Acquainted with the Night

Special Guest Post - My dad!

2009-03-10T21:26:00.005+11:00

My parents have been taking English and computer lessons for quite a while now. Anyway, they have been typing word documents as part of their writing tasks and asking me to review them. This was one that my dad wrote for one of his first classes:

My Story

My name is Sap Dang. I was born in Vietnam. My family has six people and live in a poor village in South Vietnam.

When I was seven years old, I left my family and when to live with my Aunt in the province and I began school there. After I finished in primary school, I continued in high school for two years. After that I left the course because I didn’t have enough money to pay for studies. I stayed at home to help my Aunt to look after her groceries shop. Then I worked there until I was nineteen years old. I earned a lot of money.

I met my girlfriend when I was nineteen years old and we got married eight years later. Because during the time it was the Vietnamese war between South and North. I was a soldier South Vietnam when I was twenty years old.

In 1975 at the end April I lost my country and 1984 my family escaped from Vietnam by small boat on the sea. There was thirty eight people in a small boat including my family of seven people. For three days on the sea our boat went to Malaysia and we lived in the camp waiting sponsorship of brother-in-law from Australia.

In 1985 our family settled in Australia with humanitarian sponsorship by my brother-in-law. We very tired but we could not stop because we were in a new country where everything would be different. Also we were happy because we knew now our family was going to meet my brother-in-law and his family and we would get a new life in a free country and we hoped our new life in Australia would be happy for our family in the future. That is all I wanted.

I will show all these writings to my children in the future about their grandparents. My parents have been inspiring to me my entire life - I'm not articulate enough to express how much admiration I have for them and how they've shaped me as a person. They suffered much during the Vietnam war and during the times we spent as refugees in the UN-sponsored Malaysian camps. It would have been easy to be angry at the world but they had hope for their children and hope in humanity. They are good people - compassionate, kind-hearted, hardworking, appreciative of everything they've been given. :-)

Cooking in the Danger Zone

2008-11-12T20:48:00.002+11:00

This is a great BBC show that is currently screened on SBS on Wed nights @ 7:30pm.

Tonight, Stefan visits India where the caste system is officially illegal but discrimination continues to be rife. Specifically, he visits Bihar where the poorest are exploited - the Dalits are the lowest rung of society and work hard for very little.

Anyway, it makes me incredibly sad and depressed to think of what the most exploited in all societies have to go through. How they find it to cope through life despite the discrimination and poverty.

I know it's better to be a do-er instead of moping around. Nobody wants my sympathies - they don't do much. They don't feed the poor and alleviate poverty in this world. But nonetheless, I can't help but feel sad when I see children eating only white rice for breakfast and dinner in the salty broth that it was cooked in because it's all that the family can afford. It's heart-breaking.

In any case, I wish I could do more in this world, you know. To distribute the wealth so that our most vulnerable can have better living conditions. I'm glad when I feel this sad, I can be inspired by those who are caring compassionate intelligent individuals (who do a lot more than sitting around being sad... sorry I'm such a sop sometimes).

Eavesdropping and running

2008-10-19T21:14:00.004+11:00

I do a lot of travelling on the train - commuting to work & back and also, travelling to town and out west to see my parents and family. Relying on mass transportation means you end up sharing space with a lot of other commuters. Most of the time I just sleep or daydream but on the rare occasion, my ears perk up when they pick up debates of the political or philosophical nature.

The other night coming home from Friday night drinks, I heard these early 20-somethings students I think, talking about global warming and opposition to immigration to Australia. Anyway, I felt a bit guilty eavesdropping :-) but I was feeling slighty queasy and needed something to distract me. One of the girls was questioning the implications that will happen with Australia's ageing population and the detrimental economic effects of that. Long story short, her friends were telling her Australians should pop out more kids to offset the demographics shift but an increase in immigration is not another viable option. She then said something I totally agree with "But why not? We're a first world country that can take more migrants in... I feel Australian but I also feel like a global citizen and these issues should be solved on a global platform". You go girl!

That completely resonated with me. I know I'm Australian but I think I feel more connected with the rest of the world as well. When I think of politics and issues, I think of them on a global scale. I don't believe in jingoism and other nationalistic pride crap such as only buy Australian products etc.

Anyway, now moving on to running. I've become addicted to running. When I first set foot on a treadmill, I could barely run a minute without sweating like a pig and having a coronary. I was one of those people who had no idea why anyone would put themself through the pain, sweat and tears. But I've persisted with it to improve my blood pressure and now I love it so much! I ran 50mins straight the other day - that's my PB.

Running is addictive for me because the monotony and solitude appeals to me. Sometimes I daydream, other times I'm just singing along to my MP3 player but whatever is happening in my head, I feel completely relaxed. Then after the run, you get that runner's high and ravenous appetite of that of Survivor contestant. It's awesome! I'm training for a 10km run. Wish me luck! :-)

Refugees and Trees! :-)

2008-07-29T18:50:00.006+10:00

Fan-fricken-tastic news about the changes in legislation for mandatory detention. Best news I have heard in a while. :-) Hip Hip Hurrah! This is a major victory for human rights in Australia. The following changes are to take place:

1. Unauthorised arrival asylum seekers will be detained for management of health, identity and security risks to the community

2. Any person who is complying with immigration processes and poses no risk to the community will not be detained in a detention center. The principle is that the Department will have to justify any decision to detain, not presume detention.

3. Children will never be detained in a detention centre

4. Once in detention, the need for detention will be reviewed by the Department every 3 months

5. The Ombudsman will review cases of detention after 6 months instead of 2 years

6. Excision will remain, but there has been no decision as to the boundaries of excision

7. The new detention center on Christmas Island will remain closed unless there is a large number of boat arrivals. Instead, existing alternative accommodation will be used. The old site at Phosphate hill has been readied for use. Fences around all but one compound have been removed

8. People processed under excision laws will be granted the same free migration agent advice (IAAAS) that asylum seekers on the mainland get. They will also have access to a new external merits review system. Not the Refugee Review Tribunal, but a new body. The specific details as yet unannounced

9. The Immigration Ombudsman will provide external scrutiny over the visa decision-making systems for people processed under excision laws

10. The government has released a set of Immigration Detention values "that seek to emphasise a risk-based approach to detention and prompt resolution of cases rather than punishment."

In my trees news, last Sunday was Planet Ark Plant a Tree Day and we planted trees in our local area. It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun to be around with other tree hugging hippies (around 80 volunteers turned up and so many cute little kids with their gumboots and tiny little shovels!!) And then we had a free sausage sizzle! Yum yum!

Time at the Office

2008-06-09T21:08:00.004+10:00

When I sit down at my desk in the morning, I can't help but smile. When I'm having a tough moment at work, I wobble Dwight's head and think "what would Dwight Schrute do in this situation"? Too damn funny. Thanks guys for getting these for me. I absolutely love them!!

ICRA Mentoring

2008-06-01T16:53:00.007+10:00

IBM has a dedicated On Demand Community that encourages volunteers from IBM (from all business units, ages, diversity groups) to work with various community organisations such as the Smith Family and ICRA. I've been involved with both - online mentoring with the Smith Family and face-to-face mentoring with ICRA youths.

ICRA was founded by Fadi Rahman who started the centre for disadvantaged and marginalised Muslim youth in south-western Sydney. The Centre has the objectives of bettering the lives and improving the self-esteem of the youth in the community. In 2007, IBM came on board with eager committed volunteers and DIAC gave the initative the financial backing required. I was involved in the pilot in 2007 and due to the success, came on board again this year.

I've had two mentees - they are just the loveliest kids. Many people ask me what exactly we mentor these kids in - to be honest, every individual is different and has different needs. Some of them know exactly what they want - be it a high HSC UAI or get involved in an apprenticeship - and others are there just to listen to you talk about your own life and experiences. My specific mentees are both currently undertaking the HSC in 2008 and want to get the best marks possible. We have discussed issues such as motivation for school, dealing with difficult teachers, getting in trouble with the law particularly speeding, peer pressure,anger management, life beyond school. I hope I've offered some sage advice.

It's one of the most rewarding things I've done. I feel like I've made a small difference -to give a young person a different perspective on life and some skills to deal with difficult circumstances cause let's be honest, these kids have it tough. Just look at the complete racist bullshit that is happening in Camden at the moment. On a tangent, it's absolutely abhorrent that people have the temerity to be on national television sprouting disgusting racist bile. They might as well be wearing white hoods.

Back on topic, it's also really challenging for me but a wonderful feeling to build trust, respect and rapport in a mentoring relationship. I have learnt a lot from my mentees - how to be patient, a good listener, to be non-judgmental and to be a better person. I recommend volunteer work to anyone and to move outside your comfort zone. Also, they feed me dinner every Wed night - bloody yummy lebanese cuisine like falafel rolls with tabouli and hummous. :-)

Here's a link to the DIAC page with a quote from yours truly haha

The Kite Runner

2008-04-04T18:27:00.002+11:00

My life is slipping away from me - I have nightmares about utilisation figures, resource shortages, ICAs, demanding project managers etc. Actually, it's pretty funny how consuming work really is. More specifically, this corporate lifetstyle stifling my creativity and truncating time that I can spend at the gym, with family or friends and me time! On the other hand, I've had a chance to do some really awesome mentoring programs that I will write up about later.

Anyway, I digress. I wanted to write about this book I had finished this week - the Kite Runner. Set in Afghanistan and later the USA about two childhood friends. I don't want to give away too much of the story other than to say it's a story of atonement (and not the stupid kind like in Ian McEwan's book). I really love politics you know, and how it affects people's lives. Without over-analysing myself too much :p, I think the fact that I started my life at the end of Vietnam war, the effects it had on my family, the fact we became refugees in a camp in Malaysia and eventually were granted asylum in Australia - all of these things make me empathise with people in war-torn countries. Anyway, the book is set against Afghanistan's turbulent recent history—the 1978 civil war, the Soviet invasion, the rise of the Taliban opposition, the tension between the Pashtuns and the Shiite Hazara - how these things affected these two boys lives and their families.

It's a well-written simple book to read - I read it quickly over two nights. It's profoundly sad, the pages are tear-stained (I don't know how I will handle the movie). But I'm not entirely happy with the tidy endy. I don't know.... let me know what you think. I'd give it 3.5 stars because the ending ruined it for me.

It’s so depressing to think about war - we have a world history of atrocities committed against humanity. And when you think about it quite simplistically, and I try to keep in mind that every conflict in every part of the world is different in its own way, it comes down to power struggles and economic interests at the cost of human lives. Sometimes I laugh at my naivety but maybe if Russia permits Chechen independence, if Israel permits Palestinian independence and if China permits Taiwanese independence…I mean who knows? What will be the outcome? Seen as an appeasement but somehow, the idea of not addressing other people’s grievances and understanding their motivations, it doesn’t work as a long term strategy, and certainly if we want to seek real peace and an end to carnage, doesn’t empathy help? It’s not like we all carry around these hate genes, these fixed biological factors, that make it impossible for us to co-exist in harmony with one another. I think that’s what is most sad for me, that the possibility of peace is real, well I truly whole-heartedly believe in it. I don’t know world politics, ongoing conflicts, this endless cycle of violence, they all do my head in and makes me feel helpless. Especially, when you switch on the television and all you see are these innocent children crying and covered in blood. It’s so far removed from the men who sit around conference tables making decisions that impact on civilian lives. It breaks my heart every time *sigh*

Thurka & Mahen's Wedding

2007-12-02T22:28:00.000+11:00

Dorky, saobiscuits-loving, chocolate fiend, Ms-Tyra-Banks herself, Thurka, got married in November this year to the equally dorky and adorable Mahen. I say November as it truly was a month affair - hen's night, 5 hour long ceremony and reception. It was the first Hindu wedding I've been to and boy, was it spectucular and beautiful. Congratulations T&M!

Here are a few photos (the rest are on facebook):

A night to remember.....

2007-11-25T19:20:00.000+11:00

This is what I wrote 3 years ago after the election:

"If our media and our democratic institutions cannot (or will not) hold our politicians to account then we need to be more vocal. As depressed as we all are, we cannot afford to be emotionally despondent for too long. I'm lifting myself out of this veil of despair (even if I cannot understand all those people who handed the Senate to the govt on a silver platter, you bastards!).

The election result is a setback, but apathetic, doubtlessly self-interested constituents are perennial. But then so is our power to continue to believe that we can cause a change to occur and win this bestial war against ignorance based on small individual effects for the greater good. Being mindful to ensure that those effects are not diluted by mendacious confusion induced loss of focus aimed at personal vulnerabilities (such as interest rates…argh!).

Political activism should not end for an individual because the party they favour is not in power. Electoral promises are just mutable deliberately partial and interpretive working documents attempting to generate credibility in the fragile and volatile environment of opinion. This is the art of spin, jingle-writing and propaganda. Therefore, we have a necessity to be more vocal and politically active. The population needs to become more resistant to easy election talk.

So in a long-winded way, join a party (Greens maybe)! Or if that is not your cup of tea, pick a cause and become active. Talk to as many people as possible but don’t harangue. Give people an alternative, to be better informed, to hear out your perspective. Whether it's about not having two-tiered education and health systems, not detaining innocent refugees, advocating reconciliation, equality in marriage, not engaging in illegal wars, respect for international laws, fair demarcation of boundary lines with East Timor, signing the Kyoto protocol, protecting workers and so on.

Besides, there are a lot of people who don't support Howard (damnit, he was taken to preferences in his own electorate, tradtionally, a safe Liberal seat)! And moreso in 3 years time. It's time to capitalise on that. . "

All I can say 3 years down the track is HELL YEAH!!!! :-) I am ready for a more decent, compassionate, caring and egalitarian Australia. And kudos to Maxine McKew and the voters of Bennelong. My faith is restored.

Wake up in the morning, gotta shake the feeling

2007-05-15T18:51:00.000+10:00

"Wake up in the morning, got to shake the feeling. I've gotta face a day at school. What's to be afraid of I can ask a question, and maybe even bend the rules.

I'm seaching for a place where I fit in, there's a way, if I look that I can win. Yeah I can see I'm not alone. I can face the unknown."

I make sure that I leave the office no later than 5:30pm these days because DEGRASSI HIGH IS ON ABC2 EVERY WEEK NIGHT!!!

Gosh, this was seriously the best TV show during my youth (along with Monkey Magic). It was an incredibly progressive show portraying teenagers in a realistic light; kids of various ethnic and economic backgrounds in an inner-city neighbourhood as they navigate gritty serious issues like drug abuse, pregnancy, cancer, homosexuality, suicide and also mundane issues like the opposite sex and popularity. It was sensitive, funny, intelligent and just plain real (aided by the fact that most of the cast were non-actors and that, they were the actual age their characters were unlike say 90210). It showed that school is the best of times and it is the worst of times.

I used to read the Degrassi books as well. I LOVE DEGRASSI!!!

Punks and Hippies

2007-05-06T00:24:00.000+10:00

Had a pretty tiring week, frustrating workwise coupled with being deliriously sick with a cold. Persevered to the end of week and had my Friday night mapped out: quiet dinner with Patrick and in bed early to finish Anne Tyler's Saint Maybe (great book). Turns out I was peer-pressured into attending a work party@ Verandah Bar (infamous for skanky underaged asians on RnB nights). The theme was punks and hippies. Glad I ended up going. It was great to catch up with people I hadn't seen in ages. The food, music, and drinks were suprisingly good. I did wake up on Saturday morning/afternoon with a hungover. But it's nice to not be so responsible sometimes. ;)

Ajay and I were coping so well with the loud music, people and alcohol. Head was hurting.

Topic 1 : Climate Change

2007-05-02T20:09:00.000+10:00

Sango says I don't blog enough. The issue is I have so many musings and contemplations going through my head during the day BUT I'm not disciplined enough to refine those thoughts into something articulate for others to read. In my quest to write more and challenge my own laziness (and to satisfy Sango :p) , I've decided to blog weekly on the topic of my favourite show, Insight.

For those who are not aware, Insight is a discussion forum focussing on a single issue with the participation of a studio audience (which ranges from experts, politicians, to your average person off the street). It covers many issues and topics, engages in often heated debates (this is hardly surprising considering it delves into contentious topics like euthanasia, Iraq, IR laws, racism), and encourages Australians from all walks of life to have their say. It is hosted in great style by Jenny Brockie - who I have to say is outstanding in remaining objective, fair and unbiased yet still asks the hard questions. Insight is shown on SBS every Tuesday night @ 7:30pm. (Along with the Amazing Race & Survivor, it is one of the only shows our household rarely misses!)

This week's topic was "Climate Change" and here is my perspective on the issue.

To be honest, the thing that irks me most are people who deny the causality between climate change and human behaviour ie. that it's all part of the natural cycle. I mean, I'm not saying that the reason for climate change is due to only human factors nor am I dismissing arguments that climate variability and change are normal. But evidence suggests that the amount of increase is actually outside natural variability in climatic cycles. Certainly, there are scientifically trained people who question the proposition. But very few of these are climate scientists and bear in mind, most of these contrarian scientists are funded by the fossil-fuel industry.

However, even if there is no causality, what would be wrong with slowing our use of fossil fuels, conserving it & saving the environment in the process?? Also, we have (non-Co2) substitutes like solar energy worth pursuing as well. It's not like there are no alternatives.

And while I'm on the subject, what is the deal with Australia refusing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Are we going to ignore the opportunity to use emission trading to finance investment and is there really a viable alternative to multilateral cooperation on climate protection?

From an economic perspective, it makes little sense. What is going to be the possible cost for Australia of not being a signatory to the protocol and being barred from participating in the global emissions trading regime that would be established? I'm viewing it in a more long-term perspective I guess. From an environmental perspective, well, I think we have a moral obligation to ourselves and to future generations to protect our environment and live sustainably. It's a big lose-lose in both terms and thus, we do really need to act on it and governments need to legislate.

It really is demoralising when our own government are denialists.

The world is your library

2007-04-09T22:10:00.000+10:00

I've been listlessly browsing the internet trying to prolong this wonderful long weekend (seriously how utterly depressing are Sunday nights, or in this case, Monday night *sob*) and came across this great meme. All about books!! Hurrah! :)

Next reading: Hmmm to be honest, no idea. I think I might start this book that Patrick recommended to me ages ago as one of his dearly loved favourite books - The Liveship Traders series by Robin Hobb. The first of the trilogy is Ship Of Magic.

Emotionally Weird: Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell. It's such an emotionally hard and heart-breaking book to read, you get drawn and torn into the confusion of a dysfunctional family. The most heart-breaking book ever though is A Fine Balance by Rohinto Mistry. I have tear stains on all the pages. It took me a while to recover.

Last read: A Man of Peace in a World of War by Stanley Meiser. I was really looking forward to this biography of Kofi Annan. I should write a longer review for this because it was a great read, not only on the rivetting rise of Kofi Annan but the changing face and influence of the UN (particularly since Rwanda and more recently, the Iraq War). It is a much deserved defence of the UN but somewhat of a uncritical analysis of Kofi Annan. It's hard to explain but in some ways, I think the biographer was too much in awe of Kofi and therefore, found it difficult to be critical to any faults and remain unbiased.

Last book bought: Worse than Watergate by John W Dean. I suspect I might read this before Liveship Traders (haha)

Shortest book owned: I think it was actually a book I had as a child and I lent it to someone who never returned it. Something by John Marsden, I think.

Longest book owned: Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary. I adored Ramona as a child. I identified with her immensely as a nine year old because I, too, felt misunderstood by the rest of the adult world. I eventually gave this book to Patrick as a present (which we currently have on our bookshelf).

Favourite book: This is such a toughie. I would have to say my favourite book of all times gave me a lot of hope and inspiration as a teenager. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Book read the most times: To Kill A Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger and Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. (They are my comfort books when I want to both relate and escape from reality)

Least favourite book: I don't hate any books, per se. But my least favourite in recent memory is the Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I found it manipulative and didn't live up to its hype. Same with anything from Dan Brown. It's just sloppy terribly writing and plot. Even John Grisham writes better thrillers.

Favourite 'serious' fiction: Crime & Punishment by Dostoevsky and another from Russian literature, Anna Karenina by Tolstoy (one of my all-time favourite books as well).

Favourite comedy: I don't read a lot of comedy but this book made me laugh so hard, Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris.

Favourite classic: Pride & Prejudice and as an an adventure revenge story, The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas.

Favourite Shakespeare: Macbeth. I love that famous line "Out Damn Spot! Out I say!" about guilt & our conscience plaguing us and also the Witches' "Fair is foul and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air". Oh Macbeth, how I love thee! ;)

Favourite poetry collection/poet: Be still my beating heart! I really do appreciate poetry because unlike being cast as the detached dramatist, poets become engaged in their own observations, their singular experience, rather than the experience of all men. For example, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, their relationship and situation was very romantic and their poetry take up the question of closeness and distance, both emotional & physical, the close rhetorical space of the poems echoes the metaphors of the Brownings' relationship that recur throughout: the closed penknife, the enclosure of the dove's wings, the bee shut in glass, the vine twined round the tree. I love the imagery! I love how their correspondence, their rhetoric presents them as part of a private conversation that we’re somehow privy to by mere chance. My favourite poets are Robert Frost, John Donne and the Brownings. I just think with poetry, you get the deepest emotions in many evocative voices, passion, contentment, longing, illusion, hope and loss. It's grounded in humanity for me in any case (hmmm... moving on...)

Favourite fantasy: Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings

Favourite sci-fi: I don't particularly like sci fi. If 1984 by George Orwell is considered sci-fi then that is my favourite.

Favourite non-fiction: A Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. He is hands-down the person I would most like to meet; I am in complete awe of him.

Favourite chick lit/lad lit: Bridget Jones and Starter for Ten.

Favourite horror: YUCK! I just detest this genre now but as a teenager, I really dug the Christopher Pike books (what a messed up kid :p)

Favourite Young Adult: What is young adult? When I was in high school (early years), I read Sweet Valley High if that counts.

Favourite manga/graphich novel/comic: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! The original comics are so much more deliciously darker than the tv or movie adaptations.

Favourite series: Sweet Valley High!! ;)

Favourite short story: Roald Dahl's Kiss Kiss. Most macabre disturbing tales!

Best book read this year: It's still early in the game and I hope to read a lot more this year! Possibly the Kofi Annan one.

Speaking of which, we were talking to a friend on the weekend about book-crossing and it has inspired me to release a few favourites to the world. Great books are meant to be shared! :)

Home-made Morrocan Cuisine

2007-04-09T17:18:00.000+10:00

Before Patrick and I headed to Canberra for the Easter long weekend, Patrick had promised the Quachs' (ie. Pat & Jangers) a Morrocan feast at our place to to kick off festivities. (Though, the night before we did indulge ourselves silly with ramen at Ichiban Boshi, followed by delectable morsels of chocolate-y goodness at the Lindt Cafe).

The spicy delicious Morrocan feast consisted of: skewers of lamb kofte with a wedge of lime, simple chicken tagine, sweet potato & orange tagine accompanied with white rice. YUM!!

For a cooking instructions, recipes and more photos, visit Patrick's blog on the food.

Baby, I'm hot just like an oven....

2007-04-05T16:55:00.000+10:00

I've had a few stressful weeks. I was promoted at work and whilst, career-wise, I was elated at being given the opportunity to be satisfyingly challenged, the transition has been anything but smooth. I've always wondered about, you know, this whole corporate yuppie scene of the 20-somethings: working 15 hour days, chasing the elusive dollar signs just to buy another investment property. I guess I don't understand this hungry pursuit of wealth nor status. It's soul-less and empty when your identity is defined from the labels in your expensive clothes or shoes.

Anyway, I digress, my point is I don't work for the sake of working. I can work incredibly hard when it means something profound to me, to do some good in the world. Thus, whilst I enjoy my work and appreciate it, I don't take it that seriously because in relation to that of, for example, a doctor, the corporate world is essentially all about consumerism and making the rich even richer. There is nothing wrong with that per se but the reality is, it is not significant and I have no grand delusion about that. So when I actually stressed about work, it was particularly absurb to me (especially when I am in the midst of reading the new Kofi Annan biography - now that's about as stressful as it gets!). Nonetheless, it has been stressful (I was doing pretty long hours) and a little Ben Harper was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Ben Harper @ the Enmore was fantastic! This is the second time I have seen his show and there is nothing quite as magical nor spiritual as Ben live (and by magical, I don't mean the pot that everyone was burning down ;) ). Soulful lyrics, captivating foot-tapping acoustics- an eclectic mix of funk, blues, rock, reggae. My favourite moment of the night was his acoustic version of Walk Away.

I taped some of it on my camera and uploaded to youtube. Sorry for the crazy shaky fuzzy camera-work, I was dancing and singing along to Sexual Healing. Also, the quality is a bit shite due to it being a small digital camera.

Sydney Protest Rally - Saturday 17th March

2007-03-13T21:56:00.000+11:00

Hi all my lovely readers,

If anyone is like me, disillusioned and disgusted with our government's handling of Iraq, "war on terror" & David Hicks, please join me in this weekend's rally. Rally will start at 12pm @ Town Hall. Please feel free to give me a call if you want to join us in this march. :)

A wedding and a baby in Maleny

2007-03-08T20:49:00.000+11:00

Patrick and I spent a (much needed) long weekend up north in Maleny. We were there for two occasions: the wedding of his long-time childhood friend, James and; the birth of his beautiful new niece.

It's hard to describe Maleny from a relatively new perspective, I have visited three times in the past year. With each subsequent visit, I've developed a fond familarity with the town; it's hard not to fall in love with a place like Maleny and hard not to be envious of those who had an idyllic upbringing in such an enchanting environment.

Maleny, as well as being in QLD is 400m high, and the first range in from the coast, so topographic clouds bump against the range constantly. Everyone has tin roofs, and the sound of rain falling is the most heavenly, recuperative sound I can imagine. Walking out in the rain is amazing, you see birds and paddymelons hopping about, you take shelter under a broad-leafed fig and listen to the forest sputter around you, small torrents carving new paths through the undergrowth. The hills are incredibly green, hemmed in by this stunning temperate rainforest, scrub turkeys and paddymelons lurking behind cedars. Surprises such as wild passionfruit hidden in some innocuous place, vines dripping with fruit. It really is a beautiful wonderful place.

The wedding was lovely and picturesque. Patrick was the best man and gave a heart-warming speech at the reception. The boys got to dress in yukatas (a summer cotton garment much like a kimono) with matching obis. I met all of Patrick's childhood friends who, very much, remind me of my own good friends. Relaxed, chilled-out, intelligent, funny and engaging GEEKS. :p In true Asian-style, we all fought over the microphones at karaoke later in the night.

The view from our room at Tranquil Park (where guests stayed and reception was held)

Two Japanese guests enjoying the view after the wedding ceremony.

The beautiful warm and hilarious couple: Miyuki and James.

Ninjas attacking in the bushes

Patrick looking mischievious whilst waiting for the bride to arrive

The guests waiting in the marquee

Boys in yukatas attacking the unsuspecting groom

The only photo of me on this camera laughing at the antics of yukata-clad ninjas!

Acquainted with the Night

2007-03-07T21:00:00.000+11:00

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain -- and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
A luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

-Robert Frost