Meus Parem Locus

 In an effort to utilise iPad capabilities a bit more, and to blog with more regularity, I have downloaded a new blog updater app to remind me and make it easier.  Fulfilling the stereotype, I am seated in a local favourite café, drinking a latté and tagging into their free wifi typing this. Around me are various groovy hip beatnikky Newtown types - the description list would be too long to attempt to clarify but needless to say there ain't too many liberal voters around. 

Having had an unexpected entire week off work (bless a building power failure on Tuesday night) I have had a wonderful break from work in (slightly) improving Sydney weather conditions. A bit of time and space to consider the 2012 year and what it could hold.  Dreams of moving to Melbourne are fading as an application for an internal job in work three weeks ago has failed to elicit the slightest response, despite me following up on two separate occasions. Tomorrow I will force the issue which will give me an idea of the prospect one way or the other.  But as we are now under a cloud of lease termination in three months, and another reason which I can't say anything more on here (yet), it may just be better to get out of the house ASAP and refresh life here in Sydney before making any major moves.  The job market (and my employer) are not inspiring confidence at the the moment either.

In a nod to resolutions for the new year, I commenced yoga a couple of weeks ago (Iyengar for the purists). Born with remarkably inflexible muscles, I have never been close to touching my toes or even crossing my right leg over my left without considerable effort. Every Saturday I now have 2 hours of stretching, holding, breathing, holding, sweating, breathing and pins'n'needles in various limbs. But it is very enjoyable and provides a certain self-satisfaction of knowing that I am pushing my (all too limiting) boundaries and social awkwardness in such situations.  Of course I am hopeless at it, but determined to continue on a reasonably regular basis - after about 5 classes I certainly feel an improvement in posture and balance.  Sitting for 30 minutes in a cross-leg pose helps too.  Someone light the incense.

5 months of blog avoidance. I left off on on impressions of Reykjavik - it seems so long ago now. I came home to our recently rented house - the same house that I just today received 3 months notice to vacate. This was not unexpected given the issues we've had with living here over the last 6 months however, and a 3 month notice period is quite generous I think. With a bit of luck, we may be able to kill two birds with one stone, and finally make the move to Melbourne which has been so often discussed over the years. In an attempt to escape the fucking appalling summer weather in Sydney, we had a few days in lovely Noosa this week - only had one of sun up there too - seems the whole east coast is cursed for any decent weather this year. Got back yesterday and supposed to work today - got up, showered, dressed, kissed goodbye, walked down to station, bought ticket, checked phone, message saying building electrical fault so don't come into work today, walked back home. It rained the entire time, and ever since. I need a sun holiday. At this rate I'm considering Ireland. I want to go out tonight but struggling to get myself up and enthused. But the alternative of Australian TV for the evening is enough to motivate me into action. So am I back online here again? I hope so. I just never really know if I've ever got anything of interest to say.

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On Reykjavik

The quirky surprise piece of my itinerary, I have wanted to visit Iceland all of my life and this year, saw an opportunity not to be put off once again. A bus mistake and traffic chaos in london nearly resulted in missing my flight, until I spent £65 on a cab to take me straight to Heathrow. Cursing the meter (and my casualness about getting to Heathrow easily) along the way, I wondered if I was making a ridiculous and expensive mistake with the whole trip. But once checked in and underway, self-berating gave way to excitement. Landing at Keflavik airport in bright sunshine (that was up 21 hours per day) I saw the barren volcanic landscape that stretches to the horizon, interrupted only by occasional volcanos and monolithic foreboding mountains. This is truly "big-sky" country - you could turn the sky a different hue and have an instant set for a science fiction planet unknown to humans. Steam billowed up from little spots in the distance as the bus took me into the city. In the city, people milled about drinking and singing - the Gay Pride parade had just ended and it seems that most of the population had descended on the inner squares and streets. At 11pm I went to the local gay bar and watches locals drunk and dancing to cheesy europop hits on the tiny dance floor, then went upstairs to the "club" to listen to only slightly less cheesy stuff. I saw Hera Bjork perform her (not successful but very camp) Eurovision entry from 2009 live on stage which was a boon, followed by a disastrous trio of old men singing what I can only think was old Icelandic odes with updated beats. I left about then - around 3am. The queue to get IN stretched back to the main street. The sun was about to appear once again. Weird.... But the weather was wonderful, the city so very pretty in that Nordic kind of way, the people "efficiently-friendly" and the prices were about on par with Sydney. I saw everything I wanted to see as I walked around the various landmarks unhindered by excessive tourists and inclement weather. I ate shark and cured herring. I drank aquavit and Viking (sic) beer. I bought a candle holder with ash from the Eyokafuyukjull (or whatever it's called) volcano and gave it to the parents. I nearly bought mum the similarly named womens fragrance (true) but that was possibly taking the cheesiness to far :-) On the last day I was able to take a bus from the hotel to the incredible Blue Lagoon (www.blue lagoon.com)for a few hours of amazing geothermal bathing in the sunshine, then the bus took me onto the airport directly for my flight. Sunburn from Iceland on my head and shoulders. Who could have guessed such a thing? I have many photos that I am unable to display here, until I get home to Sydney in 10 days time. A shame, as the experience is worth seeing. But now I am home in Ireland and finally relaxing after the non stop travel. Being at home now is like taking 5 valiums after living on caffeine and guarana for the last 10 days. It's time

On Los Angeles

Although I did not travel far and wide whilst in LA, I saw as much as I wanted to see in 2 days. And having no real expectations of the place prior to arriving, I was ultimately very impressed with the experience. Staying in West Hollywood (where all the plastic people live) was actually a lot nicer than I expected, and I felt safe and relaxed walking around (and checked out like never before - I like to think it was in a good way and not because this mug looked so out of place hehe). A trip to the Getty museum in the Hollywood hills was a highlight, as was bumping into a partner of a Convicts player (Coincidence no.1) completely randomly at a bar the second night. We had such a laugh! Then, as I was bleary eyed waiting for the lift to go down to reception to ask what time was checkout, the doors open and I find myself staring at an old friend (D)from Sydney blinking back at me. We had a bit of a fall out a few years ago and had not spoken since, and in my hungover state I kind of thought I was still having a vivid dream - but no, there he was in front of me (Coincidence no.2). We awkwardly said hello and having arrived at reception, agreed to meet at Starbucks in half an hour. I had to go back up to my room and turbo charge my packing, then we went to ihop for pancakes :) It was so good to catch up and put all the previous stuff behind us - we really have a lot more in common than I think we could ever admit. We laughed about our US stories then I went back to the hotel to grab my bags to the airport As it turned out (Coincidence no.3) someone had just booked a celebrity Hummer limo but cancelled at the last minute, so Gonzales (concierge) spoke to Ramirez (chauffeur) and he agreed to take me to the airport for $45!! So I cruised along Santa Monica Boulevard in the back seat this thing (it was friggin HUGE) sometimes opening the window a crack as people on the pavements looked to see it who it was (and TAKING PICTURES) but if the got close I closed it again LOL. It was hilarious! So would I go back? Definitely. THe Getty was a smidgen disappointing but there's a lot more to see. And so, onto London...

On London

When I booked this trip, I had a minor concern that the London part of it (all of 5 days) would actually be a bit too much - I seen and done the place and I'm being excessive... As usual however, I am once again enthralled by the city and the ability to move around it. There's still a lot more for me to see for many many trips to come. It's easy to forget how good friends can be - the tyranny of distance (and some taking for granted with the ease of Facebook type communications) means we can be lax and lazy in our ongoing relationships. But nothing beats the real thing, and standing outside the Welly having pints in the sunshine with these people is something I cannot compare to anything else. Tonight is my last night in London, and I look forward to doing it once more. Greenwich Obervatory, Tate Modern and Britain At War museum were all great. My best mate from school, the now up-and-coming hot artist of the London scene (see www.frankkiely.com) is like old family, and his membership of the Tate got me into the stunning Joan Miro exhibition for free :) I've been to Barcelona TWICE and tried to go to the museum there and on both occasions it was closed! Then lunch in the members cafe in the sunshine. Wonderful. Upon going back to his studio (just at Bankside Gallery on the Thames) I spotted a great picture print he recently exhibited of the Oval suburb of London, which just happens to be where I am staying in my friends house whilst visiting the city. On a whim I bought it there and then (at mates rates of course which is just as well as the print run run of only 50 has nearly all sold at 500 GBP a pop!) and will give it to my friend as a thank you. I hope he likes it! Tomorrow, onto Reykjavik and I'm hoping this whole Iceland sojourn shebang will be worthwhile. It's a place I have ALWAYS wanted to visit since I was a little boy - I think everyone has a few places they always wanted to see and this was it for me - no idea why. I have downloaded a fantastic tourist app on my phone as my guide, and despite the fact Reykjavik Pride is on at the same time, there are far too many other things I want to see and do before I leave on 48 short hours later. I've been blessed with amazing weather since I've been away thus far - here's hoping it may continue! Stay calm and carry on...

Day One: this ain't no disco

Flight was fairly uneventful - V Australia were quite good for Premium Econ but I think everyone will roll off a 13 hours flight feeling fairly shit no matter class you fly. It didn't help that we left at 11am so despite best efforts there was no desire to have any meaningful sleep. Maybe I should have stayed up the night before and been trashed going to the airport... I'm waiting for my hotel room to be ready - hopefully about 11am (it's 9:30 now) so I can get some sleep. It's a dull and cool morning here in LA but certainly warmer than Sydney. I'm in a little cafe on Santa Monica Blvd finally using the iPad for the purposes it was originally purchased - i.e. travel communication. Gotta love free wifi in the USA. Despite the lack of sleep I find myself holding up well so far. How long it lasts I don't know.

So I have finally given in and got myself an iPad... I type this from the (soon to be moved out of) living room using the bluetooth keyboard I got with at the same time :-) I'm still really trying to find the actual value proposition in having one but I was able to justify it by realising that traveling abroad with no laptop/computing power is really not ideal, especially as I will be traveling alone this year and to some places not before visited (LA, Reykjavik) So I managed to convince myself that this was the right thing to do - I certainly wasn't going to lug my 6 year old macbook pro around again - the poor old duck has had it's traveling days and it weighs a bloody ton. So after only 3 hours with the Ipad - first impressions... Not too happy about the lack of iPad specific apps - especially Facebook? Maybe I'm missing something with that - or maybe I should use it through Safari It's BRIGHT (the screen) It's heavier than I expected It's.... compelling. I feared if I got one I would struggle to put it down and I hope that will not be the case. So apart from that we are set to move house on 9th July (hopefully) just around the corner in order to rent this place out. The strata fees have become outrageously expensive over the last few years and a notice in the mail of a further impending rise sealed the deal. The tax benefits are too good to turn down, and it's either that or just sell the place, which I don't really want to do. I would post a link to the new property but I'm not sure how to do that just yet :-) I'll get some photos soon.

With J away it's been fairly quiet.  With the winter locked in and grey skies and cold winds it's been downright maudlin.  This is the longest we've been apart from each other and there's still more than a week to go.  The odd phone call and text, although welcome, do not reduce the feeling of loss.  Seeing happy pictures on Facebook provide both happiness and a bit of "poor me" at the same time.

The excitement of my impending holiday (without J) is somewhat diminished as I realise that just a few weeks separate his arrival and my departure.  We knew this ages ago of course but the reality of it has become a lot more apparent since he left.

LOL maybe it's the red wine bringing me down a little. Or maybe it's end of a three day weekend and back to work tomorrow I go, knowing that the only person in there that I really connected with finished last week and now I've got no one to vent to, or go grab a coffee with.

Another weekend in Melbourne finishes, and another period of wistful longing to move there begins.  I keep banging on about it to everyone - I'm always asked the question WHY I love it so much and have always answered with the same broad statements without actually really thinking it out.   This time I went with a view to try and figure out the reasons with a little more specific clarity.   I've tried to separate the tangible from the subjective, but I may have mixed this a little as the crossover can be vague (like that last sentence)

Specific

1. City Design: I love the CBD and the extended inner-city grid system.  I love the wide tree lined boulevards and the ease with which they flow and integrate with trams and cars alike
2. Architecture: a mix of old & stately, and new & daring.  Grand old buildings restored and maintained sit comfortably beside or under challenging and interesting structures and shapes that provide visual stimulation at most CBD streets.   Inner city suburban grandeur mixes with funkier & trendy shabby chic with ease and style
3. Trams: love them love them love them
4. Parks & Trees: they are dotted around everywhere and lush and green.  I am aware that Julian Clary also liked this feature of Melbourne, and would like to disassociate myself from his reasons for admiration :)
5. Climate: I like real seasons.  I know a lot of Australians don't seem to get that, but I like my summers to be warm or hot and my winters to be cool or COLD.  I like the visible changes to my environment in the transition seasons of Spring and Autumn.   It grounds me.   

Non-Specific

1. Vibe: yes I know it's a cliché for Melbourne but the reality is it is there and easy to find.  It's not self conscious.  It's not try-hard.  And I pick it up and feel it whenever I am there.
2. Social: another cliché perhaps, but the small bars, laneway restaurants and intimate cocktail lounges are soooooooooooo much more appealing to me than loud, brash booze barns.   I'm too old to get excited about standing in some huge crowded bar with ear bashing music that I don't like, yelling to my friends and getting bumped around by the constantly moving and shifting crowd.  
3. People: don't seem to be so self obsessed or cliquey.  (this is a very subjective view I know - but it's just how I perceive it.   Attitude is noticeable by it's absence in my experience).  Theatre, live music and comedy festivals engage the citizens in a way not seen by me here.
4. Ease of movement: using trains, trams and buses to get around, the city and it's features just seem to be so accessible.

Of course, the undercurrent throughout all of this is an implied comparison to my current home of Sydney.  And of course, that does feature in a lot of the points above, and I could now rattle off a load of reasons why I am over Sydney and my frustrations with the city and State of NSW in general.  But that would be no surprise to anyone so suffice to say there are a few key reasons why I don't think I've ever really connected with this place.  

First - I'm not a beach person (mostly).  One of the key reasons for living in Sydney is the amazing beaches right on our doorstep.  But this has never been a drawcard for me.  Second - it's too pocketed.  There are parts of this city that I love to spend time in but getting there/getting back is a nightmare or bloody expensive.  Third - whilst Sydney has probably the most beautiful natural harbour of any city in the world, unless you live near it (rich) or use a ferry to get across it regularly (lucky), it's somewhat too easily forgotten.  And beyond its glamour and appeal lies a hotch potch of dead CBD streets and raucous superpubs around The Rocks or George Street that attract unattractive groups.

And yes maybe I would like a change.  How many further reasons or analysis should one engage in before a decision can be made on a reasonable level of consideration?  

So a great weekend in many respects, not least of which forcing me to define a direction and point of view on this topic which has lingered with me for years.  Here's hoping I can now activate this ambition someday.