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David NG

@dave_of_down_under

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📸 Photographer, ✍️ Writer, 📚 Trivia, 🎥Editor, and more.
A Melbourne man creating as colourful a world as he can--however grey things might get. 🌫️

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Well, hasn’t it been a minute or many, since I’d stumble back into this space?

As for why, allow me to help catch you up… This March just gone by, spurred on by a sponsored ad of all things, I’d take part of a challenge brought by the folks of Soldier On.

A simple goal in theory—travel to Kokoda, or Kokoda and back (equivalent for both, that is) and help raise funds to help prevent veteran suicide. ☠️

Peer support sessions, employment support, psychology sessions; all of which to get those brave men and women back into a quality of life after facing horrors nobody should. 🪖

After opting to go for Kokoda and back, 192km all up, I’d get to marching… And though it’s been a journey of blisters, exhaustion, and close calls with bladders, the results are in and I am bloody stoked. 😃

First year, and not only did I complete it with room to spare, but I’d become a Diamond Hero through the amazing efforts of my fundraisers. Legs and feet might be a little lamer than usual, but geez, my heart is full. 💎❤️

Think there’ll be more marching next year, and for sure, fundraisers through what’s left of 2026—already getting other ideas for May alone. But the walks shall continue; here’s to cracking a million steps soon, and beyond by the end. 🚶‍♂️

Many more trails to discover and memories to unlock, after all. 🦵💪 by @dave_of_down_under

Even today, some 25 years on, I’ve real fond memories of watching these for the first time…

A magical, much simpler era of dogs on my lap, snack in hand, and watching people compete for serious cash and prizes with brains—or brawn—and a little pinch of luck. A common theme to the humble game show, since they’d first debut in the 1950s on TV, and WAY earlier on radio.

G’day everyone, Dave here, with his attempt at audacious ABCs to hopefully capture—perhaps enjoy?—such a wild ride through the glories of game shows. And there’s been quite the collection; thousands on our screens from around the world and across the decades.

There’s classics we know and love, there’s a bunch that’s completely bizarre, there’s contemporaries with novel ideas—might have to make a Volume Two. Indeed, in compiling this crazy list, many favourites of mine had to be left out; for the sake of rhyme, syllable count and so on, even had to research a while.

Special thanks to everybody on TV Tropes, and for those editing those various wikis, for their incredible contributions—without them, I wouldn’t have been able to put my last attempt (read: awful) behind me.

In the meantime, wishing youse all a splendid Sunday, and here’s to many more pieces in the near-future. Dave out!

#abcpoem #gameshows #poetry #tribute by @dave_of_down_under

G’day everyone, Dave here, with hopefully a hell of a villanelle for you to enjoy—my very first, it also turns out. 🤔✍🏼

A quick aside by the way to give an apology—did intend to have this out over the weekend, but got caught up in life matters. Coincidentally, among them to include actually giving some, by way of fortnightly plasma to @lifebloodau. 🩸

After a PB of 23 donations last year, and fresh off of donating my 71st overall, I wanted to have a go at paying tribute to those volunteers who’d help me find purpose. Mainly, by calling out to donors, whether a GOAT or getting started, to roll up and give that gift of hope however they can. 🎁

Now a mere nineteen lines, of course, could never capture the complete essence of everything your donation is truly capable of. I can only implore, then, that you check out Lifeblood’s website and see how those red blood cells, bags of plasma, or platelets can really help a life in dire need. 🦸‍♂️🦸🏼‍♀️

Plenty of other reasons as well to drop into a donor centre, but many are best saved for video; feel free to follow @lifebloodau, and check them out! 👍

In the meantime, be wishing all youse a terrific Tuesday, and here’s to more pieces down the road. Dave out! 👋😁 by @dave_of_down_under

G’day everyone, Dave here, with a risible rensaku for your reading this day. 📖

Which it turns out, and indeed on this very same topic, I had been writing right from when I first gave it a crack…✍🏼

Turned out, my series of haikus revolving around a subject actually went by another name--for a yammerer like myself, sure glad I'd learn of it now. 😅

But I digress; what’s changed in the 13 years since I first wrote and posted about social networks? Well, in a word, EVERYTHING. And insanely so, I hasten to add. 😳🤯

It’d become a juggernaut, a behemoth, which took only a generation to achieve. Dozens of services for so many purposes, billions of users worldwide, potentially a goldmine for glory and riches given a chance… 🚀🚀

But behind the glitz, the glamour, daresay the fun and games? 🤷‍♂️

Addiction or bleakness or both, from which escape is nigh-impossible—how they hook us in to be horrifying, and might make for more content down the line. 😰

Anywho, wishing everybody a lovely Sunday, and stay tuned for my next piece coming real soon. Dave out!
👋😄

#haikupoem #poetrywriting #rensaku #writinglife by @dave_of_down_under

G’day everyone, Dave here, with the first of what’s hoped to be a lovely collection of ludicrous limericks… Well, with a slight tweak or two.

What’s really crazy though is that, before I put together this piece, it’d been over a decade since I last wrote a poem. So much to happen since; graduations with mediocre grades, crummy careers, physical and mental issues, attempts to reverse course… Guess now, we’ve survived and gotten here.

When creative sides became stagnant, it’d remain stalwart in other ways—captions, comments and fanfics in public, dialogues and Stoic diaries in private. Anyway, here’s hoping that certain way with words still courses within me, starting with this quick little story set to limericks.

Did anybody ask for such a comeback? Doubt it. But hell, hasn’t this whole decade been the bona fide poster child of things we never wanted to return?

Anyway, enough yapping—hope you have a lovely Saturday; Dave out!

#limerickpoem
#poetry #writing by @dave_of_down_under

Diana Prince putting the ‘lass’ in lasso? A teenage titan taking the city by storm? The return of Phosphoric salutes? True Flashes of brilliance?

It must mean my final bunch of bonus shots from the DC Photowalk—courtesy of @jexcosplay_00 and @picsxpeter—which, in turn, must mean a brief if bittersweet goodbye. But before I go, lemme give my last shine of the spotlight to those creative souls of Melbourne’s cosplay community. 🚨

So my dear friends, foes and fine-liners, shall we dive one final time into the depths of OZCC’s multiversal madness? —“Nooo, booo, get off the stage!”— *sigh* Always one I gotta rope in… 🪢😔

Say, that reminds me, how ‘bout @minty_doubt doing her thing with her Lasso of Truth? The watch never rests for a wondrous sheriff, for the Wild West will never quite be shy of shysters, never quite see the outlaws outlawed, and never quite know of every rustler hustled along. But so long as she books every bandit she binds, catches every crook she can, we’ll surely be grateful. 😇

Speaking of gratitude, there’s no word to describe how limitless mine is that Raven (@jexcosplay_00) typically fights for the good of all, out of sheer hatred for her tyrannic father Trigon. For if she chose to embrace becoming his pride, then I’d bet she could enslave the world in less time than it’d take me to put on a pair of pants. Should she will it, this city shall kneel… 🌃🌆😈

Oh sure, they might flip their favourite finger like Doctor Phosphorus (@melon_crow_cosplay), maybe even snap back with a most scornful sarcasm… But against a Rachel Roth embracing her real potential, it’s gotta be said that even to respect such unwavering defiance, there’s still way worse one could experience than such a face-meltingly ferocious salute. 🖕🏻☢️

✍🏻 RECAP CONTINUES IN COMMENTS! ✍🏻 by @dave_of_down_under

World class haters and with good reason? Daughters of demons giving powerful displays? Wonder Woman putting the ‘she’ in Sheriff?

Though it’s been a bit of a break on my behalf, I still know it must mean one thing… That there’s a bunch of bonus shots still begging for a spotlight, courtesy of a DC Photowalk in early June organised by @jexcosplay_00 and @picsxpeter. And however dim mine might be, still think I gotta deliver… 📬

So whether you call yourself a hero, a villain, or somewhere in between, are you up for more multiversal madness in Melbourne, as written about by moi? If not, too bad, I’m going anyway! 😆

Feel like a right rebel after that—really though, what right have I to stand as say an equal to Alex Sartorius, better known as Doctor Phosphorus (@melon_crow_cosplay)? Truly sorry fates to befall a man, the kind to strip him of family and flesh, make him a skeleton so lethally radioactive, a man peels apart just in his mere presence. Clearly, a Creature Commandos powerhouse, and arguably, Task Force M’s most destructive. ☢️

No doubt he went from nobody to nightmare, who could leave entire armies in puddles of red… But even he must bow before Raven (@jexcosplay_00), who even as she broods, remains by far the most dangerous daughter of demons. And should you hear the cry of “Azarath Metrion Zinthos!” just know that whether you survive is a matter of ‘if’ more than ‘when.’ 💀😰

Would argue that only the almightiest of warriors could perhaps rope such raw power in; colour me relieved then that, seen here watching for bandits, Wonder Woman (@minty_doubt) would perhaps be perfect for the task. A sorceress of omnipotent mystical might, against a demigoddess who has fought for thousands of years and even pulled planets… Gods be praised, what a matchup! ⚔️

We then return to Raven’s contemplation, all while bathed in a brilliant aura of her creation, and then back to Doctor Phosphorus melting bricks beneath the Railbridge—does that radioactive rapscallion’s finger EVER go down? Ohhh, what am I saying, of course it wouldn’t! 🤦🏻‍♂️

✍🏻 RECAP CONTINUES IN COMMENTS! ✍🏻 by @dave_of_down_under

A heroic case in need of solving? Demonic titans taking your soul? Wonder Woman as a Sheriff? Speedsters of past and present? A real charmer of a rogue?

That must mean, on what seems to be a sunny though shivery Saturday, that I’ve a bunch of bonus photos coming your way—was lucky enough to attend a DC Photowalk, post-OZCC, organised by @jexcosplay_00 and @picsxpeter. And boy how we’d bring such beautiful colours to perhaps the bleakest day I can recall; photographer AND cosplayer alike. 📸

Can assure you, core memories were created as multiverse shenanigans spilt out into the streets of Melbourne; join me, won’t you?

First up, an eternal question on everybody’s mind right this moment; why Batman Park, when no Batman? Is it but a mere mystery, or is there much menace afoot? Well, puzzled though they probably seem, can only hope our random group of righteous heroes and rascally rogues get to the bottom of matters. 🕵🏻‍♂️🧐

By no means mysterious at all, however, is the magical might of somebody like Raven (@jexcosplay_00); in those eyes, you can tell she’s that Teen Titan who’ll take your soul with the most trivial of ease. Daughter of an almighty demon, her usually stoic presence is for sure a welcome one—thank the Gods, for the wrath of Rachel Roth could place the entire UNIVERSE in peril. 😳😰

And speaking of gods, I’d have to wonder whether a woman borne of them could rope such utter chaos back into order… Well, courtesy of @minty_doubt and her golden lasso (my attempt at one, anyway), we’ll find out together—reckon though I’d really like to see her corral the rustlers and ruffians of the rustic Wild West. ➰🤠

Or might they be called cads, fiends or scoundrels to a certain speedster of the Warring Forties? A question I should’ve asked Johnny Quick (@sconderson) when I got him to stand still, but sadly never got the chance when, virtually seconds after, he gave me his version of ASMR—“Awful sorry, must run!” S’pose there might always be another time, at least I hope so… 🏃🏻‍♂️⚡

✍🏻 RECAP CONTINUES IN COMMENTS! ✍🏻 by @dave_of_down_under

A Screaming Carnage of Spideys? Cosplays that left me going “Great Scott!?” Awesomely royal visits from Arendelle?

Why not get our weekends started right, with a fantastic Friday return to OZCC here in Melbourne—while I can’t say whether my yappin’ recaps of resplendent people are key, it remains my hope that even in real minor ways, I can really make someone’s day. To all my dear paragons, scoundrels and anti-heroes, here’s hoping this’ll be a scream to read. ✨✨

Surely a good start, yeah, is when we begin with the best trio of Spideys all gathered as one? I’ll elaborate a little later in individual shots, but let it be said that together, these three are absolute legends in the Australian cosplay scene—incredible costumes, awesome charity work, and creators of core memories for many. By many a measure, men and madams I’d be eager to emulate. 👑

I CANNOT consider saying the same for characters chosen, though—least in a couple of cases. Take Cletus Kasady for example, the man we call Carnage (@melbourne_spidey). Dark and disturbing as his early years were—only iron stomachs need apply—the waves of terror and havoc he’d wreak upon us since have long eclipsed the evil he’d experience. Just know that his question is rhetorical, my friends, when he asks what colour you bleed… 🩸🩸

By no means a fan of such murderous mayhem, meanwhile, is of course our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man (@christianpillirone). Against ambitions of conquest and godhood, Peter Parker proves a persistent thorn—thank heavens!—in Carnage’s side; the web-slinging wunderkind’s also up in the craw of complete bastards like the Green Goblin, Mysterio, and Doc Ock to name a few. 🐙🦹🏻‍♂️

The sorta life to make someone scream, I’d say… Which reminds me, how ‘bout that dame on fire Donna Diego (@biancabellacosplay)? One of five symbiotes forcefully spawned from the original Venom, she never quite saw how a stint as security guard would change her life forever—alas, also lead her toward a paralysing and pretty painful end… 💀🔥

✍🏻 RECAP CONTINUES IN COMMENTS! ✍🏻 by @dave_of_down_under

Lovingly crafted cars? Exemplars of the X-Force? The most supreme sorceresses? Medievally marvellous quest-givers? 😲

Seems I see the signal this cloudy Thursday, to get cracking with a recap of top-class cosplays and collectible delights, all within the wonderfully whimsical walls of OZ Comic-Con right here in Melbourne, direct from the MCEC. So let us all gather ‘round dear friends, foes and fine-liners, for the nation’s geekiest gathering once again gets its due. 😃👍🏻

And starting this show, where indeed does one get such wonderful toys like the 1989 Batmobile replica, to one-sixth scale? A DAMN masterful recreation, though for a pretty penny, can be yours courtesy of @popcultcha, the team behind all amazing figurines here, as well as my prior post. With all kinds of awesome accessories, gadgets and more, it’s an iconic addition to anyone’s shelf. 🦇🏎️

Speaking of iconic, you’ll be saying “Great Scott!” over the DeLorean replica from Back to the Future Part III. For being dug out of a mineshaft 140 years ago, gotta give it props for the delightful details and pristine immaculacy… Pairing it up besides the Batmobile though? Just imagine the crossover potential! ⚡⚡

Could we pitch such things to the X-Force extraordinaire, Deadpool (@pantha34)? For as much as he’s a mercilessly mouthy Merc who dual-wields Desert Eagles, and proves a cut above most with his katanas, he’s also all about giving ideas their deserved spotlight. Truth be told, I’d bet every dollar he’d use my idea as a vehicle (eh, eh? 😉👉🏻) to actually work alongside Batman.

Might Marvel and DC make such magic happen? Likely not, but until then, we can certainly count on our pair of prestidigitation princesses (say that three times fast) in Zatanna Zatara. Whether about to cast a scintillating spell (@primabella_cosplay, @its_erica_olina), or prove herself a presence of true magical might (@nbronzova_cosplay), these enchantresses truly capture our hearts with ease... 🪄✨

✍🏻 RECAP CONTINUES IN THE COMMENTS! ✍🏻 by @dave_of_down_under

A company with delighted dragons? Tales told by talking trees? Beautifully detailed figurines of fiction’s finest characters and props?

That could only mean we’re due for a Wednesday recap—just Addams up—within the colourful walls of OZ Comic-Con right here in Melbourne—from the MCEC right at the city’s heart, it’s time once again to crack my knuckles and crack open some pop(culture) for the nation's geekiest gathering under the yellow sun… 🌞☀️

Which would be missing for most of that Saturday, but I digress. 😒

Beginning this beguine, our friends once again from @melbourne_renfair, giving us quite the gaping grin courtesy of their draconic companions. Clearly his pleasure to eat—I mean meet us, this morning and beyond, and I cannot lie, I don’t think I’ve come across a more charming creature despite all those spikes and horns. 🥰

Sticking with #melbournerenfair, the measured tones of their wise old tree would catch my attention, as it began reciting a tale I’ve read a dozen times, but never heard spoken. Hansel and Gretel, a story originally published by the Brothers Grimm more than 210 years ago—I wonder if the likes of Wolverine heard it when it was first written?🤔

We of course HAD to return to the dragons, try to get their good side as well as the back; indeed, check out that hand taming our green friend with truly the ease. Through such shots, details abound of both the wings, and the spikes all over—I’d think it fair to say that though one could perhaps train them, no way could one ride them without regret. 😳😫

Toying with a Game of Death to try such a thing; luckily the likes of Bruce Lee, in his iconic yellow jumpsuit, can’t help but be familiar with such things. Featuring Penguin offside, himself no stranger to death, these pieces courtesy of @popcultcha were going for a few hundred bucks each—arguably a bargain, for the suit once sold for over $100,000 in a 2013 auction in Hong Kong... 👨🏻‍⚖️💰

* RECAP CONTINUES IN THE COMMENTS! * by @dave_of_down_under