17 April 2010
15 April 2010
Fortress Around Your Heart
Click here to listen ...
Under the ruins of a walled city
Crumbling towers and beams of yellow light
No flags of truce, no cries of pity
The siege guns had been pounding all through the night
It took a day to build the city
We walked through its streets in the afternoon
As I returned across the lands I'd known
I recognized the fields where I'd once played
I had to stop in my tracks for fear
Of walking on the mines I'd laid
And if I built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge
For I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire
Then I went off to fight some battle
That I'd invented inside my head
Away so long for years and years
You probably thought or even wished that I was dead
While the armies are all sleeping
Beneath the tattered flag we'd made
I had to stop in my track for fear
Of walking on the mines I'd laid
- Sting
Under the ruins of a walled city
Crumbling towers and beams of yellow light
No flags of truce, no cries of pity
The siege guns had been pounding all through the night
It took a day to build the city
We walked through its streets in the afternoon
As I returned across the lands I'd known
I recognized the fields where I'd once played
I had to stop in my tracks for fear
Of walking on the mines I'd laid
And if I built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge
For I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire
Then I went off to fight some battle
That I'd invented inside my head
Away so long for years and years
You probably thought or even wished that I was dead
While the armies are all sleeping
Beneath the tattered flag we'd made
I had to stop in my track for fear
Of walking on the mines I'd laid
- Sting
05 April 2010
Roadtrip 2010: Melbourne and Canberra in 5 days
We did it again! Another holiday that was packed and exhausting. I got sick when we came home.
This road trip was all about experiencing the annual Melbourne leg of the Formula One Grand Prix. The hubby is a huge fan. His brother who is visiting from the Philippines turned out to be a follower too. And so we loaded our bags and ourselves into the Kluger - myself, the hubby, the sister-in-law, the brother-in-law and my two boys. (Sidebar: You cannot have six passengers in a Toyota Kluger and expect enough room for an Esky. You will have to leave some non-essentials such as camp chairs behind.)
Anatomy of a Fast-paced Holiday
Day 1: Friday on the move
Spent 10 hours on the road with a 5:30 am start. Lots of toilet and food stops along the way. We missed the lunch stop at Albury, the border town between New South Wales and Victoria. Fortunately, I packed peanut butter sandwiches. We found a picnic spot at a sleepy town called Chiltern (see photo above).
We arrived in Melbourne at 5:30 pm. I immediately loved the city with its art-filled laneways and quaint little shops and cafes. Our hotel, Accor's Mercure, was in the CBD. Restaurants dotted the streets and all amenities were a stone's throw away. Adobo, our packed comfort food, always tastes good when one is too beat to think where or what to eat!
Day 2: Saturday at Albert Park
Excitement mounted when we arrived at the Grand Prix gate. The hubby uncharacteristically blurted out, "I am so excited!" The sound of Formula One cars gunning around the circuit during practice proved too much for Migo's sensitive ears. We decided to watch qualifying from the big screen instead.
Below are sight and sounds of an F1 experience: girls, RAAF Roulettes and lots of fast cars!
Day 3: Sunday at Albert Park
The cars went by in a blur and the engines were definitely deafening. Ear plugs are a must! The entire place was in a frenzy, the atmosphere electric. You don't really see or hear anything during the race, except for the "wheeee" of the cars. Watching the race on TV with the replays is more comfortable and entertaining. However, live action is so much more gratifying or so I rationalise.
Day 4: The drive to Canberra
A non-event. We stayed at Best Western Parklands in a three bedroom unit.
Day 5: A side trip to Paris
And for an experience diametrically opposite the Grand Prix, we stopped by the National Art Gallery in Canberra to see Masterpieces from Paris. A once in a lifetime event that brought paintings from the Musee D'Orsay to our neck of the woods.
The snaking queue in heavy downpour. These folks are utterly adamant!
Oh did i mention that we waited for 1.5 hours to get inside the exhibition rooms? Getting wet in the rain was a small price to pay. That makes us as stubborn as the rest of 'em!
I must admit my heart skipped a beat when I saw Vincent van Gogh's 'Starry Night' masterpiece. I heard Don McLean's song "Vincent" in my head ... "Starry starry night. Paint your palette blue and gray ..."
You must click here for a complete audio description of this joyous painting!
This road trip was all about experiencing the annual Melbourne leg of the Formula One Grand Prix. The hubby is a huge fan. His brother who is visiting from the Philippines turned out to be a follower too. And so we loaded our bags and ourselves into the Kluger - myself, the hubby, the sister-in-law, the brother-in-law and my two boys. (Sidebar: You cannot have six passengers in a Toyota Kluger and expect enough room for an Esky. You will have to leave some non-essentials such as camp chairs behind.)
Anatomy of a Fast-paced Holiday
Day 1: Friday on the moveSpent 10 hours on the road with a 5:30 am start. Lots of toilet and food stops along the way. We missed the lunch stop at Albury, the border town between New South Wales and Victoria. Fortunately, I packed peanut butter sandwiches. We found a picnic spot at a sleepy town called Chiltern (see photo above).
We arrived in Melbourne at 5:30 pm. I immediately loved the city with its art-filled laneways and quaint little shops and cafes. Our hotel, Accor's Mercure, was in the CBD. Restaurants dotted the streets and all amenities were a stone's throw away. Adobo, our packed comfort food, always tastes good when one is too beat to think where or what to eat!
Day 2: Saturday at Albert Park
Excitement mounted when we arrived at the Grand Prix gate. The hubby uncharacteristically blurted out, "I am so excited!" The sound of Formula One cars gunning around the circuit during practice proved too much for Migo's sensitive ears. We decided to watch qualifying from the big screen instead.
Below are sight and sounds of an F1 experience: girls, RAAF Roulettes and lots of fast cars!
Day 3: Sunday at Albert Park
The cars went by in a blur and the engines were definitely deafening. Ear plugs are a must! The entire place was in a frenzy, the atmosphere electric. You don't really see or hear anything during the race, except for the "wheeee" of the cars. Watching the race on TV with the replays is more comfortable and entertaining. However, live action is so much more gratifying or so I rationalise.
Day 4: The drive to Canberra
A non-event. We stayed at Best Western Parklands in a three bedroom unit.
Day 5: A side trip to Paris
And for an experience diametrically opposite the Grand Prix, we stopped by the National Art Gallery in Canberra to see Masterpieces from Paris. A once in a lifetime event that brought paintings from the Musee D'Orsay to our neck of the woods.
The snaking queue in heavy downpour. These folks are utterly adamant!Oh did i mention that we waited for 1.5 hours to get inside the exhibition rooms? Getting wet in the rain was a small price to pay. That makes us as stubborn as the rest of 'em!
I must admit my heart skipped a beat when I saw Vincent van Gogh's 'Starry Night' masterpiece. I heard Don McLean's song "Vincent" in my head ... "Starry starry night. Paint your palette blue and gray ..."
You must click here for a complete audio description of this joyous painting!
21 March 2010
07 March 2010
The Joys of Solitude ... it's not for everyone.
I share a magazine article lifted from SMH's Spectrum. It is about solitude. I love this article because it describes my husband's nature so aptly! I can see clearly our future, our retirement. He reading a book, and I reading my book at both ends of a comfortable couch. Our silences will not be pregnant; they will not be heavy. Our silences will be comfortable and harmonious ... Oh wait, there will be beautiful music of Vivaldi's violin strings playing in the background.
I can't wait!
One's company, two's a crowd
I can't wait!
One's company, two's a crowd
One's company, two's a crowd
| |||||
There's no idle chatter, no white noise and no need to get out of your pyjamas. Phil Daoust extols the virtues of seclusion. YOU don't get many casual visitors where I live. Home is down a dirt track, three kilometres from the nearest village. The neighbours are five minutes' walk away, and when the woods are in leaf you can't see another building. By day you may hear a chainsaw in the distance; by night only the deer barking. I'm on my own here, if you don't count the cat, and right now it's a week since I saw another human. But it's a beautiful spot, in a lovely bit of France, and every now and again a rambler will find his way to it. If I'm outside, and don't have time to hide, his first remark will usually be: "This is a little bit of heaven." I'll feel a little bashful, as if I somehow shaped this world with my own talented hands, and then he'll say: "Mind you, I could never live here." |
03 March 2010
Rockwiz Duet: Hot "Slave to Love" cover ...
Watch Canadian siren Martha Wainwright sashay from side to side, how-low-can-you-go and up again. Smooth and sultry in her cute yellow number and white stockings! Aussie Dan Kelly almost forgot his lyrics!
'Can you help me, can you help me' .... 'Over me' ...
23 February 2010
Kidchat #9: ... disgraceful!
One Sunday morning, I was reading a magazine article in Sunday Life about mums of various ages getting a tatoo. Why do women do it?
"So why do grown women do it? Often, as a way to reclaim something of yourself or, possibly, an early life crisis. The last grasp at cool."
Mum: "Hey Gab, what do you think about mum getting a tattoo?"
Gab (10 year old son): "Mum, that is disgraceful!"
Mum: "What?? Why is that? And where is this word coming from? Have you heard it from someone?"
Gab: "Tattoos are disgraceful to the body that God gave you."
Mum: "But, sweetheart, Angelina Jolie has one". Mmm, I don't think my son cares about Angelina. "It can be a work of art if Mama picks a really nice design. Besides, I decided that I will do things this year. This will be a 'Me Year' or even a 'Me Decade'. It was all about you and kuya (older brother) in the past decade!"
Gab: "Mommy is lovely the way she is. She just needs to lose some weight!"
Ugh! My kids do keep me grounded, can you believe it? I have a feeling that the table is slowly turning ... :) It's the end of my tatts aspirations!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)