Monday, August 23, 2010

DURIAN PARTY!

Last Friday we had a DURIAN PARTY!!! Durian, which is known for its distinct odor and is banned from public transportation and hotels around asia, is actually one of my favorite foods! It is very spikey on the outside and the insides are custard-like pods of creaminess. They look similar to alien fetuses...... but delicious ones! Here are some pictures from our get together durian celebration:

durian party in a pavilion in the rain on the city beach
alien fetuses
most (if not all) fruits form a star when cut a certain way. This is the way the durian naturally opens up!
DURIAN LOVERS UNITE
anne. cappi. me.
keep dirty thoughts to yourself
durian lover mates: Angus and Cappi
custardy piece of durian, so good
DURIAN, dun dun dunnn
we had a curious visitor!
already bitten-into piece of durian. I couldn't wait!
Angus enjoying his share!
Anne and Cappi SUPER PSYCHED for durian!

AND OF COURSE, SOME PICS OF MY OTHER FOOD FOR YOU FRUITY PEOPLE:

what's in your backpack!? Oh mine?! You know... mangos...
food for a few days (the bottle is fresh cane sugar juice)


Saturday, August 21, 2010

A few pictures from where I live

I have been learning how to play with the manual settings on my camera (thanks to my neighbor, Jeff) and I wanted to share a few pictures from where I live - Brisbane, Australia:
roots
crazy roots by the fake beach
this is my current inspiration for art: roots
inner city beach!
more awesome roots
brissy skyline (with ferris wheel on the left!)
long exposure + flashlight =
G'Day Mate!!!
playing around. Photo by Jeff.
me me me. photo by jeff
Me myself and I. Photo by jeff
being abstract and artsy w/ the manual settings on my camera
city lights
circles & squares
artsy fartsy

MORE TO COME!!!!! Enjoy. =)

Friday, August 20, 2010

FULL PAGE IN DEADPOINT MAGAZINE


Guys, please forgive me, but I have to brag a little...

I have a full page picture in the new DeadPoint Climbing Magazine!!! Thanks to Dan Brayack who took the beautiful photo. You can check out his website here.

You can check out the full magazine online here:

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum&refresh=gN16Z04mz2H0&EID=88d2483f-b3c0-45e9-b9d2-89cfee805f5f&skip=true

The picture of me is on pages 54 and 55.



And while I'm at it, I also found out that there is a picture of me in the new Red River Gorge guidebook. Thanks to Dan Brayack for taking the photo and Woodchuck for sending me the picture (since I have yet to see it in person.)

Thanks for bearing with my ego! I'm just SUUUUPER PSYCHED about it and just had to share!!! =) =) =) THANKS DAN!!!!!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

CLIMBING IN AUSTRALIA

I've been able to climb a little more as my routine settles in.
"climbing up the walls"
There are a few areas that aren't too far from me. I have only been to 3 different areas so far. Each place i've explored only a couple times.

1. Kangaroo point is a 15 minute WALK away from me, right along the Brisbane River. It is really convenient! There are big lights that shine on it in the evening, so it is available to climb at night as well. It is almost like a free outdoor climbing gym! The rock is comparable to Kings Bluff in Clarksville, TN - if any of you have been there. I will go to KP to traverse the walls in my free time or do a few pitches with a partner if theres nowhere else to go. It's a great place to just get some exercise in! Pictures coming soon... (check beck next week!)

2. Toohey's Forest is about a 10 minute bus ride away from me. It is in the bush out of the city of Brissy. There is a public park there and a paved walkway where people walk and run. It is comprised of beautiful black sandstone boulders, similar to those in the southeast of the U.S. The rock is pretty sticky and my fingertips get sore after only an hour or so of climbing. The type of movements really take a lot out of me so it is a great place to go if I want to get a hard workout in really quickly. I recently sent a really cool v8 there called "Butter Me Up." It required solid tension in my movements because the holds were really bad. I was psyched to send it!
"Butter Me Up" v8

Simon running up a warmup
huge bull ant, the size of my pinky
rob's proj, the v9
rob managing to hold onto super bad holds
Rob climbin'
happy after climbing (and sending) =)

3. The Glass House Mountains are by far the most amazing rock climbing I have seen here so far. It is about an hour away, which is nothing compared to trips I used to do in the U.S. to climb! They are basically these amazing black mountains near the Sunshine Coast. The quality of the rock is great and the view is extraordinary. I recently posted about my first climbing trip there, which you can read about here. The views are magical and cannot be described in pictures!!! Here are some pics from my last visit:
crazy hole in the rock
it was windy at the peak of the moutain!
magical mountains
Horsefly!
Lizard!
in awe of nature's beauty
Rob raging on his project, Acid, 5.12d

Rob, my OZ climbing partner
me on Acid...the climb!
Acid
pic from my first trip out... my neighbor edited 3 pics into one!
the sun was shining on the mountain, making it purple and beautiful

MORE TO COME SOON! =)