Fishing with my Dad is a line of memories that runs back all the way to my childhood. I didn’t have a deep relationship with him as an adult and we weren’t in the habit of having real heart-to-heart conversations, so time spent together on an activity like fishing was our bonding time. There were long gaps where we wouldn’t go fishing for years, but in the past few months I was lucky to share a few trips with Dad, including what turned out to be the very last one.
personal
A British Shorthair Named Charlie
Charlie’s been my housemate for a few months now, and it’s hard to imagine that I ever lived in my apartment without a cat and a couch that wasn’t shredded. After our old family cat passed away, I was wondering if I’d ever get attached to another pet as strongly, but nope he’s my little treasure alright.
Here are some random facts and observations about Charlie:
I did Myers-Briggs personality test
Apparently I’m an INTJ. You of course have to take this sort of thing with a grain of salt, but overall I found the description pretty accurate.
Bali
Last time I went to Bali I was so determined to have a purely relaxing holiday I deliberately left my big camera at home and didn’t bother about photos. Though this recent week was also mostly about relaxing and pampering (hot stone massage, mmmm) I did take some shots of a few beautiful places we visited.
Bali Botanic Garden, a green oasis of calm
Bali Botanic Garden
Bamboo grove… now that’s proper Neighbours-Be-Gone hedge
Lake Beratan
Lake Beratan
Local market
View on the rice fields from our hotel in Ubud
Ubud Monkey Forest
Ubud Monkey Forest
Ubud Monkey Forest
Macaw at the Antonio Blanco Museum
Antonio Blanco Museum – the roof
No idea what the deal is here, but it’s a striking sight
Temptation – a drabble
A short humorous drabble I wrote a while ago.
“Go on then, have a bite,” said the Serpent.
Eve looked down at the fruit. Contrary to the popular paintings, it was a tangerine.
“Come on, don’t you want to be kicked out? An eternity of raw food and this moron for company?” The Serpent pointed at Adam, who scratched himself as he struggled to name a horsey creature with a single horn in its forehead. His beard was caked with the remains of last night’s meal. He hadn’t said thank you for dinner, then or ever.
Eve glanced at Adam, sighed, and began to peel the tangerine.
Sydney – Vivid Festival
Sydney is always great to visit, and this time I got to attend the annual Vivid Festival, when Sydney is illuminated by some amazing light shows. We were also lucky to catch the Archibald Prize portrait exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, spend some time at the Manly Beach, and enjoy some great food. I tried non-alcoholic beer for the first time, which was surprisingly nice (real beer still gets a no from me though).
Sydney Opera House is of course the most spectacular light show on offer
Light installations in the park
Light installations in the park
Light installations in the park
Manly Beach
Archibald Packing Room Prize winner, the portrait of Jimmy Barnes
My Top 50 Favourite Albums
I found a list of my top favourite 50 albums I’d made back in 2008, and I thought it would be fun to revisit and update. More than half of my picks remained the same, so my musical tastes haven’t undergone a dramatic change in the last ten years. Organising the albums in the exact order of preference is too much headache, so after the top two it’s a loose list.
