Since my lower leg amputation last year, finding pants that fit comfortably over my prosthetic leg has been a real challenge. I went through several different prosthetics over the last year, each with its own unique fit, before finally getting my “permanent” one a few weeks ago. (I’m actually getting a “wet leg” tomorrow, but that’s a whole other story!)
The biggest issue was finding pants I could actually pull up over the bulkier temporary prosthetics. It was so frustrating! In the end, I decided to invest in a new suit and have it tailored. I had to go a couple of sizes larger in the pants and then have them adjusted accordingly. It’s funny, the alterations on my suit ended up costing almost as much as the suit itself!
But, I’m happy to report that my new suit arrived today, perfectly adjusted and ready to wear. I feel like I can finally go out and about again and feel confident at social events. I feel proud of my prosthetic, but it’s nice to not always have it on show.
A new exhibition at White Rabbit gallery in Sydney is something I always anticipate. There’s such a large collection to draw upon, and which is constantly being added to, so you never know what you might get to see. Here’s a selection of the excellent work in the current exhibition. Video, sculpture, neon, you name it. Beautiful, yet challenging work. If you’re visiting Sydney, do yourself a favour.
A bunch of Happy Fantasies by Shi YongSquare 2014 by Zhang DaliChen Tianzhuo’s Paradi$e Bitch (2013), in which tattooed dwarves play angel and devil in a rap battle for the soul.
A couple of workmates and I did the “unthinkable” today: we went out for lunch. It’s not uncommon for us to work through lunch, grabbing some takeaway to consume while seated at our desks. But we overcame the “guilt” by associating the trip with a forthcoming work-related event.
And our restaurant of choice was one of the hottest places in town right now: Mr Wong in Bridge Lane. When we arrived (without a reservation) just before Mr Wong opened at noon, we were told our party of three couldn’t be seated until 3pm, unless we were happy to sit at the bar. Too easy. Within twenty minutes, the place was packed: a combination of retirees and office workers.
Mr Wong in Bridge Lane, Sydney
We ordered a range of smallish meals to share, including some prawn dumplings, some dim sim, and some buns. All were really good, though you could argue you might find better elsewhere in Chinatown. That said, it’s a really good space, the service was excellent, and it was a really great experience. The smallish meals were all in the range of $8-10, with the main meals priced between about $25 and $35.
Mr Wong in Bridge Lane, Sydney
We’ll definitely go back. My colleagues and I have also resolved to go out for lunch monthly, and have actually added this to Outlook, so it’s definitely gonna happen more often.
Several months ago, I made the decision to get a small screen television for my bedroom. This choice stemmed from my period in the hospital, during which a television or laptop served as constant companions. Seeing the benefits, I opted for a television this time, finding it preferable to the laptop due to its distance from my head and its reliability in staying on throughout the night.
After connecting it to my home Wi-Fi, I began exploring various streaming services and local free-to-air television apps. However, recently I thought about adding to its functionality by connecting it to the nearby TV antenna. I know. How modern!
“I’m looking for a cord that connects the antenna to my TV,” I explained to a young assistant at Big W yesterday. Despite searching through their electrical supplies without success, I remained determined to pursue this “old-school” approach, even if it meant appearing out of touch with modern technology.
“Does anyone still do that?” the millennial sales assistant asked with genuine surprise on their face. “Yes, I suppose I’m a bit old-fashioned. While my TV is connected to Wi-Fi, I still prefer a physical connection,” I responded, hoping to convey my appreciation for both modern conveniences and traditional methods.
Unfortunately, Big W didn’t carry the cable I needed, and subsequent stores yielded similar results. I was surprised by the scarcity of coaxial cables, considering their past ubiquity in convenience stores and service stations.
Top shelf cables.
Finally, I stumbled upon the cable I needed at my local Mitre 10 today. They were on the top shelf which, my years in retail tells me is, generally speaking where they put the less popular items.
This experience prompted reflection on our changing television habits. Personally, I’ve shifted away from live free-to-air TV, except for occasional viewing of the ABC News channel or when visiting older family members in Lismore. Instead, I find myself drawn to platforms like YouTube for its diverse content, particularly documentaries, comedy, and drama, albeit mostly on catch-up. Despite friends’ recommendations, my “Task” app remains filled with unwatched suggestions.
Recalling childhood rituals of perusing the TV guide and circling anticipated programs, I’m reminded of a time when television viewing was more deliberate. Even as a high school student, I once wrote a detailed letter to the manager of our local commercial television station, suggesting programming changes and receiving a gracious response.
Upon connecting the antenna cable today, I conducted a channel scan and began sifting through the offerings. The abundance of unappealing channels, such as children’s programming, shopping channels, and even a horse racing channel, left me contemplating the necessity of paring down my selections.
Moreover, I’ve begun questioning the wisdom of having a television in my bedroom at all. Despite the initial allure, I’ve noticed a significant improvement in my sleep quality over the past six months without the ambient noise of radio or television. The tranquility of falling asleep to natural sounds like rain or waking to the sounds of birds contrasts starkly with the disruptive effect of television or radio, which infiltrate my dreams with unsettling combinations of programming and personal memories.
As I prepare for bed tonight, I’ve resolved to forego the temptation of falling asleep to the television’s glow, even with the newfound antenna connection.
For just a moment tonight, I thought I was back on the subway in Beijing. Okay, so maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration borne out of my lack of experience on crowded Sydney trains. I simply don’t catch many trains during peak hours, and so when it is busy, I’m always a bit surprised.
Nonetheless, the train from Central to Hurstville just after 6 tonight was pretty crowded. I had to stand all the way. Worst of all, I was surrounded by “train idiots”. They stand there in a state of suspended lethargy. It’s as if you have to wake them before they’ll make way for anyone else.
After the trip, however, there was some light at the end of the tunnel. I caught up with Damo (the ex) for dinner tonight, and we chose Hurstville because it’s roughly halfway between where I live in Surry Hills and he lives in Cronulla.
“We came looking here for a meal years ago”, he reminded me tonight. We concluded there wasn’t much on offer when we came here looking previously, though we both noted tonight things had improved significantly. The area around the train station was, by contrast with ten years ago (or whatever) fairly buzzing early in the night lots of busy, mostly Asian restaurants.
Damo had done some research and suggested we choose between either a Malaysian restaurant or a Vietnamese. We chose the Vietnamese, Miss Saigon.
It’s nothing much to the eye as you enter, but it’s busy, and you get the idea the experience for most is a brief, inexpensive one, as opposed to something more drawn out. We had two dishes, a shared entree (a very healthy serving of rice paper rolls), some rice, some tea, and paid just $27.00. All of the food was fresh, tasted good, and was pretty well, though simply presented. In short, we thought Miss Saigon was excellent value, and if I’m ever back in Hurstville, I’ll definitely go there again.
Deep-fried crispy skin chicken from Miss Saigon at Hurstville
Naturally enough we had a beer at the nearby pub which was also pretty good value.
In summary… Hurstville 2011… not bad at all. Bloody chilly, though.
As a long time fan of Frida, aka Anni-Frid Lyngstad or “the dark one” from ABBA, I was really excited when I heard news of the release of this DVD to co-incide with her 60th birthday. I bought it a couple of months ago, watched it from start to finish, and have come back to it on many occasions since then, so I thought it worth writing about.
She’s living mostly in Zermatt in Switzerland, these days, and chose the Matterhorn as the backdrop for a series of reminiscences about her life and career over the past forty years (or so).
And so the DVD chronicles her life and career before, during and after ABBA, ending with a rather wonderful piece about her life now, in which she explains she no longer has an interest in music or performance, choosing to spend her days with friends, enjoying the wondrous Swiss landscape.
As a simple chronology, the DVD goes from reminiscence in front of the mountain, often with an amusing anecdote, to a (usually) high quality piece from the archive. Although many of them I’d seen before, there were also many others I’d never seen.
Frida – The DVD
Although she is sometimes identified as having been a “jazz singer” prior to ABBA, she makes it clear she wasn’t, that she sang “ever greens” and “schlagers” (big blustering Swedish pop songs). And for that reason it was fascinating to see footage from a Swedish television program where she sang classics like “Mad About The Boy” and “My Man”. Although her English language diction is sometimes a little wanting, she sings with a great deal of passion and beauty.
As she reminisces about her work, you clearly get the impression she’s largely happy with the career choices, and musical selections she made, at one point confessing that she never really had a career plan, that it all just happened.
She speaks with fondness about her days with ABBA, but makes it clear that it was also a long time ago, and that she feels that part of her life probably ended with the 30th anniversary of Waterloo a couple of years ago. Mind you, there’s also a lovely anecdote she tells of her step-daughter quite co-incidentally sitting by a pool in Spain next to Agnetha.
By the end of the video (three hours) you are given a sense of a really very beautiful person who has had to deal with some terrible personal tragedies but who has made it through happy and content. The tragedies include the death of her mother when she was two (her father was a German soldier in Norway during World War II and she was born with all of the associated baggage), and the recent deaths of her daughter (in a car accident) and her husband (from cancer). She also also speaks about being “rootless” (a bad translation) meaning she has had to continually find new roots in her life with a degree of wisdom, without any real hint of regret. Mind you, although she mentions some aspects of her private life – the divorces, the death of her husband, her close friends now – she doesn’t mention her early upbringing in any detail (the issue with her father), nor the death of her daughter.
But now, living in Switzerland and hanging out with a small group of friends – we are introduced to Urs and Heinz two obviously gay men – she seems genuinely happy with her life, which is a good thing to be at age 60.
This is really a video for fans only, tho I suspect a shortened version could be of some interest to a wider audience.
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Very smart indeed, and I can’t see you being offered a seat on a bus.
Very smart indeed, and I can’t see you being offered a seat on a bus.
Hehjeehehehe