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November 30, 2009

I’m going to see the Dalai Lama

Filed under: India, Living consciously, Uncategorized, people — Tags: , , , — admin @ 9:02 pm

This time next week I’ll be in Hobart to see the Dalai Lama. Very excited about this.

The Dalai Lama's monks performing in Australia

The Dalai Lama's monks performing in Australia

Why Hobart? Four years ago I went on an exchange program through the University of Tasmania to Sarnath in India to study at the Tibetan Institute of Higher Studies. The program was set up at the DLs request to facilitate cultural exchange between Tibetan and Western students. This was an amazing experience and something I will never forget. The kindness and beauty of the Tibetans that I met was just inspiring. 

 

To coincide with the DLs visit to Australia there’s going to be an event to celebrate ten years of the program, which I’ll be attending. No idea what this will be like but I’ll be catching up with friends from my time in India and also attending the DLs public talk. 

The DL is 74 now and the pace that he sets is amazing but he can’t keep travelling indefinitely. The opportunity to be around him is something not to be missed if you get the chance.

November 27, 2009

30 countries in 30 days

Filed under: Writing, people — Tags: , , , — admin @ 9:14 am

There are two guys having a loud discussion on the balcony of the unit next door to mine. They’re young and ‘entrepreneurial’! One is trying to convince the other that he should take part in an incredible business opportunity .

‘30 countries in 30 days man’  

‘it’s never been done before’

‘it isn’t  high risk, we’ll be leveraging off the work of others…’

‘come on man, why can’t you understand’

‘it’s all about residual earnings’

This is so depressing this guy KNOWS exactly how the system works but the other one is more sceptical is raising concerns to no avail. All that youthful energy and enthusiasm.

They’re drinking and I can hear that one is either pissing or pouring his drink onto the driveway below, gawd!  The conversation degenerates into WTFs and insults all round. Are these guys refugees from schoolies? They sound like they’re 17 but could be 35 year old toolies for all I know.

‘Can you pour me a shot of vodka’

There’s another guy inside and maybe they’re gay.

‘I’m not OUT man, he was OUT last night and that’s what scares me’.

It’s all accompanied by banging and the general loudness of males who’ve had too much to drink. Their voices have that  ’bored with life’ drawl that seems to be common amongst twenty somethings and teenagers. Nasaly and slightly posh. The words  ’like’ and ‘man’ are ubiquitous. Spoken too quickly their words run into each other and  imply a ‘don’t give a F’ and ‘too cool for school’ attitude.

‘We’re waaaasted!’

‘Treeeent you’re not having any more dude, we’ll have a break’

‘I’m not drunk’

‘I love Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise is hilarious. I love Robert Downey jnr’

‘The universe it talking to us man’

‘There’s no RISK we’re in the same band’… [Oh they're a band and  30 countries in 30 days makes sense now].

They’ve gone inside and I can’t hear anymore. it’s a mystery to me who lives next door. Since the couple with the wifi number plate moved out 2 months ago the unit has been rented by a middle aged Polish woman called Gresna, whom I met  briefly but have barely seen since. No one seems to actually sleep there. But now and again people turn up for an hour or so. I’ve seen one of these boys/men once and he’s what I’d call a swoopie, that is he has a large swoop of straightened blonde streaked hair across his forehead and a slight bouffant at the crown, super low cut skinny black jeans and a mobile stuck to his ear. Way too camp when you think about it, but they all look like that now. Too much emphasis on the hair I think.

No one ever stays long in the unit next door.

November 24, 2009

Blue

Filed under: Meditation, Places, Travel, Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 6:53 am

Blue is special - blue planet, blue ocean, blue sky - blue is clear, happy and transcendent. From the earth comes lapiz, turqouise, aquamarine. Intense blue tiles on the mosques of Isfahan, 

p10101031the blue painted houses of the Greek isles, the blue doors and window trims of adobe houses in Taos, New Mexico, the palest birds egg blue of a porcelain cup, the blue of travel. Blue is everywhere; royal blue, duck egg blue, sky blue, marine blue, airforce blue, sea blue, midnight blue, cerulean blue.

My Chinese horoscope and Fengshui chart for 2009 predicted that pale blue is THE colour for me this year. To enhance my water element and give me insight, foresight and to arouse feelings of harmony and friendship. So I pulled out a, never worn, aquamarine ring given to me by a friend many years ago. The ring from Mexico has a strange silver acanthus leaf  setting which I always thought unappealing. Now, with this ring circling the middle finger of my left hand I’m overjoyed everytime I look at it, this is the colour of the water at the edge of a tropical ocean the sand bleached and shifting below. A colour in which to be released and absorbed into the liquid crystal clarity and purity of life. ‘The blues’ where does that come from? Blue is optimistic happy uplifting cool and calm. Fantasies of coral atols and ancient ceramics aaah…

 

Krisna blue: Penang Hill, Malaysia

Siva blue: Penang Hill, Malaysia

 

Tropical blue seas: Moreton Island, Queensland Australia

Tropical blue seas: Moreton Island, Queensland Australia

 

Persian wall tiles: Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Persian wall tiles: Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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