End of Limbo

I gave myself a week to come back to reality after the holiday. A week of sleeping in if I needed it. A week of purchasing breakfast rather than cooking it myself. A week of slowly remembering the details of my job. A week of thinking about cleaning my house. A week of considering where I go from here as the plan to July had now finished.

I came across two articles today that I need to ponder some more, which should kickstart the thoughts for the last part, the where to from here:

1. The wonderful Amanda Kovattana has written an article on the “7 Habits of Highly Subversive People” which is incredibly thought provoking. The habits are quite sensible, but it’s good to have them catalogued and reflected upon. They are, in order:

• Habit #1. Thinking
• Habit #2 Understand the big picture, the global supply chain of everything that you touch and then some, the interconnectedness of all things and i don’t mean just the cosmic good stuff between you and the divine. In the beginning there will be no solution to the depressing reality of it all. Get used to it. Between despair and hope lies the motivation to change.
• Habit #3: Fix, make or bake stuff yourself, because it strengthens your independence of thought from the soul robbing, imagination sucking, corporate production of stuff. Cut off or cover the logos on your bag, shoes, clothes. Repurpose a product and name it after yourself.
• Habit #4: Know your porn so that you can understand how you are being told what to desire.
• Habit #5: Seek context. Don’t settle for the easy short answer. Stand for something risky. Make a statement that embodies complete sociopolitical narrations.
• Habit #6: Start where your audience is
• Habit #7: Imagine. Disrupt. Disturb. Destabilize. Bite the hand that feeds you.

She also discusses the “paper bags” of thought that need to be fought that stop us being aware and questioning what is happening. That stop us being proactive. These are The New Age, the Techno-Fix, the Freedom of Individual Choice and the Democracy papers bags.

It’s a very well written, well thought out article that should stick some needles under your skin and get you thinking. I’d highly recommend reading it.

2. The other article “A Sustainable Footprint” was written in 2004 and republished on Online Opinion in 2006. It lists a number of broad areas that need to be addressed in order to achieve a sustainable society. Nothing that surprising in it, but it is written in an approachable style, and it’s always good to be reminded about WHY you are doing what you are doing.

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Le Plan de Paris

• Croissant for breakfast – Check
• French onion soup – Check
• Wine, baguette, cheese, pate all eaten al fresco – Check
• Crepe Bretagne – Check
• Creme Caramel – Check
• Citron Presse – Check
• Cafe – Check
• Al Freco lunch (lots of it, as often as possible) – Check
• Wine – Check
• Tarte Tartin – No
• Geraniums in wondow boxes – Check
• Walking – Check (Mat’s walking tour de Paris is a wonderful introduction to the city)
• Parisien watching – Check

My Paris experience wasn’t entirely about the food, really it wasn’t. Well, actually it was. Good food and seeing a good friend. It was the perfect way to do Paris in Summer. But I didn’t get to try a tarte tartin, despite two attempts to do so. So. I’ll just have to go back. Soon.

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UK Holiday week 1: London

Rooster
Originally uploaded by Miss Krin

I’ve only been here for a week, but it feels like a month. In a good way. I’ve packed so much into this week, as anyone who’s been keeping tabs on the Flickr account may have guessed.

I have:

• Rambled in many public gardens and admired the English Summer flowers
• Seen so many old buildings and statues
• Done most of the sights of London
• Been to many exhibitions
• Got lost on the tube
• Found my way around the tube
• Been asked my a tourist for directions and had other people assume I live here
• ought stuff, but not too much
• Eaten good food, and drunk beer. Occasionally I find a decent coffee as well
• Been rained on many times, and enjoyed some lovely sunny weather
• Had “historical” experiences where I finally “get it” in relation to the History I’ve been studying since my Undergrad
• Relaxed
• Laughed
• Got Drunk
• Run around London until 2am (see previous line)
• Eaten in pubs
• Walked so much that my feet hurt, but was still excited about seeing more things that I walked even further

But perhaps most importantly, and as I suspected:
Met some lovely, lovely people whom it will be very difficult to say goodbye to. I knew they were going to be fun people I’d get on with, I just didn’t realise how much. Had to say goodbye to the first one the other day and almost got teary. And she’s possibly coming to Australia in a couple of years. Everyone else… well that will be more difficult

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