Mood: Devastated...

On Christmas morning, at 5:30am, my lifelong best friend, and best man at my wedding, Christopher Alan Zoumbilys, died at the wheel of his car, aged 21 years old.

He was speeding, doing 150km/h coming around a roundabout in McCraken St, Essendon, and crashed into a tree, killing him instantly.

He had his cousin and soulmate, Nick, in the passenger seat. He escaped with head injuries, but lived.

The tree Chris hit was right outside the fence of our school.

I loved my mate. He was my brother. For ten years, he has always been there for me, making me laugh. I could always rely on him for anything. He would move heaven and earth for me in an instant. But not just for me. Chris would do anything for anyone. Doesn't matter who you are, if he called you a friend, he would do so for life.

I am very proud to claim myself his best mate. It is an honoured and privileged position, and I will forever remember my brother in my heart.

Chris, I know you are up there mate, sitting at the right hand of the Lord Christ. Your name means Bearer Of Christ, and you beared Christ for every man woman and child who ever met you.

Please don't crash God's laptop though mate, we don't need an angry God right now

Say G'day to your grandfather for me. Say G'day to my grandmother Betty for me, she loved you too mate, could never get her head around your wacky antics but loved you nevertheless.

I will see you one day, I'll be eighty or ninety years old, a great-great-grandfather, and I will hug you and tell you how miserable my life was without your laughter and cheekiness. Then I will turn to the Lord, and he will have some mighty explaining to do to me, to make me understand finally why I had to lose you.

Until that day, I promise to look after your family.

May you rest in peace, and go with God.

May God see your purity of heart, and bless you.

I'm sure he has already mate.

Your friend, now and forever,

Ryan. Skip. D-oh-nut. Stretch. Dopey.

Brother.

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Nothing without my mate

Mood: Feel Better Than God
Listening to: I Believe I Can Fly - our dance was to this song!

What's the emoticon for "Feel Better Than God"??

We finally reached the 22 week mark. So we went for an ultrasound in Murdoch, and guess what everybody??

ROGER MOORE IS THE PROUD FATHER OF ONE TINY LITTLE MIRACLE - AND THAT MIRACLE (LIKE MANY) IS MALE!!

A boy! One day... a man!

Someone to play footy with me and my first son. Two sons!!

TWO BLOODY BEA-YOO-TI-FUL LITTLE BOYS OF MY VERY OWN!!!

As you can see, I'm over-the-fucken moon about it! Of course!!

Two little guys to come camping. Fishing. Anything.

Too happy to write any more...

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S e r i o u s   A m a t e u r   P h o t o g r a p h e r and Husband, And Father Of Two!

Mood: Married!!
Listening to: I Believe I Can Fly - our dance was to this song!

Well, after all the planning, and hullabaloo, we finally did it!!

On Saturday 6th November, 2004, I awaited my bride at Centenary Park, WA, who looked absolutely stunning in her simple white dress. She looked totally like an angel, and I was so nervous I kept telling the minister I was going to puke in the lake we were standing beside. Thankfully, I didn't.

I did, however, listen to my buddies' great idea of hitting the piss the night before! Add to that total stupidity, I got into a fight with an ex-girlfriend, who was obviously shitty I was getting married and was happy, and she punched me just below the eye. To make matters even worse, she had a ring on, and tore a chunk out of my face!

So I patched it up with one of those little invisible bandaids that aren't really that invisible, and hoped for the best. I prayed all night that Simone would understand, and not beat me further for ruining every one of our wedding shots.

And then, on his white horse, came Prince Photoshop to the rescue...

As a consequence of this, it will be a while before I get all my wedding photos up on dA, because I have to edit the chunk out of my cheek!

Oh well, I guess it'll be a story to tell one day. I told our guests I walked into a tree though, because telling them your ex hit you the night before your wedding day is not really that classy...

On the dA front, I've been incredibly dull, boring and most of all idle lately, and for that I apologise. At least now the wedding's over, I reckon I could get a year's RPL for any logistics and management course in the world! I had family fighting, cousins going nuts, the whole lot, plus a wedding that was looking like costing about a grand more than we could afford... All up though, we did it pretty well, and had an awesome day.

I'd like to pass on one message to all you bachelors out there: If you think marriage sounds scary, try telling your bride you have half your face missing on the morning of her wedding! If she doesn't have Fat Tony come around and "fix" you up for ruining her entire life, she loves you... marry her...

(Yes, my beautiful wife loves me. She was so fantastic about it all... I love you Simone, if you're reading this...)

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S e r i o u s   A m a t e u r   P h o t o g r a p h e r and Husband, And Father Of Two!

Mood: Elated
Listening to: X Goin Give It To Ya
Reading: Interview With The Vampire - Anne Rice
Watching: The Good The Bad & The Ugly Collectors Edition DVD

Well, it took some time, but I'm finally back onto the Internet.

Let's put this momentuous occasion in some sort of perspective, shall we? Let's see... the last time I was on the Internet on a regular basis, was back in January, 2002! It has really been that long.

Since then, I've joined dA, maintained my profile and accomplished my tiny amount of pageviews utilising internet cafes and the ISP accounts of close friends and relatives, or, by using the Defence network onboard my ship. Unfortunately, they banned dA as a site "Unessential for military purposes", or something like that.

So the other day, I joined up with dodo, and now have internet access whenever I want it! So look out, I should be uploading lots of photos, as soon as I sort it all out and get an "assembly line" running so I can process and present some of my better material...

But, anyway, I'm just happy to now have a regular access method to dA, the only reason I use the internet is mainly for this site anyway, besides some banking...

And to all those whose work I haven't yet commented on, or journals I've not acknowledged, I apologise and hereby vow to make a better effort, now that I have the means to do so.

Look after yourselves.

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S e r i o u s   A m a t e u r   P h o t o g r a p h e r and Husband - to - be, And Father Of Two!

Mood: Runnin amok. Kids...
Listening to: X Goin Give It To Ya
Reading: Interview With The Vampire - Anne Rice
Watching: The Good The Bad & The Ugly Collectors Edition DVD

Sorry I haven't been on here lately, things are very hectic trying to prepare for my upcoming wedding, which is only in five weeks or so...

I have been able to take a very few photos, but unfortunately my laptop is still being fixed, so I can't upload them yet. It's due back very soon, and once I'm back on my photographic feet again, I'll be uploading shit-tins of them. I have photos from Christmas Island, Melbourne, Perth, all to share with you wonderful people very soon. So please stand by me, and bare with me...

I also noticed, I have 1,205 pageviews!! Fucken Aye!! That's a big deal for me, I've been here for a while now, and it's taken me months to get that 1st K.

Once I get my laptop and internet back up and working, I'll be commenting and viewing everyone's galleries, but for now I'm at a smelly LANworld centre, a place for video game nerds to stink out with their unwashed bodies, so I'm kinda keen to get out of here. I'll see you all in good time, until then, be good to each other, and keep supporting those awesome artists on here at the moment.

Smell ya later.

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S e r i o u s   A m a t e u r   P h o t o g r a p h e r and Husband - to - be, And Father Of Two!