Literate String

I had fallen off the band wagon, my ability to string a sentence together had left me. Years have gone by where there have been moments of inspiration. All have come and gone. Usually at the least appropriate times too. Sitting in meditation is the common case otherwise driving or just as I'm falling asleep. Occasionally I write an idea down but never come back to it. It's not until I find myself detached from the never ending impulse to do "work". This holiday has brought me back to what I love. 

⚫️ To surf - fun and different waves, exploring the magnificent coast of South Sumatra. 

⚫️ To learn the local language - Bahasa. Grasping new words everyday and practicing with passing kids. 

⚫️ To write - even though I've spent most of my time in the water my desire to put pen to paper has returned. 

The act of stringing a sentence together begins to flow more easily the further I get down the page. The sewing of adjectives to describe the wonders that surround me. How long will this piece of string be? I guess if I keep surfing and learning the words will follow. 

Story Of My Life

May Time Fly

Time flies when you're having fun but it also seems to fly when there is no fun to be had.

Some would think that this was going to be the year that I stopped my adventurous acts and settled at home to further my studies. My commitment was high, yet my effort was low and the simple life seemed to creep back in. I lasted 3 days at uni. Stepping away from the travelling life, I thought starting a Bachelor of Arts (Languages) degree would in way be my fix as I'd still be able to keep up my languages. However the inability to cope with the wasted time on shitty public transport got the better of me. With a timetable that would take up 24 hours and a commute of 20 hours per week, I couldn't justify the need for a lousy certificate that after 3 years would say I can speak French and Japanese... So here I am looking at uni by correspondence.

I also am recovering from hip surgery. In early January I was surfing out the wedge, Whale Beach, and pretty much ate it. I was held under and thrown around to the max. The moment I felt it I knew I had done something to my hip. 3 months later I underwent an arthroscope that went in and stitched up the torn labrum and shaved 10mm off my femoral head.... nasty. 6 weeks later I'm counting down the next 6 weeks till I can start to surf again. 6 weeks of no fun down, 6 to go!

Hospital time

“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” -Albert Einstein

Happy Easter!!

Sydney Buses Travel Time

6:32AM - E88

It's not how I remember, long gone are the days of food fights, bagsings to sit next to someone in hopes of receiving an ear from their ipod headset. So too is the laughter, the joy, the essence of life. Gone. What a great way to start your morning.

Commuting from the Northern Beaches to Sydney's CBD is gratefully catered for by Sydney buses. It is an early start to become part of the rush of those heading to work, school or uni. And to think people do this everyday. Madness!

If you caught the same bus day in day out, one would think you would know someone considering you have probably seen them on the bus a million times. At least then you would have someone to smile to as you got on. Not a single person 'seemingly' knows anyone. Although if you were having a conversation; everyone, bored out of their brains, would listen. And your individual identity would be exposed to these people that surround you every day. I'm sure even the older lady, who was given an ipod last year but has only just worked out how to upload music, will turn her volume down just so she can hear what it is you've been up to recently and if you got majorly boozed on the weekend. What else does somebody ask you on a Monday morning?

So I sit here content that I don't know a soul and glad I will not have to disclose my weekend doings. I am also happy that I don't have to pretend I am not listening to a non-stimulating conversation by my fellow pleb commuters. As sad as it is to think, long gone are the days where the boys sat up the back and eyeballed the innocent girls seated at the front. I welcome the tranquility of silence and the chance I have to be apart of the mob that unfortunately spend on average 4 hours a day on the bus yet fortunately come home to such a beautiful part of Sydney.

KONY 2012

KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice. 

HOW TO HELP:
Join TRI or Donate to Invisible Children: bit.ly/yp5Ffv
Purchase KONY 2012 products: invisiblechildrenstore.myshopify.com/
Sign the Pledge: causes.com/causes/227-invisible-children

http://vimeo.com/37119711 

The Conscious Club by Path To Wellness with Melissa Ambrosini

Words by Melissa Ambrosini

Last night I attended The Conscious Club, the what club? Let me give you a little background. Three Bondi locals Tim Brown, Gary Gorrow and Lee Te Hire were sick of going out to the same night club week in and week out, yelling at each other over the bar until the wee hours of the morning, then coming home with nothing to show for it except a hoarse voice and a hangover. ‘The guys realised that everyone was going out to clubs and pubs to become unconscious, this sparked the idea to create a club where you could have a fun night out and get highly conscious’. Thus THE CONSCIOUS CLUB was born.

What a great idea, right! 

Last night was the third event and over 300 like-minded people gathered at Bondi Pavilion to have an experience. The night commenced with beautiful live music, we then watched an awesome documentary titled the ‘The Quite Signs Of Love’, listened to Sarah Wilson deliver an incredible talk on her top 7 tips to happiness and then finally a 20 minute group meditation (there is something so powerful about meditating in a group especially over 300 people).

My favourite part of the evening was listening to Sarah Wilson speak, I love this chick and not because we turned up in matching outfits but because she is authentic. Sarah got up and didn’t preach about always being super happy, and even said ‘I am really good at being sad’. This made her real. I have seen a lot of speakers preach about happiness and how if you follow their steps you too will be happy. Uh uh, it doesn’t happen like that, no one is always happy, that’s life! There are ups and downs, but it’s how you react to these situations that determines your true strength.

Throughout her career Sarah has interviewed the Dalai Lama, Louise L Hay, Richard Branson, John Demartini and many more. Sarah wanted to share what she learnt from them and her 7 tips towards happiness that have worked for her.

Sarah Wilson’s 7 Tips To Happiness:

1.    Morning routine

Sarah emphasised the importance of implementing a daily morning routine, such as meditation, exercise, journaling and walking in nature or whatever it is for you. Doing something daily without thinking becomes habit and takes out the decisions making process for you. You just do it. She also mentioned her interview with Eugene Tan (Owner of Aquabumps), who says every morning he has a conversation with his inside people to make sure he is in check and on track. Love that idea.

2.   Have a gratitude ritual

John Demartini when being interviewed by Sarah insisted on showing her his last 5 years worth of gratitude journals. He has been writing daily gratitude lists for the last 37 years. Expressing what you are grateful for is recognised by the universe and is super powerful. Give this a try!

3.   Don’t just sit there

Things aren’t just going to be served to you on a silver platter. You’ve got to make it happen, get up every day and do one thing towards your dreams.

4.   Get deliberate

Manifestation is extremely powerful so getting deliberate about what you want is key to fulfilling your dreams.

5.   Do the right thing. The rest follows

I think this one speaks for itself.

6.   Create boundaries, choose how you want to live

Sarah mentioned the impact Louise L Hay had on her, the importance of using daily mantras and the effect Louise’s book ‘You Can Heal Your Life’ had on her life. Mine too, that book is a lifesaver, do yourself a favour and read it, it opened my eyes and changed my life.

7.   Build the muscle

We live in a society where we want everything yesterday. Sarah said ‘there is no magic bullet, everything takes time’.

Melissa & Sarah Wilson! 

Check out Melissa's website http://pathtowellness.com.au/

Australian Open of Surfing - Manly Vice

This week I am writing for Manly Vice covering the Australian Open of Surfing in Manly.
I will be doing interviews with the local competitors and watching the show!
If you're around Manly this event is pretty hard to miss, if not log onto Australian Open of Surfing and check out Manly Vice >> this is the one stop spot for all info on what's happening in Manly!
Also please like our page on Facebook!
WOOOO!!

    

Glorious Food

justine pocock flickr

'What Do You Fish From The Ocean?' Take 3 - A Clean Beach Initiative

Take 3