Monthly Archives: May 2014

Lumix GF6


My old GF1 on the left, my newly acquired GF1 (from eBay) in the middle and my new GF6 on the right.

Got to work today and there were lots of goodies on my desk. Of note my brand new GF6, and also another GF1 which I bought on eBay for a steal (it came with a very strange 15mm Olympic lens which I’ll most likely not finda use for at all, but I’m not complaining!).

I’ve since put my old 20mm pancake lens on the GF6, which doesn’t look anywhere near as bad as I thought it would. I actually think it looks quite retro cool and it’s a fair bit smaller and lighter too. I’m not digging the massive flip out screen on the back, when extended off the camera body it feels flimsy. I’m pretty sure it would be the first thing to break ifg I ever dropped the camera, and if I broke that the entire camera might not work as it’s a touch screen now.

Anyways, happy days shooting ahead! I’m psyched!

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Australian Government can go EAD

About a month ago I bought this e-cigarette in an attempt to quit smoking. Wasn’t too impressed for the first week, really hated the taste of the tobacco flavour that I bought with the unit and I just felt embarrassed to smoke it in public, but a few weeks in I scabbed a cigarette off someone and I actually hated the taste so bad. Another weekend at Zen I scabbed another cigarette and halfway through it I realised I subconsciously took out my e-cigarette and started puffing that with the other hand! IE: It’s working and it’s been a lot easier than going cold turkey which I’ve managed to do a billion times before, but have always fallen back into social smoking.

The thing is, there’s a difference this time around. I’m determined more than ever to not be a smoker and to quit smoking for life and the e-cigarette is what’s making this difference. It’s letting me down easy, it’s giving me an alternative.

The other night I was at a bucks party. We were in a pub and a few beers in I really craved a smoke. I ended up going outside to smoke my e-cigarette despite being embarrassed about it, and hey you know what? I did it and it was a topic of conversation with a smoker outside, who ended up chain smoking his 2nd cigarette just to keep talking to me about it (I thought it was gross that he lit up another right after finishing the first).

So now our government wants to ban e-cigarettes. They’ve just banned them in WA and raided a business selling them (raiding them in a dramatic fashion like they would raid any other illegal drug operation). This is ridiculous. Consider how much money our government puts into trying to get people to stop smoking. Consider all those people who have given up smoking and are now vaping. I can’t help but think that this is all about the money. I’m shouting conspiracy.

On a side note: I do think the government could step in on (and tax for cash) the nicotine liquids, that’s fair enough and warrants a health warning, but the fun flavours without nicotine? Makes no sense at all.

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Private Track Day

JDMyard organised yet another private track day at Wakefield in Goulburn today, and of-course I was there with bells on.

Hands down, private track days are THE BEST track days out as you’ve got a small group of drivers, an open pitt lane which means you can go out at any time you like, and there aren’t any time restrictions. IE: You could even stay out all day until your fuel ran out (or car blows up), it’s your call!

This time around we went one better and hired the cabins on the track. What we didn’t plan on was getting whack the night before (hey it was JDMyard’s race driver Adam’s B’Day afterall!). Hilarious really as the whole concept of staying out there the night before is meant to be so you could rest up and hit the track fresh the next morning!

PS: I took the MX-5 despite it’s engine being on it’s way out. Dale from DM Motorsport did a great job on the alignment. It’s exactly what I wanted. The car is slow, so a really tail happy set-up made the car twitchy and a whole lot of fun. The steering wheel requiring a lot of input in order to keep it on the circuit when on the limit. I tried my best to hit a 1.16 (which was my best time in my old MX-5 on semi slicks, keep in mind my car has a sick high km’s engine and street tyres!). I managed a best of 1.17.002. .002! Sigh (haha).


Adam’s DC2R, unfortunately his engine blew first session of the morning the next day! Bad luck B’day boy!


Zi’s newly acquired S2K. Thing if beauty! We waited for the traffic to die down and we drove swiftly through the night.


The cabins were once for the Olympians during the Sydney Olympics. Heaps of bedrooms, 3 single beds/room and showers, toilets and sinks line an entire side of the hallway. Totally functional!


We were all starving, and just as we rocked up the guys who were already at the cabin served a killer hot pot! Perfect for the freezing Goulburn temps!


Escalated so quickly. Keep in mind it was FREEZING out there. This was followed by running around the circuit in pitch black, and much much more hilarity ensued till way past everyone’s bedtime!


B’Day boy got his cake.


And ate it too!


This is what happens when you pass out.


The cold woke us all up, but we were greeted with the warmth of the sun.


Cars were cold too, a few had a little trouble starting up!


My socks were wet, so I jammed them in the heater in the lounge room (the only heater in the cabin), saved my ass!


So good to see the bike boys out. Jing, Brandon, Matthew. So rad! Jing let me have a go at his BRZ and I’m happy to say the hype is real. First lap out I had full oppy lock without even trying. The thing is a LOT of fun on the track! I lost control a couple of times but never quite spun out (it’s easy to catch the tail). Miss the apex and it understeers bad, but get it right and it’s a hoot!


Winner of loudest car of the day.


Kiet’s EG. Still a work in progress, but a 1.08 ain’t too shabby!


Photographer extraordinaire Matthew Mead’s new car, which took quite a lot of people by surprise, she’s pretty quick!


Hungry Jacks on the way home has become a tradition over the years.


Just what I needed to get home without sleeping at the wheel!

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Hangs with Jess

Caught up with Jess today, who’s just gotten back from her 2 week break overseas. Jess is awesome at suggesting new places for me to eat at! This time we checked out Daisy’s Milkbar in Petersham (funnily just across the road from the Oxford Tavern which I was at last night for my friend Garth’s bucks party!). Food was delish, really cute place too.


Cute, right?!


We were served milk bottle lollies whilst waiting for a seat (it’s a really small cafe!).


Right across the road was Michael Jackson impersonator Richard Blackie’s old toy shop. A really sad and eerie reminder (I remember visiting his shop with friends a long time ago). In 2006, Richard was found dead in this shop, his death attributed to suicide.


I went for the Reuben and it was awesome! Jess went for the pulled pork, also awesome!


Feeling satisfied we headed off to Carriageworks and spotted this American Beauty on route.


Perhaps the most intense installation I’ve ever seen. Tehching Hsieh punched a time clock in his studio, every hour on the hour, twenty-four hours a day, for an entire year. Beyond insane!


Hsieh’s statement.


How he looked when he started.


And how he looked at the end.


A projector showing all the images taken on the hour from 1980-1981.


We also checked out the Biennale, which we both thought was better than all the Biennale stuff at Cockatoo Island.

dresses
Romance Was Born, an installation by duo Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales. Visually stunning but could really have done with some music to set the mood in my opinion.


Outside there was a huge mirrorball. Couldn’t help but take a few abstract snaps!

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