Whirlwinds and flows

Wow, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of adventure in so many ways.

I've found my creative spark again - and I'm loving it - and getting myself involved in quite a few projects and extracurricular activities. And there are so many different connections with all of them, that makes it even more wonderful. I love the crossweaving that can occur in life.

First things first, the circus. An amazing experience and a relationship I intend building on further. I'm currently writing an article on the lovely Thanh, the python wrangler. I have some amazing photos from my expeditions there - and the interview I did with him was incredible. Once I've written it I will see what publications may want to take it on.

Then there's the project I'm working on with Vic. As I've mentioned before, she's doing an exhibition with the collection she's put together. The photos that came from the circus are going to be used in the exhibition alongside some of her pieces, and we're going to do a big launch for it and try to get as much press as we can - in Vietnam, in England, and even Canada... if I can hook Australia into the mix somehow I will!

The plan is for the launch to happen sometime in September, just before Vietnam's Fashion Week. It's going to be in a great space at the top of a restaurant - the Green Mango - which will be opened here in August.

It will help launch the opening of the restaurant as well.

And I have another connection with the Green Mango. Currently helping promo a big party to be held on July 21 on Cat Ba island (Ha Long bay). Should be cool. I've done up a blog space to put the info online: http://greenmango-restaurant.blogspot.com Met Hai, the owner, through a volunteer here. So we're helping try and get as many people there as possible.

Then I've been working with a friend Ben Cole every week at Blue Dragon teaching kids to podcast stories. Ben is the brainchild of the project, and he got me in a few weeks ago to teach interviewing, using minidisk and recording techniques, editing audio and finally making podcasts for the bluedragon website.

It's giving the kids an opportunity to put their stories up. Last week they did interviewing and this week they started editing them. I've been doing it for a few weeks now and I just love it. The kids are amazing and so willing to learn.

I'm also talking to a filmmaker in London about screening his doco on record collecting and digging. I had the hook-up through a friend in Adelaide. And it's got me thinking about making it a bigger venture and doing a whole range of hip hop related things. Perhaps even see if I can get a few films screened. Really try and boost the hip hop scene here and give it some energy. We'll see. Regardless, I'm quite excited.

I've also been writing a piece on hip hop in Hanoi - and that's coming together quite well at the moment - so cool to be hooking up with the kids here.

At MCD I've finally been working on the website. We're due to launch it in a couple of weeks. There's been major delays for a while now - but now I've finally got some time to develop the content and upload. So that is coming together quite nicely now.

So, I'm back to my old ways of having juggling a few projects. And what makes it all even more exciting is that it will be on the wave of my new computer - arriving today with my Adelaide girlfriend Michelle Foy and her partner John! So I've got double reason to feel excited today - friends arriving and getting my new computer.

We're all going to see the Asia Cup game between Vietnam and United Arab of Emirates tomorrow. That should be fun! A whole crew of vollies are heading to bangkok to watch Australia play as well - lucky things. Be great to see our team play. But tomorrow - I'm barricking for Vietnam! Go Vietnam, go Vietnam!