411.

O.K. I am seeing a well known and recommended Doctor in Milan and another in Brescia.
I am in a remote town that has VERY limited Internet and my cellular is not working so I am forced into a form of tranquillity with lots off reading, (bukowski), listening to music and falling in love with the surroundings at least 5 - 10 times a day.

An ophthalmologist, (eye specialist), and a Herbal Practioner want to see me but the appointments clash.
So I'm not sure, the schedule is quickly filling.

It seems I will leave after getting poked, prodded and looked over, I don't mind as long as it's productive.

I normally have my transfusion of 2kg of Intragram on the last Thursday and Friday of every Month.
I spoke with my Neurologist earlier in the month and we thought we would see how I reacted without it.

My rehabilitation is walking long distances and speaking English and Italian.

Oh and eating..

Buon Giorno.

So far it has rained, so I haven’t explored too much.

But like the rain.

Even though we haven’t had the best weather so far I have heard some unmistakable sounds like church bells from the little church building across the lake signaling a marriage, car and motorbike horns honking in recognition of a marriage or the football, birds singing loudly at sunset.

Over the weekend 2 of my very good friends came down from Milan, Ale and Miky. I haven’t seen them since I became ill, it was SO good to see them face to face, let them look me up and down and probe.

When I lived in Milan I had Visa issues, (hence my plethora of difficulties of living and working over here), Miky came with me to a police station at 7am and waited with me in line with refugee’s, Albanian’s and Peruvian’s to see a policeman who was also empowered too be an immigration officer.
My Italian employer had seriously messed up my work permit/ visa and we had to make this policeman believe that I had met the love of my life whilst holidaying and I needed to stay.

He showed me no mercy.
Tough if it was true.

Bidet's. A Luxry Overlooked?

I’m sitting in small room, on my bed, in the early hours of the a.m. in the dark writing on my laptop while listening to music.

The setting is a boutique hotel on a very beautiful Lago d’Iseo, Paratico.

My trick to adjusting my body to the local time is to hit the ground running and stay awake the first day, not giving in to the temptation of sleeping when it’s normal sleep time back at home.

My record is flying up to the far north of Sweden to visit my sister and her then husband inside the Arctic circle where the sun does not set at all for a while during their summer they had a holiday cabin on an island on an archipelago.

It was so surreal. Sitting on a jetty on a very remote island in northern reaches of Sweden, no noise, golden sunlight reflecting off the calm water at 3am.

A moment that will be with me forever.

Back to my record, a very late night the night before I leave Australia, (as it is tradition amongst my friends to get the traveler surprisingly drunk the night before flying), I flew from Brisbane to Bangkok, Bangkok to London, London to Stockholm, Stockholm to Lue Lue then a speedboat ride out to my stepbrother and sister’s island to drop off my bags and another speedboat ride back to a pub that was an old boat where I had convinced the locals that I had come to film a documentary about a natural phenomenon that was going to occur, a tidal wave was going to sweep through the lake like waters of the archipelago, I would jump onto the wave from a helicopter that was filming, not a very good story but it was all my brother in law and I could come up with and it earned me the nickname ‘tsunami Phil’ amongst the locals.

The sun was up and I had a Kronenberg in my hand at 4am.

72 hours I’ll never get back, but I’m sure I set some sort of record.

Surprisingly I slept like a baby.

The trip here was VERY ordinary, from Brisbane to Singapore I had some kids behind me that were not quiet at all for 9 hours and managed to bump my tiny chair every time I was almost asleep.

I made friends with a guy called Tom from Australia’s Sunshine Coast, it was his first major trip on his own and he was going to Italy, what a way to start! All the best Tom if you read this, Be street smart and enjoy yourself.

Our plane re - fuelled in Singapore (changi airport), (which is huge), I disembarked and freshened up and by the time I had done that it was time for take off. Another 9 hour jump and then we changed planes in Dubai.

Australia is a new market for this airline so they use newer equipment to lure clientele, yes their planes were newer but the service was very poor and airline food is already bad enough but this helped consolidate that, we flew economy but we really felt it. (it’s called cattle class and often it feels like this, this was one of those times).

And from Dubai it only got worse.

In my many years of extensive travel Singapore airlines hold the trophy. And it’s very affordable too, so I would encourage you to try them and judge for yourself.

Dubai’s cityscape and coastline are very impressive from the air and the architectural design of the airport is very good too. Neat, efficient, practical, easy to negate and lots of natural light.

Then a 6.5 hour flight into Milan. (malpensa).

A long trip, but it’s worth it.

Transition is Good. (not only on a skateboard).

What a hectic few weeks!
M.R.I.'s, blood tests, moving, ultrasounds and a C.T. scan I was meant to have ETC.
I will be radioactive man for real.

I just found out yesterday, (16th), that I have an opportunity to go away to Italy, so I'm going to take it.
I was very hesitant to go because I have so much going on here. (it's funny, people think that I have a lot of time to burn. definitely not the case).

I lived and worked in Milan in 2003 and it was definitely a turning point in my life, I made some VERY good friends there, 1 guy in particular Alessandro.

He has family here on Australia's, Gold Coast, who, subsequently are very good friends of mine. Where I lived , (in one of milan's ghetto's), my flatmate was from Chicago, U.S. and I introduced Ale to one of the girls that was also studying at one of Milan's university's on transfer from the U.S.
My life over there was rich with language, fashion, realism, street culture, people, good times, transition, travel, surrealism, emotion and learning.

The lead up to going wasn't looking good at all and EVERYTHING was flowing against this opportunity.
My personal life was showing cracks and faults, it was a very trying time that very nearly broke me.
Everything in life said not to go, that is why Italy, (Milan), will always have a place in my heart.

I went away thinking it would be refreshing to be over there.
I was in for a seriously big shock. Talk about being thrown in the deep end!
I wont go into details, it would take LOTS of writing and reading that I'll save for my "one day" book.

But all the sacrifices I made were worthwhile for the 4 years of seasonal fashion shows I did.
The things I saw and experienced were invaluable.

The last time I saw my good friend Alessandro I was healthy, fit and well. I have given up explaining over the phone what happened to me but will be really good to see him and other friends over there.



Oh and did I mention that I'm seeing 2 doctors that have been following my case too? It will be good to get their opinion!



This is mostly possible because of PhilTRON and your kind donations, so THANK YOU!

Updates pending.

Not so Stealth. Peakaboo!

I went to the cinema with my children and a photographer for a local newspaper took our photo.
What a way to raise the value of a free newspaper!

Note my t – shirt, (for those that unfortunately don’t know), “RAD” was a cult 1980’s BMX film.
Some people say that “Gone with the Wind” and “Ben Hur” are cinematic masterpieces. “RAD” is one of mine.

I was so happy with my purchase that I got my boy a hoody.
Just incase you missed it.

I think I have issues….

Wealthy. (not in a bling way).

I had a get together with my best friend the other day, (i don’t see him very often as he works abroad), we were talking and catching up on things and I confided about how things had been tough lately and I had let things get to me but I was holding up.

I likened our friendship to being in the trenches, someone who has got your back, someone who you wouldn't hesitate to die for if you needed to, someone that you love like family.
Trust and loyalty.

I said to him that hanging out and talking to him was a good thing in my life a sense of release and escape.

No judgment.
Normality.

Some people pay someone for this.
I, because of my illness, am one of those people.
It’s just another thing I do, but hanging with friends is much needed, no medication or therapy can substitute it.

Yes occasionally I let things get to me, I am human, but seeing my friend and just being can’t be bought.
I like to think, so there is never awkward silence, just good times and for a little while my crazy world slips away.

When I get down, it’s like words can’t console me but just spending time with friends and my 2 beautiful children it forces me to snap out of it and wake up.

Things could be far worse.

I used to say I am the richest man alive before I became ill and I still stand by that.

I Demand a Pair of Ironed Y - Fronts Post Haste!

I'm THAT guy.

32, single, father of two, living with his mum.

Mmmm Hmmm!

What a catch!

Yeah GALZ!

Ha ha!

I laugh because its not looking good for me and my heterosexuality at all, a hairstylist who used to do Ballet who is living temporarily with his mum.

Ladykiller.

Good Times.

I went to a gig last Thursday night, (the 28th), with the guys that put the PhilTRON event together to see a band called “And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead”.

One of my personal favorite bands.

A huge name.
It sounds like the name of a death metal band.
It's hard to describe their sound.

Loud.

Not death metal though.
They are a 5 piece from the east coast of the U.S., with a Russian or Eastern European influence and have two drummers.

The sound mix was dodgy, it let them down.
But I know how they sound without a bad mix.
Good.

2 drummers!
That’s right, 2 drummers.

If you’re not into loud music the album artwork is very intricate and definitely worth a look.

A friend of mine who has very similar interests as me gave me their first album back in 2001 and when I went to work in Milan their music came with me everywhere in my Discman, (keeping it real, Discman styles) (before the technology it was the walkman, cassette styles), skateboarding, photographing, walking the streets, on the train, on a plane or watching the world go by all done while listening to music.

And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead has been with me through all sorts of experiences unlocking feelings, memories and emotions that only music can.

Hurrah!!

I haven't crawled under a rock lately, quite the opposite, I have just been so pre-occupied that in my downtime I am too fatigued to update this, balancing my illness, fatherhood, a business and moving is taxing even for anyone.

My Internet is still down, but I have heaps of quirky story's to share in my defence.

Watch this space!