Tag: journey

2020 Melbourne

.Reading time 19 minutes.

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back.” ~ Paulo Coelho

Flinders Street Station
Flinders Street Station, July 2020

This is Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, Australia, at 11.30 am on Friday 10 July 2020. The city has just gone into its second lockdown, due to COVID-19. There’s barely anyone in sight and it feels like I’m living in an alternate reality. At some point, earlier this year, we woke up to changed world. And it became evident, very quickly, that things would never go back to ‘normal’, at least not the ‘normal’ we’d experienced in 2019. 

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A decade of journeys

.Reading time 9 minutes.

“The beauty you see in me is a reflection of you.” Rumi

Mt Edith Cavell

I always enjoy New Year’s Eve. Not for fireworks or parties – because I often enjoy solitude on this day – but because it’s really the only time of year that I reflect on the previous 12 months. And today, at the end of another decade, I’ve been thinking about the last 10 years and how amazing they’ve been for me*. Perhaps it’s because I’m older, but I think I’ve reached the point in my life where I’m accepting of who I am (with all my flaws and quirks). I’m no longer scared about what people think of me (or of being judged). In short, I’m comfortable in my own skin. It might have taken me half a lifetime to get there, but I feel content and happy.

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Meander Melbourne

.Reading time 2 minutes.

“Karen knew all the interesting and pretty spots to see, including a great market, the laneways, a fantastic graffiti alleyway, some great outdoor sights, and some of the city’s official monuments. She was knowledgeable and good to talk with, and I felt like I’d really gotten to know a lot about Melbourne in one day! She was also very flexible in her tour so we could see the things that interested me most. I’m very glad I took her tour and am so happy to got to see so much of Melbourne.” Lauren, September 2018

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A few months ago, in my last blog post, I mentioned that I was trying out some new things after my long-term editing contract finished. I also wanted to find something that would get me outside, exercising, and doing the things I love – walking, exploring, taking photographs! The answer came to me in the form of Airbnb Experiences. I’d already been an Airbnb host for a number of years, renting out the spare bedroom in my apartment, so it seemed natural for me to give Airbnb Experiences a go. One month into my ‘Meander Melbourne’ walking tours and I’m so happy. There is nothing better than sharing a place you love with fellow-travellers…

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Random Acts to IMAlive Journey: Inside the Life of an IMAlive Volunteer

.Reading time 1 minute.

“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” Maya Angelou

2017 was an interesting year for me: I juggled a variety of temp jobs, along with writing, editing and photography gigs; I enjoyed lots of beautiful gatherings with my family and friends; I managed to travel a little bit; and, most importantly, I began a long-term volunteering commitment with IMAlive, an online crisis network. Looking back, there are plenty of wonderful memories and it was a really rewarding year on a personal level.

I did, however, miss spending time working on my blog, something I hope to remedy this year. Click on the “view original post” link below to read about my volunteer journey with IMAlive; something that came about because of my obsession with a little television show called Supernatural – and because I was inspired by the charitable work of its stars Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles.

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Portraits

.Reading time 10 minutes.

“It may be true that portrait photography cannot really describe a subject’s personality in any significant way. Snapshots work only because the viewer is a friend or family member and is thus being reminded, not informed. What portraits can do however is evoke humanity, they can allow a contact, a recognition of human experience.” Greg Neville

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I remember examining the question “what is portraiture” at college back in the early 1990s and I came to the conclusion that this was entirely up to the person creating the artwork. And I think my early photographs were just as much self-portraits, as they were portraits of my friends and families. Whatever the result, the experience of creating these portraits holds a lot of meaning and joy for me.

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A quirky fun-loving guy

.Reading time 3 minutes.

“Life is short. Spend it with those who make your soul happy.”

Mike and puppies on rail trail weekend

I can remember a time, early in our friendship, when Danielle and Mike came over to my place so Mike could help me out with what was, undoubtedly for him, a very simple computer issue. He wandered around my house, delightedly pointing out all the out-of-date technology I owned. My video recorder. My Windows 98 computer. My walkman. “You live in a museum”, he said. And it made me laugh.

Mike was good at that. He always knew how to make people laugh.

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Just breathe

.Reading time 4 minutes.

I don’t have any words this week. Except to say that when the world becomes too much for me, I like to escape into created worlds. Those of film, television and books. I can also easily lose myself in my photography, so today I’ve taken photographs from my recent trip to the Canadian Rockies and put them with inspirational words from artists whose creative works I’ve loved, at one time or another. If I could, I would head out into the wilderness right now – without a television, without a phone, without any access to news – and just breathe.

Emerald Lake, Yoho National Park

“Keep close to Nature’s heart … and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” ~ John Muir

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San Diego Comic Con

.Reading time 13 minutes.

“Comic-Con has become more of a pop cultural festival, and to not be included feels like you’re missing the biggest celebration of the year.” Felicia Day

Supergirl and The Flash banner at the WB booth

San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) can be described in so many ways but I think the best word is JOY. For four magical days there exists an abundance of joy, overflowing from people who are unashamedly passionate about the things they love. People from all walks of life, from diverse backgrounds and from all around the world, come together with acceptance and love. It is overwhelming, in the best possible way, and I immediately felt like I belonged.

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A smile for a child

.Reading time 6 minutes.

“Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Jedis, Wookiees, Vulcans, Tribbles, Hobbits, Orcs, Spartans, Cogs, Mutants, Freaks, and the like… In an attempt to express my admiration for all the things we’ve come to know and love, and subsequently take over the world, I bring you thenerdmachine.com … So, let’s start assembling the machine, rallying the troops, and marching toward our ultimate goal of proving once and for all that the geek shall inherit the earth. Love, Blessings, and Viva la Nerdolution.” Zachary Levi, The Nerd Machine

Zach Levi

On my travels this year I went to San Diego Comic Con, which is the biggest pop culture event in the world. It is geek heaven and I’ll be writing more about that experience over the coming weeks. But the thing that has stayed with me, months after the event, is The Nerd Machine’s NERD HQ, a wonderful event that is held in San Diego but outside Comic Con proper.

There – in a beautiful welcoming space – a smile for us geeks results in smiles for numerous children who were born with facial deformities. The money raised at NERD HQ’s ‘Conversations for a Cause’ panels goes directly to the aptly named organisation, Operation Smile.

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Life… it’s a changin’

.Reading time 3 minutes.

“There is a time in life when you expect the world to be always full of new things. And then comes a day when you realise that is not how it will be at all. You see that life will become a thing made of holes. Absences. Losses. Things that were there and are no longer. And you realise, too, that you have to grow around and between the gaps…” Helen Macdonald

Once again, I’ve taken a big absence from my blog. During the last six months, I’ve resigned from a job with a toxic environment, one that had zapped a significant amount of energy from me, and I’ve travelled overseas for two months. I spent time in San Diego for Comic Con; Vancouver for my family and friends; and the Canadian Rockies for a 50th birthday present to myself. Read More