Sometimes
What is life today? Another Tuesday, another late night before coming back from the office work. The rain continues coming down outside my office window. Thick cumulus white clouds were spotted by me earlier that afternoon, and now the wind must be pushing them down. The last person to leave the workplace before me gave me a shout far away to say goodnight, and I continue to clear off another relentless stream of business emails, follow-up requests and official whirlpool.
What is life meant to be? Is it in the faces of people streaming away from the game between the Dragons vs Broncos last weekend. They are dressed contentedly in their choice of team colours, and in Wollongong, it is mostly the red stripes of St George. It is more than national rugby league to these individuals, groups of mates and whole families. It is a lifestyle, something to look forward to on a dreary Wednesday morning. It promises the synergies of group power, safety in familiarity and something to motivate when other parts of life can be threatening or not promising. It offers moments of celebration even when everything is all right. It promises a life of more than just earning, spending and filling in the time in between. Maybe.
What can life be? Is it the chatter I overheard from bright-eyed overseas students in a cafe called Dong Dong? These UNSW students freely express themselves in the language and nuance they grew up with. They sang a quick birthday song for one of their mates, Justin. A lady wondered aloud why it was great to be a doctor or engineer long ago, but now it's cool and all right to pursue other careers. On a Sunday afternoon, this seemed to be a picture of relative innocence the week before the semester examinations. It is repeated all over the world in campus suburbs - the wonder of promise, the excitement of anything being possible and the comfort of being with friends.
What was life like? Beijing duck, Fujian poh pniah rolls, tamarind laksa, fruit rojak - all soul food served at a warm house gathering with the wind and rain howling outside. The sitting around a table to partake of food together is a necessarily comfortable ritual. To be able to do that with people you are truly comfortable with, and in not some imposed scenario, is not to be taken for granted. The home made pastries and tasty cake not made with butter but healthy ingredients were made with a labour of creativity and care, as the dishes for dinner on a Saturday night. And then to be able to sink into total mind-bending oblivion with audio-visual entertainment rounded up the night.
What will life be like? 2009, and it's the June 13 weekend. The United States has just switched off its analogue television broadcasts and fully gone digital instead. In Australia, we are at the nexus just before a similar change, but still with both analogue and high-definition telecasts available. Things we are used to - and enjoyed - can, and have, changed.
I like what I heard on Saturday night: "Life is like having ice-cream on a stick. Enjoy it before it all melts away."
What is life meant to be? Is it in the faces of people streaming away from the game between the Dragons vs Broncos last weekend. They are dressed contentedly in their choice of team colours, and in Wollongong, it is mostly the red stripes of St George. It is more than national rugby league to these individuals, groups of mates and whole families. It is a lifestyle, something to look forward to on a dreary Wednesday morning. It promises the synergies of group power, safety in familiarity and something to motivate when other parts of life can be threatening or not promising. It offers moments of celebration even when everything is all right. It promises a life of more than just earning, spending and filling in the time in between. Maybe.
What can life be? Is it the chatter I overheard from bright-eyed overseas students in a cafe called Dong Dong? These UNSW students freely express themselves in the language and nuance they grew up with. They sang a quick birthday song for one of their mates, Justin. A lady wondered aloud why it was great to be a doctor or engineer long ago, but now it's cool and all right to pursue other careers. On a Sunday afternoon, this seemed to be a picture of relative innocence the week before the semester examinations. It is repeated all over the world in campus suburbs - the wonder of promise, the excitement of anything being possible and the comfort of being with friends.
What was life like? Beijing duck, Fujian poh pniah rolls, tamarind laksa, fruit rojak - all soul food served at a warm house gathering with the wind and rain howling outside. The sitting around a table to partake of food together is a necessarily comfortable ritual. To be able to do that with people you are truly comfortable with, and in not some imposed scenario, is not to be taken for granted. The home made pastries and tasty cake not made with butter but healthy ingredients were made with a labour of creativity and care, as the dishes for dinner on a Saturday night. And then to be able to sink into total mind-bending oblivion with audio-visual entertainment rounded up the night.
What will life be like? 2009, and it's the June 13 weekend. The United States has just switched off its analogue television broadcasts and fully gone digital instead. In Australia, we are at the nexus just before a similar change, but still with both analogue and high-definition telecasts available. Things we are used to - and enjoyed - can, and have, changed.
I like what I heard on Saturday night: "Life is like having ice-cream on a stick. Enjoy it before it all melts away."
Comments