We have this neighbour, his name's Michael..

Like most people around this area (we are living in government housing/council flat), he is on the pension, and thus has a lot of free time on his hands.

He makes a bit of spare pocket money, by keeping his eyes open for any bits of thrown away and abandoned scrap metals,and collects them to take to a scrap metal recycling depot not far from where we live here in Sydney.

Anyhow, the other day, he took me along for the ride, and showed me where he goes with whatever he manages to collect...

This set me to thinking that perhaps I could be doing the same thing..

Finding work has not been easy, and I'm continuously plagued with money concerns.. So I decided to check the bins around us, and look for tin cans from drinks..

So many of them just end up in land fills, so environmentally it's a great little task for me to pursue.. So far, I've put about 1 and a half hours effort into it, and collected about 4 kilograms of cans..

The going rate for aluminum is about $2000 per tonne, so I've just figured I must have about $2s worth..

Enough for 2 avos..

Shoot.. there must be an easier way for me to manifest money..

Meanwhile.. being winter already, the temperature has dropped at night times and early mornings, and not having any central heating of any kind, it is now a common occurrence to see us huddled up with hot water bottles..

Oh..we are both so much looking forward to heading north into the tropics, and impatient for september '09 to arrive with my paperwork all wrapped up and processed.

Peace,
Mango.

Yeah, I did try to keep my journal attached to my main website http://www.fruitnut.net, but since I've been using Flock as my browser, I've just found it so easy to update my blog on blogspot, and have missed not being able to do the same with my fruitnut journal blog too.. hence it's here now, and can now be maintained and updated simply and smoothly from Flock..

I decided, as there were not so many posts on the other blog, that I would move them all here, and have just completed that process.. The only things that didn't really come out as they should have done, are the comments, which got dated with the date of transfer, not the original dates..

Well. Glad that's over..

So on to other things..

Life's good.. Kveta and I have just done 9 days on juices (see: Juice Feasting - June 2008).. Great stuff..  Orange juices for me, and Grape juices for Kveta.. No difficulties, good and beneficial experience  as always.

This is a little picture of me and me niece
 playing in the sand on a beach in spain..

But we're back on the durians now..Durians, tomatoes, pineapples, grapefruit, bananas, avocados, oranges and apples.. I think that about sums up what's currently in the house..

For the past couple of months, I've been making juices daily for our nextdoor neighbour who is morbidly obese.. She's still eating all the other junk that she has become accustomed to, but including the juices is hopefully making her eat less of it. The result is the last 2 times she has gone to be weighed, she has lost 2kgs..

Perhaps it wasn't the right thing for me to do, but I told her I lost 5kgs in the last 10 days, from drinking just orange juice.. I was trying to make her see how quick she could regain a normal weight if she did the right thing..  But whatever, 4kgs loss is still a big thing for her, as prior to starting on the juices, she was not losing at all (probably the opposite).. Now with the juices, it's helping her to go to the bathroom, something she surely wasn't doing regularly with constant constipation she suffers with..

hugs to all,
Mango

How fortunate am I, to not be the guy in the picture below..

Though, strangely enough.. How fortunate am I to be that guy.. too..

If that's confused you, I'd better explain..

You see, that really is me, just over a week ago, I was fortunate enough to be offered a featured extra role in a 10 minute short film that's being made here in Sydney.. It's being called "The Art of Darts and Dying" and is basically a short story, taking place in the 1970s about some guy called Terry who's basically squandered his life away, playing darts, drinking beer, gambling and smoking.. Meanwhile neglecting his wife and family and getting in to large debt.

He seizes a chance to get out of trouble by agreeing to play a single game of darts against the devil. And looses.

The whole film takes place within a pub (the Hollywood Hotel in Sydney CBD).

My role, was to be a wheelchair bound, regular pub going, down and out, smoking, drinking, pokey machine addict.. So throughout pretty much most of the story, I have my face glued to the hypnotic glowing lights of the one-armed-bandit machines..

- And that's the guy I'm so so fortunate not to be..

There were some years, when I was a regular pub goer and beer drinker.. Never a smoker, but certainly taking in my fair share of passive smoke from fellow pub going regulars..

..So here I am, thanking the Divine, that I have had insight enough to see through the haze of smoke and intoxicated blood, to realise that things can be very different.

I'm sooo glad, instead, to be a clean living, nature loving, fruit juicing fruitarian.

Peace,
Mango.
PS the featured extra work was for 2 weeks only, so officially I am unemployed again.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Like I said, I quit the junk mail delivery job a week ago, so am officially unemployed again..

I had thought I had some "extras" work lined up for me in the Wolverine movie being filmed here in Sydney, but I got a call a day or 2 ago telling me that they changed their minds, and didn't want me for it anymore.. They did the same thing with Kveta a week ago too..

So idle hands here..

Excepting of course that I'm playing in the garden most days..

I also realise that I have once more postponed writing the book I've been off and on for years already..

I went pretty well with it for 2 or 3 weeks, then somehow just stopped.. Somewhere just short of about 100 pages.. Not sure quite what it is with me, I get enthused about it, and then for some reason loose interest, or focus my attentions entirely elsewhere..  I just wish I could be disciplined enough to see it through to it's end, and then focus on publishing it..

One day..

So what job am I going to have next? Any ideas? Anyone want to employ me?

hugs,
mango.

Sunday was my little niece's 3rd birthday.. She's back in the UK, so needless to say, I missed it.. much as I did her 2nd one too..

I'm feeling like I'm doing a lousy job as an uncle, and godfather, and really missing not being there to witness her growing up and childhood.

I spoke briefly with her on the phone, but it was clear she had no real idea who I was, and if she remembers me at all, it'll no doubt just be vague memories by now..

This is me and Amelia

Sorry Amelia!

I've probably said this already, but looks still very likely that Kveta and I will be staying in Sydney until around September 2009. All things considered, it seems the safest bet still, and the path of least resistance while my visa issues get sorted and until my foot is firmly in the door, so to speak.

The job I've been doing I've decided to quit on Friday. I've been weighing up the pros and cons of it, and despite enjoying the walking, being my own boss, with no dress code to be adhered to or need for shoes, it's always been a nagging issue with me about the whole ethics of delivering junk mail.. Like, all of it ends up in some land fill, not to mention the poor trees.. And it isn't paying me enough either..

So I really need to find myself some other work.. Something more suitable.. Not sure what yet.. Something local, flexible, outdoor when the weather's right, with no worries that my feet are unshod or that my hair is wild and unkempt..

Hopefully I might get some more extras work too.. That'd be good as that pay's pretty well and is relatively easy.

Peace to all,
Mango

So yeah, I got myself a temporary visa that should see me through until September 2009, and which should then get me a permanent Aussie visa..

I came over to Australia for the first time in about 1997, I think it was.. And fell in love with the place pretty much immediately, but getting to live here indefinitely never really seemed feasible, as I fell short a point or 2 (immigration laws work on a points based system,and without enough of them, there's fat chance of getting ones foot in the door)..

But I put out for it.. Sent a silent prayer to the universe, and then dropped it..

And the universe listens, kveta came in to my life making it possible and offering me a hand to hold too. Thanks Kveta.

It's on going.. and miracles continuously happen..

Take my work, I really wanted to get something that'd bring in a little income, allow me to be my own boss of hours, and not complain that I was bare foot, as money had once more become a stressful issue in my life, so there it was.. Perfect, a delivery job available for the area I live in.. Not paying a fortune, but bags me between $64 and $100 a week, which may be enough for me to live on.

And the first day I started on it, I was using a trolley that Kveta had, carrying 200 catalogues, when the wheels buckled, and I was stranded 3 streets from home thinking oh shit.. then it started raining, and I wondered how I was going to carry everything home without wheels, when there it was in front of me, a toddlers pram.. just what I needed, abandoned by some bins.

The Divine really does provide..

Footsteps in the Sand

Hugs,
Mango.

No, noone has dropped a bomb anywhere.. at least not in this neck of the woods..

But some days ago, I got a letter dated 1st April, stating that my application for a visa to Australia has been approved and granted!!

Wow, after 7 and a half months wait, I finally got it.!!.

After reading the small print though, I realised that us escaping Sydney will not be as easy as we had hoped..It seems we have to have a forwarding address before we leave. And we had hoped to just up and explore the tropical yonder..

My visa is a 2 year temporary visa, beginning the date the visa application was lodged, so that means that from around september 2009, I get a permanent ozzy residency visa, and will be able to travel around the country as I desire.. So a slight spanner in our plans, as we may be sticking around here until that time.

More news..

I got some more work as an extra coming up in May.. Once more for the movie Wolverine being filmed here in Sydney.. And I also have some catalog delivery work, so finally a few pennies should start coming in soon..

....

Kveta and I are on day 6 of juices..

THIRSTY?

hugs,
Mango.

Yes, still no news.The immigration office are really not keeping me informed at all as to the progress of my visa application. It's been 7 monts now since the application was lodged..

I guess there is no real hurry..

Recently I have started working on my book again. It's been a while since I did anything constructive with it, but now it seems I am finally getting drawn into it again..- I'm wishfully thinking to get it done before we finally get the all clear and leave Sydney.

A voice from the Far North of Queensland rang me a few days ago..My good friend Jef. Been a while since I heard from him, so nice to catch up on all the gossip from that area..

Also, I noticed that that advert I was working in, mentioned in my last post, is now airing on TV. You can see it on Youtube too.. 

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsaxSpv9lmU

I am only very briefly visible in it on several occasions, but you'ld really have to know my looks pretty well and be ready with the pause button to have any chance of spotting me..

They still haven't paid me for that.

Autumn's here, and temperature has dropped a little, the sea feels like someone has thrown a bucket full of icebergs into it..

hugs,
 Mango.