Hinterland, More People at Door & a Walk

After a rainy one yesterday (mostly spent on lounge watching sub-par movies) was great to wake up to brilliant sunshine today! Last Sunday of every month is "market day" in Bangalow - so hopped into the Commodore to check it out - unfortunately:

Might just mention that an Aussie driving a Commodore is kind of like a Swede driving a Volvo, that is to say - it's a little bit funny.

So went for lovely drive around our beautiful hinterland, through Coorabell and Federal. Here is a picture of the very cute Federal town-centre...

Observe how here is everything one might need: Post office, Bottle shop, Petrol and a Cafe. "The Chatterbox Cafe" actually makes a very respectable Soy Flat White.

Hubby did most unbelievable thing on way home. Picked up a hitch-hiker! Everybody knows you must never hitch-hike OR pick up hitch-hikers anywhere in rural Australia. This has the potential to be very dangerous and to end up as a based-on-actual-events horror-movie. So hubby was chatting away to, admittedly pleasant looking, hitch-hiker - whilst I was running some possible negative scenarios inside head, one involving a machete. Miraculously, we made it to Byron in one piece.

Was thankful to be alive so was naturally feeling very agreeable when, lo and behold, ANOTHER person shows up at front door! Is unusual as we do not yet know many people; but let me also explain about the driveway. From street level, you could actually miss the fact that there is a house here. Should you still spot house, through dense greenery that literally grows as you are watching it (a gardeners nightmare) - you will soon discover the Everest-type steep driveway, and should thereby be discouraged and leave. Everyone that makes the trip up said driveway says the same thing: "My my, that is a steep driveway - good exercise going up that!" Hmm, yes. Agreed. Is ever better exercise to sweep the damned thing.

Where is the house..?

But I digress. This time, was asked by mystery-guest to take part in Morgan Poll (Roy Morgan Research). The Morgan Poll is, apparently, the most widely accepted Australian opinion poll there is. And was only going to take a few moments. Fabulous!
Of course, wish to do my part and ensure I make a "significant contribution to social and political decision-making and project development in Australia"! 45 minutes later was starting to feel slightly less enthusiastic, and when I was finally done politely declining to discuss my income and / or bank balance as well as admitting to having drunk eight out of ten types of booze in the past week - immediately rung up Swedish Neighbour to warn her of impending doom. She has two kids under the age of three, and certainly no time to contribute to statistics in a meaningful way...

Ended up going for walk in Wategos Beach with Neighbour - who was quite keen to take a break from house, toddler and baby. In conclusion, Wategos this evening:

The Byron Bay Lighthouse:

Bikram & Beaches

Went down to Belongil Beach this morning, which is location of Yoga Studio! A word on Bikram Yoga: Tough! Not just lying down on floor breathing and sighing - this is exercise. Yet, much more enjoyable. Let's just say I have been to the gym exactly twice - around 8 years ago. Only went the second time because had purchased pre-paid card with 10 classes on it. Am quite sure the final eight are beyond their expiry date by now. Anyway - Bikram... Love it!

Weather is just right at the moment; one can enjoy a couple of hours of reading on the beach, in full sun, which in two months time you would have to be positively suicidal to attempt. Belongil Beach today:

Finally a Happy Snap from Main Beach today:

Am off now to make a couple of vegan dips to go with my preservative free, locally brewed, beer. Happy Weekend!

Farmers Markets and then some Chosen Words

Thursday is shopping-day. On this day we rise early so we can arrive at the Farmers Markets - Every Thursday in Byron Bay - before the crowds. Have got quite the routine worked out where we stop at avo-dude, banana-dude (who also sells sweet potatoes and pumpkin), coriander-dude, egg-man (not vegan yet as completely trust that egg-man treats chickens with love and respect), ginger-lady and coffee-stand. A few other items get picked up along the way, but these are the main stops.

Love idea of Farmers Market. So lucky here! Went to Sweden in June for three weeks, and had completely forgotten what the shopping experience there is like. Sad looking vegetables, fruit and herbs shipped from half-way around the world and sold at premium prices. Mind, Farmers Market not exactly BiLo - but atleast is very fresh... Unfortunately still have to get some stuff from Woolies - or should I say the Corporate Evil of all Evils, except maybe Coles. Am amazed the poor supermarket stays afloat in spite of all locals vehemently denying ever shopping there..? Must be all the day-tripping Queenslanders.

So got back home - stocked fridge with broccoli and cupboard with lentils, brewed some organic-pesticide-free Bangalow Coffee and sat down with the Byron Shire News... When something very unusual happened..! Someone at the door! TWO people at the door. After some quick thinking realised they had definitely seen me through the glass-screen that serves as front-door, so had to get up and open. As you probably already guessed: Jehovah's Witnesses. Could only do what any chilled out spiritual individual would do in such a situation: Smile kindly and explain that the Watchtower is not a publication which is... well... my thing. Door closed firmly.

After they left I thought of something to say! WHY is it always like that? Have been meaning to ask why it is that if they KNOW Jesus and Co are only going to take 144,000 of them into Heaven - isn't it indeed silly, not to say stupid, to keep recruiting more competition - thus reducing ones own chances of being one of the chosen few? Perhaps I am just selfish?

Whenever I come into contact with door-knocking Witnesses I must always tell the same anecdotal story about my stepmother who, when woken up by someone (guess who) knocking on her door in spite of sign saying "Do not disturb, nightshift worker," fetched a shotgun (loaded or otherwise), opened the kitchen window and shouted a few well chosen words.

I would never behave in such a way. Not anymore. Don't think so anyway. Might. Not sure.

Time to meditate.

This is the start!

I feel that I ought to be honest. After all, I want this new commitment to writing to start out on the right foot.

But first, a quote.

Do what you do when you're doing it, And don't do what you're not doing when you're not doing it.

Back to the issue of honesty then. The truth is, am not exactly sure what I would like to say on this blog, and who I would like to say it to. This blog may
A. Be about travelling in Australia, particularly the east coast (specifically north-east NSW - it's pretty limited come to think of it!) - with tips about Byron such as where you can get the best Fairtrade Soy Latte or the most hardcore Yoga, intended for an audience.
B. Be a diary, no intended audience.
C. Be a commentary on current affairs and politics, to be widely publicised.

Amazing how writing something down brings clarity to the mind. Thinking a combination of A and B. What about C you ask? Come on, was only joking!

With the risk of sounding like a hopeless cliché - in short I have done this: Partied too much, studied for too long, moved to London to try my hand at a career - found it to be soul-destroying poppycock - partied too much again, moved to Amsterdam, found some zen, travelled, got married, tried the corporate world once more - once more found same to be huge disappointment, packed bags and moved to Byron Bay - and... wait for it... Decided to, somehow, write for a living..!

This is the start.

I am a firm believer in visualisation. Can't wait to see where to from here.

Good News

Good news.

I have decided to revive the Blog. I am writing for fun, because I think I am good at it and I'm hoping to one day write for a living.

It's been a while since I posted anything, and life has definitely changed...

I'd like to run commentary on life in Australia, so far away from home - travels, both within Australia and abroad, as well as narrating daily life in Byron Shire (and what it is that makes lots of like-minded people gather in one spot - is it really a coincidence when this happens?).

You have to start somewhere!

xx
Anna

An Old Zen Joke

Found this - brilliant! An Old Zen Joke: "Don't just do something! Sit there!"

Another birthday. This is the sort of thins one remembers. Craig treated me to two dinners last weekend. And a breakfast, as he pointed out last night when I summarized my birthday. Indeed! Found a fantastic pancake place in Jordaan.

Martin sent me an article in which I am featured! I will here post the parts which feature me - the article is really very long and is about long- and short term memory.

Years back, I spent about 3 hours entrenched in ferocious battle with then girlfriend about something I can no longer recall. After we had stormed the exact same emotional beachfront for the nth time, I demanded a cease-fire, declaring, “Babe, I am tired, and I have work tomorrow. I am going to sleep. We can continue hating each other in the morning.”

Her gorgeous frost-blue Scandinavian eyes narrowed into cracks on a glacial field.

“You do that. Go to sleep. And I’ll cut your balls off.”

Slept in the RAV 4 that night. With the doors locked. And the garage entrance bolted. And a male chastity belt equipped (basically, hands-over-testicles). Terrible nightmares of Laurena Bobbit winning the Nobel Peace Prize and Thai women feeding penises to poultry. But at least I still sing the National Anthem as a baritone.

Relationship endured over 18 tumultuous months and 3 bruising continents. Ended somewhere in southern Sweden when she punched me in the face, kicked me down a flight of stairs, and ejected my suitcase, clothes and person into 8 inches of snow at 2 in the morning, after I had inquired (quite naively I now admit) just how many guys had she been with before me anyway.

She wrote me an email recently, after about 4 years of non-communication, claiming she had nothing but fond recollections about us. No mention of the “I’ll cut your balls off”, or the “Go to hell”s, or the “I’ll see you in hell”s, or even the “If I see you in hell, I’ll cut your balls off”. Funny how time distills all things.

... (extremely long passage about other things)

The mind is an amazing place, and if our memories tend to be selective, it does not make it a less perfect space, just a more human playground. I hope to bump into all my friends in this area and share a collective emotional resonance. And if my ex-girlfriend is there, too, I’d like to give her a hug. But just in case, my RAV 4 is going to be parked pretty near as well.

Copyright? Martin Valdes.

Brought back a lot of memories of good times! Or so it seems now. It really does. For the record, I didn't kick him down any stairs, I think I kicked him first and then he ran down the stairs and out the door.

Amsterdam Working Life

Moving into our own place this weekend! Very happy, though can imagine Mark and Gladys are EVEN happier... I guess when most people invite friends to crash at their house whilst they sort themselves out, they are not exactly talking about a period of 2 months? Oh well. The new place is a temporary lease also, we will be staying on the Amstel river right near the Amstel Hotel for 2 months.
In another development, I am now working for EF, Swedish company and the role (at least in theory) relates very well to what I have done in life and career. See great potential, even though at the moment it's a bit on the boring side. Not too bad after hysterical London-Life experience however.

Feel almost like have got my life back and things are more together and clear than ever - even though looking at it from the outside it would seem as tough everything was more up-in-the-air and opposite of stable than ever. Funny how that works.

Have started Bikram Yoga with Craig.

Amsterdam Life 2009

I managed to add some photos, success!

I am in Amsterdam. Living in Mark’s and Gladys’ house (and Bodils’) without paying rent; as am in the unfortunate situation of being unemployed and homeless! This is nowhere near as bad as it sounds, in fact, I am quite enjoying it. M&G are in Mexico and Craig is in Austria – But ANNA is in the DAM.
Basically got some bad advice from an immigration agent, bla bla bla – moved to Amsterdam.

Craig already hunted down a job, sorted a flat (for Feb-Mar) and got us bikes. Myself, I opted to laze around Sweden for a few weeks – visited grandparents and father, all is the same there. Mother on the other hand is making great technological progress, and has recently purchased her own laptop, installed skype AND got a webcam. Now I just need to figure out my webcam and then we can sit and look at each other all evenings long.

Started the job-application process again. Forgot what a hassle it is. Met with a few agencies (and no, I don’t want to consider agency recruitment but thanks for asking) and had one interview so far. Today. Took 4 hours. Afterwards felt exhausted almost as if had been at work. Looking at a few temp options too. Imagine, though, when one is working one would give anything to NOT be working. Then one is not working, and doing nothing all day apart from looking for jobs… It’s a twisted world.

Amsterdam is beautiful. When the sun shines it’s too pretty, totally different feel from London.

Also focusing more on self, in a spiritual way. Doing some very interesting reading, and not just the spiritual stuff – but about the world in general. There is so much to know. Must be a little careful with this spiritualism, it’s not for everyone. In “The Power of Now” it says that whenever someone says “Sorry to have kept you waiting” you should simply reply “I was not waiting. I was enjoying myself – in joy in myself.” Naturally this was the conclusion of a whole chapter about not spending your life waiting to live your life – but taken out of context like that it won’t always work… If someone didn’t suspect you were bonkers before, they will after you said that to them. Still, my mood should not depend on what others think, so it didn’t matter.

Farewell London...

Party Pic of Bee!