What do I and Rugby League player Andrew Johns have in common? Yesterday, I competed in the NSW state taekwondo championships. In the first round of my finals fight I let my guard down, which my opponent subsequently took advantage of, kicking me squarely in the left jaw and fracturing it. I didn’t realise what had happened at the time, and there was no visible damage, so I finished my two rounds but disappointingly lost, only scoring 1/3rd as much as he did. Today I visited a bunch of radiographers, dentists and hospitals, but the good news is I don’t need surgery. Just a couple of weeks of painkillers and eating through a straw, and 6 weeks later it will be healed (in theory)! I have to get an X-ray every week until then, so I’ll see how it goes.

Two X-ray images on the one weblog page. That’s quite worrying.

Today, I attended a sand mandala dissolution ceremony, run by a group of travelling Tibetan monks raising money for a hospital in Eastern Tibet. It was a beautiful and spiritual event, especially in the very peaceful surrounds. Although I’ve a bunch of 35mm and B/W 120 film in a borrowed holga yet to be developed, I’ve put a few digital photos online. Be sure to read the descriptions to understand the process!