The last 2 months of my life have been working on a video to promote the Ignite mission program that I'm currently on

Through the filming and editing I have ended up with over 5 hours of footage and 500+ stills of Joel as the star, Myself as bit part and camera man and Keeler as secondary camera and photographer.

So I found it funny that as I was going through this and getting more photos of myself (See blog below). I also received my DVDs from home.

I say my DVDs, not just because I own them but because I actually acted, and helped out with them. A mate of mine, (Hi Dave!), has a huge passion for media and script writing, and brought me on to work on some of his movies.

So the main reason I'm blogging is that his Film Company Website - Marley's Ghost Productions has finally gone live and to give it a plug, feel free to have a visit.

If your interested in seeing the videos, for those in Australia, either get in touch with Dave *cough* www.marleysghost.com.au *cough* or one of those who acted and for those in Canada I'm happy to lend my copies out.

But if you want a little taste of what they're like, just before I left I helped make a short film with one of my Best Friends Claire (the Lazy Bear :P) so CLICK HERE to have a look. I was actually impressed with my small part. The video is only 5 minutes, so you guys should be able to spare it ;)

Anyways I guess this part of me, the acting bit, has really been on hold since being in Canada, and I do miss it, so was good to see this stuff.

So any of you guys ever been in short films? Also tell us what you think of the short film?

¶ 2:04 PM //  

She seems to remember everyone elses, so she deserves her special Day

Happy Birthday Kirsten, 23 Years and still going strong



Yeah it still makes me laugh

Hope you have a great day K, hope you get your paper done too ;)

¶ 3:20 PM //  

Okay I so don't understand it, but Canadians/Americans love the Australian accent.

I went out with Curtis a couple of days ago to meet some of his friends and one of his mates was just so interested in my accent and Australia, and it was weird. But with my foreign-ness in this country, other things have been coming out, as different quotes or phrases that I have, some being Australian, and some just being little quirks of me.

So it’s really a simple little blog, what sayings do you have that you say a lot?

Over the last two weeks, Curtis has instilled into me the saying "Good Times", it seems to fit the moment when it actually is good, or more importantly, when ironically it isn't. And it’s come to the point that Esther was counting how many times I said it one night, when a group of us went to see Kung Fu Hustle (awesome film if u like Kung Fu Comedies).

Another one of late has been, "Lets Kick this Puppy", mainly said during the editing of the Ignite Promotional Video that I have just finished (will be available on www.ignitegapyear.com soon). It (the puppy quote) mean, lets get going, or lets get this thing finished and in all honesty I have no idea where this saying came from because I'd really like to know.

My favourite Canadian saying that I have picked up is 'Sure'. Seriously some of the Canadians I've been around use this word way too much to get out of making decisions. "Hey u want to go to the movies?" "Sure" It doesn’t mean that someone really wants to do it but gives them the option to pull out, eugh, oh well I've been using in return :)

My other one, that I know at least one of my team members have picked up, is "Love your work"

Another few notable mentions, Freak Yeah (Mooolate ;), Nice.... (Ivany Family), Awww that’s nice (Bear)

So I guess the question is? What are some favourite Sayings/Quotes? Or even if possible what are some that you hear me always say?

¶ 2:08 PM //  

I have found it! The first picture ever I think I look cool in....



So what do you think?
I look so rugged; there is a first for everyone. This photo was taken during filming the promotional video for the Ignite Program (that I’m on) I'm (co)Producing it, working the camera, and during one of the scenes, the man in the back was breaking apart an old desk and making a racket (sp) so I decided to go help him finish the desk off, so he could be on his way and we could continue filming.

But I look cool (don't worry about the modesty thing its coming soon), see this is kind of a different thing to me. Growing up a camera was foreign after the age of 12 or so I stopped being in photos, not sure what happened, maybe the usual puberty growing stopped it, or maybe that was when I was defining my self image, but well there wasn't any photos. The next one I remember was me with the worst flat top hair cut ever, and that made me again not want photos.

See when I ever saw myself, and still till today, I don't equate what I actually look like to what I think I look like. It's hard to imagine that’s me, and when I see myself in photos I just don't like the look. And I know most (note I said most) people feel this way.

My guess it all comes from self esteem (okay maybe not all). I know that contrary to my persona, I have a pretty low self esteem (my confidence comes from over compensating) and the fact that I didn't look as 'cool' or 'good' as I hoped was just my imagination.

But I'm thinking as I more and more understand how much God actually loves us and that if he loves us and gave his son for us, why shouldn't we love ourselves. This is a hard concept to get around, I know I fight self worth problems all the time, but I know that the more I do feel worthy, the more God is apparent to me.

So what you do think? Don’t think u look the way you do? Think my picture is cool? :)

¶ 3:29 PM //  

Time to update your links guys

i've moved my other website.
(The one with all the pictures and Canadian adventures)

It's no longer a MSN Groups, but with the release of Messenger 7.0
I now have an msn space. All my old photos and logs have been moved on
and those of you who have me on MSN will get a little sparkling star next to my name when i update my site

The site can be found at http://spaces.msn.com/members/ryhawk or from the link on the side, marked 'My Overseas Adventures' ->

Hope that sounds cool

Will resume normal broadcasting soon

¶ 7:40 PM //  

Hi my name is Matt, and I am a certified doofus,

Well maybe not certified, but if anyone wants to give me a certification, I'll frame it.

I say this because I have been firmly displaying one of my spiritual gifts of late. See I don't have the usual gifts, I’ve been allocated with such unusual ones as, the gift of Public Rambling (Claire can attest to this), the gift of bring up random conversations that happened 10 minutes ago, as well as the gift of random useless knowledge.

But my greatest gift is of Oral Podiatry or otherwise known as Foot in Mouth Disease. If there was one person who would always pick the wrong time to bring up a topic, it be me. (Nearly any girl I have been close to can attest to this)

I think one of my greatest (if that’s the right word) moments, was at one of my first music camps. I had gone as this very innocent young boy actually not knowing a thing about girls and unbeknown to me had a nice girl follow me to camp (we'll call her N). So while the camp proceeded I realised that this girl had an interest but it wasn't reciprocated, so I had to have many a conversations around the topic and other things like she not getting enough of my attention, but while this was going on I had struck up a really good friendship with another girl (L).

So here I was, on the bus going home sitting next to L and again not knowing to me, N was sitting across from me. And well I started talking to L about girls and I brought up how this girl (N) had come to camp, and that I had no interest at all in her and that all my family and friends were pressuring me into something and that was just even more of a reason to turn me off her.

Well after her storming out of the bus, I realised my first official foot in mouth situation has happened, and well as a few of you know it hasn't let up.

So apart from this blog being a huge sorry to all that have been affected by it. (One person especially) I just want to say I’m working on it, trying to think before I speak and in some ways learning not to speak. The mouth is an instrument of great joy or great pain and trying to make sure it is swinging toward the joy side

So feel free to pick me up on any stuff ups by my but also please have grace on a regular old doofus.

PS. Sorry it was a long one Curtis, you really need to work on you attention sp...

¶ 6:33 PM //  

You know I had a second part to my 'formula' blog that I was going to add in.
(it was already as long as the initial blog)

Not a second part to the formula as such (even though there is one) but more of a rebuttle or explanation of what I meant, but you know I'm just not much of an argumentative type of guy, specially when I know I'm kind of in the wrong

(Hence why I blogged it in the first place ;)

See I know there are people out there who'd definitely argue with me about this, and it would be lots of fun but maybe I just don't have it in me, or maybe I know I'd just get in more trouble if I tried to justify myself, or maybe its because I've just had one of the crappest days since being overseas. Hmmm which one???

I tend only to ever argue when I am 100% right or well close too, and this topic I’m no where near that, but then there's those other people who will argue about anything, the thing I say with those people is, don't you have something better to do with your time and mind power?
(Hehe this coming from a person wasting his time bogging)

Anyways I guess my question, because most blogs finish with questions, is do you think you’re argumentative, or do you just not give a ____?
(Enter your own choice of word here)

¶ 8:21 PM //  

Ever start a topic you know is going to get you in trouble?
Well here go.

2 years ago, well it would be more than 3 years ago, I went on a working Holiday to Utah, the plan was to stay with my mate Nate and arrange for work in the snow fields. Well I had my visa etc, but the work didn't pan out. I ended up living at he's University. The university otherwise known as Bringham Young U, the Mormon university. While this wasn't the funniest bit, the people were some of the nicest people I’ve ever met; the funniest bit was that I became the head relationship/advice counselor. And yeah I know at least 2 girls out there who would be thinking, he definitely shouldn’t be giving advice, but well I guess I learnt a lot from it.

Anyways that’s enough background, onto the story. So one night while I was sitting around with the boys I was living with (all 4 are now married, Mormons huh??) discussing girls etc, we came across a little formula, well I think I made it up (I don't know if that’s something to own up to but oh well) but we refined it, it went something like this.

We as English speaking cultures have a whole lot of words to describe people, words like cute, hot, sexy, classy etc, but how do we define these words, what do we think these means, and do they relate to each other. So after having this discussion we the guys we came up with a simple little formula. And after a few discussions with friends here I thought I'd bring the formulas out again, and see what reactions they'll bring

Note: (Australian/American meaning of Spunk, not English :P)

Cute + Beautiful = Sassy
Cute + Hot = Spunky
Beautiful + Hot = Sexy

What is cute, beautiful, and hot? hmm that’s kind of up to everyone's own opinion but this is kind of the simple version, it does get a bit more complicated when you put into other terms as graceful or classy, and yeah there is a expanded version, but well I’m just interested to see how many comments(criticism) I’m going to get.

And before you all jump on me, this isn't all about looks; Cuteness definitely comes from personality, voice, funness (to use a bad term) and really thinking about them, they all stem mainly from the personality and how girls conduct themselves.

Oh and if these can related to guys, um I wouldn’t really know, I haven’t thought about guys in this way ;)

So anyways, ill again put on my hat of criticism deflection, and hope that someone isn't lazy and actually comments. Seriously, there’s a little button just below this, click it, write a message, and then ok, you don't even have to log in, simple ;) *cough* Greg again! *cough*

PS. Hi mum, glad your reading this *insert nervous smile here*

¶ 3:29 PM //  

Do you really want to hurt me? Do you really want to make me cry?

Okay so singing isn't my thing. I have plenty of people *cough* Greg *cough* that really show me up when comes to that, but well I had an escapade this week and heard a different kind of singing.

Good Friday night, I was talking to a member of the church, and he mentioned that he was part of the Canadian Opera Company and I jokingly said, well could u get me free tickets, I’ve never been to the opera before. Lo and behold, 2 days later, free tickets to the dress rehearsal of he's new opera (he's not a main character). Insert a few jokes about taking dates to the opera (Thanx for them Esther :P) I ended up going on last Wednesday with my fellow Squad Leader Kathy Lewis (Ex-Ignite Coordinator)

It was all good; except we both were a fair bit underdressed for the occasion. First strike!
Our tickets were a fair way back, and we didn’t know anything about it, forgot to take an information booklet, so we just sat down and watched.

Opera's are all in Italian (well on a whole) so they have subtitles, but well either the singers took forever to say whatever they were trying to say or the subtitle guys needs to take some PowerPoint lessons from yours truly, because we had no idea what was going on. And of course, I of very sarcastic nature probably didn't handle this in the most professional manner.

Seriously I'm thinking of making comedy tapes for people who don't understand opera; it was one of the funniest moments this year, just the banter between me and Kath. But at the interval we found out, it actually wasn't very appropriate.

Yes we got in trouble, not by the people in charge but by some old lady, she let us know that our attitudes aren't acceptable and that it was like we've never been to the opera before. (I did keep my mouth shut to that comment)

While we didn't think we're totally in the wrong, we were remorseful (is that the right word?) and did thoroughly apoligise. We also voluntarily threw ourselves out, because we know we couldn't have sat through the next bit without saying something (considering it was a 3 hour opera)

So it wasn't that I didn't like it, it was a great experience its just that well maybe I’m not as cultured as I thought I was, but well considering I come from a convict isle I guess that isn't too much to expect

Oh and yes the main character, a guy, was played by a very large woman, that didn't help

And yes I know I’m going to get torn to pieces about this, but well that’s the way it was

*putting hat of protection on for flames*

¶ 10:37 AM //  

Okay today was April 1st, Other wise known as April Fools day

and well I didn't partake in any fooling, or get fooled, it made me wonder

Where i'm from, be in Australia, Melbourne, wherever, if the fool is done after 12 noon
it is void and just a bad joke, but well some people think you can do it all day

Be interesting to see if anyone has any thoughts at all on it

and yes Greg, and even all my other friends, you can comment anonymously,
you DO NOT have to login, if you can read

hope your all well, and been having great escapades, like me :)

¶ 7:10 PM //