bugger (with AF the brown leaves in front were in focus)


And this is the same photo after a bit of zooming and cropping in Photoshop CS4.


This is all done with the pictures taken as super fine large JPG's. Next stage will be to use the RAW files and see if I can get a little bit more out of the picture...... maybe the amoeba on the flea that's chewing on the caterpillar who's sucking some leafy goodness.

Visa Application Submissions

Biometrics taken, Visa application submited.

It's been a long process beginning back in November of 2007 when I first start at Squiz UK.

I worked there until June before taking a three month Europe road trip and then heading back to Darwin for another three months.

Next I was back in London with my housies, my workmates, and reinventing long lost friendships with special persons I first met way back in Hawaii.

Now I want more time.

More time with my Northern Hemisphere folk, more chances to travel Europe, more chances to film my big wave riding friends..... and with that last point life has just given me one of those "everything is fantastic and will be alright" moments.

What is that moment?

Well, after putting in my application I decided to go for a celebratory pint at O'Mallys in the Brisbane Queen Street Mall.

In the past I've had beers at O'Mallys with Vim, Jado, Jimmy, Corsa, Rollie, Jess, a weird random time with Baylis Barnesy Jas and Trobs, and there's been many a good time and many a good memory.

Today however, I came for a pint on my own and to write about what's been happening.

As the Guinness was placed on the bar I looked over towards the big screen to see big wave surfing on ESPN. Not just any big wave surfing, it was the Billabong XXL 2008 Awards dinner... and as I sip my pint I watch Al Mennie & Duncan Scott surfing a 40ft swell at Mullagmore back in 01 December 2007, and I smile with the knowledge that the footage on the tv is the footage I was lucky enough to film back on that cold wind swept cliff ledge of Mullagmore.

Life is beautiful.

(even sweeter, the credits just rolled with a "Video Courtesy of...... Justin Avery" ... plus many more names, but hey it's still pretty cool)

ANZAC Day 2009 Dawn Service in Gallipoli - Last Post

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Babies in the office

With the impending birth of Kylie and Paul's second child, and me being 20 hours flying time away from them, I was happy to get a dose of baby action in the office yesterday.


Baby Anna is the daughter of one of my team members at work who came in for a visit yesterday afternoon. Apparently on the way to the office she was grizzly and cried a bit, but as soon as she was in the Squiz office she was all smiles.

Some might say it's the cold harsh London weather versus the warmth of the office, I think it's just the fact that Anna had spent 9 of the 10 months in the office (albeit womb based).

Thanks for the comment....

@justinavery U ARE A NATURAL BORN HAIRY FATHER.. we can have babies anyday.. ; )

Stockwell Slutbox & Boatraces

You might be hard pressed to work out what these two things have in common, but don't worry there's not much.

Stockwell Slutbox is the name that someone may have given to our household at some point...... for no other reason then we live in Stockwell...... and we're a bunch of sluts..... but not really.

This morning I started a t-shirt design in honour of all the stayers at the box, it's not completely finished but it's mostly there.

..... and the boat race?

Well its the Oxford vs Cambridge boat race today and we're off there now.

London Pub Surfing - Old Kings Head

Shenannigans Irish Pub was my local while I was back in Dariwn, but now that I'm back in blighty I've rekindled my love affair with the pub around the corner from work.

After a particular long day at work I decided to stop in there for a quick been on the way home to check if they had the cricket on (Australia was playing a Test match).

Not only did they change the channel and put the game on for me, but they also turned off the music and turned up the commentary..... and then when I ordered a beer they charged £2.

Brilliant!

If you're ever around on a week night be sure to drop in and say hi.


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Many meanings of ass

18th March is a rubbish day..... and as long as I consider myself to be part Irish it will continue to be for me as well as a very large portion of the Western population.

The first thought that occurred to me as I woke this morning was "I feel like ass".

Actually, my first thought was "How did I sleep all night with the laptop still sitting on my chest where I obviously fell asleep catching up on twitter updates".

My second thought was, "I feel like ass".

That statement alone has many connotations. Do I feel like ass the same way I felt like having another guinness last night, or, like a bald head with re-growth that feels like sand paper was my whole body made up from two cheeks, wispy hair and a brown eye that smelled bad.

None of those.

The ass, or bum as it is more humourously referred to as, is generally a place of despair.... or at least when you think about your own bum. It is this place of despair that I was facing this morning and hence the 2nd thought of the day.

Ass doesn't just stop there either. You can be rat-arsed, get your ass kicked, kick some ass of your own, know an ass-hole, be out at the pub metaphorically chasing ass or be at a gay bar and literally chasing ass, you could be an ass-wipe, you could use an ass-wipe (i hope you all do, it's called toilet paper people!)

Whatever ass you may be, I hope it's not the 18th of March kind of ass.

Now where is my pint of guinness?