UPDATE

So, you ask, what's been happening you recently? Well, I reply, not a whole lot. But also, quite a lot too.




Firstly I went to New York again! But only for three days, and it was a business trip. Not much time for sight-seeing. I had to open a bank account, talk to immigration lawyers and file my taxes. Why would I do that? Because we're moving to New York in April next year! It's finally happening, we're in the middle of processing the paperwork right now. It's a long, expensive and difficult process, but we've started now.

The stages are:
1. Pay my taxes for the last three years.
2. Apply to sponsor Soryi.
3. Get interviewed, prove we're in a legitimate marriage and are genuinely planning on moving to the states (hence the bank account)
4. Soryi gets a temporary visa allowing her to enter the country (she can't at the moment, even as a tourist, which is why I went alone).
5. Soryi gets a permit allowing her to work.
6. We move there.
7. Soryi gets a permanent residence permit.

While I was there I had a few interviews with the company I'm working at now, everything seemed pretty positive, but nothing guaranteed because it's so far away. I'm hopeful though.

I did have a few spare hours though, and went to the Top of the Rock and a New York deli. Not Katz this time, too expensive, but 2nd Ave Deli, which was MUCH better, and a lot cheaper. Went to Taco Bell as well. It was fun.




I've been getting into photography a lot more too.. We've got a pretty good camera, and I've been playing with it a lot recently. Nothing amazing, but I'm still learning a lot. I've been collecting some vintage cameras too... We've got 15 now.



I went to a work organised Mad Men party last friday. It was fun, drank too many terrible martini's though. Had a hangover, which something I'm no longer used to. For people who don't know, Mad Men is a TV show about advertising, which takes place in the early 60's in NYC. Great show, even better theme for a party. I'm holding a Argus C3 camera in that photo. It was an American-made camera, that model is from 1962. It works, but not very well, too hard to focus and ATROCIOUS in low-light.

That's about it. I'll keep people informed of the visa situation.
IESSO

PS. We're gonna go to Japan in December. 10 days; Osaka–Kyoto–Nara–Himeji–Tokyo–Nagano... Photos!

NEVER A FAN, but...

Happy 90210 day everyone! (9/02/10 beteedoubleyou).
I noticed it only when I wrote todays project in the journal.

IESSO

NYC

I'll be in the states from 27/02 to 06/03. If you need to contact me between those times I'll be checking emails, or you can leave a message on the blog. Just going over there to sort out some stuff to do with visa's and other errands of that nature, so photo's might be scarce.
IESSO

HAPPY HANUKAH

Seiney (Soryi's younger sister): "What's wrong with being Jewish? Being Jewish is cool. I like dreidels." ... "And The Nanny."

LUNCH WAS SO GOOD I THOUGHT I'D BLOG ABOUT IT or HI-FIVE TO COLES

YES, THAT'S RIGHT, COLES. The obvious rip-off of Sainsbury's/Waitrose has totally worked. The Ultimo store in the Broadway mall near my office is the latest to get the 'New Coles' makeover, taking it from shitty-shit to super-awesome. No, it's not just cosmetic, it's the way the staff greet you with a (hopefully) genuine smile and hello, to the wider isles, and the samples of foods. It's the number of staff at the deli counter offering advice on a range of cheeses from Europe.

My lunch comes from the following countries: Israel, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands and France, and Australia of course. I also bought some mexican hot-sauce and a few other bits from other places too.

IESSO

PS. Yes, ok, so people in my office are working on Coles, BUT I'm not, and even if I was, I wouldn't support a company for that reason alone. This new change is truly good.

McRAGE or WOULD YOU LIKE TO FLY OF THE HANDLE WITH THAT?

IN MCDONALDS FOR BREAKFAST BEFORE A SUNDAY WORK DAY.

Elliott: Hi. Can I please have a sausage McMuffin and a medium...
McWorker: Medium?
E: Yeah, a medium...
McW: Meal?
E: No meal. A sausage McMuffin and a medium iced coffee.
McW: It might be cheaper if it's a meal. I check?
E: No meal. Just a medium iced coffee and sausage mcmuffin.

McW puts it through the register as sausage and egg meal.

E: I don't want any egg. Just a sausage McMuffin.
McW: No meal?
E: NO. Can I check that it's a sausage one, and NOT a sausage and egg one?
McW: OK

WARNING: The following involves me yelling in a family restaurant.

I get the muffin, with egg of course, and an iced coffee. I go back to the counter to get a new muffin.

E: What's this? (pointing at egg). I asked for no egg. (pushes muffin at McW)
McW: OK.

WARNING: The following involves me yelling louder and with more profanity in a family restaurant.

I get the replacement muffin. WITH EGG!

E: WHAT THE FUCK!?!
McW: Hmm?
E: I said no fucking egg! I checked with you? Get the fucking manager!
Manager: What's wrong? I gave you a new one? I made it myself.
E: It's got egg in it!
M: I know, I chose the best one we had.
E: I told her, no fucking egg!!!
M: Oh, I thought she said that the egg was no good.
McW: No, you said egg.
E: I said NO egg! I checked with you!
(they talk to each other)
McW: Do we even have a sausage muffin without egg?
E: It's on the fucking menu! RIGHT THERE! Try learning the menu, for fuck's sake!
M (to McW): Next time, try listening.
McW: HERE! (handing me the new muffin)

I get replacement muffin, storm out, throwing the THIRD egg on the ground as I leave.

IESSO

FUCK OLD PEOPLE

THERE, I SAID IT. Seriously, FUCK THEM!

7.55am: Old lady pushes Soryi and mumbles racist comments under her breath. I politely give her a piece of my mind "GO FUCK YOURSELF, OLD LADY!" I say. And as everyone looks on in disgust I blast them with a gentle "FUCK ALL OF YOU!"

8.47am: Old people are getting on the bus. I am waiting patiently behind them, so that I can put in my ticket. People are pushing behind me, but still I wait. I go to sit down and they're in my way again. I gently squeeze by and get a angered mumble. "WHAT?! GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY THEN!" I reply.

1.34pm: At the bank, waiting in line for 25 minutes. I finally get to the teller and stand hand over money and doing banking things. And an old man stands next to me and starts coughing. I try to ignore him. He stands there still coughing and looking at me. "Excuse me sir, I don't mean to be rude, but could you please step back. I am uncomfortable with you being in my personal space when I am dealing with money" I gently say. "FUCK YOU! I STAND WHEREVER I WANT!" was his reply. "WHAT?!?! FUCK YOU! GET OUT OF MY SPACE!" "YOU HAVE PLENTY OF SPACE! I'M NOT TRYING TO STEAL YOUR MONEY!" he says. "I didn't think you were, I just feel uncomfortable with you standing right next to me!" "YOU BETTER STOP TALKING BEFORE I STOP YOU FROM TALKING" was his response. Now I can't very well beat up an old man, despite him being an insane one. "GO TO HELL SIR!" I say, and storm out of the bank.

Seriously, am I going completely crazy. What the fuck is wrong with the world?! and me?!?!?!

IESSGOFUCKYOURSELFYOUFUCKINGFUCKS!O

PS. FUCK!

TRUTH NUGGET

If it doesn't kill you, it'll make you stronger.
What about polio?

IESSOliteral

MOVEMBRÉ

THIRTY FIVE

We've been experimenting with an old Pentax 35mm SLR and an old Konica point-and-click 35mm. Both produce photos with some really magical qualities. Really nice.

IESSO

PS. The ones of me smoking are old. While I do miss smoking sometimes, I haven't had any since the wedding. I promised Soryi I'd quit for her, and I intend on keeping that promise.

THE NEW LIST

Back in 2005 I made a list of places I wanted to visit, and about half of those places I've made it to. Here is a revised list, some from the old list, and some new ones. Just dreaming at this stage.

UPDATE: Soryi Linus, it was 2006.



IESSO

MONDAYNE PORTFOLIO UPDATE

My portfolio site has had a makeover, and some new content put up. Soryi and I were up all night getting it ready. She built it, and I scrambled together the pictures. I've got an interview on tuesday. Check it out if you like. www.mondayne.com

IESSO

KONG HONG AND MACAU

Here's some photos from our trip. There's plenty more in this Flickr set.

Hong Kong

SO WE HAVE 24 HOURS AND 15 MINUTES LEFT. Soryi is in the hotel room sleeping, and I'm waiting another 14 minutes now so I can check us in for our flight online. We got back from a day-trip in Macau about 20 minutes ago, and we are both exhausted. This whole trip has been exhausting. Of course, because that's our style, we see the HELL out of a city when we visit. But it's also been a lot of fun. We'd definitely come back! And recommend it to anyone we see.

I can't post any photos just yet, no memory card reader, but I'll try on Sunday. We arrive at 06.35am, so I'll probably sleep a lot first before I do anything, but we'll see. Suffice to say, the photos are awesome. Literally! Some of the best I've taken. Hardly any photoshopping required this time.

Anyway, check-in is in 10 minutes now.
IESSO

WE'RE GROWN-UPS NOW!

IT ALL WENT REALLY WELL. You'll have to wait for stories untill after we get back from Hong Kong (early Sept) and I be able to put up more pictures too. But suffice to say, it was a nice day, a small affair, and exactly like we'd hoped for and nothing at all like we feared. Thank you to everyone who came, and apologies to everyone who wasn't able to make it. There's always VEGAS in 2011, which we're still planning on doing... why? WHY NOT!?

View the photos as a slideshow HERE.

IESSO

ONE

TWO

HOLGA MEDIUM FORMAT

THREE

FOUR

IT MIGHT HAVE SUNK IN NOW

WE'RE GETTING MARRIED IN FIVE DAYS! I can't believe it. It's really exciting. And it feels right. I'm not nervous (yet?) and I don't know if I should have any reason to be.

What I am though, is bored at work, so I threw this together in photoshop. And now I understand why all those kids were/are doing this style; it's totally freaking easy! Distressed scrapbookey-romanticy-crap is a peice of piss.

IESSO

FIVE

WE'RE getting married this weekend!

EIGHT

In front of the Louvre in Paris.

NINE

TEN

Soryi spots a giraffe at the Dublin Zoo.

ELEVEN

Sorry I missed 12, 13 & 14, I've been away from the internet for a few days.
IESSO

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

We're getting married in 17 days! YAY!

We've got it all sorted now;
- Dress/Suit: CHECK
- Venue for ceremony: CHECK
- Restaurant for reception: CHECK
- Invitations: CHECK
- Rings: CHECK
- Honeymoon in Hong Kong: CHECK
- Someone naive/crazy enough/actually willing to marry me: CHECK?

It's all sorted, and now that everything is organised I can finally get excited and look forward to Soryi being not just my girlfriend, but my wife. The concept is still crazy, but it's also extremely awesome.

Like I said, the ceremony is going to be very small, four of our super-closest friends, and our families. That's all. So don't feel bad if you didn't get an invite, nothing personal, and you can live vicariously through the photos if you want. And speaking of photos, we've got three cameras planned; DSLR, Holga (medium format!) and polaroid. It'll be great.

IESSO

Typography

TOP: Flies. BOTTOM: Leaves. For no real reason. Click images for larger sizes.

IESSO

Happy Little Vegemites

From mX (free newspaper) printed 01/07/09

If people ask why I want to leave Australia, this is the answer. I've encountered this attitude since I was nine years old, and frankly I am sick of it.

I wrote to the paper:
"I am not a Happy Little Vegemite either, but due entirely to your article. Get your facts right, and stop with the pointless America-bashing. If you don't like the politics that is understandable, but the people are generally not evil. Not all of us are fat, or greedy; as you seem to think. I've been confronted of this general attitude from Australians ever since I moved here when I was a little kid, and I can't understand why. If you don't like the new Vegemite, there is an easy solution; don't eat it. There is no need to turn this into some sort of "America is an evil imperialist empire, trying to take over the world, and extinguish our last glimmer of Australian identity" crisis. Lastly; for the record; Kraft has always been an American company, and Mel Gibson was born in New York."

IESSO