Task # 17 - Favourite Things

In the home that you live in right now, what are your three favourite (non-human) things? Tell us a bit about them? What makes them so special?

painting up a spy story

Ok my fantasy jobs all seem to be tied into fantasy locations as well. Sort of like the escapism you get with a Juliette Binoche film set in Paris or even what Woody was able to do with New York, the job, the life, the lifestyle. So I will let you have it in total.

An Artist - great broad brush strokes of colour, emotion and passion. The poverty seems to have eluded this fantasy so I will run with it. A rambling studio and house in Tuscany (or even the Hunter Valley but lets keep it big for the moment). Lots of flow. Friends, wine, food, and a good turn over of work. I would oblige the mandatory exhibition openings in Barcelona, Paris and London. But the most important thing, plenty of inspiration. Late nights working and long sleep ins. Lots of espresso and lots of painting.

A spy - yep cross Jason Bourne with Angelina Jolie. Swift, skilled, super smart and able to pull off a multitude of looks with the change of a scarf. Of course I intend to be working for the good of humanity, perhaps bringing down corruption or conspiracy in some way. Always covering lots of territory, picture Mentawai Islands on Tuesday and a dark Geneva coffee shop the next day. In my spy fantasy I also can whip and weave a scooter through crowded piazza's and always manage to look hydrated and calm.

A Children's Book Writer - The simplicity, joy, and life in a great kids book has always creaked open my heart. The good ones are so so good. The genius of Mem Fox, Linley Dodd and Eric Carle always leave me envious. I think because to be a great kids book writer you have to immerse in pure creative imagination. So that's how I would live, unhampered by the everyday grind, I would like to be able to concoct stories from every little bit of dust falling around me.

And just to give my last fantasy a world - a cottage, somewhere cosy, with a nearby community, chickens in the yard and a flowering springtime garden - perhaps Berry or Woodend. I would probably make a great roast on a Sunday.

Pirouette

I’m dreaming about being a lighthouse keeper. All that solitude, blustery weather and solitude. A rocky outcrop somewhere remote with the birds for company and a small vegetable patch. A place like that needs warm clothes - scarves and beanies and bulky aran jumpers. Think of the knitting I could do! Yes, I’d be bored in a flash, all that rain and wind would quickly become tiresome, I’d miss my people, I’d probably go a bit batty. But all that solitude…

Or maybe I could be a ballerina. I’m not a small person and some would say I lack elegance, daintiness, a certain refined quality. But I imagine having all of that – the precision in my movement, the gracefulness, the sheer strength and stamina and muscle control. Like a Tour de France cyclist or a marathon runner, the thought of having that power of body and mind is appealing. Not very realistic, but appealing nonetheless.

Lastly, something I’ve often imagined is to own a café/yarn shop. Knitting and cups of tea and home-baked goodness. Am I obsessed with knitting at the moment? Perhaps. I notice a shop called A Coffee and a Yarn has opened up recently in Newtown. Something like that, the walls lined with beautiful yarn, a big table for people to sit and knit and chat and drink warm beverages. I’d be obligated to knit then – for business reasons. Hmm…

(Small note: After last week's blog, hallelujah, I took myself (and the babies) to see a movie. Stand by, I could be a ballerina by next week...)

Watch out Kylie!

This week’s task has brought home how different dreams can be in our 30s compared to our 20s. A few years earlier, ok maybe more than a few, my dream job would have been as artistic director of a theatre. Think Cate Blanchette for Sydney Theatre Company or Kevin Spacey for The Old Vic in London. I’d have the ability to choose scripts, shows and people that would turn an average theatre company into a great one. In my 20s my dream jobs were always about being in positions that were influential, filling roles that allowed me to travel, to work in the industry I loved and to be part of a success story. If I had to choose another two fantasy jobs to make up the trifecta during that time it would be as a travel presenter or a singer – in my mind I’d be Kylie Minogue- a performer and a business woman. You did say that talent, or lack of, was not an obstacle!

Oh how things change. In my 30s my fantasy jobs number 1 and 2 is to be a mum. I’d like to park ambition, the corporate wardrobe and the politics to one side replacing it with mothers group, reading bed-time stories and changing nappies. Given that this is a fantasy job however I would also like to add in that whilst I get my wish of starting a family I also get to go on one overseas trip a year, continue to eat at beautiful restaurants, run my own business and see as much theatre as possible. Something about either reaching for the stars of biting off more than I can chew. Fantasy job number 3 in my 30s stays the same as it was during my 20s- being able to command a stage like Kylie Minogue or Madonna will always stay with me no matter how old I get!

Task #16 - Vocation

List three fantasy jobs, if time, money, age, family commitments, qualifications, skills and talent were no obstacle. Why do these vocations appeal to you so much?

The movies

I am missing the cinema. No film in particular, though I've a list a mile long I'd like to see right now. Just the act of grabbing my bag and a jumper, heading up to Norton Street or King Street, buying my ticket, browsing in the bookshop while I wait for the film to start, then grabbing a soy latte or a choc top on my way in. The dark of the cinema, the noise of the speakers, the muffled conversation of the other patrons. The ads, even the ads. Then the film.

I like to see movies with other people, but I LOVE to see them on my own. I love to kick off my shoes and smoosh down in my chair, knees up against the chair in front. Ideally there is no-one sitting anywhere near me, though I've cohabited closely in the past for a blockbuster on opening week.

Movies were a weekly, sometimes twice-a-week thing for me pre-kids. After Lola was born, I took her with me to the Babes in Arms sessions. She saw a lot of good films before she could crawl. As she got older, I'd occasionally dash out alone for a Saturday night or Sunday afternoon session while she slept. But now that I'm the food source for two newbies, that has all ground to a halt. And I find myself pining for that one thing, an evening every couple of weeks for the ritual of bookshop, coffee, cinema and solitude. Just when the babes were getting a bit more predictable and I thought I could launch into it, sleep issues have gotten in the way. Me, or in the very least my boobs, need to be at home most evenings, for most of the evening, for the time being.

I think I might take a trip to the local video shop this weekend. I can at least make a start on that list of films I want to see, even if it's in my lounge room.

Weekends on the Peninsula

I miss the ability to get into my car and drive, to be within 40 minutes of fresh ocean air and more importantly my family and a good home cooked meal. My sister and I would often descend on mum's place on a Friday night for champagne, shopping at the local markets and the antique centre followed by a massive cook-a-thon on Sunday. Mum would make us choose what we'd like for dinner - 3 course meal - and then the three of us would cook it together making an absolute mess of the kitchen in the process. I have noticed that I've been compensating lately in my own kitchen by getting Tim involved in cooking a new dish on Sunday nights in our tiny London apartment. He's on crutches at the moment so has no where to run too plus he's not quite aware of the gap he's filling my being my sous chef on the other side of the kitchen bench.

I also miss big sprawling houses with back yards for bbq's, having friends over and entertaining in general. Everyone lives in shoe boxes in inner city London but we've all managed to fill the void by doing as the locals do - taking over the local parks. This weekend we dragged the big weber across the road and commendeared a quarter of the park somewhere between the girls in their bikinis on a not quite hot enough day and the locals with their small pampered dog club.

Australians are used to being outdoors and enjoying large open spaces - it exists in London - you just need to know where to look and then make sure to invite the surrogate family of friends along as soon as the sun shows itself for an afternoon. Unfortunately though the car will still need to stay at home!

the answer my friend is...

What are you missing right now? List two or three things that are hard to come by in your new location/lifestyle. How do you compensate?

Great cafes!

Hong Kong has plenty of lovely cafes but they seem to do bars and dining better. I can confidently say, Australia has the BEST cafes. Great food, fresh produce, innovative and competitive in style and flair but one thing reigns supreme - Coffee. I love Australian coffee. I cant lie, I have had great espresso in Europe, but I LOVE the humble flat white. Simple, strong and delicious. As I write this, I think I would pay a hundred bucks for a great cuppa at this moment. Smooth, silky, with a little swirly pattern with a the line through it.

All the good conversations with great friends shared over fabulous cafes in Sydney. Ah Victoria St, or Single Origin in Surry Hills, Bondi Organic, The Bourke St Bakery.......each one of my favourite coffee destinations is usually shared with a great mate. Perhaps my longing is a synonymous blend of laughter and caffeine.

I am not going to talk about coffee here.

The second this I long for is an ocean breeze - salty, gusty and clean. There is nothing like breathing in that air. If it could be bottled. Winter or summer an ocean breeze is the remedy for most ills in life (except if you are stranded on an island). If I close my eyes for a moment I can feel the crisp gusts blowing my hair into an afro and then I can taste the first sip of that flat white.

mmmmmm homesick now!

Task #15 - Missing

What are you missing right now? List two or three things that are hard to come by in your new location/lifestyle. How do you compensate?

A Land of Plenty

The biggest cultural shift for me so far, has been the extensive use of helpers in families with children. It is very common practice in all Asian expat communities, and for the most part, the women employed in these roles are nearly always Filipino's.

When I moved to Hong Kong I was full of strong notions of independence and disdain for this practice, I might add this was somewhat self righteous of me and revealed a very naive understanding of life outside Australia. There were lifestyle changes I didn't really understand, like how it felt to be at home when the working parent is quite often away for all daylight hours and I also didn't know what life was like without the generous support of family close by.

And my views were very much formed by life in Australia, as a wealthy, sophisticated nation, with high levels of workplace regulation, the strictest of immigration policy and a land of plenty. I had no idea of the real level of poverty which exists within our closest neighbours.

Since living in HK I have met and chatted to many helpers, and my view of the situation is a little more rounded. These women are truly inspiring. They send all of their income home and quite often sustain 5 or 6 people in the Philippines with their wages. They are putting their kids through tertiary education and doing their best to lift their children's life from working to middle class. I have heard it said these women are the backbone of the Filipino economy. I don't know enough about economics to verify that as a truth, but watching these women work with the integrity and heart that they do, I would believe it.

I met Nicole this week, she wouldn't have a cuppa with me, but I am hoping she will soon. She has 3 children at home; 12years, 10 years and 7. They are cared for by her mother and husband. I spoke to her of how hard that must be to be away from them. Momentarily I saw the pain in her eyes, but she confirmed she must be here and work for them, everything she does is for them.

This kind of sacrifice is foreign to me. The ultimate sacrifice in my opinion, for a parent to leave their children in order to give them a better life. My admiration for this strength in parenting is complete. I wonder if I could do the same.

With Gillard's proposition to East Timor this week about them hosting a regional detention centre for Australia, Jose Ramos Horta's words have remained with me.

The people of East Timor are sympathetic to those fleeing political violence.

There is so much more to learn about Asia if we are to truly consider ourselves part of it. For the moment I remain inspired by what I have witnessed this week.

Task #14 - Cuppa

Have a cup of tea with someone you find interesting. Ask them about how they have ended up in the city and why they stay.

Dress-ups

My baby girl turns three on Saturday. Three years ago I was 42 weeks pregnant and up a ladder cleaning the bathroom ceiling. After the acupuncture, pavement pounding, telephone book squatting, visualisations, spicy Pakistani curry and marital 'exercise', I believe it was the cleaning of the ceiling that finally brought on labour.

But I digress...

This week's task neatly coincided with my plans to furnish the three-year-old with the makings of her own dress-up box, so I took a trip to Vinnies. Is that vintage? Probably not really. Second-hand, yes. Faded and worn, mostly. I knew a lot of people growing up who were excellent op-shoppers. I tried to be for a while. I'd scan the racks, buy a pair of baggy men's suit pants or a quirky jacket, but they never wore well on me. I couldn't really pull it off. The best purchase was from a huge second-hand clothing shop in Berlin where I picked up a pair of dark orange corduroys, a much-needed addition to my very tired backpacker's wardrobe, and paid for them by their weight. I owned those cords, and wore them a lot, for years.

Anyway, back to Vinnies in Dulwich Hill, where most of my fellow shoppers were actually shopping for their clothes and household items, rather than on the lookout for that lucky find. It was a bit depressing. And it wasn't even that cheap! But on Saturday morning, my little girl who has recently discovered the fun of rummaging through her drawers to try on clothes then parading the outfits in front of me, will have her very own dress-up box with a couple of hats and handbags, some princess dresses, a pair of cowboy dungarees and at least one fake fur stole. Let the make-believe begin.