New adventures! New adventures! Two really good friends, Nicky and Cookie, have since October been chewing of mile by mile meter by meter of Te Araroa — the epic 3000 kilometer trail across New Zealand, stretching from Cape Reinga at the top of the north island to Bluff at the bottom of the south island.
In the beginning of March Oliver Wright and I will be joining them at Mount Cook to traverse down to Queentown. That’s roughly 14 days of walking, bathing, climbing and, last but not least — photographing.
You can follow Nicky and Cookies progress on www.nickyandcookie.com.
I’m well excited!
At the end of April, at 00:43am on the 28th to be precise, I published a journal entry titled ‘Turn the page‘, where I explained that I was about to depart on a spiritual and physical voyage to recharge batteries, gather new impressions and invest some time into interests that had been neglected due to the limitations that comes with a 40 hour work week.
I’m back now — been back for a few months — and it’s time to write some thoughts down. Not the easiest task I have you know; where does one start to tell the tale of a 123 days long break that was spent in 8 different countries and many more cities and places? For sure it would have been easier if I took notes over the course… but that would have been to easy… wouldn’t it? (to be frank (and who doesn’t want to be Mr Frank), if I’d found time earlier I would have done this earlier, but the limitation that comes with a 40 hours work week once again is at work and I’ve had this post as a draft for a couple of months….)
So let’s start by pin down a few key dates, give them some headlines and then fill them with some reflection and thoughts.
A small note. This entry turned out being quite ambitious and… yeah… rather long. I had to be shallow with the level of details at certain places simply not to turn this into a novel. Hopefully you’ll find it interesting anyway. If not, at least the collages of photographs turned out rather nice.
Read all of it
A while ago I wrote about how a up-and-coming fashion designer made me wish I could dress as a girl, later I wrote about how the same amazing designer made me a pair of trousers, now, I’m writing to say that she has a new collection out, and that she got a showroom located on 95 Cvijceva street in Belgrade, and that she have started to take orders via her Facebook page!
So, common, go and order yourself some lovely clothes and support this lovely and talented fashion designer. I’ve already purchase another 3 pair of trousers, and am as pleased with them as I was with the first pair.
Apparently, sometimes all your computer gadgets reach their end around the same time. Between June and September, I have acquired a new iPad, iPod, iPhone and MacBook Pro. This means the iPad is the oldest pieace of Apple technology I own. A small correction: I forgot, I have a iMac tucked away, too.
I like bags. I have many. An old girlfriend pointed out that I probably had more bags than she, and that this was slightly odd (me being a man), so we counted. Turned out we had the exact same amount. But… I had bought 3 of hers, so even if it was a tie, I kind of won this pathetic game of bag-obsession.
One of the bags I bought her was the 2 Unfold from Hard Graft. It was a valentine present. The bag turned out being extremely nice and I developed bag-envi. She let me borrow it from time to time, but as we separated the bag and I separated, too… so I got my own.
The only negative thing I have to say about this bag is:
a) I doesn’t fit my camera.
b) It steels my thunder. You simply can’t walk around with this bag without people commenting on how nice it is.
So… hmmm… maybe Hard Graft can add a camera bag that fits a larger DLSR to their collection? I mean, can you have to many bags?
On the 10th of October I reached a milestone with my running endeavour and completed my first real race; the 10km Hässelbyloppet.
My goal was to get in under 50min, so I’m very pleased with a 43:34. But, with better preparation (no drinks the night before…), more experience (way too much energy left for the last 500 meter) and… not a slightly strained and swollen ankle; I think I could have cut off another minute or two.
My next milestone is to complete a half marathon. Based on this results, I should be aiming towards a low 1:40. But, i’m not making any promises just yet. First an intense pre-season training will take place.
By the year 2019, my aim is change my name to Nicolaile Nuzzalassie.
Last summer was splattered with weddings, this summer wasn’t. Thankfully. If it was I would have either turned them down or not jettset around the world.
No, this summer just had one and it was in the later summer. More like autumn. Late September.
Christofer Falkman and I got to know each other as fellow band members of Jupither. After we both departed from that specific path, we have embarked on a similar journey career-wise. We both work as designers. So we have stayed in contact, as friends and via our shared interest.
For the wedding Christofer ask if I wanted to bring my camera and take a few photos. They weren’t hiring a professional photographer, so they kindly asked if I wouldn’t mind capture a few during the evening. They were very specific, though, that I was there as guests and not as a photographers, and that I had to prioritise the party over the favor I’d been asked.
Having my Nikon as my +1 did make me slightly nervous, but in no way close to the nervousness one of last years wedding brought; when I was asked to play and sing a song in church, but I am quite inexperience as a photographer and have mainly only shot for my own purpose and benefits. To be able to deliver for a occasion like this made me a bit uneasy, but I thought it was a perfect setting to try it out.
The wedding was a beautiful low-key wedding held in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was lovely. The highlight of the evening was when they both sang a song for each other. Many tears where shed.
The photographs turned out really well. They are pleased and so am I. Some of can be seen below, some were featured on oncewed.com and more are available on my Flickr account. Since the party was a priority, the photographs kind of ends as the party began. Just as promised.
