Follow your instincts...

There are many things in life,

which are important to know.

Like how to tie laces,

and when to say no!

But there are few things that are,

of the utmost to learn.

Like to look at two roads,

and know which way to turn.

And the secret you'll see,

is as simple as one two and three.

Just listen to your heart,

and you'll know where to be.

So...trust your instincts,

 and all that you feel.

And you'll learn to distinguish,

 the false from the real.

And when you learn,

how to listen and see,

your dreams will be yours,

and you'll be all that you're to be.

Now many things you'll find,

will get in your way.

And at times you will wish,

for a better next day.

But when such times,

 are confronting you,

don't get too sad

 and feel all too blue.

For you'll see,

well, perhaps, not right away,

that you're meant to have,

 these not-so-good-days.

And when you learn to keep pushing on,

and realise the lessons you've learnt there upon,

You'll see the world is waiting for you,

to discover all the things you're destined to do.



New Zealand to Australia once again

As I leave New Zealand to the sunny shores of Australia and start another chapter of my journey, I thought I’d share with you some insights and life lessons learnt along the way.

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it, you will land among the stars.”

Set your sights high and follow, in the words of Paulo Coehlo, your Personal Legend. Listen to your instincts and pay attention to all that you experience. Don’t hold fear in expectancy but live in the moment, where will and desire lead you along your journey. And if you do so...

“Kid, you’ll move mountains…Today is your day! Your mountains are waiting. So… get on your way!” – Dr. Seuss.

Try all things you desire and follow the paths you are guided toward. Start pushing in desired directions and soon enough you’ll find a mountain that begins to tremble and move. Now, don’t be put off by the mountains that don’t, just keep your chin up, listen to your soul and keep pushing until you find one that creaks and groans and begins to move.

And although life’s pathways are littered with speed bumps and at times, fallen trees, do not sit idly on the side of your road with your elbows on your knees. Always look onwards, to the many pathways that lay before you and look on such experiences not as poor fortune but a lesson and pathway you need to walk, even if you aren’t ready to learn just why yet. Hold fast, journey with courage, strength and always with love.

Love, allow yourself to be loved and the sun will shine brighter, loads will seem lighter and your spirit will be made mightier. Look at all around you; the people, landscape and things, truly look and you’ll see a world fully of beauty and love. And be kind to others where trees have fallen on their journeys and the world will find a way to be kind to you and love you in return.

So, be good, be courageous when times seem bleak, be loving and kind to all and listen to your soul and the Soul of the Universe. Follow that truly and you’ll see “Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it. And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!” – Rudyard Kipling.



I Return to Aotearoa - The Land Of The Long White Cloud

Where explanation requires poetry I'm not yet able to write,

I'll used borrowed words and say as they were my own,

"I have to go see about a girl".



Australian Street Art: Cockatoo Island

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer Collection: 'Recordings'

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer was born in Mexico City in 1967. His artwork depends on public participation to exist. This exhibition records participants' pulse, voice and image and it is these recordings that form the actual content of the works. The content is entirely 'crowd-sourced' and subsequently has a more ominious, predatory nature to the first playful feelings it excites. The works use biometric and surveillance technology employed by governments and corporations to profile, control and predict our behaviours in the name of efficiency or safety



"Unruly Gang Mob Threatens The Peace In Melbourne"

A day in Melbourne

There really is something exquisitely wondrous about aimlessly walking a city. The pace distorts its usual speed and it is revealed in its constituent parts, each minor detail a symphony by itself. Rather than seeing the city as a network of neighbourhoods, a complex of grand architecture connected by an assemblage of transport and communicative links, the city reveals itself one household at a time, one church, street sign, public toilet and park bench at a time. You find beauty and intrigue in the otherwise mundane - the invisible minutia of infrastructure that disappear into obsucrity with their banality.

After a two week stay in rural Victoria and the farmlands of Mooroopna, I felt an urge to listen to my sentiments above, don my secured-by-a-thread flip flops and see where my feet - still hopefully attached to my flip flops - would take me. I walked from St. Kilda to Albert Park, following the beachfront, the strong winds catching and whipping sand at my body. After an hours walking, reflecting, singing out loud and staring in awe at the brave many catching the waves and utilizing the winder-power on an array of boards, I read a sign for 'Albert Park' and thought I'd see why it awarded its very own shiny blue, metre-long signpost.

After a further fifteen minutes perambulation, I came across a sign for a library 800m away and turned sharply left with the thought of reading and writing in the quiet grandeur that such buildings project - perhaps with the aid of a few coffees to combat fatigue and spark my brainwaves into creative abundance. The library - the name of which escapes me now - was part of a church complex and with the church being the first building I'd seen open, I wandered inside, found a seat on an empty pew and smiled in delight at the harmony it excited. In truth, all the pews were empty during my half hour there. I saw noone, nor heard anyone, which I find really quite saddening. This place of reflection was simply stunning and I couldn't help but think it under used. Whomsoever constructed it, had obviously invested a huge amount of money and forethought and the fact that it only seemed to welcome visitors for scheduled services baffled me. Anyway - I enjoyed it immensly and was glad to have stumbled across such a warm retreat. After a while, I gathered my things and headed in search of the library, which I found a few buildings across. It was, however, closed. With it still so near to the new year, a large portion of services seem to be 'on holiday' and this library was no exception. But anyhow, I went on a whim and I was made to move on, never mind such things. I had a brief conversation with the lady on reception and proceeded out to the local bus stop for catographic aid and orientation.

I found myself only a block away from my initial destination, Albert Park, so headed in that direction. After a quick dive through a tram underpass, I was greeted by lush grass, open vistas and a lake surrounded by empty benches and innumerable aquatic wildlife - a mixture of ducks, swans and bizarre-looking birds. I found a bench to my liking, a stride away from the water's edge, with trees either side of me framing a portrait of idyllic planning - landscaped gardens before me and post-1980 high-rise architecture painting a backdrop. I sat, wrote and beamed a wide smile wholeheartedly.

--

After spending several hours in the local library and taking some time to shower and refresh, I grabbed my book and walked through the forecourt of the hostel, with the aim of finding a beachfront spot to grab some dinner. I was, however, greeted by two French backpackers and an Australian rubber-tramp, who asked if I fancied joining them to Queen Victoria's Market. After momentary deliberation, I found myself with the three of them, evading tram fares, heading into town and to the market. It was exceptional. Each Wednesday night, the regular market of fresh produce transforms into a veritable delight of diversity. A few hundred stalls are set up, selling all manner of things from hemp produce, to silk clothes, to Ki massages - something consisting of a man massaging while exhaling crowd-stoppingly loudly - with every culinary experience ready to be tried. After an hour of sampling the market's delights and manoevering between the thousands of patrons, we headed to the stage where an African band were building an atmosphere, the likes of which I've rarely experienced.

Within minutes of opening, they had a few hundred people in a frenzy of excitement, jumping and twisting in wild ecstasy. I, of course, could not resist the intoxicating music and joined the crowds in two hours of free moment and expression. It was utterly wild and wholly friendly. It felt like all could release their pains and worries, dance without judgement and let their souls run free. We left as the band closed - much to the boo's of the still dancing crowd - smiling wildly, feeling free and for the first time in three weeks, feeling cold.

It has been around or over 40 degrees celcius for the past weeks and with the temps cooling to a daytime high of 26, the breeze and ability to wear trousers came as a welcome break. After several minutes of escaping the excited crowds, we found our way to a tram stop, used the 'I'm foreign and it's my first time here' excuse to avoid the fare and headed to the hostel for a well needed sleep.

Day one complete in Melbourne and I have to admit to rather liking the place.

- Peace and love all -

xx