Snake Charmers Assc. - Broken Social Scene

I know you're not going to believe it but it happened again....no I didn't goto the airport again for a flight without my passport, that happened last week.

For the second time in just over a month, I have seen another snake...last time the equatorial black spitting cobra, this time the reticulated python!, and a long one at that...and the best part, it was in the city, although the suburbs at 3:30am. The snake got its tail run-over by direct hit swerving taxi right after this photo. Its the funniest thing seeing a 3 meter long snake flopping up, down and around like a dropped slinky...I tell ya, this shit just doesn't ever happen in Canada.

And just for those that are already calling "bullshit", this time I have included the photo from my phone.

Snake Charmers Assc - Broken Social Scene

Who just about ran over a black spitting cobra yesterday on his bike??? I DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been riding through some of Singapore's islands and into Malaysia this week, and yesterday I was on watch for a python whilst on my bike (I just said "whilst", thats awesome). I didn't see the python but came across a big black snake in my path, and as I tried to go around the blackie flared up to reveal its infamous cobra hood, scaring the shit out of me as I had no idea that there were cobras in this neck of the woods and then I found out later that the neurotoxin wasn't enough, this particular breed here has the capability of spitting its venom into the eyes of big bastards like myself.

I almost got a pic of the 1.5 meter long serpent, but I think the snake mistook my camera for a "I'll blow your head off firearm" and slid off into the tall grass and bush. FINALLY! For the first time in my life I have seen my first wild snake...and wasn't it a good one to start with, the Equatorial Spitting Cobra!

Well I'm back...for now, I will try and get back into this thing called communication...

Yes I'm still alive, yes I still have my dream job at ESPN but I happen to work a tad fewer than the standard 40 hours per week...last week I had a last minute video project that got put in my hands, I finished the week in triple digit work hours.

This weekend I am finally getting into me time, there is a huge dance party on the beach here LCD Soundsystem and Armin Van Buuren and Carl Cox all playing, starts at midnight and goes to 8am...just gearing up...its December and going to the beach for the night, I LOVE IT!!!

Last weekend I burned myself rather good filming the marathon here, hahaha, what's the temp back home right now...-20?

Updates tomorrow hopefully.

Groove is On - Groove Armada

Frazee's back, back again, Frazee's back tell a friend...

So much has happened that I don't know where to begin. I must blame Facebook for my disappearance this time, it was a little addicting. I have been getting into the flow of things at work, and I must say...I LOVE IT. It's everything I wanted and more. I will be producing the mornings here at the end of the month, they have given me the greenlight to make a doc on Right To Play in Thailand, and I found out I will probably going to Euro 2008 and the Olympics in Beijing. It seems I have finally found my place and I'm really looking forward to settling down in Singapore.

And Singapore is fantastic, I play volleyball on Sentosa Island and goto Hash House Harrier runs on weekends, and usually follow that up with a BBQ in the evenings. Have met a cracker jack bag full of new friends, and I have now fully converted to calling it football not soccer. And with this very brief update I am now off to Cambodia for the weekend to go see one of the new 7 wonders of the world...Angkor Wat. I will do my best to keep this a more regular thing and get more pics to you.

the view from the BBQ at my new place

weekly volleyball on sentosa island

Team Mate - Kaiser Chiefs

I went back and re-read the very first blog entry... so in the spirit of the premiere meanderings, I present thee:

Slurpee of the Day: Vodka and Red Flavour, its my new favourite!

Movie of the Day: Goal 2: Living the Dream

Music of the Day: Has it changed in the last four months really, four months of non-stop play? No its still LCD Soundsystem, the new album is Brilliant!!!

Thought of the Day: Volleyball: If they definition of a back and forth play between the two opposing teams is called a rally...why isn't the game called Ralleyball....Discuss.

Music Is My Radar - Blur

So besides the animals what else was memorable about the bike tour...

Well to begin with, I'm gonna have to say the flat tires. Considering I got 4 of them in the first 20km of the trip!! Beginning with the one I changed the night before the trip I had to change a tube roughly every 5km, which put a serious damper on the start of my adventure. With no idea why I was perpetually flat, even after checking over everything, I managed to coast into the first major town and find a bike shop. After taking one look at my tire and handful of ruptured rubber in my hands the tech had a solution...my tubes undersized for the tire and weight I was carrying. These undersized tubes were the ones supplied to me by the bike company with the intention that I was to be cycling across Africa...I think someone dropped the ball on that one.

After replenishing my supply of spare tubes I was back on the saddle and pedaling with a vengeance to make up for all the lost time from that morning. Only problem was pedaling through the interior mountains during the middle of the day in the heat. In face the thermometer on my bike hit 40+ mark as I sailed along the asphalt on my 20km/hour pace. At one point I pulled into a roadside rest stop and walked up to the girl dripping with sweat and ordered a coke, a root beer, and an orange soda...then had to persuade the girl to give me all three at the same time, then she watched as I downed all three like I was doing shots at the bar. Thats the best part of cycle touring, you eat and drink all you want and never be full.

The worst part was sleeping at night in the tent, it was unbearably hot, I think I prefer the old method, throw a tarp on the ground and lay down. But the showers were much better this time around, at least one night when I slept in a police compound in the middle of nowhere. They even let me use the garden hose to shower, while all the cops kids crowded around giggling. Good thing I kept my shorts on...I don't think it would have been to good a place to be experimenting with indecent exposure!

And then there was the music...the music got me through it all, the heat, the flat tires, the ignorant islams waving me the finger trying to swear in English, the wonderful muslims buying me drinks and giving me fruit, the sunsets on the beach, the monkey attacks. Its always the music.

The Beast and the Dragon - Spoon

First I lay down news like that and then I disappear again, what the H?

Well most of you know, I usually have at least 2 or 3 projects on the go at all times to keep my mind entertained. Over the last month I have had absolutely nothing to do, and it was driving me mad...oh god...I just choked on a swig of milk and coughed it all over the computer screen...

Back...well after spending a week or so taking care of all the details needed for my Singapore employment pass I finally found myself in a position to do waste some time and leave the country for a bit, but with little money and lots of time I had very limited options. This is where the bicycle comes into play. Time for Malaysia Tour 2007, two years after the first.

Same route as last time, although this time I cycled through the mountains that we skipped our last time out. And instead of cycling all the way north, I only made it part way up the coast before meeting some friends on the beaches...so really, not at all the same route as last time.

The wildlife this time seemed to be much more abundant, here is a list of my experiences:
a) monkeys...monkeys everywhere, I was rushed by monekys not once, but twice for filming the baby. I even had three at one time try to surround me. I found that hissing at them with teeth bared and flinging your leg around like a tasered methhead works well at scaring them off.

b) squirrels...both of the giant black racoon size kind and the flying variety

c) flying foxes...or nasty rodent bats with wings the size of mini hang gliders.

d) monitor lizards...I almost ran over the tail one of these three foot long beasts as it scampered out in front of my bicycle.

e) and finally the baboon or other baboon like monkey! This thing was massive, I passed it as I flew down a hill and passed it as it sat along a riverbank just in front of the tree line. And after hearing stories of baboon behaviour and previous primate encounters...I decided to go back. To be safe, I got my camera out and decided to try and fire off shots as I slowly cycled past in case the thing decided to charge. Funny thing was when I whizzed by on my bike the thing didn't move, but when I slowly went by at first notice it jumped back and stared my down from the trees. That was my cue to leave.

Have a Drink On Me - ACDC

Funny Story, like a big hat, its funny, heh.

So here I am in Singapore. What? Singapore again? Yup, I was shortlisted for entrance into the national university, one of the most prestigous in the world, so I decided to take a shot at competing with the booksmart kids, ten years out of my prime. I actually did really well on the exams, but there were other reasons for the flight out here. I thought I would partake in some cycle touring to fulfill some obligations which I did. Also, I thought I would take one last shot at getting a job in the television industry before jumping into 3 or 4 years of university.

My flight was due to leave Singapore in 4 days when I picked up the phone to make one last shot at talking to the ESPN/Star Sports people here before leaving again with my head down. Upon talking with the HR rep, I was told to email in my CV asap. The next day I was emailed by the Exec. Producer of ESPN Sportscenter, and told to come into the office the next morning. So yesterday I went into the office after a full night of preparing so that I didn't punt the interview like a similar occasion last year. After failing to get much sleep the night before, I walked into the office caffiene fueled and confident, and walked out one hour later as the new Assistant Producer of ESPN Asia Sportcenter!!!

Hell YAAA my dream job!!! I am still in a state of shock, as anyone who follows my exploits knows...luck is not something that is usually associated with my life, but lucky I was. Right place at the right time, from submitting my resume to being hired less than 48 hours later. And to think, it only took about 5 submissions to get noticed.