My TV Favourites of 2011

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Normally I wouldn’t do these lists but I have collaborated with Lena Lamoray to work on one (the full list, including Lena’s favourites has been posted here).

Favourite New Series

Game of Thrones

Based on a series of medieval-fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin A Song of Fire and Ice, GAME OF THRONES is a story of incest, loyalty, love, betrayal, deceit and power.  And because this is an HBO show, you know there’s also lots of sex and blood.

Seven noble families are fighting for control of a kingdom called Westeros.  Just like the old European royal families where alliances are formed as easily as they are broken, Game of Thrones is full of unexpected twists and turns.  You find yourself falling in love with the brutish Khal Drogo and the cunning Tyrion Lannister and I know I’m not alone in this.

The cast reads like a who’s who of British acting royalty: Sean Bean, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Fairley, just to name a few.  Season 2 is due to air in April so there is still plenty of time for you to get hold of Season 1 and catch up on this brilliant new series.

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The Highlights of My 2011

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2011 has been a bittersweet year for me.  As I struggled to look for work, I was suddenly faced with something I had never had this much of before: time!  Time to do many things I had been putting off doing but was always too busy to do before.  Although the opportunities of the “paid” variety were lacking, I was also given opportunities to do other things that just may one day lead to a more fulfilling life.

And so, as another year draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on some of the things and events that have impacted me in whatever capacity.  Many have been happy but some, not so much.  So here we go…

Retiring Swans Co-captain Craig Bolton takes a lap of honour around the SCG

Footy Season

The year in AFL has been a mixed one.  My team, the Sydney Swans, spent most of their home games in Sydney playing in wet conditions, which means I spent a lot of time trying to stay dry in the stands.  With the well-respected Paul Roos now retired after a very successful 8 years in the senior coach’s position, the reigns were handed down to his former assistant, John “Horse” Longmire.  It had been six years since the Swans won a Premiership and with many of its Premiership players retired or retiring, many critics did not give the youngsters on the 2011 playlist much chance to make the finals series.  As usual, the Swans showed their “Bloods” spirit and proved the naysayers wrong and we made it as far as the second week of the finals, finishing sixth on the ladder.  Not a bad effort at all.  Go Swans!

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My Bucket List

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2011 was a bittersweet year for me.  As I looked for work, I was suddenly faced with something I had never had this much of before: time!  Time to do many things I had been putting off doing but was always too busy to do before, but also time to procrastinate and to keep putting off the things I had been too busy to do before.  Something of a dilemma, huh?

Ever since the Jack Nicholson-Morgan Freeman movie The Bucket List came out, everyone seems to be talking about their bucket list – a list of things you want to do before you “kick the bucket”. Whether you actively think about it or not, chances are you have one, even if it’s only a list you’ve been keeping mentally, in the back of your mind, but have never written down.

And so, towards the end of 2011, I tweeted to my Twitter followers asking how many of them have a bucket list.  A fellow blogger and “Collar”, Christine (you can find her blog at http://glassonionblog.blogspot.com/) and I agreed we would both publish our respective bucket lists. Continue reading →

Enjoying the Sound of Silence

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Shhh!

Why is it that we must always surround ourselves with noise? Whether it be music or television, it seems we are never truly comfortable unless we have noise around us.  Are you one of those people who instinctively turn on the television (or music) as soon as you get home, not because there is a particular program you want to watch, but just out of habit so there’s some noise in the house?  I don’t know many people who know how to enjoy and appreciate the silence – except perhaps parents with noisy kids and librarians.

There’s a Chinese saying that my parents used to quote whenever we complained about being too hot: when your heart is at peace, you will find coolness.  It’s not an exact quote – that’s just a literal translation.  Basically, all it means is that when you stop running around, being busy and stressed and noisy, you will find peace and stop being hot and bothered.  And to find peace, sometimes you need to have silence.

In November 2010, I went to Vietnam with a couple of friends for a holiday.  It was a wonderful experience for many reasons but one thing that absolutely stands out for me is the traffic and the noise that is part and parcel of that!  Well before my trip, I had already been warned of the traffic and how to cross the road in the city.  Dodging the millions of scooters, cars and people is an art form.  I never thought it could get noisier than Ho Chi Minh City until we got to Hanoi.  After three weeks in the country, I was so happy to be home where traffic is not nearly as crazy (although I have to admit, it was organised chaos) and where I could just sit in peace and quiet.  I did not turn on the television or any music for the rest of the evening after I arrived home.  The silence was sheer beauty!

So, in this busy holiday season, when your heart is full of cheer and goodwill towards mankind (assuming you haven’t beaten up the old lady next to you with your purse in the Boxing Day sales), I would highly recommend you take some time to sit back, relax with a cup of tea or hot chocolate, tune out all the external noise and just listen – to the sounds of birds chirping outside your window, to the rustling of the leaves, or in my case, to the sound of the filter in the fish tank.  Recharge your batteries and get ready to face the busy-ness again!

What Does Christmas Mean To You?

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In just a couple more weeks, it will be Christmas again.  It seems like only yesterday that I was coming home from my travels to Vietnam and Hong Kong last year and getting excited about this special season.  But time does not stand still and yes, it is time for the Santa suits to be taken out of storage and dusted off.  I make no apologies for saying that Santa Claus does not exist.  Neither does the Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy.

Here’s a multiple choice for you: Christmas – ’tis the season to be

  1. jolly
  2. grumpy

I have heard many people call this the “silly season”.  I suppose it is, in part, due to the incredible lengths some people go to in order to buy gifts for friends and loved ones, and in part due to all the partying and extravagance of the occasion.

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