Tinks Blog

Paddlin' Paradise - Aug 16 / '08

2008-08-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

Escaped from Vancouver for a day of kayaking with my great friends Rob and Terri (Rob's the guy) on Vancouver Isle

Didn't have too much time, so we decided our adventure would start from a local marina in Victoria and head eastwards to Discovery Island, about 4 or 5 kilometers away

En route to the island, we crossed above a number of giant kelp forests, visible below our kayaks through the moody, crystal clear water. Harbour seal pups lounged on the rocks around us while larger adults jetted through the kelp below - the latter of which were truly stunning images that I unfortunately wasn't able to capture with my camera

After these magical moments, we continued on to the island where we decamped for some necessary skin-darkening and shut-eye - exercises that work excellently in conjunction with one another

The paddle back was more active as we sped to a beach a little ways to the north and then along the shore, back down to the marina. We probably paddled close to 8 or 9 k's, not bad for all we saw and the good long relax session on the isle.

Thanks Rob & Terri for that adventure - also for the fantastic barbecue the night previous

I'm a strong believer in valuing my treasured friends and these two provide a great reason for that

On my way back to the ferry, I dropped in to the Orr residence, checking in with the "Double A's" (Arch & Agnes) as well as my friend Deb (their daughter) who was visiting them. Another wonderful dinner and time in the company of people who make my heart beat as it should

Thanks everyone for the fantastic weekend!

Spontaneous Combustion - Aug 9 / '08

2008-08-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

In the midst of all the Stormworld work, plus my time developing a new, soon-to-launch entertainment website, I decided to text a few friends and invite them over for an impromptu champagne party.

With just about 30 minutes notice, a number of friends dropped in for a great rap session and the taste sensations of a variety of the happy bubbles.

At one point, the conversation touched on masquerade parties and I was reminded that I had a number of cheezy halloween costumes in storage. Don't ask me why I have 'em - just do...

Anyway, I brought them out and within 5 minutes, the characters you see in these pics emerged from my normally well-poised pals, the music turned to loud disco classics and we danced to the delight of numerous passersby on the street below my balcony (which became a handy go-go stage)

After a few songs, the costumes were packed up, the gang off to the next venue and I elected to stay behind and prep for an early start for today's workday.

I love squeezin' in things like this - especially with such stellar peeps - Gracias Gang!

Back to work - July 18 / '08

2008-07-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

It's been great being back in Vancouver with my crew as most are friends and we all work very well together. Here's a few pics from the last couple weeks:

The Flybike arrives! We had one of them flown in from Australia to be mounted on a special rig and "flown" in front of a greenscreen. Here our SPFX coordinator Jak (on the right) and his foreman Denis are inspecting the bike for mounting points, etc

Me, being me with Mel, our Assistant Art Director, trying to escape

Alas, Mel wasn't able to escape but was instead roped into performing a few high kicks to celebrate this rainy day with Ide, Leesa and Guy from our Set Dec department

This is the rig for the interior cockpit of the Stormrider. The set is inside of the tube you see here. The rig has been engineered to roll, plus pitch forwards and backwards, simulating all sorts of movements that this craft experiences while chasing adventures in Stormworld

Catchin' up in Van - July 14 / '08

2008-07-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

Back in the swing o' things in good ol' Vancouver these days. Happy to arrive post ridiculously-long-rainy-season as since I've been back it's been nothing but hot hot hot

Here's a couple of pics that make me smile:

My great pals Brad and Megan with lil' Multi-Name - had a more than wonderful time hanging out with them one evening

Zee girls; Asha, Maria and Annette - They were well into their wine and snacks when we coincidentally met on a local beach - great to see them and enjoy my first Vancouver beach sunset of 2008

G'bye Oz... July 6 / '08

2008-07-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

How incredibly quickly these last few months have come and gone

Actually that's not entirely true. My time in Australia was filled with so many adventures, challenges and events that while there, it seemed without a sense of time. Only now that I'm back on Canadian soil, do I realize what a tiny blip in my life calendar it was.

And what a great blip!

Huge thanks to my Australian crews in both Perth and Broome as well as the many friends I made along the way

Memories I'll cherish will be of working with some wonderful, kind and always humorful people, being introduced to the creative geniuses headed by Daniel Browne at CDM (they built the Stormrider, Flybikes and many of our coolest props), some great and potentially long-term friendships and the beautiful, beautiful Indian Ocean, which I was most fortunate to live on, separated from the water by just a few metres of dazzling, soft white sand

Of course my last location for shooting in Australia was Broome, so these are a few pics from there, starting with an image of a typical Broome shooting day - the crew waist deep in wonderfully tropical water, then Mim, Art Department Coordinator using her "private" phone, some camels on Cable Beach at sunset and then myself and Calum, one of our cast pre-quick beach rip in a local Dune buggy, moments after the pic with the camels was taken (thanks Andrew for that ride...)

The Valligat at sea - real power provided by an engine and pilot under the cargo netting in the stern

The fabulous Stormrider. Story-wise, it's a boat/submarine hybrid that was constructed from a damaged private jet fuselage and tons of other debris. Engineered by the same naval architect that oversaw Australia's winning yacht in the America's Cup that they won - this baby was unsinkable and incredibly fast. All exteriors were shot in Broome and the interiors will be shot on a special rig in front of a greenscreen rig in Vancouver, simulating rollovers and various angles of pitch

To capture water effects for when the Stormrider submerges and surfaces, it was rigged on this crane and dipped in and out of the water at various angles and speeds

Ahhh - the lovely sunset again from the Cable Beach Club

That sunset image reminds me I've gotta shout out to the night sky in Broome - has to be the most brilliant stars I've ever seen in the sky - so intense they seem set apart from the blackness behind and beyond them - I witnessed this every night just a few hundred metres from my residence

These pics combined with the other Aussie and Singaporean ones from previous entries reveal a tiny, seriously tiny portion of the images and experiences this adventure has given me - forever thankful for that and for the people who made it happen

Broome FlyBoy - 28/06/'08

2008-06-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

Crossed a major threshold in fear this weekend as I went skydiving for the first time

When I first visited Broome a couple months ago, I saw a brochure for tandem skydiving, the photo of which was absolutely stunning. In the background of 2 skydivers in a freefall is a beautiful vista down to the incredibly green Indian Ocean and the red pindan dirt of the land below. I decided right then, that on my return trip, I'd celebrate the place by seeing the same view for myself while hurtling down to earth in exactly the same way...

Cut to this Saturday morning when myself and 3 brave friends from work met at the local airport for our introduction and instruction. "Broome Skydiving" is run by Ralph and his wife Jo, two fantastically friendly, professional and reassuring people. Ralph is the instructor that jumps with us and I was immediately put at ease by his record of nearly 10,000 jumps and careful attention to detail.

Since this was my idea, I volunteered to jump first. Surprisingly, I wasn't too apprehensive. I think my concentrating on the details and being completely "in the moment" helped immensely with that - not to mention my general sense of blind faith :-)

Soon enough, we were airborne in a tiny lil' plane, with barely enough room for Brett (our pilot), Ralph, myself and the parachute

The ascent to 10,000ft took about 15 minutes and I loved it. From this vantage point I could scan the town and countryside below, spotting our various shooting locations and some interesting landmarks. For much of the flight we were over the ocean and similar to the Caribbean, it was incredibly clear and rich in color. For the life of me I tried to locate large sharks or manta rays, but no luck. As we flew over the mangroves, I searched for giant crocs - no luck with those either.

Little matter though, the impending adventure was far more interesting

At our height, Ralph signaled for me to move in front of him and he attached our harnesses. As he did this, I was amazed how calm I was and how much trust I had placed in him and the equipment

Within what seemed like only a few seconds, he flipped up the tiny side door and in the blast of the cool high-altitude wind, instructed me to place my left leg out on a small rail. Then my right. So now, here I was, sitting in the open door of an airplane at 10,000 ft above the ocean. Then came the physical signals - the first of two leans forward, the second of which is actually the "jump".

No time to think, just be in the moment and hellya, I was. The first millisecond in the air was a rush of sensations and images: "What the fu...??", "This is amaaaaazing", "beautiful", "oh good, my shorts are still dry", etc. I immediately felt the altitude change one feels when jumping from a small cliff, but as I continued to fall, that feeling disappeared.

It came back again for a brief bit once the chute opened 30 seconds later and then disappeared again, only to resurface whenever we'd do any sharp banking curves.

The adrenaline rush and resulting euphoria was incredible. Combined with the beauty of my vistas, this has truly become one of my more memorable experiences.

For all of us that jumped that day; Holly, Philippe and Simon, we experienced similar sensations and resulting joy. Being that Ralph took us up one at a time on an approx 40 minute round trip, the rest of us that remained on the ground (including Tony, our stalwart supporter) had an opportunity to wind down and really enjoy each others company, something that work doesn't give us the ability to do.

Many thanks to Ralph and Jo for keeping me alive and filling me with a great sense of accomplishment, excitement and pure giddy joy. Many thanks also to the gang for the fantastic day and the great sunset dinner on Cable Beach afterwards.

A wonderful, wonderful day...

Back in Broome - 21/06/'08

2008-06-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

I'm now in Broome again and just completed the 1st of my last few weeks in this country. Totally diggin' this place and here's a few pics to show why:

The first pic is an old mollusk encrusted float - weighed a ton and the mollusks were slowly moving inside their shells - beautiful and slightly eerie

My daily commute

Some of the crew at one of our locations - checking it out before we shoot

My Art Director, the wonderful Sue Italiano

Me on a road just off one of the beaches we're shooting at

One of our boats - the "Valligat" out at sea for the first time

Our cast on the Valligat. The cylinders that hang from the mast capture electromagnetic waves and power a small engine (in the story, that is)

Some more of our crew - waiting on the beach while shooting happens offshore

Have to include this pic for Theresa and everyone at Thrifty in Vancouver - even way out here, we use the same company. How's that for loyalty?

A beautiful shell I saw. Love that shells and rocks on these beaches are considered sacred

Saw this Land Rover in town. This is the car that started my love affair with Land Rovers when I was a kid. Great setting with it in front of a Boab Boab tree, plus the inscription on the car was perfect:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain.

Simple and very apt words for my frame of mind

Darwin in a Flash - 15/06/'08

2008-06-15T03:48:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm finished in Singapore and am heading to Broome for the remainder of the foreign portion of this shoot, I decided to travel via Darwin and check it out

Over the years, I've heard bits and pieces about this town, imbuing it with a somewhat mythic "tropical outback" status in my imagination

Unfortunately, my time here was incredibly brief - not quite 24 hours, so I managed to do just a bit of sightseeing around town before the day was getting late and it was time to head to the Mindil Beach Market

Cool place - buskers everywhere, lots of good food and interesting crafts, plus the added benefit of sitting on the beach with some delicious coconut chicken and papaya juice to watch the beautiful sunset with hundreds of like-minded folk

Afterwards, on my way back to the hotel, I heard some church bells ringing and decided to investigate. It came from a '50's era open walled church and was signaling the beginning of a service. I didn't want to intrude, so I stood outside and peered in through the one wall that existed. Thought the pic I took from that angle was really interesting.

All in all, Darwin was a surprisingly welcome counterpoint to my busy time in Singapore

Singapore: Redux - 14/06/'08

2008-06-15T03:30:00.000-07:00

Spent the last 10 days in Singapore being reminded how much I dig this city. Here's a few pics to recap:

A great 'Singlish" sign on Pulau (island) Ubin, which was where we shot our deep jungle scenes. An amazing place - true, dark jungle, complete with wild boars, crazy insects and very large monitor lizards

Lunch with the crew the day before shooting. From left to right: Azhar - the head of my Singaporean crew, Marnie, our on-set Props person from Perth, Natalie (hair/make-up) and Brian (editor and voice of our OGEE character) - both from Perth as well

Kartini, Azhar's wife who was also running our Singaporean Art dept, posing inbetween some set-dec stones they built for us - big thanks to them btw - they were fantastic!

Morning view from my boat heading over to Pulau Ubin @ 6:00 AM

The crew disembarking from a "Bum Boat". These are amazing - totally beat-up, but incredibly durable - kinda like uber lo-tech water-borne versions of the Millennium Falcon

Myself and Calum Worthy, one of our leads taking a break for the all important "pose"

The lil' hills way in the distance are Batam Island, Indonesia, where I spent some time 15 years ago, hangin' out and playing tennis - good times...

Oz & Singaporean art dept dinner at an outdoor cafe in Boat Quay. It's a fairly touristic strip of riverside cafes, but visually quite cool. A huge thunderstorm struck midway through dinner, but under our canopy, no one was fazed by it at all - beautiful night

View from my seat at dinner towards the Fullerton Hotel - previously the central Post Office. It's a fairly grande place, open with a huge atrium inside and a wonderful champagne bar that I introduced myself to one night

Me and Jay McCarthy - a friend from Tokyo days. I haven't seen him since then and we've been out of contact for at least 10 years, but we ran into each other, completely out of the blue at the gym I used while there

Here's a pic from the entrance of my gym. You enter it from this 5th level terrace, where beyond the pool is a stunning view of the civic district across the Singapore river. Off in the distance to the right is the "Flyer", Singapore's answer to the "London Eye". Being slightly larger than the London version, I really wanted to go on it, but unfortunately, schedule didn't allow

Overall, the trip was great - both for work and for my soul. We were able to shoot some strong jungle sequences, plus I was able to do some much-needed cultural exploring, and find a lot of enjoyment at the same time

Thanks Azhar and Tinni for your great work and personalities - and also for your fantastic crew

A very successful trip!

Thank You Perth - 05/06/'08

2008-06-05T23:27:00.000-07:00

Well, my time in Perth has come to a close as earlier today I flew to Singapore to continue the shoot here.

Here's a few memorable images:

Myself, Sarah and Sonia caught on film @ "Big Day Out"

The "Stormrider" part way through construction - built by Daniel Browne and his cohorts Abdul and Archie of CDM in Perth. If you're in the city and need excellent work done, these are your guys.

Water test for the Stormrider

Me on a "Flybike" prototype

The brilliant Daniel Browne modeling the 3 Flybikes I had him build for the show

Our two leads on the Flybikes in the Pinnacles Desert, West Australia

One of the "Drogue" on a Flybike

The "Settlement Village", one of the main locations for the shoot. This was in the dunes, just north of Perth - not a bad place to spend 4 weeks...

Sunset view from my flat one day as I arrived home from work

Daniel and Archie demonstrating the prototype of the "Fangeel"

A small underwater set that where our leads find an ancient map

The set in the pool

One of my colleagues sent this pic of a car he passed on the roads in Perth. I subsequently had it destroyed...

Rotto... - 01/06/'08

2008-06-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

Rottnest Isle lies 19.5km west of Perth and has been part of my view since being here. Everyone talks about what a great excursion it is, but up until today, I hadn't taken the opportunity to visit

Last night, I realized that with only a few days left in Perth, it was either now or never

The timing, I think was perfect. The busy season was over and on top of that, the morning was dark and rainy in Perth, so no one seemed up to taking the ferry over to the isle. So happy it was that way, as just when I arrived at the island, the clouds parted and it was sunny and warm for the remainder of the day - plus the island was essentially deserted

I only had a few hours, so after a great lil' lunch, I rented a bike (worst in the world, I'm certain) and headed off in search of interesting sights and secluded beaches

Here's some pics from the adventure, my favorite being the view across the shallow lake to the lighthouse - a classically romantic image

Was a great, quiet and relaxing day - kinda felt like a deserted Mediterranean Island

Beautiful...

Sweet Adelaide - 27/04/'08

2008-04-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

I just received an e-mail accompanied by this first pic from my good pals Dagen Merrill and Chris Wyatt. Seems they're in Oz as well, shooting a film in Adelaide, Broken Hill and Sydney. Dagen took this pic of Chris just two days before I arrived there - obviously, I had to post it.

Seeing as a long weekend was approaching, I decided to join them in Adelaide. Stayed in a fairly nice hotel directly on the beach (do folks live anywhere else in this country?), but unfortunately the weather was crazy tempestuous and the sea was not extending invites - so our activities focused elsewhere...

On the first night, we went to a full-on, old-style traveling circus. I hadn't been to one of these since I was a small child in Germany, so it was fascinating to see essentially the same deal through my now grown-up eyes. The place was full of kids - all enthralled with the magic and mystery of the performances, everything from amazing highwire acts to jugglers, clowns, dancing cows, camels and one dog which to me was the epitome of a circus dog - he looked as though he had more life experience than I could ever entertain. As the show progressed, I noticed how each performer (from very young to fairly old) did other duties, such as morphing into other characters, rigging cables, wrangling animals and even selling cotton candy and toys...

The next day was pretty much spent indoors, swimming in the pool with Dagen and his kids and then out to a great dinner in the CBD (central business district). There's a street there - Gouger Street - which is lined with great restaurants and a cool, vibrant scene of people. The place we went to was Spanish, the food was great and I have to say, I fell victim to a practical joke from the evil mind of Sean Covel, many thousands of miles away. Thanks Sean for that and also Alexis :-)

Was absolutely great to spend time with these guys, their families, oh yea and to be introduced to Chris's and Laura's brand-spankin' new son.

Best to you guys with the film (title: "Broken Hill") and I'll see you back in LA

I love "Maggie" - 06/04/'08

2008-04-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

"Maggie" of course is Margaret River - the landscape of lush rolling hills, stunning surf breaks and fantastic wineries.

Friends of mine, Sarah and Martin were heading down there for the weekend and invited me to join. I really didn't have the time, but also really wanted to go, so on the Saturday evening, I drove the 3+ hours south, arriving at the start of a great barbecue and hang out session with those two plus a few more.

Early the next morning, we all awoke and headed straight to the beach and into the water. Sarah and I were a little later than the others and as a result, we ended up at the wrong beach - we went to the one with the big international surf competition. The waves were phenomenal and many of the worlds greatest surfers were out on them.

So there I was, naively putting on my wetsuit, grabbing my board and walking down to the beach. Now to get to the beach, one has to walk in front of the huge bleachers with the fans and then down the cliff, disappearing from view, before finally being seen again out in the water. Well, as I walked pass all the people, I started to clue in to what I was doing - am I going into those waves?? HELL NO. So in my typical subtle fashion, I continued the walk, winking and waving at those that stared curiously and then disappeared from view down the cliff. Sarah was with me and once we were on our own, she started laughing as she realized that everyone must've been wondering who this mysterious surf god was. Luckily for me, there was another path that headed up to the car park, well away from audience view, so we went straight back up those, into the car and drove to the correct beach to meet our gang - I felt sooo cool for those few seconds...

At the second beach, the surf was a still lil' challenging, but manageable, so I wasn't about to deny myself the adventure. After a good beating and a looong walk back to the car, we went to a v cool hillside cafe for a quick brunch before I jumped in the car and sped back into town to continue work.

Thanks Sarah for the invite and the use of your board - Great to hang with you and your gang - plus also surf a bit with Martin. Thanks also to the nice folks at the PeaceTree organic winery who gave me some fantastic bottles and the kind police officers who stopped me to ask that I not drive so fast :-)

Tink Hearts Sydney - 24/03/'08

2008-03-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

Immediately after I returned to Perth from Singapore, I repacked my bags and headed to Sydney.

The occasion was "Easter" and spending it with my fab cousin Rob (aka Boopsie) and his partner Gerrard.

When I first arrived in this country, I landed in Sydney, but was transferring to a flight to Perth, so I didn't see anything - not even the Opera House from the air.

Needless to say, I was quite excited to finally spend some time in this city and see for myself why so many people fall in love with it.

The weekend was beautiful and autumn was hitting the air. Surry Hills, where my cousin lives, is a beautiful neighborhood, full of charming homes and restaurants nestled in amongst beautiful tree-lined streets. Those streets were full of people, all eager to say hello and share a smile.

In Perth I haven't been able to do any real shopping, so was looking forward to that here - but unfortunately, since it was the holiday weekend, most shops were closed. No problem though as it gave me more time to explore.

Visiting the Opera House was a great moment. Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to see this building and to do so up close surprised me - the ceramic tiles that clad the roof are beautifully intricate and some of the vistas afforded as I walked around were truly sublime.

Every restaurant I went to was fantastic due to the food and of course the company. Hangin' with Rob and Gerrard is always fun, plus I have a number of other friends there, all doing their best to keep me busy - which they did.

Highlights included dinners at Maya, the Flying Squirrel and Puau, running in Centennial Park, my chauffeured night-time tour of the city, my visit with JoAnna, a wonderful friend from Tokyo and NYC days whom I haven't seen in many years and of course the "White Party"...

The latter was a last-minute invitation to join my old pal Remington and a gang of his friends for this great party, and of course to wear white. Not having known about it beforehand, I wasn't prepared, so Remington volunteered to handle my wardrobe. Now the majority of people that attend these parties wear formal or very sexy white costumes, so I was surprised when Remi showed me my outfit - tennis whites, complete with head and wrist bands - fantastic. Then I saw his - a wedding gown with a very long train - very, very Remi.

Needless to say he was the hit of the party (or belle of the ball) and I had an amazing time. It was my first time out really dancing in this country and the DJ's were fantastic. I didn't stop the entire night. The scenery was pretty great as well - everyone was beautiful, happy and very, very social. At this point I have to single out Chantelle and Bianca - beautiful scenery indeed :-)

I left Sydney with a ridiculous smile on my face. Thanks Rob and Gerrard for everything, Remi, thank you for a typically crazy night and of course, JoAnna, more than wonderful to see you again.

I'll be back as soon as possible for Sydney has just become one of my homes...

I heart it

I heart it

I heart it

Singapore Schwing - 18/03/'08

2008-03-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

Spent the last few days in Singapore and kinda fell in love with the place (again)

I've always liked this city, but it's been about 15 years since my last visit. At that time, my fave Indian restaurant in the world was there as well as some great places to play tennis. Happily, they still exist, but what has developed in the ensuing years has turned the city into a destination I'm eagerly looking forward to exploring more of in my next trip.

My next trip will be in June as an episode of our series will shoot here. This trip was to scout some locations and as the script calls for lush jungle coverage, I was happy to find out that this easily exists in beautiful city parks, all within walking distance of anything needed.

Have to say the city has a deep beauty I hadn't recognized before. Fantastic restaurants, great, friendly, fast-paced and knowledgeable people - everything runs so well there, which I always knew, but this time I really noticed.

These pics reveal a small glimpse of my experience: A cool building near my hotel (with large LED panels that constantly change color), the view from my hotel room, a nearby building that was so perfect it looked like a giant architectural model and then some pics from the various places we scouted.

As we were scouting, I kept thinking how great it will be to get up early in the mornings and run through some of these beautiful parks, many of which are teeming with lil' monkeys, so if I can manage to get a few of them to jog with me, I'll be in heaven...

Margaret River - 01/03/'08

2008-03-04T04:25:00.000-08:00

This being the Labour Day long weekend in West Australia, I decided to do an impromptu adventure and head down to Margaret River

This region is famous for the best surf and wineries in the country as well as gorgeously picturesque landscape. From the beautiful rolling hills of long yellow grass with islands of deep green shady trees to the incredibly clear turquoise ocean on coastlines that both pound the shore and lap at it languidly, I was spellbound. I love this place.

Following a recommendation from a friend at work, I joined an adventure retreat that had me doing yoga in the mornings, surfing afterwards and either abseiling down a 40 metre cliff or kayaking in the stunning waters in the afternoons. Breaks before, in-between and afterwards were fantastic meals served in our beach villa or on a picnic.

The company was great. Our hosts were Blair, Merome and Joey who did a fantastic job and made evident how much they love doing what they do - my hat's off to them...

There were 4 other adventurers; Katrien and Amy from "Vista" magazine (they were doing a feature on the retreat) and Carol and Steve, a married couple who were down as an anniversary and birthday treat to Steve from Carol. Everyone was fantastic and completely up for all of our adventures.

My favorite was the "blind" abseiling. Many thanks to all my accomplices and of course to Mick, who was the target of the prank and passed with flying colors - I wear all the cuts and bruises with great pride :-)

After Saturdays activities, we journeyed to Madfish, a local winery that was hosting the 2008 Tropfest Short Film Festival. There we joined hundreds of folks picnicking and socializing on the grounds of the winery until it became dark and the show started. Gotta say I love outdoor cinemas and it is a real strong tradition in this part of the world.

Surfing was good, but as the mega swells were coming in, the shallows weren't so amazing to surf in - waves coming and going in all directions, but nonetheless, huge fun. I will be back repeatedly, so looking forward to advancing my skills...

On the Sunday afternoon, we went north to Cape Naturaliste for Kayaking in the breathtaking waters of Meelup Bay and nearby coves. We did a light 4km paddle to Castle Rock, climbed to the top, took some pics then zipped back into the kayaks and returned to our beach. As soon as we entered back into Meelup Bay (and quite far away from the beach), I could no longer contain myself and jumped into the water to swim to shore. The water was so beautiful, I didn't want to get out.

But I did and then we all parted ways. I returned briefly to the south to shop at some of the wineries and have a fantastic dinner - then the long drive home.

Amazing - I left Perth Friday evening, very tense and tired, kinda closed to the energy of others and somewhat unsure if I was going to be wasting money on this trip. By Sunday afternoon though, my face was aching from the constant laughter, my body nearly as sore (mainly from all my falls as the blind guy) and my spirit open and enjoying all that was around me.

In two days I found a little bit of paradise, one that will be a big part of my life from now on and that I will share with friends when opportunities arise. Thanks again Blair, Merome, Joey and the rest of your gang. Also - Katrien, Amy, Steve and Carol - wonderful meeting you and sharing your joy with all we did together.

A HUGE toast to you all!

Rottnest Island Swim - 16/02/'08

2008-02-16T04:31:00.000-08:00

Early this morning I joined the throngs of folks on my beach to witness the annual Rottnest Island Swim. Competitors start here and swim to Thomson Bay on Rottnest Island some 19.5 km away.

C.R.A.Z.Y.

It was dark when I arrived and uncharacteristically cloudy, which looked quite cool as the sun began to rise

I was amazed to see swimmers of all ages, shapes and sizes competing

I was also amazed at how cheery and helpful all the people were - everyone seemed to be genuinely looking out for each other, a characteristic I notice a fair bit around here - a very cool way to be

After about an hour of watching a few starts (different categories, etc) I took a lil' walk around and shot these pics

Very happy that I was here to witness this seminal "Perth" event

Hats off to Perth!

Broome - 08/02/'08

2008-02-11T04:30:00.001-08:00

I spent last week in the upper west corner of Australia, land of mean ol' Crocs, crazy lizards, deadly jellyfish, infinite Kangaroos and lots of beer

I saw pretty much all of it except for the first and last on the list

We'll be shooting on various coastlines around Broome for the second half of this series starting mid-June, which I'm looking forward to as that is it's "stunning" season.

For the time being, it's the wet season, so super hot, crazy humid and I was constantly wet - either from the humidity or the monsoon rains - no real need for clothes up there...

Here's a few pics from the trip - showing the beautiful sunset from my hotel on the first night there, some of the great rock formations on the beaches, interesting plant and sea life and just, y'know, the general beauty of it all

Beautiful as it was though, I was happy to return to Perth on Friday eve, exhausted and thankful for an unseasonably cool night (21 degrees with a breeze).

Spent the next two days finishing homework on the beach in-between swimming and bodysurfing sessions and a great Saturday night out with friends for champagne, nibbles and taking in the always fantastic Rufus Wainwright as part of the Perth Arts Festival

Aaahhh...

"Big Day Out" - 03/02/'08

2008-02-04T21:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was smokin' hot and the perfect day to join my friend Sarah and her gang at Perth's "Big Day Out".

This was my first time to see an outdoor concert here and it was great - thousands of people groovin' to some great Aussie bands as well as the likes of Spoon, LCD Sound System, Arcade Fire, Billy Bragg, Bjork, Rage Against The Machine, etc...

In addition to the great music, there were rides! Yep, the kind you find at State Fairs - loop-de-loop kinda things, the spinning swings, etc. Ever since I was a kid I've loved these and don't think that will ever change.

The music, the rides and hangin' with cool people made for an awesome day - one of those great days you have during the hot summer...

Lately - 03/02/'08

2008-02-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

Here's a few pics from my latest activities:

Typical day at work where I get high-centered on a dune above the Indian Ocean

Same day, scouting a "desert" location - good thing I wore shoes as the sand was scorching hot

Early Saturday morning swim at my beach

Did I mention the beach was clothing optional?

Pinnacles: "ROO" trip #2 - 27/01/'08

2008-01-28T21:25:00.000-08:00

Decided yesterday to drive up to the Pinnacles Desert which is about 2 and some odd hours north of Perth.

We'll be shooting a few scenes for our series there, so thought I should take a gander beforehand.

Had a great time - some friends mapped out a few shortcuts and in no time I was whizzing along near empty country roads towards my destination.

I managed to rest a few minutes along the way as I helped some local Police Officers make their ticket quota for the day - they were very nice, though - and funny - think I said a few things about speeding that really surprised them...

My next stop was the tiny village of Cervantes which endlessly entertained me with every street name of Spanish origin. I've included one sign with "Aragon" street as an ode to my great pal Brad Van Arragon - the spelling is off, but I believe they're somehow related...

Unfortunately, Cervantes didn't have any promising cafes (didn't have any at all for that matter) so I continued to the next town of Jurien Bay and had a small roadside joint pull out all their stops to create an incredibly healthy and beautiful meal - much appreciated

This driving around and eating was all semi-planned as I was advised to arrive at the desert just before sunset. Now the Pinnacles Desert is a beautiful landscape of limestone towers that remained after the waters receded a zillion years ago.

Viewing them at sunset provides a sharp contrast to the desert floor as they soak up the intense orange light and their looooooong shadows accentuate the contours of the earth around them.

I was surprised - at first, I thought they were okay, but after removing my flip flops and walking in amongst them by myself for an hour or so as the sun set, I really felt fortunate to be there - really set me at peace...

"ROO" Trip #1 - 19/01/'08

2008-01-20T19:00:00.000-08:00

Seeing that I'm in the land of the wonderfully unique - kangaroos and the like - I've decided to name my road trips "roo" trips...

A few hours south of Perth is a beautiful town called Margaret River. The area is home to many great vineyards and some stellar beaches, so on the spur of the moment I decided to drive there on Saturday.

The first 2 hours of the trip were basically through suburbs and the time was ticking away. Seeing as I left Perth late in the day, I realized I wasn't going to make it to my destination in any good time, so I decided to look for an interesting departure road from the highway and about an hour later when the countryside became wonderfully represented, I saw a sign that said "scenic drive".

I took it and then found another diversion which was a red gravel road. I love this color of earth so thought I MUST drive on it. After 4km I arrived at Belvidere Beach, an amazingly uninhabited stretch of land at the south end of a long peninsula, which is a protected park. Not a soul around except for two large dolphins gliding by offshore - stunning.

Spent the day here - meditating, swimming, running and just generally "being"

Great lil' adventure - will get to Margaret River in the coming week(s)

Tink Does Perth - 15/01/'08

2008-01-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

I landed here a week ago to start work on a v cool TV seres called Stormworld. It'll take me all up the west coast of Australia, to an island near Singapore and back to Vancouver in about 7 months time. Here 's a few pics from week 1

The path to the beach from my place

Me after my daily 6:30 am swim in the Indian Ocean - so far no sharks

Me on the job :-)

The view from my office window

The view from my flat

My first Australian Barbie. Tim, on the right, and his family were the hosts. I was most impressed with their hospitality and had an absolutely wonderful eve - thanks all.

Some attractions at my beach

Last night's view up to my place above the beach

Twilight with a beautiful crescent moon and the tranquil surf

Fun with Dick and Jenn - 01/01/'08

2008-01-01T16:30:00.000-08:00

2008 has descended - YeeHaaaw!!

I was all set to ring it in all quiet-like, packing and such, but at the last minute joined my good friends Dick & Jenn at one of my fave Vancouver restaurants - Boneta - for a beautiful evening.

Attendance was kept at a minimum so the space felt quite intimate. Kudos & Thanks to Andre, Marc, Neil and their gang for treatin' us so well.

Thanks also Dick for the invite and the preview of your music. If you wanna check it out, he's posting it on his website: http://blame.ca/

Big wishes of a stupendous and adventurous year for y'all!

White Christmas - 25/12/'07

2007-12-26T23:45:00.000-08:00

My Brother and his girlfriend recently purchased a house in the beautiful Okanagan region of British Columbia. As this was their first Christmas there, they invited me to join and happily I did.

I drove the 4+ hours across a beautiful mountain pass, traveling from green grass and cloudy skies of the coast through snow-capped mountains and trees, eventually arriving alongside the stunning Okanagan Lake as the sky was in a beautiful twilight.

Other relatives also recently purchased in the area, so I went to their place on the first night for a fantastic dinner and great company, then spent the next two days a few miles away in my Bro's beautiful home perched high on a hill overlooking the lake and it's many vineyards.

I really enjoyed the time with my Bro' and his Girl - we had a fantastic Christmas Eve dinner at a wonderful local restaurant and just generally relaxed and enjoyed each others company.

On Christmas Day I returned to Vancouver and the drive itself was like an amazing gift. A fresh snowfall had blanketed most of the route, but the roads were clear and the traffic was non-existent as near everybody seemed to be enjoying the day in the warm, cozy comfort of friends and family - they certainly weren't on the roads.

Back in Vancouver, I was greeted by the omnipresent winter rains, but they lightened up enough so I could get in a nice run in the evening, then a very soothing and looooooooong bath afterwards. ahhh...

MANY THANKS Larry, Brenda, Les, Mary, Rob, Karen, Willow and Gerrard. I love you very much and MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

You included :-)