Another Path?

I have had a rushed trip to Australia's capital city Canberra via Sydney to see friends and relatives.
The reason for my trip to Canberra is to see a specialist Doctor who makes an orthodontic plate that you wear in your mouth at night thus opening some very fine, important nerves and pathways that travel through your jaw communicating between the body and the brain.

I heard about it through a friend called Matt who is a VERY talented musician & producer.
About 4 years ago Matt had an illness that still has no name and gives him symptoms like severe migraines, extreme loss of energy for days/ weeks, ETC.
I knew him when I was healthy, in fact I cut his hair. When he got cut down by his illness his friends, family and even he couldn't explain it and even when he could struggle to talk I still couldn't fathom what was happening. Now I can.

He has been seeing this Doctor for a while now and last time I saw him was at a fundraising photo exhibition and I was amazed by his improvements, just shocked.
Sadly his plate has broken and he has relapsed seriously.
He is seeing the Doctor just after I am tomorrow, see you there Matt if you happen across this.

******************************************************************************************



I saw my 97 year old Grandfather today!
Ironically I shaved him and I am the one who needs a shave.

Australia Day.

This is late, but here yesterday was Australia day.

A day commemorating when captain James Cook stuck a flag in the indigenous peoples home land and declared it English soil over 215 years ago.

I travelled down to Sydney, (more info. in the next entry), to see family. I was born and raised living here on Bronte Beach until I was 5 or 6, some of my fondest childhood memories with my family are from when we lived here.



This was Bronte Beach yesterday. Our old house can be seen.

I'm really happy, while here I'm going to visit my 97 year old Grandfather too.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

Sun, food, swimming, music and blow up toys. (yes, the swimming pool type)

Sounds like a recipe for good times?
A few years ago, when I was perfectly healthy, I was worried about my daughter growing up reaching her teen years. But I was healthy and young so chasing and intimidating people, (like boys), would be hard but no problem.

My first born turned 12 today.



I am amazed constantly as she grows up, she is SO nonchalant and vague but conquers whatever she puts her mind to. (i'm a little biased maybe)

I feel so proud always.
Happy Birthday Amelia, the apple of my eye, I love you.

One of the most important things in my life is being a solid rock father. I want to provide foundations that are real, happy and prepare them for life, when I got sick it messed up my plans to be there as a leader for my children but I am climbing the mountain and I feel like I'm doing alright.

You can never tell if you're doing the job right.
But my instinct say's that all is well.

Keep Nobby's Real.

Firstly and most importantly I hope you had a merry Christmas and got a nice surprise from someone as well as a happy new year.

In 2001 I bought a beachside apartment which I used to live in and rent out in a small, exclusive boutique area called Nobby Beach on the Gold Coast, Australia. I have many fond memories living here, it is a very nice area I am passionate about it.
The location provided a lifestyle that was simple, easy and made me feel like the richest man alive.

I loved and have to sell it under priced due to the market and other reasons.

Here is the link for it, it may be a home to someone, holiday apartment or investment..

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=o&id=106247864&f=0&p=10&t=res&ty=&fmt=&header=&cc=&c=93607842&s=qld&snf=rbs&tm=1263335811



On another subject;

Please don't forget to check out my blog, the donate button has not been on here for a while but is being fixed as you read so please don't get complacent because you may not physically see me, I hate asking but I have to!

No Pablo.

So the meeting was held today, and it didn't go our way.

I am SO devastated.

Heres the thing,
By voting no to my dog they are saying they don't want me nor my beautiful children there either. Thats our home because I am ill. I REALLY can't help that I am slow to speak and make basic mistakes, but CLEARLY my upstairs is sharper than ever.
I say this on behalf of half the worlds population, 'I feel trapped inside my own body', it can't do what it thinks is possible, since I have gotten ill I have lost touch with the world because before I was very much part of it.
Understandably I don't drive, I'm not the life of the party because SO much negative stuff seems to surround me and my life and I am not a negative person AT ALL.

I believe you reap what you sew and I believe my kindness and positivity far outweighs the bad things in life that I have done. How about a break?
Hows about some good stuff happening?

I feel so discriminated against.

Pablo, (my dog), doesn't yap constantly, doesn't smell, isn't big, isn't dirty, doesn't lose control of his bowels, ETC. (whatever argument you can bring to the table)

His breed is perfect for a quiet, subtle companion.
Pablo is family I haven't had a family dog ever that is my own. So this is a big deal.

The sad part is this could have been resolved easily, without cost and fuss.
Simply by putting ego aside to make way for a much bigger reason. It's called sacrifice, humility, selflessness.

OHH! C'mon we are talking about a tiny dog here. Ridiculous!

I'm SO upset..
Set back after set back.

I will fight this with every fiber in my being!
I will call upon ALL of my resources to combat this insanity and expose it and those who are involved in being haters and the stool pigeons sitting the fence, their apathy contributed when it could have helped.

Watch this space!

If you feel the desire to help your efforts will be welcomed.
"You will reap what you sew"

Power Trippers.

I currently live at my mum's place but I haven't lived there for 2 months since I got my ridiculously tiny dog Pablo.

Heres the story;
Where my mum lives is a block of 10 units. The owners of each unit have a say in how things are done and funds spent ETC, The Body Corporate, (the apartment owners), are meeting to decide wether or not Pablo, can come live there. (for some reason they don't want him there, he doesn't bark incessantly, he is an apartment dog), oh because they want a 'dog free building', however there is a dog that resides there full time and a cat that comes from interstate with it's owner. Oh and MOST of the owners of the are from outside of the Gold Coast, whereas we live there FULLTIME.
When we first moved into the apartments there was 5 dogs, my mum has even had a dog living with her in her apartment before...

Go figure!

Get this. The Body Corporate have actually had a secret vote to pre-determine my dogs fate there.
I wont give him away or leave him, I love him and he reciprocates.
I have had to get letters of endorsement from my Therapists and Doctors when common sense tells you that having loyal pet is a positive step.

It is just like that episode of "Seinfeld", the Retirement Village of Del Boca Vista where Jerry's parents live are voting for a new president.
People with W A Y too much time on their hands that get seduced by the little bit of power entrusted to them and they use it for evil instead of good..
..Kind like the Rebellion and Dark Sides in Star Wars and I'm like Han trying to bring a much smaller, quieter version of a wookie into our world. The cost of going up against the Empire is wearing our forces thin...
Ok back to the topic. (no prizes for guessing that i'm a star wars nerd)

Spiteful, childish and plain weird.
Not everyone has let power get to their ego's, some of our neighbors are genuinely nice people and are family friends, it's a shame because the building is such a nice location, it makes me wonder how people that deal so much negativaty have the fortune to live there.

Living there is just like a film, "Lord Of The Flies" comes to mind.

My mum did the right thing and told a member of the B.C. committee that her son has a puppy that was a gift, (and frankly badly needed)
He would be in his 60's, 70's or 80's and he verbally abused her. I don't know about you but if another man abused your mother it make you angry.
I have children, even my 10 year old son wouldn't behave like that and if he EVER did he would have the good self judgement to apologize.
Normally I would just move him in there regardless of what the pathetic, half baked B.C. rules are and if they said anything to me then scream discrimination.
But it's where my mum lives so I am respecting her wishes. Although the B.C. committee often forget their manners and get a rush of power to the head.. (i still think that we shouldn't have said anything to avoid this mess)

I have lived in a small 2 bedroom apartment, (thanks aunty dawn), also taking into consideration what the vet says to keep Pablo semi-incubated from contact with other animals for about 3 and a 1/2 months. I see my children about half of the time, so that meant that they shared a room while I took the fold out sofa in the living room. Plans of me going home for Christmas were up in the air because of me respecting mums wishes not to get on the bad side of the neighbors which, to be nice, I wouldn't stop to pick them up if I was paid to.
(i wonder what happened to "love thy neighbor")?


The meeting is tomorrow , Saturday 9th.
I wont go because I will dress them down for bullying my mum and hiding behind their votes and by-laws.

G R O W U P !!

I'm angry at the fact i wasted a part of my life even putting this on my blog.

IF the B.C. vote 'no' to Pablo, take into consideration I don't have an income so living at home is all my insurance can afford after paying bills ETC. Also I am a Father who wants to see his children, that means 'where I live they live'. I am not as fun as I used to be as far as, taking them swimming, kicking a ball around and driving to do things ETC.
I BADLY wanted a dog for my own state of health also giving my children another reason to come to dad's.
Pablo is family.



Watch this space, the saga continues.

Films And Albums of 2009.

Last January I blogged about my choice of films and albums for the last year. In keeping with tradition heres the verdict:

My albums; 1: 'Mogwai', "The Hawk Is Howling".
2: 'Emeliana Torrini', "Me And Armini".
3: 'Kasabian', "West Ryder Kauper Lunatic Asylum".

My Films; (to be said in an oscar presenters type voice),
1: "Pineapple Express".
2: "The Soloist".
3: "The Boy In The Striped Pajamas"

My album of the year is 'Emeliana Torrini's Me And Armini'.
My film of the year is 'The Boy In the Striped Pajamas'.

BOOM!

Who Dares Wins.

A person whom I looked up to said how he used to carry some goals around everywhere with him. On a scrap piece of paper, on the back of a beer coaster, anything. In his wallet or back pocket, anywhere he would look at it and it would remind him of his dreams and goals.

I did this.
I would catch the subway to work in the mornings when I lived in Milan with other commuters, it was depressingly dogmatic, (like a bad dream or film clip), sometimes you would see the same faces as they went to their jobs, some were bank tellers, some were dentists, some were Nigerian refugees, some were brain surgeons, some were famous lecturers, some were Gypsies that would perform 'a-la' Partridge family styles, one, (usually a child), would walk down the train carriage asking for money and then onto the next carriage. (this would happen everyday).

On my way to work on the crowded train I would look at my piece of paper to remind of why I would run from my apartment through the rain to catch the 7:45 a.m. train with the other Milanese, where smells like too much cheap perfume, leather briefcases, purses, jackets, shoes, gloves etc. fresh toothpaste breath, stank bad morning breath, body odor, among other things would greet me and re-focus me on the bigger picture.

Why I had left the physical touch of my two children, why I had uprooted myself from the comforts of my beachside lifestyle, secure job and home.
And traded it for the polar opposite knowing no- one, bitterly cold weather with no snow, living in a depressing hovel in a ghetto part of a big city, in a country where I had a VERY basic grasp of the language.

But sure enough I had written a goal to be a hair stylist of top calibre that had the option of traveling with the fashion circus around the globe after working along side the best.

Dare to dream.

But write your dreams down and read them over and over until they happen like stepping stones. (often they have already come to fruition in your life, look around. are you where you want to be)?


HAPPY 2010!

(this subject is not at all what i set out to write but it'll do)