Craigs Universe: April 2005

My favourite girl in the world xxxxx

I so love this song at the moment YAY for Missy Higgins

"The Special Two"

I've hardly been outside my room in days,
'cause I don't feel that I deserve the sunshine's rays.
The darkness helped until the whiskey wore away,
And it's then I realize the conscience never fades.
When you're young you have this image of your life:
That you'll be scrupulous and one day even make a wife.
And you make boundaries you'd never dream to cross,
And if you happen to you wake completely lost.
But I will fight for you, be sure that
I will fight until we're the special two once again.

And we will only need each other, we'll breathe together,
Our hands would not be taught to hold another's,
When we were the special two.
And we could only see each other, we'd breathe together,
These arms will not be taught to need another,
'Cause we were the special two.

I remember someone old once said to me:
"Lies will lock you up with truth the only key."
But I was comfortable and warm inside my shell,
And couldn't see this place would soon become my hell.
So is it better to tell and hurt or lie to save their face?
Well I guess the answer is don't do it in the first place.
I know I'm not deserving of your trust from you right now,
But if by chance you change your mind you know I will not
Let you down 'cause we were the special two, and will be again.

And we will only need each other, we'll breathe together,
Our hands will not be taught to need another's,
When we're the special two.
And we could only see each other we'll breathe together,
These arms will not be taught to need another...

I step outside my mind's eye's for a minute.
And I look over me like a doctor looking for disease,
Or something that could ease the pain.
But nothing cures the hurt you, you bring on by yourself,
Just remembering, just remembering how we were...

Their first gig at the Coogee Bay Hotel . Trashy Sundays is what they call themselves all up a great first gig.

Rodger with his new board you might notice he spends more time in the air than on the ground.

This is something you might never know without me . Nearly all the brands of surfwax read like the shelf of a sex shop in 1976. This is a packet of wax.

Cal these shots are gorgeous, Cals a good mate a photographer of unbelievable passion shooting the Sebstar showing off.

Seb gettin deep in a some shore break

Cal man these shots are fabulous thank you so much yo dude yo

TO LIGHTEN YOURDAY!!!

DEALING WITH RUDE CUSTOMERS
>A LESSON FOR ALL EMPLOYEES WHO WORK WITH RUDE CUSTOMERS!!!
>
>Indeed, an award should go to the Virgin Airlines gate attendant in
>Sydneysome months ago for being customer focused, while making her
>point, when confronted with a passenger who probably deserved to fly as
>cargo.
>
>A crowded Virgin flight was cancelled after Virgin's 767s had been
>withdrawn from service. A single attendant was re-booking a Long line
>of inconvenienced travellers. Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his
>way to the desk. He slapped his ticket down on the counter and said, I
>HAVE to be on this flight and it HAS to be NOW". The attendant replied,
>"I'm sorry sir. I'll be happy to try to help you, but I've got to help
>these people first, and I'm sure we'll be able to work something out."
>The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers
>behind him could hear, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?" Without
>hesitating, the attendant smiled and grabbed her public address
>microphone:
>
>May I have your attention please, may I have your attention please,"
>she began - her voice heard clearly throughout the terminal. We have a
>passenger here at Gate14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help
>him find his identity, please come to Gate 14."
>
>With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man glared
>at the Virgin attendant, gritted his teeth and said, "F... You!"
>Without flinching, she smiled and said, "I'm sorry, sir, but you'll
>have to get in line for that too."

Sebastian going for it on his foamy.

He says to me ; I love tucking in dad I love getting tubes, here is Seb "tucking in" doing what he loves .

Letting Go

Letting Go.

Letting Go

Sometimes we need to "let go or be dragged".

I have been thinking a lot lately about acceptance, and how it actually changes things. For example: have you ever noticed how hard it is to change your mate, while a little more acceptance goes a long way towards transforming your relationship? Ultimately, I can change myself; that is about as far as it goes, although the ripple effect definitely filters further outwards. In a deeper sense, transforming myself transforms the world. That is why Buddha said: “When I was enlightened, all were enlightened, even the rocks and the trees.” the following is from a guy called Lama Surya Das.

Acceptance has its own transformative magic. Letting go means letting be. Cultivating this panaceic inner virtue has helped me become far more patient, tolerant, empathic and open-minded.

The Buddhist PeaceMaster Shantideva said, long ago:
“Anger is the greatest evil.
Patient forbearance is the hardest practice.”

Patient forbearance is the third transcendental virtue and transformative power (“paramita”) of the Bodhisattva, the peaceful spiritual warrior. Cultivating inner discipline and integrity raises our standard for living and brings purpose and meaning to our lives. Facing our difficulties with courage and fortitude can bring us spiritual satisfaction and riches beyond measure. This is a time in our history to become sacred warriors for peace, not warmongers or mere worriers. Anger and fear are the roots of violence, as we know.

The Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna said: “Contentment is the greatest form of wealth.” Contentment should never be confused with complacence and indifference. There are various types of wealth in this world, but let me assure you that cultivating equanimity, spiritual detachment and heartfelt acceptance brings an inexhaustible wealth of contentment. Incessant craving and greed knows no end, like drinking salt water in a misguided attempt to alleviate thirst. Cultivating contentment and gratitude helps us appreciate what is given rather than focusing on what may be missing or imagined.

Radical acceptance implies unconditional friendliness, the kind of openness and love that allows us to meet life as it is; which never throws anyone out of our hearts, even if we don’t like what they may think, say or do.

Love is far greater than the ego-based dichotomy of likes and dislikes. Don’t you love your child or pet, even when they disturb you and you dislike what they are doing?

Of course we all want to be better people and make this a better world. I do believe that we can and must do so. Acceptance does not mean condoning the evils, injustices and inequalities in life. However, it can help us see more clearly what is, just as it is, and how and why things work the way they do, before we attempt to enter the fray. When we calmly observe and investigate the causes of things, and the fact that nothing happens by accident, we can see far more clearly, and the truth reveals itself, whether we like it or not. Cultivating patience and acceptance has provided more mental clarity and spaciousness for me to examine input before unthinkingly responding in the classic stimulus-reaction pattern of habitual conditioning common to most of us most of the time, and at the root of so many of our problems.

Now and then, practice taking a sacred pause: breathe once and relax, calmly enjoying a moment of mindfulness and reflection before reacting -- this can dramatically increases the chances of making better choices and undertaking wiser actions. We simply have to remember to do so, again and again, until it becomes a new habit.

Letting go means letting be, not throwing things away. Letting go implies letting things come and go, and opening to the wisdom of simply allowing, which is called nonattachment. Sometimes we may not know what to do. That is a good time to do nothing. Too often compulsive overdoing creates further unnecessary complications. When at a complete loss, some put down their head, fold their hands, and rely on a higher power for clarity, guidance and direction. Myself, I bow down and, as it were, place my head in the lap of the Buddha, and await inspiration. This actually works.

Patience does not mean passivity; acceptance does not imply weakness, apathy, indifference or carelessness. We can cultivate patient forbearance and loosen our tight grip a bit by remembering the Buddhist mantra “This too shall pass.” For it will, whatever it is. I like to chant to myself the Buddhist slogan “Like a dream, like a fantasy, like an illusion,” when things seem claustrophobic and I am taking my preoccupations -- and this myself -- too seriously.

Keeping in mind the long term view and the bigger picture can help a lot when we are struggling to untie the knots in our karma, just like taking a rest from struggling with a knotted shoelace or unsuccessfully trying to remember something often leads to a sudden breakthrough when the struggle ceases. Think to yourself, when something is bothering you or a disappointment arrives: how much will this matter to me next month, next year, ten years from now? Is it really a matter of life or death, as my emotional reaction seems to insist, or just ephemeral local weather conditions which will soon be replaced by other thoughts and feelings? Thus, Buddha said to remind yourself that everything is impermanent, fleeting, contingent, like a dream, like an illusion. This will help loosen up your tight grip on unreality.

Pythagoras said: “When you are in charge, do good; when you are overruled, bear it.” This thought brings me inner strength.

Lao Tsu says, in his renowned “Tao Te Ching”, probably the wisest book ever written: “The master does her best and lets go, and whatever happens, happens.”

Here is one secret of spiritual mastery and inner peace, freedom and autonomy: It is not what happens to us, but what we make of it that makes all the difference. We can’t control the wind, but we can learn how to sail better. It’s not the hand you are dealt but how you play it, as the cliché goes.

Buddha said: “If you want to protect your feet, don’t try to cover the whole world with leather; cover your feet with shoes.” If we don’t accept ourselves, who will accept us?

I like to remind myself to recite in my head Reinhold Niebuhr’s wise prayer: “May I have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Unconditional acceptance is not static but ecstatic, vibrant, dynamically engaged in and connected with reality. It helps us to meet life all along the length of her gorgeous body, not just shaking hands with life and wading in its shallows.

The spiritual hero strides fearlessly into life’s depths, facing its incessantly undulating waves, without holding back. Unconditional acceptance is the kind of love Jesus speaks of when he taught to love thy neighbor; that Buddha meant when he said that the enemy, adversary or competitor can be one’s greatest teacher, an adage oft-quoted by the Dalai Lama.

If we cannot love and accept ourselves, how can we love and accept others? Carl Jung said: “The most terrifying thing in the world is to accept oneself totally.” What are we afraid of?

I met Aysu the Greenwood Hotel and we have been really close ever since. It gives you allot of comfort in life when you have a friend that views the world with such integrity and love.

Sebastians first flying lesson.

How cool is this kid

When Seb's age I was 4'11 byt the time I was 12 1/2 ....18 mths later I was 6' so Sebs going to change allot in the next 18 mths LOL

Pincess Elin of Canada

Who is that masked boy !

Me and my friend Clay Hogan (Paul Hogan's (Crocodile Dundee) son) he lived down the road . I fell into a fire at their place and ended up wearing socks on my hands for months. You can see the last two bandaged fingers in the picture.

Little things change overtime when I was young the beach was packed with shells, seaweed and crabs and stuff. These days a huge tractor cleans everything down to six inches deep. Now theres nothing much alive on the beach, makes a good pic though.

At the southern end of Manly someone painted a rock in pink poko dots, the story was all the local paper, it seemed to cause allot of fuss, at the northern end of the beach Queenscliff Board Riders painted a big heart directly on the headland and no one said a thing ?