As toxic and time wasting as Twitter can be, I have a lovely little corner in there. In my writing group we had to say something good that happened to us this month, and one person said that they had gone on a date that might turn into something special, and then exclaimed shock due to her age.
I pointed out that those feeling never really die in us (though it would be a tragedy if they did) . She referred sadly to her scars of life, to which I countered with 'Scars are evidence of healing'.
Her simple response made me smile "Clever, lovely you!"
She had shared something very exciting (to me) with trepidation, she had revealed something problematic (or painful) for her and I had, in my cliched way, given it a positive spin, or at least diluted it a bit. It made me feel so good, both her lovely and exciting news (who doesn't love love?) and the way the conversation had ended.
Sometimes it's the simplest exchanges that can brighten your day.
When I was at the Powerhouse Museum's fabulous exhibition Atmospheric Memory, you need to say your favourite quote into this AI monitor. I went blank - because of course, so said the first quote I could think of "If you go digging up the past, you're only going to get dirty". The response was thus:
I thought it was a good reminder, that while we are made up of every experience we have had until this point, the present is still blank as long as we work on our pain and heal and grow.
(I'm not sure where I read the original idea of scars as healing but this quote sums it up - I don't know who this is so I'm guessing someone else said it and it sunk in to my washing machine of thoughts.
A lot of people talk negatively about social media and how seeing other people having fun makes them feel disquieted, but I think they are forgetting that maybe whatever they're posting might be looking enviable to others too. Maybe like me, we don't see how exactly we look to the observer, when we are looking close up from inside the picture. I was at an art lecture, but from a distance it looked like a party.
It's not the best photo but it makes me smile because I find it funny I was thinking 'How lucky to work in an office and have after work drinks' as I lined up the shot, only to discover I was envious of myself.
But I guess ultimately that's the best way to be!
Linking with #WeekendCoffeeShare #FriendshipFriday
Blogger keeps hiding this post for breaching Guidelines. I can't work out why and they won't tell me what the trigger word is so I can change it, as I've had to request three reviews of it this week. It's driving me crazy...
Coincidently I went from dropping her there to the STC production of On the Beach. It was quite beautiful and moving so I'm keen to read the book.
For those of you OS, that's Bondi in late winter.
Linking with #WordlessWednesday #TravelTuesday #WednesdayAroundtheWorld #WWOAT
It's a small gallery in Haymarket and they hold this each month. The art work is a whole room installation. The dinner was more than just dumplings, it was a whole feast and it was interesting to sit down with strangers and make conversation (a lot about art and science, due to the nature of the talk and the art. And because from what I could tell, we were the only people that weren't artists).
The work we saw was by Michaela Gleave and she explained a little about her life in terms of learning about science as a child and that scientists still don't know what makes up approx 80% of all matter and 20% of all energy in the Universe today and so the art work was in ratios of 80/20. There was talks of cracks in the universe and schisms in reality (one of my friends and I discovered we both still looked for them - mine in that Alice in Wonderland/Dispatches for Elsewhere vibe and hers more sci-fi oriented, into another universe or reality.) One person made a comment that the artists interest in science was like that of the 19th century's view where science was exciting and full of wonder. I really liked that point because science is exciting and we seem to think of it as boring. Science is beautiful and wonderous and discovery (even just when you learn of it for the first time) is exciting and energising.
When we arrived we had looked at the work and then chatted on the balcony waiting for the talk over a drink. After the talk, we looked at the work again and it looked completely different. After hearing how it came together and the meaning of the components and the person history and thoughts shaping it, we saw it with completely new eyes. I was taken aback. I loved that. We see but don't really see a lot of the time. As a child, I had a book called "Look Again" where you would look at an art work and then look again to see tiny details you missed. It was a really great reminder that what we see is often only a fraction of what is there.
They hold the dinner once a month, with each new installation. It is well worth attending. Follow the Passage gallery here. They also advertise their Dumplings with an artist events on Insta so you can follow here.
There is another talk at the library with Michaela Gleave - tickets here.
“I’ve been waiting for you all winter.” (I found this quote but it was attributed to no one, but it pretty much sums me up.
I've been wanting to get photos of the cherry blossom which is weirdly almost in full bloom or just budding in different streets of the neighbourhood. But so far, haven't managed to get out there and take good pics.
But here are some where the tree was too high or the light was in the wrong place...but still the cherry blossom blooms.
It is almost the siren that winter is over - the buds appear as the wind up and then when the petals fall and it 'snows' pink, it's the siren in full wail.
“If you’ve never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom.” — Audra Foveo
Linking with #NaturesNotes #GardenAffair #DND and #FloralFridayFoto
This month has flown past and it's now less than a month until I go to Singapore. I'm so excited!
Something I'm not loving is that I trod on my glasses while exercising - don't ask - and am wearing my old glasses because I can't deal with the cost of replacing the new ones...I can't believe I was so stupid!
Max Frost finally released his new song after teasing us with 4 bars for about a month, so I was walking around singing just 2 sentences over and over because I didn't know the rest of it but it was soooo catchy! Please note the clip has a lot of flashing at the beginning so maybe not good for people with epilepsy or eye issues.
Something I'm Learning That the bank can just decide not to let you buy something. Field day tickets went on sale and I rushed to buy them (Claptone *sigh*). I got in the queue and landed on the cheaper first release tickets. My card was declined so I assumed it was because I typed a number incorrectly. I tried again but still declined. I then got a different card (even though i knew there was plenty of money on the card I'd been using). By then the first release was gone and I had to pay for the more expensive second release but I got them, so while annoyed, was still happy. That night, I get a call from the bank about a security issue. I asked if it was about the Field day tickets. They said they couldn't tell me unless I gave them my birthdate and I said no, as they'd rung me. I then had to call the number on the back of the card, wait 48 minutes to be told the cheaper first release amount matched a fraud pattern so they'd declined it. How people were ringing the bank within 4 minutes of the tickets going on sale is beyond me. We were skimmed over $17k one time (we were overseas and just kept moving money to the card because our travel money card had been eaten by an atm and we only had that credit card so didn't realise until our return) and no one noticed we were in New York, London and Vietnam all at the same time, but but $394 set alarm bells off....go figure!
Please note this website has a number for support if you have been impacted by this and need support.
There were a number of articles at the time of the inquiry, like this one, which somehow I missed at the time. I am surprised this all slipped past my radar, and I am sad it was hidden in secrecy and shame for these women for so long. these women who were taken advantage of by people in power, duped by the very people meant to help them.
Something I'm eating I've only eaten in a restaurant once this month! I had sensational lobster dumplings and shallot pancakes at Lotus before the theatre.
I have been drinking out though, so I'm still spending the money! Opps. (Fancy Negroni at Tina The Musical.)
Short and Sweet for #ShareForuSomethings this month. Also linking with #TheRandom #MondayMusicMovesMe #FriendshipFriday #WeekendCoffeeShare and #WWandPics
We are reading A Room Made of Leaves for book club. When I started it, I didn't think I'd like it but I'm really into it now. It is a fictional Elizabeth Macarthur telling of her marriage to John Macarthur and life in the colony. She is a very likeable women stuck in the constraints of her time and history. It's an interesting way to think about that time in history. A friend did not enjoy it and I can't fathom why. I'm quite keen to see what the book club thinks. I tend to not enjoy this kind of historical period so I feel she's done a great job to woo me over (I'm 1920's on please kind of gal).
What's have you been reading?
Lining with #TrafficJamreboot #SeniorSalonPitstop #MonthlyBookworms #FriendshipFriday and #WOYBS
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The cherry blossom has begun to bloom but I didn't get a chance to take photos so alas my planned post has no pictures.
(Linking with #RubyTuesdayToo for this pic)
It was a beautiuflly warm weekend so this could be seen as the anticipation of swimming season, however, it snapped back to freezing winter weather with a bite so I don't feel I can revel in the approaching summer just yet.
In January this year, they opened the 'pool' at Barangaroo at Marrinawi Cove. I've yet to swim there but maybe this Summer....
