Good And Bad Or Bad And Good?

We’ve experienced a number of disasters lately, both courtesy of nature and of our own doing. It’s upsetting and challenging. It’s human nature to shy away from such things. Call it survival instinct. When it comes to natural disasters, we realise that there is a force greater than ourselves. We are not in the control we thought we were. It’s disempowering. But when we scratch beneath the surface, we realise a different power we have access to. We may not be able to overcome nature, so to speak, but if we dig deep enough, we can overcome our fears and act in heroic ways. Examining accounts of heroic human endeavour, the people involved will often tell how they just reacted. They didn’t sit down and think about how they were going to handle the situation, some deeper force kicked in and they just got on with the task of being a hero; of forgetting about self and risking their life for another. We saw this with residents battling flood waters in Queensland and people returning to buildings to save others during the Christchurch earthquake.

We also bear witness to this this during the upheavals that we as humankind like to wage upon ourselves. War results in mass loss of life, destruction of homes, and decimation of land, both domesticated and wild.These battles can be looked at on a macro level, but also in the micro environment of individual turmoils. Do we create these situations to feed our own ego? Or is there are greater importance to be bestowed upon them? One could ask if there really is good or bad. Are things just as they are and it is just perception which gives them the decided label? If there is truth in the taoist law that everything must be in balance, surely there must be good in bad and bad in good. I remember reading, “The Gates Of Fire” by Steven Pressfield, an historical novel about the Battle of Thermopylae. Here the Spartans, arguably the greatest warrior nation on earth, knowingly sacrifice themselves for the sake of Greece. At first glance this seems an horrific waste of life. But one also gleams from the event the greatest that human nature can provide. The standout for me in the story is not so much the blood and guts, but the comradeship, self belief, sense of duty and being one with your fellow man that was born out in the Spartans’ final assault. 

I also saw evidence of this in the story of Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish. A Palestinian doctor, whose three daughters were killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza, Dr Abuelaish has written a book called, “I Shall Not Hate”. He has been a voice of compassion and forgiveness during a time when most would resort to hatred and revenge. 

Would there be a hero the stature of American Greg Mortenson if there wasn’t the misery of poverty? Greg Mortenson has dedicated his life to building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan to educate children, especially girls. He tells of his endeavors in his books, “Three Cups Of Tea” and “Stones Into Schools”.

Would we be enjoying the lifestyles we do today if war had not forced the development of technologies?

On a personal level, would we be the people we are if life didn’t throw challenges at us? Overcoming the adversities of daily life can make us stronger and muster the self belief which might elude us if not fought for.

Hardships can bring about the very best of human potential. I am not advocating war and violence. I pray that we become enlightened enough to create such positive results without such violence and harm to others. Our struggles should be our own, not ones we force upon each other. I do believe we should be grateful for our lessons though. It’s easy to be grateful when all is smooth sailing. The challenge is to be grateful when it’s not. Are we strong enough to do that? Are we capable of doing that without violence and disrespect to ourselves and others?

When Bad Trading Turns Good

I remember being in the dealing room when 9/11 occured. Needless to say it was frantic. News was disjointed and contradictory with traders not having all the information they needed to keep the market under their control. As a trader managing other people’s money, this is a dangerous position to find yourself. So, the best course of action during such momentous an event? Cut your positions. I had to help many clients do this. There is no other course of action to take. It’s not your money to risk. I recall there being outrage at the time from the public because traders had been “playing the markets” and profiting from the deaths of innocents. Of course, there must have been a bit of that going on, but let us not group everyone under the same banner. Those same people could have very well lost their whole pensions if traders hadn’t acted quickly. It was similar during the recent global crisis where anyone who had even the smallest role to play in the world financial system was labelled “a banker” and tarred with the same brush as the small percentage who caused the whole debacle and who, of course should be strung up and left to rot. It’s easy to generalise but not always helpful.

My point? One action need not be all encompassing. There are bankers and there are bankers. There a ways of trading, and my argument is, there are also ways of trading! What if trading could turn a bad situation a little bit good? I’ve always advised people to buy bank shares. Why? It’s not because I’m a lover of banks. Indeed, I find myself in the boxing ring with one as we speak! However, if banks are going to rip us off, why not buy some shares and get some money back via a fat dividend? 

To take the point further, let’s look at the world’s current trials and tribulations. Oil is a good example. The price of this most sought after energy source continues to escalate, in line with the strife in the Middle East and North Africa. The nuclear fiasco in Japan will probably see them need more oil as well to make up lost energy supply. Should traders be buying a rising commodity, the main reason for which it’s rallying being the defiant Arab people who are being killed for their troubles? Some would say this is immoral. Now, trading is like gambling and nothing is ever a sure bet, but some risks are less than others and you can be pretty sure that energy prices will continue to climb, at least for the time being. What if trading off other people’s ills (as many would like to see it) could actually help them? What if some institution was “moral enough” to buy energy, make a profit and give the majority of that profit to the people who are being so negatively affected by the event causing the gain in commodity price? Of course, to take that risk, an institution would want a cut, and that’s fair enough, but most of these big boys are making pretty healthy profits at the moment. I think they could take a bit of a risk.

You also have some big regimes in the Middle East turning their fat oil earnings morbidly obese at the moment, but let’s be honest, I can’t imagine them giving any to the “common folk” who they are actually in battle with, but why not play them at their own game?

The biggest problem I see is politics and with big business, financial institutions and governments all in each other’s pockets, I can hardly see this happening. With our addiction to oil, it was always going to come to this. It’s never healthy to be an addict, whether it be drugs, other people......or oil. Maybe finding an alternative energy source is our only hope. If nothing else, we can only hope that these sorts of world events bring the agenda forward a bit. It wouldn’t hurt any of us to tread a bit more lightly on our planet and green energy would be a good place to start. We’re going to have to face the stark reality of oil running dry at some point, so why wait?

The Quest For Happiness...

What is happiness? Are we really meant to be happy? Is it a sustainable state of being or a fleeting visitor that is supposed to come and go?

I heard an interview with famed author David Malouf today, and it got me thinking and asking more questions than usual (More? Is that actually possible?!) We are always told that happiness is our natural state of being. If we are happy, we know that all is right in the world. I mean, it must be true. There are thousands of books out there telling us this is so. I guess that then prompts the question, why are there thousands of books out there on how to be happy? Surely if it is our natural state of being, we should know how to achieve it without the help of a book. We in developed countries in general have it pretty good. We live in relative safety. Are allowed to think and say what we wish. We have education, healthcare, sanitation and a welfare system.  Our standard of living is higher than it has ever been. But how many people, when asked how they are reply, "Super!"? Usually it is more, "Ok" or the robotic, "Good. How are you?" You may even get, "Oh, no use complaining. No one will listen." Have we become so spoilt and indulged that gratefulness just doesn't gel with us anymore? Are we too obsessed with our own self importance? Perhaps we really are just pointless balls of energy and this is certainly something we do not wish to hear. How many times do we become irate that the car in front cut us off off or feel the indignation of not finding a parking spot? A parking spot!!! It seems a little absurd when there are people in the world dying from war and natural disasters. Perhaps the car spot is just the scapegoat for a deeper level of unhappiness we are not prepared to face because it seems just too overwhelming. Do we really just not know how lucky we are? Do we not understand the true meaning of happiness? Or are we just not meant to be happy, at least not all the time?

It is accepted that being happy is the goal but even with all we have, many people are not content. Can happiness equate to contentedness? Then the guilt starts to play on their mind. "I have all this and I should be happy. I feel I should be much more grateful." You see examples of this a lot, to the point that a cliche has been birthed, "Money can't buy you happiness." One may travel to the poorest countries in the world where they have nothing, but they do have happiness. Is this just because less fortunate people have lower expectations of life? Can happiness be equated with the degree to which you are resigned to your fate? Is happiness relative to your environment and not an absolute state of being?

You could also ask the question, is happiness a material state or a spiritual state? Perhaps there are just different types of happiness? Does happiness come from the desires of the flesh or from meditation on higher consciousness. Can the two be combined? Do we embark on certain journeys, be they physical or spiritual because someone else has told us that it will make us happy and we follow their direction robotically? Is happiness in doing nothing at all? 

Does happiness make us happy or is it just our quest for happiness that drives us forward? Is it the unobtainable illusion, sought by man like the Holy Grail but never conquered? Perhaps it is not meant to be. If we were happy all of the time, would we not stop striving and challenging ourselves, end the lessons we learn from overcoming adversities and impossible obstacles? Maybe this is the real point of happiness, to tempt us with small tastes but then send us on our journey of more lessons. We strive, touch but never fully embrace. The hologram of a finish line to keep us on our life path. Perhaps we are not meant to ever reach it fully. Is satisfaction of achievement, not happiness the true goal?

Fear, concern and anxiety need not be the opposite of happiness. The true opposite may well be restlessness. Why does a pea felt under a pile of mattresses make a princess? Why does an oyster require a grit of sand to make a pearl? What pushes a chicken to continue struggling until it is hatched? Why must a butterfly continuously beat its wings, almost to the point of exhaustion to release itself from its cocoon? Maybe it is restlessness and questing that is our natural state. If we were happy all the time, would we not hinder progression and growth?

What do you think?

Gaddafi And His Green Book

Muammar Gaddafi is one of those characters that we in the west aren’t quite sure what to think of. He has the charisma of a rock star with his interesting fabric choices for clothing and his all-girl posse of hand-picked body guards which look better suited to the catwalks of Paris than to to the dirty world of commando feats and fatigues. And we must not forget the bevy of Ukrainian nurses that MUST travel everywhere with him. He has designed the world’s fastest car and has even found the time to find a solution to life, the universe and everything. I can hear a few males squirming with envy at this point! He came up with his philosophical conclusions after an extended period of reflection in his beloved Sahara, the place where he was born and grew up. I was first introduced to Colonel Gaddafi’s “Green Book” on a visit to Libya a couple of years ago with UK based adventure travel company,Wild Frontiers. Along with a Gaddafi-faced watch, it’s the best souvenir to come home with. Everything in Libya is green..the flag, the buildings and it is therefore no surprise that the big man’s solution to everything comes bound in a green cover with a very logical title. All citizens are required to read it and each city contains a Green Library (yes...that’s their official name) which houses Green Books where the people can go at their leisure and be educated on the ways of the Green Utopia. His finished work is both insightful and entertaining……and worrying. He actually has some good points, but just when you think this guy should be ruling the world, he throws you a curve ball to make you reconsider.

So, to begin with, The Colonel comes up with an answer to, “...the problem of Democracy”. All of us love to have a whinge about our government, and it would seem Muammar is no exception. In relation to the style of government favoured in the west, he informs that it is actually, “...a dictatorship garbed in the guise of democracy” and that, “...the so-called representative assemblies which monopolise democracy and sovereignty....usurp the will of the masses.” Well, let’s face it. He does have a point. So far I’m with him. He doesn’t leave us hanging either. He offers a solution. “People’s Conferences and People’s Committees”. Our joy at hearing this is quickly snuffed out as he informs us that, “...the virtual impossibility of gathering all the people together at once in order to discuss, consider and decide their politics...(means it) has therefore remained an utopian idea far removed from reality.” No kidding. He does go on to supply a diagram and a very lengthy description of how to implement such a utopia, via his grand, “Third Universal Theory”, but who can follow it? I'll let The Colonel explain, “Firstly, the people are divided into Basic People’s Conferences. Each of these selects its own secretariat. The secretariats of all the People’s Conferences together form Conferences other than the Basic People’s Conferences. The masses of the Basic People’s Conferences will then select administrative People’s Committees to replace government administration.” I’ll stop there because not only does it just get even more confusing, we all know how efficient “committees” are at making decisions. Good luck, Colonel! He also believes that in this perfect world, “Freedom of expression is the right of every natural person, even if a person chooses to behave irrationally to express his or her insanity.” I guess that’s why, at the time of writing, the great leader has hired African mercenaries to help control his “self-governing” people and since the Egyptian uprising has seen possibly as many as 1000 people killed (according to the Italian Foreign Minisitry). But hey, you’ve got to look at the facts and work with what you’ve got. It’s a good thing Gaddafi covers himself by finishing with, “Theoretically, this is genuine democracy, but in reality, the strong always rule: that is to say those who are the strongest in society hold the reigns of government.” Glad we got that sorted.

In all, The Green Book is divided into three sections. The initial, “The Solution To The Problem Of Democracy” I just covered. The other two are, “The Solution To The Economic Problem” and “The Social Basis Of The Third Universal Theory”. They too have some interesting ponderings. It would seem that Gaddafi was a big fan of Karl Marx and believes everyone should be paid exactly the same. No wage earners, only partners. I guess that’s why he get’s to live in a palace (oh, I mean in a tent inside or next to the big palace....as you do), fly around in private jets and pop to Seville on private trips to watch flamenco performances (according to Wikileaks). 

The great leader also shares his opinion on the family, tribe, music and art and, of course, sports, horsemanship and the stage. We would all love to see more people in modern society partake in sport. Too many of us have become couch potatoes and computer addicts. In Gaddafi we find a champion to our cause, “Sport, like power should be for the masses.” Well said! But it’s bad news for the likes of Chelsea FC or Chicago Cubs. “The multitude which crowds the stadium to watch a game, laugh and applaud, is a multitude of fools who are incapable of practicing sports themselves.” Let’s be honest, there is an element of truth to that. The solution? Well, get the masses out there playing instead. The man who ate all the pies instead of John Terry. “These grandstands shall one day be vacated and abolished when the masses march into athletic fields to practice sports in crowds...” Don’t hold your breath, Colonel.

However, my favourite insights of Mr “Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution” must be that of men and women. “Women, like men, are human beings.” Well thank you so much for your kind gesture, Muammar. I had been wondering for all these years what I was. Now I know! But just in case you were still confused, he goes further, “Women are female and men are male. According to gynaecologists women, unlike men, menstruate each month.” Ok then.

To be fair, Colonel Gaddafi makes some thoughtful and sensical points in his manifesto, but he also makes some very left field ones and I think it's safe to say that the general consensus is that he is a dangerous megalomaniac. Today he sees himself backed against a wall with his people deciding enough is enough after 40 long years. Well....he did advise the good people of Libya and the world that, “..it is up to the masses to struggle to eliminate the various forms of existing dictatorships...” You may be  a little miffed about what your people are doing now, Muammar, but they’re only doing what you told them to. I guess the moral to the story is, be careful what you wish for!

Pharaoh Has Fallen

I wasn't there and I have no right to comment. I'm just another person on the other side of the world trying to keep up with events in Egypt from what I see in the media. So why am I writing this? I feel the urge because of the rush of emotion it has created in me. I've been to Egypt. I love it. In fact I love a lot of northern Africa. I've always been made to feel very welcome there by the people. Perhaps I've just been lucky. It's often easier to believe what you're told on the nightly news. The place is full of terrorists, the people hate westerners and would really rather you weren't there. I've always found the opposite to be true. I think the bedouin spirit still thrives. The people are respectful to their guests and go out of their way to welcome you. Of course I am only talking from my own experience, but more often than not my encounters have been with honourable people. And it was this honour and pride of self that came through in the Egyptian protests. Many of the protesters were educated……doctors, lawyers, IT executives. All were articulate, patient and believing. There was passion but not exercised in a negative, violent way. There was frustration, but it didn't explode into crazed action. It was measured. And this behaviour from a people handcuffed by a dictatorship under short-term emergency laws that lasted 30 years. These were not people in power, they were individuals who usually just go about their daily tasks of earning a living and protecting their families. But when pulled together under a banner of united purpose, they were unstoppable. Such fierce determination whilst retaining their dignity is to be applauded. It's rarely seen but hopefully a new trend in how we as humans can go about making positive change. And I really do hope that Egypt will go forth in a positive direction. Yes, there is room now for all types of unsavoury parties to seep into Egypt's being, but if what we've seen from the people so far is anything to go by, I feel that everything will be ok. But not just ok, extraordinary. They have created for themselves a massive opportunity. I hope it doesn't go to waste. Side by side with the frustration and anger in Tahrir Square, there was also a lot of love. Love of a people for each other and for their country. Let's hope this can now continue it's spread across the world.

The military also conducted itself in exemplary fashion. Isn't this how a country's protection unit should behave? It is there to protect the countryman, not the politician in power. I guess you could argue that the politician is also a countryman, but it seems that they all too often forget this once they receive that alluring title, so attractive to the ego. The country must come first. The people must come first. And here we saw what happens when you kick the dog too many times. It bites back. 

Egypt has always been a civilisation to look up to, from the dawning of time. A proud, intelligent people in a fascinating geography. Here they welcome in a new era, an era that for the first time for 7000 years does not include a Pharaoh. It seems strange. But it also seems right. Time will tell. 

One For Australia Day....

What does it mean to be Australian?

It means long, hot Summer days with cloudless skies

It means living in one of the harshest environments on earth.

It means living with extreme both in the weather and in the country herself

It means that no matter how tough the tests our country throws at us, we love her to the core.

It means mateship

It means the ANZAC spirit, never giving up.

It means being grounded

It means being straight and telling it how it is

it means being curious

It means being adventurous

It means pushing the limits

It means pie and footy

It means knowing how to work hard and how to play hard

It means always returning, no matter how far walkabout takes you

It means knowing how to laugh at yourself

It means helping a stranger

It means an obligatory pilgrimage to see Jonny Turk

It means being a larrikin

It means pulling your weight

It means having a go

It means treating everyone as equal

It means turning the other cheek

It means being cheeky

It means embracing Dreamtime

It means knowing how to play Two Up and sink a beer

It means playing backyard cricket with the kids next door, and then jumping in the pool with them afterwards. And it means going back out and doing it all again after dinner and a bath with pjs on.

It means being the most blessed person in the world.

Dresden

If you’re looking for a town of opposites and contradictions, Dresden is your place. Buried deep in the heart of eastern Germany, this small Saxon town has a history of opulence combined with complete and utter loss. All this results in an eclectic mix in its architecture and culture.

Dresden began life as a village on the lazy Elbe River in the 1100s, but it really came into its own during the reign of the Polish leader, Augustus II (1670-1733). He liked to call himself Augustus The Strong. Nothing like talking yourself up. There is a big, rather unattractive statue of him in the Neustadt (Dresden is divided into a new city and an old city). It is very gold and the sculptor did nothing to enhance his subject’s face. This might be a artistic chuckle to the fact that the Big “A” owned allegiance to the Habsburgs, that interesting looking inbred family of Eastern Europe. Strong or not, Augustus was a lover of the arts and everything beautiful. This, it would seem, included women, fathering no less than 300 children, give or take a few. You can be sure that most of his courting took place in The Zwinger, the leader’s pleasure palace. The Zwinger for the swingers, you might say. A grander, more beautiful architecture you’ll be hard to find, and with figures of the god, Bacchus depicted on almost any free wall space, it’s easy to see what Augustus’ intentions for this place were. This site is located just a handy, small hop, skip and jump from the main schloss (royal castle). The tough guy also loved arts and music and strongly encouraged both. Today he leaves behind one of the world’s most beautiful art collections. The castle is still under reconstruction from the famous annihilation the city endured from allied forces during WWII. It’s hard to believe that Dresden is still recovering from a war that seems so long ago now, and the deception is that most of the buildings of the new city are older than their baroque brothers in the old city, almost all of which have been reconstructed. The date of 13th February 1945 is one which Dresden would be happy to forget. With an estimated 25,000 of its population killed thanks to the allied air raid. It seems cruel to learn that the ammunition factories north of the city were left untouched with the glorious old city left as a pile of rubble. Could have the bombers’ aim been that bad????!!!! There is a film shown at the transport museum that shows footage of Dresden in its heyday pre 1945 and afterwards, and it really hits home the ridiculous pointless destruction of war. Most people would have just looked at the ruined city, thought “too hard basket” and walked away. But not the people of Dresden, or the women more specifically. With most of the men dead (or still busy war-mongering????), it was up to the “Trummer Frauen” (Ruins Women) to clean up the mess. It reminds me of a quote from the movie, The History Boys where a female history teacher tells her class, “ Can you, for a moment, imagine how depressing it is to teach five centuries of masculine ineptitude?.....history is a commentary on the various and continuing incapabilities of men......history is women following behind with a bucket”. Case in point.

Right...so off my feminist high horse and onto more of Dresden. Other phenomenon reconstructions are the two churches, the Frauenkirche and the Kreuzkirche. The Frauenkirche is the crowning jewel in Dresden and was only completed in 2005. The Kreuzkirche (or Church of the Holy Cross) seems an unfortunate little soul, having been burnt to the ground no fewer than five times. It supposedly held a relic which was a splinter from Christ’s cross. Hmmmmmm. Both these structures help to make up Dresden’s stunning skyline, which looked perfect against the watercolour sky which was to accompany the sunset. It seems such a shame that these beautiful buildings have been crowded out, to a point, by communist ugliness. All that oppression does nothing for the creative juices, with architects managing little more than grey, concrete boxes as their artistic designs. I guess post war required buildings fast and cheap, and in that respect, they achieved their goals. It was interesting to be told how most people here over 40 could not speak English, just German and Russian, and old footage shows how the second language was very much encouraged with street signs and posters in both languages.

However, not all is lost when it comes to Dresden’s creativeness as the city claims to have invented not only toothpaste, but also beer mats, shoe polish in a tube, the teabag, milk chocolate and the wonderbra! The new city is also a haven of creative quirkiness, with an array of very unique little bars and cafes, with a charm all their own. Highlights were the Sheune Cafe (a fab Indian restaurant/ bar/ jazz club), Cafe Combo and Bautzner Tor, which brings back those East German days in all their “glory”. A visit to the Sophien Keller is an interesting little experience too. German to boot, it sits on the site of the old Sophien Church and it is here that you can try a shot of liqueur supposedly made from the tears of Augustus’ mistress, Cosel. I’m still not sure why Cosel was so upset, but with her lover succumbing to diabetes and obesity in his old age, this may have had something to do with it.

Dresden is a treasure trove of eclectic craziness, and although, to be honest, it was not what I expected, it was an experience for all the senses and one to treasure.

HERE'S TO OLD ST SILVESTER

Germans. The world's most sensible people. Conservative, straight up and down, no messing around. Someone forgot to tell Berlin's new year revellers. I'm not sure what I was expecting from a new year's eve in Berlin. Probably a quiet drink, a quiet meal and to then to join the Germans for a couple of well calculated official fireworks. The evening started predictably enough with a wander up to the Brandenburg Gate to join in the official street party. The Hoff was supposed to be here, but I was in no such luck. I must have timed my visit wrong. But wouldn't you know it, luck would have other plans for me and instead I got to experience, "the world's greatest party band". I'm not sure what world they were from. Obviously not mine. But it was nice to see Eurovision in the flesh. So far so good, German enough, you might say. So when midnight came about and I was confronted with a war zone, I was more than a little surprised. The best way to describe new year's eve in Berlin is if you can imagine cracker night as a kiddie. You bought your plastic bag full of explosives and carefully presided over them for about a week. By the time of the big night, you knew exactly which one you were going to let off and when. You knew all their names and what to expect. Then the big night came. It was too exciting for words. You'd sit back at a safe distance as Mum or Dad lit your crackers one by one. All those bright lights filled you with awe and wonder. Right…now you have that image planted firmly in your head. Now imagine that image on steroids. Imagine everyone bringing their own personal cracker night onto the main street and celebrating together. Imagine not worrying about what order those crackers will be let off in. Imagine rather than have people stand a safe distance back, you actually try to aim your crackers at them, at cars, at buildings, at anything at all, really. And why restrict yourself to the great outdoors? The acoustics in a train carriage are pretty good. Never mind the youths walking down the street firing guns off into the air either. Your only wish at that stage is that those very real looking guns are toys. Sirens pierce the air as fire engines and ambulances battle their way to the less fortunate party goers who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or the right place at the right time if you look at it from the marksman's perspective.

Who said the Germans are boring and conservative? They seem to love a good annihilation like any human worth their salt. The next day showed the remains of the battle. I didn't think "litter" was part of the vocabulary over here, but the debris and fallout from the overnight craziness was obvious. Spent firecracker cases everywhere. I've never seen such a mess of squelched red that had by now become as one with the melting snow. They would give those Jordanians with their black plastic bags a run for their money for world's most littered town. Let's be fair though, it was a good laugh and I heard no reports of any deaths on the German news. Having said that, my German isn't all that.

Eat, Drink And Be Merry? What Would Socrates Think?

I open the morning paper. The lift out is always more frivolous and entertaining than the main broadsheet. I flick through it nonchalantly waiting for my tea to cool. Every page is related to food or fashion. Gourmet or haute couture. Every page. Excess everywhere. I sit discontent. It seems so worthless and narrow-minded. All of a sudden none of it makes sense. Is all this necessary? Does it matter if you can find 50 different ways to cook your tired old t-bone and then give it a fancy name? Does one really need to wear 10 labels per outfit to be accepted by society?I think of Socrates' word, "Thou shouldst eat to live not live to eat". What has happened to us? Why do we crave this materialism?

Australia is a truly blessed country and I am blessed to be one of her citizens. She has always protected me, given me immeasurable freedom and opportunities beyond counting. I can’t help thinking as I thumb through the pages in front of me how we may have started to take this for granted. Many people seem happier to have things than to do things; to accumulate goods rather than to partake in life. What’s wrong with just a few good clothes? And isn’t a frugal diet more beneficial to one’s health and to the world as a whole? Global land shortage is no longer just an idea, but rather a fast fact.

People can now obtain goods from anywhere in the world with just the click of a mouse whilst sitting at home in their comfy designer armchair (whilst probably feasting on their five course meal!) “Just pop it on credit. Besides, it’s cheaper online”, is their catch phrase. Is that before or after they pay for postage and the 23% interest they’re accruing on that card? Credit seems to be one of the biggest offenders in the case of what I can only call our demise into craziness. Pay for it tomorrow. Or tomorrow. Or even tomorrow. Well someone has to pay for it somewhere and it would seem, at least to me, that we are already beginning to do this, just looking at the state of the global economy and financial systems. Isn’t it all this credit that has created this problem?

“Oh no! It’s them! They have caused it!” Always the other person. But all I see when I hear this is a three fingered indictment. You point the finger at someone else and there’s three fingers pointing back at you. We have a part to play whether directly as an individual or indirectly as a member of society.

But I mean who wouldn’t want this, right? Life is a blast revelling on Easy St. It must be the way forward. If not, why would every poor country on earth want to emulate us? And don’t be fooled. Even those countries who dislike the old US of A really want to be like it. Just ask that small child whose country is fighting against the superpower. Quietly, on his own, he’ll tell you his real dreams. And those dreams are to be like us in developed countries. Then the problem arises that for this to happen, those poorer nations must play catch up. Reach our standard of living in double time. That’s twice the destruction in half the time. And are we really better off in developed countries? No doubt in some ares we are. It would be foolish and dim minded to think otherwise. Good healthcare, no fear of having our limbs blown off by bombs or land mines or threat of kidnapping by some neighbouring despot who either wants to get his kicks or your connections’ money.

But take a close look. We all wake up together. All travel to the city on the same train together. All work at the same desks in front of the same computer screens. We all go to lunch together at the same take-outs whilst talking to each other on the same mobile phones. Then we all go to back to work together just to finish and catch the same train back home to go to bed and wake up, doing it all again. Isn’t it all a bit robotic? Where are the individual thought processes? Do we actually have any? Has conditioning seen all final traces of creativity snuffed out of us?

We have so many possibilities and opportunities open to us today. A chance to live our own story. A story very unique to us. It is a good thing to be inspired, but don’t forget to be inspiring yourself. We each have a unique gift to offer, as unique as our own fingerprints. I sense that there needs to be more stepping away from lattes and more contribution. I feel, we as a whole have become lazy and slothful, wasting our opportunities to be meaningful members of the planet. Don’t get me wrong, relaxation is good and necessary. Mindless craziness isn’t. Instead of buying that fifth pair of sunglasses, perhaps it would be better to work on ourselves to become more enlightened or find a way to help our neighbour out of a rut.

I have been to many countries, some very poor. Here I would see people who wanted desperately to change and better themselves but didn’t have the opportunities. I now find myself amongst people who have every opportunity but no will. It is easier for them just to numb themselves in front of uninspiring television. It makes me sad.

How can we rectify the balance? How can we use ourselves better? The answers are in all of us. Maybe we need to spend less time at the shopping mall and step into our own consciousness. We might be pleasantly surprised.

I Get So Emotional , Baby.........

It's been a while. Perhaps it should be longer because as they say, if you can't improve on silence, you shouldn't speak. My excuse is that I'm writing not speaking. Anyway, here's my attempt to improve on silence. You be the judge.

Use your emotions as guides What depresses you and makes you heavy? What makes you feel light and makes your heat soar? What makes you sad? What makes you fly? And no, the answer I'm looking for doesn't entail drugs!

Listen very very carefully to your emotions and feelings. Follow these "markers" closely and you will follow your heart, find your path and undertake your bliss. If something instantaneously sees you overwhelmed with joy, take special note of it. And vice versa, if something makes you feel sick, pay attention. It could be a sign that you are on the wrong track or just a reminder of what you desire. A contrast with which to compare, if you will.

However, don't become addicted to the good or the bad. Detachment is very important. Your emotions are your "way markers" but they are not you. They move you to action. Situations, according to your perception can jump from bad to good to bad to good in an instant. Stay connected to those feelings and you risk riding a very wild roller coaster. Instead, try and observe them from a distance and try not to get involved with them. I'm the first to acknowledge that this is not easy. You may think that this will make you cold, unfeeling and aloof. I believe the opposite. It will actually lead you to have deeper more meaningful experiences. You will be calm and grounded, allowing you to see the situation in full. Like looking at it through wide-angle and not with blinkers on. Respect and show gratitude for every situation. See the lesson, see how you can grow from it and experience it fully.

Remember always that you are forever fully submerged in love. Feel the deep warmth of it even when it's hard to do so. Know that each experience links up and leads you further up the ladder of enlightenment.

Don't think I'm being a spoilt sport though. Having crazy fun is important too, but take it for what it is. Don't over face it and place on it responsibilities that it cannot deliver. Enjoy it for the moment and treasure its memory. Another experience will be waiting for you just around the corner.

XXX

Greed Is Good. Or Is It? A Little Bit Perhaps?

I went and saw Wall Street 2 tonight. It gave me itchy feet to a degree. Stepping back into that trading room, even if it was just via the magic of cinema made me feel like I'd come home. Got me all sentimental and longing for it ever so slightly. Perhaps I'm being melodramatic. But it did get me thinking.....

As far as a job goes, the dealing room or trading floor is basically all I've known. All those computer screens, all those numbers, all those phones, all that banter, all those news flows, all that data and all that adrenaline. It's a very "all encompassing" way to view the world with breaking news constantly flowing in from every corner of the globe. It's also a very narrow way to look at the world- from a chair with six computer screens radiating down on you under artificial lighting all day every day. There had to be more to life. And when you start looking out of the office that you can't leave, your mind starts to wander and fantasise and you start wanting to address that issue.

So, that's what I did. I left that "cell" and stepped out into the beyond. It's a scary thing to do, leave all that security. Leave the one thing you're good at and the "labels" that your job lends you to make you feel worthwhile in life. But I had thought about it for a long time and had prepared for it as much as I could. Nothing truly prepares you for a big change like that though, and during the more difficult days of uncertainty you have to just ride the tide, go with the flow.

For some time I had wanted to do something a little more worthwhile. "Save the world" in my own small way. I wanted to change my approach to life and I had spent years addressing that. Living more from the heart with more compassion and gratitude. And it really did feel more real. A deeper, more grounding and truer way to be.

So, now I'm "living the dream" doing the things I've wanted to. Helping people feel better about themselves. There are also lots of other ideas on the boil to test me further, broaden my mind and contribute to others a little more as well as still being able to make a buck. And I look forward to it all. But tonight showed me something that I didn't realise. It's still there. That drive. That hunger. That determination. That addiction to adrenaline. Addiction? That's what it felt like, sitting there in that cinema. A drug addict viewing the prize but just out of reach of that longed for hit. The desire to step back into that familiarity. To that place where you know what's expected of you and how to come up with the goods. Like a reflex. No question. Just get in there and get the job done. Knowing that you can and knowing the high that comes from overcoming a frenetic, unpredictable and high-pressured environment.

That's when you start questioning who you are and what makes you tick. How you can be drawn to two ways of living that are polar opposites? The no nonsense, take-no-prisoners fight of the trader to the compassionate, calm heart-felt love of the soul-seeker. Is it an addiction or a defect? Should we be one or the other? Or should we take a more Taoist approach and embody a bit of both? That can be a challenging thing to balance though. Perhaps that's the lesson. Realising that both ways are possible and even necessary and can operate side by side and that we can remodel old skills and use them in new situations.

Another conundrum in the whole mystery that is life. Or perhaps it's not a mystery at all. Gordon Gekko would say that one approach is just human nature. And the other? Same answer.

Oh...and by the way, it's a super movie!!!!!

XXX

War...What Is It Good For?

To start, I just want to thank Edwin Starr for the title of today's blog. Thanks Edwin. Very cool song.

There's always a story in the news about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. You just can't avoid it. Almost ten years on and I suspect you would need less than one hand to count the number of days during that period where either encounter hasn't been mentioned on the television or in the broadsheet. The topic of today was an Australian soldier who had served in Afghanistan turning his back on the army. In an irate email to his mate, he tells of a situation endured by troops during a certain gun fight where one soldier was killed. The email, that was leaked, berates the military for not supplying the troops with enough ammo or the right sort, insufficient back up and allowing the diggers to go into the situation with bad intelligence reports. It's a cutting email.

The night before I had sat through an Australian Story programme which focused on an Australian war correspondent who had served the equivalent of 80 odd tours in Iraq. The movie The Hurt Locker came to mind as this guy was obviously seriously screwed up by everything he had seen and experienced, but kept going back until he reached breaking point. Having brought his long list of consecutive consignments to an end, he still kept watching videos of the war, over and over and over. Why? I don't know. To try to understand it better? To try to understand his reactions to situations he had found himself in? To try to understand war full stop?

War has been part of human activity for thousands and thousands of years. It's what we do. Has there ever been a time when there wasn't some sort of war somewhere? I think not. The thing that amazes me is how prehistoric we are sometimes. What actually has war achieved? Peace? Perhaps, but for how long? Personal satisfaction for power hungry despots? Yes, but we all know they're a bit screwed in the head to begin with anyway, whether they lived thousands of years ago or today, and often even when they wear a suit and tie (a very clever disguise for all those Westerners out there, dear reader).

Humans seem fascinated by war and disaster. Just look how many of us couldn't stop watching those Twin Towers fall over and over and over again nine years ago. Don't worry, I'm not judging or accusing anyone, I include myself in that group. I also love historical novels about war. Hannibal and his elephants fascinate me, Roman army tactics can keep me in awe for hours, and the war strategies of Alexander The Great leave me speechless and impressed. But why? Is it part of who we are as humans? Is it something we have to do, just to be a mammal on this planet? I watch the television and see grown men (or not so grown if I'm honest, which makes it all the sadder) pump lead into each other, and if I detach myself enough I can see how utterly ridiculous and immature it seems.

Is this because as humans we crave initiation and awakening in what is termed the hero's journey? Think along the lines of Jason and the golden fleece. The point of the story is not just to pop you off to sleep at night. It's about overcoming your adversity by finding your inner strength and reaching your bliss as a result. The point is, the journey is an inner journey, not an outer one. Yes, you may have to overcome outer obstacles and situations to put you on that inner journey, but you have to deal with yourself, not "what's out there". Is this what we are trying to achieve in a rough and primitive fashion globally by creating war? Or is it a cunning ploy by "those in charge" to keep us in fear and hence make us easier to control? Possibly, but it's up to each of us not to buy into that.

Humans supposedly have a higher consciousness than other animals. Many believe we are more more developed both in spirit and in the mind; that our brain is structured differently, more evolved so to speak. Alberto Villodo, PhD tells of the four levels of awareness, the reptilian brain, the limbic brain, neocortex and prefrontal cortex. The former two are of a prehistoric brain and based on survival. The latter two are more evolved and wiser in their functioning. A lot of the time we don't evolve to use the latter to their potential, sticking to the former with the idea of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

It's easy to look at everything going on out there and say that the problem is too big, that you're too small to make a difference. But, as Gandhi said, you have to be the change you want to see in the world. A lot of individuals put together can make up a considerable group, and who knows, perhaps the theory of critical mass holds true and we only need a certain amount to change the whole. Perhaps we need to take a leaf out of Mother Theresa's book. When asked to protest against war, she said she wouldn't. But have a rally for peace, and she would be there for sure. SHe was focusing on the positive.Enough of pointing the finger and time to make the change for ourselves. And no matter how important and intelligent those world leaders out there look on our television sets, they're just humans and they (very obviously) have their fears. Let's help them out.

Now, perhaps I'm being way too idealistic. Maybe the gods want us to war with each other for their own entertainment and maybe my own interest in war is what concerns me. I don't know, but thought it was worth a thought. :-)

XXX

A Lesson From Two Ecstatic Goddesses

Not much to report. Everything taking place slowly, slowly. Two horses are being ridden and two pilates studios have become places of employment. Not a bad effort for a couple of weeks back down south. The weather is slowly warming and the Spring blossoms are vigorously showing their little faces. I can drive from Beecroft to Glenorie and smell flowers the whole way. Half an hour of natural aromatherapy! I'm still unpacking belongings and to be honest, the bedroom floor will probably be littered with books for some time yet. Isn't a messy environment a sign of a genius mind or something???? Besides, I could think of worse things to be littering your floor with. And better things. ;-) I was flicking through and old favourite, "Ecstatic Beings" by Shazzie and Kate Magic, both ecstatic beings themselves. I've hung out with Shazzie a bit and she is Love and Earth Mother combined and personified. We've played with lettuces together, drunk green juices, eaten vegan ice-cream and analysed that strange category of being called "blokes". After spending time with Shazzie, not only do you feel lighter and infinitely wiser, but you come away realising how perfect and gorgeous the world really is.

Shazzie and Kate have a great analogy of helping each other on our spiritual journeys. Someone reaches down a hand to help you climb a ladder, each rung leading to a higher level of consciousness, and you do the same for someone else below you. None of us are better or worse than each other, just at different points on the journey. My viewpoint is that we're all just organic portals for the mass consciousness to experience life from different angles. If that viewpoint resonates with you, then you'll realise that we're all basically the same thing; all just a chip off the old block of mass consciousness. Therefore in helping each other, we're helping the whole and therefore ourselves. Get it?? Hope I'm not losing anyone here!!!!!! This is supposed to be a fun viewpoint not a lesson in philosophy!

Breathe.

ANYWAY, I think the point to keep in mind with this whole theory, is that you HELP them up. You don't try and drag them up kicking and screaming. If they're not ready, you have to leave them. Or perhaps their path is to be one a little different from your own. You must keep your energy high and not lower your vibrations to metaphorically get under that person and push them up. It will never work.

So, let's help each other along. No judgement. No preaching. Just good old fashioned love with a little bit of trust in the "all knowing" thrown in for good measure. ANd know that at this point, everyone is where they're supposed to be in life.

XXX

Manana

I associate everything that happens in life with some kind of lesson. And as I start to find my feet in this big old sunburnt country, my next lesson is becoming painfully clear! Patience is a virtue. Not only can I not make a decision to save myself, I'm probably the most impatient person you'll encounter. Everything has to happen now. Right now! And if it doesn't, well chances are that the world will come hurtling to a complete and final end. I feel overwhelmed by everything I believe needs to be done….health insurance, new phone, job, somewhere to live, car, unpacking boxes, jetlag, catching up with people, planning ahead in general. For example, I had been back one day and had found all attempts to get a new phone failing and crashing at my feet. You guessed it…end of the world. I mean geez, I may as well give up on life right now! I guess over reaction can be a side effect of the stresses related to re-establishing yourself, but it's times like this with my elusive new phone, that you need to step back and reconnect with the observer that is in all of us. That quiet little ever present being that's been part of you since day one. The part of you that has never changed. That's the little you that can see the big picture and see the pointlessness of most of our problems and concerns in life. Luckily I was able to find mine, have a chuckle and enjoy not having my brain fried for a few extra days.

There's also some Shamanic teachings that can come in handy during these times. Don't be scared and don't scoff! Just humour me and be a little open minded for a few sentences. I was reading a book called "Illumination- The Shaman's Way Of Healing" by Alberto Villoldo PhD. There's a great lesson from the Andean shamans he's worked with. Manana. That's it. Just manana. The lesson is this…."not doing today what will take care of itself tomorrow…trusting the implicit order of the universe, even if you cannot understand it at the moment." Simple but not always easy. Especially if you're a bit of a control freak like me! It doesn't mean just sitting on your rear end, feet up and doing nothing. It does mean to progress and create your life, but in a more balanced and responsible, less chaotic way. I think it's a good lesson. In the crazy rat race of a world that some of us find ourselves in, it's a nice little bit of advice to carry around with you. At the end of the day, it's just life, isn't it?!?!

XXX

Continued Journeys

So, it's the first day of September as the plane touches down in Sydney. I have successfully avoided the southern Winter. Now it's time to continue my journey. People have been keen to tell me how one big event has ended and another is to begin. End of holidays. Back to reality. Work. Misery. Struggle. My question is why? Life doesn't really consist of beginnings and endings does it? Everything is just one long organic progression. Hopefully always looking forward. Always stepping up to the next rung on the ladder of life, learning and enlightenment. One thing always just leads to another. Forever. Maybe this is just a coping mechanism when big change is imminent, but it feels very real for me. I don't feel that my time away from Australia has completely ended, so to speak. I feel that it has changed and developed into something else. Like a progressed relationship.

My family are there to meet me in Sydney. My family are always there for me. Where I spoke about my friends in my last entry, my family is always at the top of the list. Their support, although often accompanied by questions and doubt, is always solid and for that I will always be eternally grateful. And although I know that they may see me as a tad troublesome and strong-willed, my intention is always true, even if sometimes I fail to communicate it so well.

So, let the journey continue! May it be at least as exciting and all encompassing as it's been so far. Onward and upward!!!

XXX

So Long And Thanks For All The Fish

One week left and I guess I could have travelled to any number of places, added a few new countries to my travel map to take the numbers up a bit, taken a few more photos, had some more experiences. And I'm sure I would have enjoyed that immensely, but as it turned out, I did what is more important and more enjoyable than any of that. I caught up with people important to me. Some of the people who have made these last few years some of my most poignant.

People wonder why I travel so much. Why don't I just settle down? What's wrong with me? Why am I so scared of still and set? I travel for many reasons. Of course for the excitement of seeing a new place, experiencing a new culture. Testing myself in a foreign environment; experiencing the enchantment one finds in simple beauties; questioning my own perhaps way too set beliefs and maybe even just to distract myself as more than one person has suggested!

But the most lasting and deep memories are always the people. Whether it's the people of a new land or travel companions. Travel has lead me to some of my truest friends and often biggest influences. Even those you don't get on with can cause you to take a closer look at yourself. Also experiencing new environments with old friends can make or break friendships. The friendships that hold fast are always stronger and more pure. More honest and more trusting.

Outer journeys are also catalysts for inner journeys. Inner journeys are perhaps the more difficult. They're the ones that are not always so pleasant, the ones where you have to be blatantly honest with yourself. And the friends that help you through these are the truest of them all.

Saying farewell to these people can be heart wrenching but leaving people who are the dearest to you can actually build a friendship into a very real and lasting one. The old saying comes to mind…..absence is to love what wind is to fire. It distinguishes the small and enhances the great. Absence can clear out your life completely, but what is left are friends who are pure diamonds. The most precious stones that will not only be in your life for a long time, but friendships that are strong and pure.

So, although I always know how hard it is to say goodbye, and it always is, the next hello shared will hold more joy and pure intent than any other greeting.

So, to those friends I leave today I say thank you. Thank you for changing me. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for showing me a me I never knew was there. Thank you for believing in me, helping me, guiding me, putting up with me. Thank you for reaching out a hand when I needed one and for scolding me when I needed that as well. I doubt there is anyone in the world as blessed as me. And although the pain of leaving you today is real and deep, I know that our next hello will be the greatest of moments.

Until we meet again……..

XXX

Farewell Prague

With just one morning left for exploration purposes, first stop was the Mucha Museum. Alfonse Mucha was a Czech artist who lived from 1860-1939. His fame came during his residence in Paris where he was renowned for his Art Neuve posters, especially those he produced for French actress Sarah Bernhardt promoting her different performances. He is also very well known for his enormous art work , The Slav Epic. This is half a kilometre long (20 canvases) and took him 18yrs to complete.

Next it was a quick dash up to Wenceslas Square to see the statue of the great king himself. It was interesting to see the finished product having seen the two small statues in the art gallery yesterday which were pre studies to the main event of which I was now standing in front of. It was just a smidge bigger than the other two! And with that, my very short but tremendously enjoyable sojourn in The Czech Republic was complete and it was back to London Town.

XXX

James! Where Are You?

KV isn't just famous for being a gorgeous little spa retreat for monied Europeans. Oh no. It's been in the movies as well! Anyone who's seen Casino Royale would have drooled over the actual casino. Turns out that the casino is Grandhotel Papp, right here in KV! I was in luck! James Bond would be mine! Well, I went to see the hotel and even went in and climbed all the stairs but alas, I could find neither James or even Daniel for that matter. This just can't be! Well fine. So be it. Who needs an international man of mystery anyway, right??!?! Er…..

KV is also a great example of, "there's just no accounting for taste" and that money can't necessarily buy it. Let's just say that there's a lot of what you might call Russian influence here. I'll leave the rest to your imagination. I don't mean to be harsh, but you know where I'm going, don't you?! Exhibit A……the jewellery on offer. It costs a small fortune but looks like something that you'd pick up at the dollar shop. Each to his own, I guess.

I spent the morning exploring the wooded hills amongst which KV is nestled. From my hotel window, I had spotted towers and gazebos high up on the cliff. And you know how impossible it is for me to resist a climb. They were just sitting there, beckoning me to explore. And with the temperature over 30C (I know! Real, proper Summer temps!), it was nice to be under the cooling trees. There were plenty of paths to choose from, so I just randomly picked ones that I thought would lead me to my goals. And even though I'm a professional compass user now (having used it for one full day walking in Surrey!!), I didn't pull it out once. Well ok….once. Just to find out that I was heading in a direction of 60!

I exited the woods just away from the spa area, but it was obvious that this was where the more wealthy reside. Secluded around the corner away from the common peasants. I found a couple of hotels that shall be considered for the next visit!

It was time to see the main shopping street, which is great for people watching and what better place than a little spa town in central Europe to attract such an eclectic mix of human specimens. There was also a bike race or triathlon today, so I may not have fun James Bond, but there were plenty of athletic male forms upon which to gaze and wile away the time. No complaints. Next it was time for tea, grab my suitcase and off to find my bus back to Prague.

Two and a half hours later and most of Dirty Dancing watched (they were playing it on the bus but stopped just before Baby and Johnny were about to do the last dance! Sacrilege!!), and I was back in the Czech capital. My next hotel was close and yes, fairly dodgy, but of a standard perhaps one star above my first Prague experience. By now it was 20:30, so no time to waste as there was a chocolate factory waiting to be visited! And not forgetting you, dear reader, I retained some chocolate trivia which may pique your interest. Did you know that the sugar cube was a Czech invention? One Jakub Krystof Rad invented it for his wife and it was patented on 23/01/1843. Also, did you know that solid chocolate only came into being during the 1800s? From 2000BC-1500AD, chocolate was used to make a spicy drink with Oaxaca nuns in Mexico adding sugar to make it sweet in 1500. Cheeky nuns. This lead to cacao drinks becoming ever so popular in mass, but the comings and goings of the slaves bringing drinks to the Spanish congregation was disruptive, so the drink was banned from mass. The bishop who implemented the ban was murdered by having poison put in his own cacao drink. Don't mess with chocolate addicts!! One last fact that I'll leave you with is the raised ring in the saucer. It was added by the Marquis de Mancera in the 17th century so that you wouldn't spill your hot chocolate when you stirred it or dunked your biscuits. So there you go!

XXX

Baroque, Classical, Romantic.......

Up and out probably a lot later than I should have been considering my sleeping conditions. I mean, too much time in that room could give even the healthiest person any number of toxic mould related diseases. Off then to find a bus to Karlovy Vary or Carlsbad if you're Deutsch, or just plain old KV if you're writing a blog and going to have to repeat it a few times. It was only about a 15min walk to the main bus station but having arrived, I discovered that the first available bus to KV wasn't going to be until 16:30. It wasn't quite 11:00 now. So, I bought a ticket and wandered back to my "wonderful" hotel to dump my suitcase and to embark on more exploration of the capital. Over the river and up the hill and I found myself in a big, leafy park which cojoins the Royal Gardens. It was nice to have a break from the tourists for a while. Very nice, in fact. With just dog walkers as companions, I meandered until I reached the Summer Palace. For me, although less impressive when compared to the main palace, it was perfect. With a colonnaded balcony wrapping right around, enormous windows and muted tones, I decided that I could easily live here. Its small garden was also manicured to perfection.

Continuing along, snippets of views of the inspiring palace cathedral were to be found through the huge trees. Having been a little underwhelmed yesterday, today saw me quite impressed. I felt like I should be on my Lippizaner riding through the woods to my castle, ready to banquet with the king. Such were the views and feel of the gardens. On arriving at the main palace, I decided to go to the National Art Gallery situated there to see some 19th century Bohemian art. I mean, made sense seeing that I was in the middle of Bohemia! It was obviously a gloomy era with almost all of the painting dark and moody. Heavy oils but with photographic detail. I saw one painting of Jesus and my first thought was that it didn't look anything like Jesus. Then I realised that I didn't actually know what Jesus looked like. Funny how you get programmed without even realising it! I also felt a tad like a criminal in this gallery. Just one flash photo and I was a marked man (ok….woman). The evil museum security women kept following me around. Ok Ok!! I won't use my flash! I get it! I was loving how these women were trying to be really discrete about watching me but their attempts made them even the more obvious.

There were actually quite a few restaurants and galleries in the palace complex but not having time on my side, one had to suffice. Next stop was the little tea shop I had found yesterday. Who needs alcohol when you have matcha! Wooh baby! This is powered green tea and because you get all the tea and not just an infusion, it blows your head off. Leaves you spinning. I wasn't complaining. And along with an organic green tea chocolate, there was no coming down!

Suitably energised, I was off once again. Prague is just so charming and pretty. Thoughts of Strauss et al are never far away. There's classical music everywhere you go. Whether wafting out of a restaurant or seeping through the walls of a concert hall or just a trio busking on the street corner. It took me all my time not to don my Baroque dress and wig and start waltzing around the pavement. Actually, I don't own a Baroque dress or wig, but if I did…… Plus Strauss wasn't a Baroque composer, but why ruin my little moment with the facts??

Sometimes loosing your way a bit can be a blessing. Especially when it takes you to a Belgium chocolate museum/factory/shop. I was shaking with excitement! I really don't have a problem though, you know. Honestly!! The museum would have to wait until Saturday, but a chocolate shop can never wait! Mmmmmmm……champagne truffles, Amazonian passionfruit chocolate, coconut and chocolate, wasabi and chocolate and olive oil and chocolate (hmmm….I can see where they were coming from with that one, but not for me. Reminded me of the gall stone flush I did "just for fun" once that required you drink a cup of olive oil which I respectively puked up a few hours later).

Back to pick up my suitcase and walk to the bus station AGAIN. At least I had a ticket this time. The drive to KV was just over two hours, passing through a lot of agricultural land. Arriving at the spa town, I walked the 40 minutes to my hotel and I am pleased to say that it was an enormous improvement on the previous night's debacle. It was located up a small hill right in the middle of the spa area overlooking the most charming of towns. The buildings here look like dolls houses all painted in pastels and surrounded by fur tree covered hills. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

XXX