I finished my honours project in late 1999 and all of a sudden I had a lot of time on my hands. I no longer had to study and it was time to find a stable job going into 2000. I had always had a goal to learn guitar and had toyed around with bass over the years. I had received a strat copy for my 21st birthday, so as 2000 rolled around I booked some lessons at the local guitar shop. Those lessons were really influential on me because I quickly developed a strong passion for the instrument. It was the first step in the next phase of my music.