A Whole Lot Of Nothing, Nada, Zip, Zilch, Zero, Niks Nie

Posted by Phobia on February 12th, 2008 filed in Home

Well I’m back! From outta space!! …nevermind … Yes the holiday is over (long over now). It was a great holiday. I sat around & did practically nothing!  There was some swimming but mostly sitting & nothing.  So I really have nothing to report about my life.

This brought up the very interesting question yesterday : How would I fake my own death??

Smayds thought a good ol’ fashioned boating accident.  The wrinkle in that plan is that I don’t own a boat.  “No worries!” he says, “we’ll just steal you a boat first!”

I’m in favour of the Romeo & Juliet way.  That was simple yet classy.  Except for the major breakdown in communication resulting in the tragic screwup, they had a good plan going.

All the other ideas I have involve body swapping & that’s just getting a little morbid.  I mean unless you work in a morgue there aren’t a whole lot of dead bodies lying around.

So let’s open up the floor : How do you think you would fake your own death??

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Ek verlang na ‘n verandering

Posted by Phobia on October 11th, 2007 filed in Home

Ek het besluit om hierdie teboekstelling in Afrikaans te skryf.  Dis net vir ‘n bietjie verandering.  Ek wonder wie sal dit lees maar weet ook dat nie baie mense sal dit verstaan nie.  Ek begin ook om die taal te vergeet en wil ‘n bietjie oefening he.  Ek is baie jammer oor die slegte grammatika maar hierdie Engelse sleutelbord het nie die korrekte tekeninge vir Afrikaans nie.

Wel wat sal ek se?  Dis Vrydag en heir kom die naweek.  Ek weet nie wat ek sal doen nie.  Ek wil laat slaap en na rolprente kyk as ek op die rusbank le.  Daar sal ook baie ongesonde kos wees!  Miskien ‘n wortel of twee en sommige frugte.

Vannag bak ek klein piesang koeke.  Ek het die recep verlede week probeer en dit was baie smaaklik!  Vannag sal ek klein veranderinge maak.  Miskien a bietjie meer suiker en nie soveel bak poeier nie.  Ek wil die koeke met my mansvriend se gesin deel.  Sy ma voel nie goed nie.  Sy is heir in Auckland om kanker behandeling te ontvang.  Die mansvriend is freeslik bekommerd en ek wil iets lekker doen vir hy en sy gesin.

Op Sondag is die Wereld Rugby Beker halfeindwedstryd teen Suid Afrika en Argentina.  Ek bly noe in Nieu-Seeland maar ek is steeds a Springbok ondersteuner!!  Ek sal jou ‘n bywerk op Maandag gee.

Totsiens tot dan!

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Welcome to the void

Posted by Phobia on October 10th, 2007 filed in Home

As it happens very little has been happening in my life of late. Follows the theme of this site very nicely don’t you think?! There have been moments but on the whole time is just passing until …. I don’t know. Maybe I just need a holiday.

So far I’ve bought a great TV & discovered (much to my consternation) that due to how TVNZ broadcasts & how my apartment building is set up I still can’t get proper 16:9 widescreen. Just crappy stretched 4:3. DVDs look FANTASTIC though!! Sometimes you’re the pidgeon & sometimes you’re the statue.

I also bought an Edmond’s cookbook & so far I’ve made a banana cake & have plans for pumpkin soup in the very near future. Shepards pie is on the horizon too. No comments about domestication!!! I think cooking is a sign of being bored. I realised the other night that it’s the end of winter & I’ve only been skiing once. It breaks my heart because I wait all year for the snow. This year I was complacent.  I was scared to go by myself. I really should grow a spine & be more independant.  In addition there was (is) a lot going on with new boyfriend & he needs a bit more attention than usual.

So in place of skiing & riding my bike in the park (can’t do that in the city) I decided to start swimming again. It’s going pretty well so far (fingers crossed). I feel like I’m turning into a fat slob. Plus all the inactivity was having an effect on my sanity. So got myself a swish new swimsuit & screwed up my resolve to swim every night after work. No excuses, no chickening out & no laziness. Wish me luck!!

So basically I have nothing new to report & this was just a ramble. Although if anyone has any ideas on things to do for New Years let me know. Ciao until later.

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Lock & load

Posted by Phobia on September 13th, 2007 filed in Home

Last night had all the makings for a quiet night visiting my father & annoying my cat.  After dinner we were sitting around watching Nickolodeon (much to my father’s exasperation) when he gets a call.  Looking at the phone he says, “OH shit!” & I thought it was this particularly persistant lady-friend of his.  The conversation went something like this :

Father : Oh shit I completely forgot! [pause] Wow!  That sounds great!  I’m really tempted  [pause]  My daughter’s here at the moment.  [pause]  My daughter?  Oh she’s an adult.  [pause]  Yeah I’ll ask her if she wants to come.  Okay see you in half an hour.

I look up thinking, “Oh no!  I’m going to get roped into some kind of pub quiz or something.”  Not that there’s anything wrong with pub quiz, I just wasn’t in the mood.

Then he said, “I’m meeting my friend John at the shooting range.  You wanna come??”

My face just split into a huge grin & I said, “HELL YES!!”

I should explain that I’m not a violent person.  No really I’m not!!  I have respect for all living things.  I would never intentionally harm a creature.  I cried hysterically when I ran over a possum crossing the road 2 winters ago.  Berated myself for days about being the one responsible for taking it’s life.  Target shooting is a totally different kettle of fish.  It’s about concentration, control & (hopefully) accuracy.  It’s not about killing things.  It’s about firing a precision instrument that just happens to kill things if pointed in the wrong direction.  Remember : Guns don’t kill people.  People kill people.

So off we went to the firing range.  It’s in the city & I never even knew it existed until last night.   It belongs to a gun club & there’s a bit of security so random people on the street can’t just wander in.  The range itself was quite small - think small bowling alley with only 8 lanes.  The targets were about 25 metres away.  The place was quite busy with about 20 people (all guys & me the only girl).  And a wide variety of legal firearms : revolvers, pistols & rifles.

John had 2 pistols : a Smith & Wesson 422 & a Para-Ordnance P16 .40 caliber.  We started with the 422.  I haven’t fired a gun in more than 8 years.  Not since moving from South Africa where knowing how to shoot is more of a norm.  I’d forgotten what it feels like to hold a gun & I had so much adrenalin pumping through me I could barely hold it steady.  I tried to remember all the things I’d been told about firing a gun : take a bracing stance, hold the gun in both hands ALWAYS pointed away from people, keep your thumbs away from the slide, relax your shoulders, push with your right arm & pull with your left to keep the gun from jumping at the recoil, fire on the out-breath, and gently squeeze the trigger (don’t pull).

The first magazine (10 rounds) was pretty erratic to say the least but I did manage to hit the target a few times.  The recoil was more than I expected.  My father & I took turns so while he had a turn I had a chance to think about what I was doing wrong.  Hold the gun firmly.  Don’t pull the trigger, squeeze.

My next magazine went a lot better.  I fired about 40 rounds with the 422 before I got to try different ammo.  The good stuff!  Hyper velocity rounds.  Apart from making a bigger, prettier muzzle flash, it was also much easier to fire with less recoil.  I was grinning like Jack the Ripper in a room full of prostitutes.

With 15 minutes to go John suggested we try the P16.  Who am I to complain? :-P  Compared to the 422 this is a big gun & fires much larger rounds.  I have girly arms & skinny wrists so the recoil from this gun was very hard to control.  I’m not sure I even hit the target with this one.  Poor performance I know but cut me some slack it’s been a while. I only fired 12 rounds from this gun.  The last being more expensive & better ammo.  The difference was quite noticeable.  The last round was much smoother with less recoil & a brighter white muzzle flash.

At the end of it I decided I preffered the 422 with the hyper velocity rounds.  My father is very keen to go back & says I’m welcome to come along as well.  Sweet!!  I think going to the firing range is great for clearing your head.  I know that I sometimes have these really stressful days when I encounter people who all seem to have been frontal lobotomy victims & I really want to take my frustrations out on something & vent some anger.  I discovered last night that for me it’s not about venting anger but instead channeling all that energy into focussing on not fucking up while holding a dangerous weapon.  I also realised, while holding this destructive force in my hand, that picturing blowing someone’s head off while firing at a target is really not funny at all.

That said, I really can’t wait to get back there!!

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Adrenalin is my drug of choice

Posted by Phobia on September 10th, 2007 filed in Home

White powdery heaven! No not cocaine! Or any weird laundry fantasies. It’s snow!!

I’d been drooling over my sexy new skiis all summer. I have a pair of 154 K2 MissDemeanors. Talking to them from time to time & telling them in whispers how beautiful they are & how much they’re going to love proper mountain snow (not that icy slush that passes for snow at Snow Planet). So I was looking forward to my first ski weekend with much anticipation!

Mt Ruapehu summit from the Giant caf.

It turned out to be a fantastic weekend!! I joined my friend Lyn & some of her friends in Ohakune. There was a large group of people in a house for the week. I just stayed for the weekend. They were a great bunch & I laughed so much at times my face hurt.

Saturday morning dawned bright & clear. The true snow fanatics headed off at 7am to catch the first lift ride up the mountain. Lyn & I got up there around 9:30am. I think I’d forgotten how much I love that place but it all came back the first time I saw it again. The weather was perfect; blue skies, below zero temps so the snow stayed frozen & very little wind. Perfect!

Lyn chillin’ out

We strapped on our weapons of choice; Lyn & Nigel on snowboards & Clint & I on skiis. My first run was incredible!! My skiis are honed tools made for carving! The day just got better & better. I found the skiis to perform well all round : good edges for the icy bits, enough weight & stability for hardpacked but they truely shone on softer snow. These were made for powder! So quick & easy to turn!

The new high speed 6-seater chair lift was fantastic! Comfy too with padded seats & foot rests!

Looking down the new High Noon Express lift line.

Lyn had a bit of a rough day on Saturday so decided to stay warm & cushioned on Sunday. James & I went up the mountain & after a slight mishap that involved me forgetting my jacket & ski pass (doh!) I finally got on the slopes. James is a bit of a speed demon & that suited me just fine. The weather continued to be brilliant. After building up a little more confidence I tried skiing backwards. And they are just as comfortable going backwards as they are forwards. Unfortunately I’m not so there wasn’t a lot of that

The runs we did on Sunday were more advanced than Saturday & it was more fun than I’d had in months. We went out to the left of the Jumbo t-bar right to the edge of the field where there’s a steep bowl to play in. Remembering to cut back in to the trail otherwise there’s a lot of walking involved to get back to a chair lift.

By the end on the weekend I was tired but happy. A little sad too because I don’t get to ski as much this year what with the newly acquired responsibilities. And I discovered that my skiis talk back. What were they saying?? “Canada! Canada!” Sometimes in a whisper but sometimes in a full-throttle shout!! So I find myself yearning for crisp mountain air, sled dogs, Mounties, maple syrup, and soft soft powdery snow. Eh!

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Bring on the responsibility

Posted by Phobia on August 23rd, 2007 filed in Home

I have been remiss. So much has been happening recently that I just haven’t had a chance to update. Okay that’s partially true & partially a lie. I might also have been a bit lazy.

So what’s been happening in my life?? The biggest news is I moved out of home. Yes it finally happened!! After years of procrastinating I got my act together & took the plunge. I trolled a few internet sites & looked at a whole lot of “flatmates wanted” ads. There were some really decent places available but what I wanted was a place of my own.

And I found it!!!! It’s a great little place in the city - not too central so I don’t have to be held up at 64 traffic lights on my way to the motorway (just 4) but still a short stumbling distance away from the good nightlife. It has 2 good-sized bedrooms, a lounge, kitchen & a decent sized bathroom. It’s a comfortable place. I bought couches!! I have my own furniture & I feel so grown up! That was just the start of the grown-up-ness. Much spending later I have a fully equiped kitchen & all the other bits & pieces it takes to live in a house.

I’ve left out the interesting part & here it is : my apartment is in the same building as my new boyfriend’s. Exactly 2 floors up in fact. We both have busy schedules so we thought we’d see each other a couple of nights a week & on weekends. I’ve been living there for almost 2 months and, except for the nights he’s spent away playing in orchestras, he’s spent every night at my place.

I thought the novelty would wear off after about 2 or 3 weeks but it hasn’t. After a few weeks his stuff began to migrate upstairs. First George (his bass guitar), then slippers. I knew we were in for a long stay when his shampoo started living in the shower.

On the whole it’s been great. The advantage is I have someone to come home to & a warm man in my bed at night. The (very small) disadvantage is I’m frequently late for work in the mornings because I have a warm man in my bed And not just any man, THIS man. This is a great guy. Thoughtful, kind, smart, funny, energetic & hotter than a whole calender of firemen!! But most importantly he has oodles of patience. That attribute I value so much because you know in some circles I’m known as the High Maintenance Girlfriend.

Wait I’m losing my train of thought now…

Yes, to cut a long story short, boyfriend is moving in officially in a couple of weeks. Part of me is freaking out because we’ve only been together for 3 months. I mean shampoo is one thing but changing your address is a different playing field. There are no neutral corners when you live in the same house.

The other part of me is happy about it. It’s a new adventure. I don’t know what’s coming & that’s scarey but I’m going to take the chance. Because he’s worth it.

So that’s what’s been on my mind for the past couple of months. Stay tuned for ski pics from my trip this weekend!

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Okay it’s about time for a rant!

Posted by Phobia on June 28th, 2007 filed in Home

This blog has been up for a few months & I think it’s time I got on my soap box said something about the things that peeve me about people & the world in general. It might be the occasional annoyance at the idiot at the supermarket who’s parked his trolley in the middle of the aisle while he hunts for the perfect underarm deodrant effectively blocking any way past. But I want to talk about the things that really bake my noodle!

Disclaimer : The views expressed in this post may be controversial & completely opinionated (& was partially written after I had a large coffee). So if you’re a pansy-assed, panty waisted little mamma’s boy stop reading now.

Use your indicators!! It’s what they’re there for!!! I would love to drive a big Monster Truck just to be able to drive over morons who can’t signal when they drift into my lane! Also signalling as they drift across doesn’t count. All it takes is to just reach across & flick that little stalk. I understand that for some people the mere act of breathing takes up a lot of thinking room but this is why we have a graduating system of licensing. It’s to phase everyone into operating the multiple complex controls of a modern motor vehicle.

Look Ma no hands! Staying with the driving theme. If you get a phone call while you’re driving what do you do? A) Ignore it & let voicemail take a message, B) Pull over to the side of the road & answer it, C) Answer it while driving with one hand pressed to your head & the other holding the steering wheel (leaving no hands to operate the indicators!) OR D) Use the handsfree function that all phones come with. I don’t subscribe to the hard & fast rule that the phone should not be used in a moving vehicle. They should just be used responsibly. Responsibly is not driving with one hand up to your ear while you negotiate a busy intersection, almost taking out the crossing cyclist (ie. me) because you weren’t looking. Use the damn handsfree!!!

Other driving niggles. Why do people feel the need to slow right down when passing a policeman?? If the speed limit is 100kph & they’re going at 100kph there is no need to slow down to 80kph just to pass the cop on the side of the road!! All they’re doing is backing up traffic behind them & pissing the rest of us off!

Also people who drive at lower than the speed limit in the fast lane should be pulled over & bitch slapped!!! Meandering along in the fast lane when other cars are passing on the left should be an indication that they’re going too goddamn slow!!

PDAs. Humans are social animals. We like contact with each other. When hugging a friend in public elicits a response of “Get a room!” you know we’re heading down the toilet. What is wrong with people?? Does the concept of compassion escape them? Sure if a couple is warming up to the Karma Kama Sutra (edit : thanks Nick) outside the library that should be taken somewhere more private. But a hug or a kiss are expressions of affection common to us all. It’s part of our humanity. Dogs sniff butts, we hug. I think our way is much better!

Harry Potter. The fictional story about the boy wizard who studies magic at a school with other witches & wizards & regularly thwarts the forces of evil. I think I should stress fictional!! It’s a fantasy world that does not exist. Yet people still get worked up about it. There are people out there who think it’s teaching young, impressionable children to do witchcraft. That’s like saying reading a cook book is going to turn you into a 5 star chef! What about the young children that have discovered the amazing world of books because of the Harry Potter series?? And the best part is most of the anti-Harry camp have NOT read the books! I have a cousin (I’m sad to say) who feels that the Harry Potter books are evil & teaches children about devil worship. I asked if she’s read the books & she said she’s only watched part of the 1st movie. This saddens me. People like her have no basis for their predjudice. How can they possibly have such a strong opinion about something they know nothing about??? And to those who have read the books & still have a problem with it good on them for backing up their unfounded accusations with their twisted interpretation of a good story! GET A LIFE!!!!! There are so many other things on this planet to be concerned about than a fictional story!! Take whaling for example. There’s a species going extinct & people are petitioning courts to ban a fantasy book. Where are their priorities??

Grumpy customs officers This is a recent addition following my trip to Sydney last week. These people are supposed to be (in a way) ambassadors to their country. They are the first locals you meet when you enter a country. So why do all of them look like they’ve just sucked a lemon & behave like they’re convinced that you gave it to them??!! I understand Australia was a prison colony way back but now there’s no reason to treat everyone like they’re convicts. I thought it was just an Australian thing but getting back to New Zealand was much the same. Yet another sour-faced troll at the gate who growled at me for getting in the wrong queue. Oops my bad! Build a bridge & get over it!! Yet she continued to be snarky. People like that develop stomach ulcers.

Anyway I’ll stop now … for now! If you’ve got anything that gets your blood boiling have your say. The floor is yours!

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C’mon Alex! Kick him in the head!

Posted by Phobia on May 27th, 2007 filed in Home

My friend Alex does kickboxing. Yeah Oooooo! I do have his phone number ladies so just e-mail me!

Anyway back to the story On Saturday night we went to watch Alex at a fight night. The place is a Chinese restaurant usually but that night all the tables were cleared away & there was a boxing ring in the middle. This was the first time I’d been to any sort of fight & had no idea what to expect. The crowd alone was worth going to watch!! Mostly guys (my Testostero-meter was pinging off the scale!) & quite a few women (some of whom made me feel like a proper lady!).

The night started off with amateur fights first. I don’t think I was expecting it to be like in the movies where the fighting is stylish & choreographed & it was nothing like that. Watching this real-life fight I could see how hard it must be to actually punch the other guy in the head & forget about those flashy spinning kicks! There are 3 rounds of 2 minutes each. That must seem like the longest 6 minutes of their lives! The first couple of fighters got into it & although the taller of the fighters looked like he had the advantage the other guy was clearly the better fighter & Tall Guy walked off with a bloody nose.

After that I kind of got used to the full contact-ness of it all. Having never been in a fight it’s hard to imagine how it feels but some of those kicks & punches sounded like they really hurt!!

Alex’s fight was 3rd in the line-up. He walked out to the song Fucking in the bushes by Oasis. So it began! Ben, Chris & I shouting our heads off & Alex moving in with determination!

Like I said before I’ve never watched a fight before & only had the smallest idea what to look for. Alex definately kicked better than the other guy & landed quite a few good ones but the other punched a little better & got a few of his own in as well.

They got into quite a few clenches which were to Alex’s advantage cos he could then land a few knees in the ribs & by the end of it I thought Alex might have won. Okay so I’m biased!

It turned out though that the actual judges thought it was a draw. Oh well Alex still got a shiney trophy & bragging rights about kicking the crap out of the other guy!

So he swaggered away from that one with slightly sore ribs & his pretty face still intact!

To Alex, please excuse my woeful lack of kickboxing knowledge but please feel free to go ahead & educate me. I look forward to watching you beat the daylights out of more guys in the future!

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Big Willys Really Are Fun!

Posted by Phobia on May 27th, 2007 filed in Home

Now most PADI divers will understand that & the rest of you will just think I’m a bit of a nympho (which may not be too far from the truth :-P)

Thought I’d tell you about my very first dive weekend as an Open Water SCUBA diver!  It was at the Poor Knights Marine Reserve (just off the coast of Tutukaka about 3 hours north of Auckland).

Given my obvious lack of bouyancy control during my course I was quietly freaking out about the whole thing & seriously considered cancelling the trip.  However I’m not one to back down & the newly acquired scuba gear was incentive enough to go through with it.

We had a great group of people on the first day - about 25 of us in all.  And we had the most awesome boat!!  Perfect Day was a huge boat with all the luxuries.  It had a large roomy gear-up area, a huge cabin, 4 toilets & (best of all), hot showers!!  It was a bit cloudy & chilly on the way out which did nothing for my nervousness.  I think I had the rabbit-in-headlights look the whole time!

When we got to our first dive site the skipper anchored the boat & we had our dive briefing (which just tells you a little about the site & it’s history & what you can expect to see underwater.)  Then it was down to the gear-up area.  Trying as hard as I could to focus on getting my wetsuit on & setting up my BCD & regs & not think about screwing up.  About 20 minutes later I was ready to go & doing my final check with my buddy.  BCD, Weights, Releases, Air, & Final check.  All set!  And one bundle of nerves (that’s me) did a giant stride entry into the water!

At first I was slightly unsteady but got things under control.  Put my face in the water & looked around.  It was amazing!!  The water was crystal clear & I could see schools of fish swimming around under me.  The descent went smoothly & pretty soon we were at 18m.  Looking around I really didn’t know what to look at first.  There was just so much to see.  We swam around for a bit looking for the interesting fish the skipper had told us about.  We saw lots of eels, Sandagers wrasse, scorpion fish (which look like rocks with eyes), schools of juvenile demoiselles & even 2 long tailed sting rays!!  One just floated by in front of us & I had visions of the movie The Abyss (but without all the cool lights!).  The hand signs for all of these are great.  Some are really funny & when there isn’t a sign (or you just plain don’t know it) the made up ones are even better!

As for my bouyancy control it was great!  Andrew (the instructor who was our guide) kept an eye on us first-timers &  let us know when we were about to float away.  By the end of the dive I was pretty stoked with myself & finally happy that I didn’t chicken out & cancel.

Back on the boat the fantastic crew had hot soup & drinks waiting.  How good are these guys!  We had a leisurely two & a half hour surface interval & we sat around in the sun warming up & off-gassing (not as rude as it sounds) before our 2nd dive.

With my suit full of hot water I got back in the water.  This one did not go as smoothly bouyancy-wise as the first for some reason & I randomly shot to the surface twice when I put a little too much air in my BCD.  I think I have it figured out now though.  On the bright side there were lots more fish!  There was a really bright orange starfish (I forget the proper name) & I saw my first nudibranck!!!  It’s a colourful little sea slug & I’d been waiting to see one.

After the dive  it was back to the marina & time for a hot shower & dinner at Schnapper Rock.  And a really good sleep!

The 2nd day saw our group split up.  Some to dive the wrecks nearby & three of us to head back to the Poor Knights.  Cold wet wetsuits are not fun I tell you!!  I did the first dive but started to shiver quite badly underwater & had to cut it short.  When I got out the blueness of my fingers convinced me to stay out!  I spent the afternoon chilling out on the boat & chatting to the crew.

All in all it was a hugely successful weekend!!!  I’m so much more confident about diving & am actually looking forward to going again though I think it’s going to have to wait for summer when the water warms up again.

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It’s all about the lemonade

Posted by Phobia on May 7th, 2007 filed in Home

About 40 minutes north of where I live there’s a sign board for a Tibetan Buddhist Monastary. So one fine day I wandered up there to have a look. What I found was not what I was expecting. I mean when I think Buddhist monastry I think of chanting monks, sparkling fountains & pebbled paths winding gently around lotus flower-filled pools.

This place is completely different. In fact I don’t think it’s fair to call it a place. That word seems too mundane. It may not have the fountains & the lotus-filled pools. It does have pathways that wander through the bush & the forest. As for the monks, they were away in Tasmania tending to their Lama who was ill.

So I wandered into this place & right into the middle of Tibetan & Chinese New Year celebrations! The people were warm & friendly & invited me to stay for lunch. The food was traditional Tibetan (I think!) with some BBQ sausages thrown in! Glad to hear these Buddhists aren’t vegetarian!

I chatted to some interesting people about their travels to Tibet & then had a walk around. Like I said, this isn’t just a place. It’s a sanctuary. A haven. It’s a sense of peace & calm.

I met a nice man called Max who had the greatest advice!

I hadn’t been back in a couple of months so yesterday I went back. And remembered to take my camera this time!!

So here’s a better description with some pictures to help it along.

It’s called Karma Choeling & is situated on 20 hectares of land. It is a retreat centre & the NZ headquarters of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.

The temple & monastary are on one hill (on the right of the picture) overlooking the valley.

Then on the opposite side of the hill is a huge statue of Buddha. It’s about 2 storeys high & looks out over the valley from the other side.

Then down a shadey, winding path …

Are the stupas! Now this takes a little bit of an explanation : Stupas are (very) basically built to honor the Buddha. They are also said to balance cosmic energies & to harmonise & control natural imbalances to maintain an equilibrium. Now I don’t know about that but they are beautiful!

Each of them is also meant to house a relic of a holy person (possibly a pinky toe or something!)

Okay but the most amazing part of my visit yesterday was meeting the Lama of the monks!!  He was back from his hospital stay in Tasmania & I could actually speak to him!  This was totally unexpected for me!

Before I go any further I have to say that I am not religious.  I grew up in a very religious family but a few years ago came to a personal realisation that there is no god.  I have an interest in Buddhism because I have Buddhist ancestary & I’ve heard of the philsophy.  So meeting the Lama was a good chance for me to ask some questions!

Lama Shedrup is a very unassuming man.  He’s calm & well-spoken but still has a great sense of humour!  Here’s the Readers Digest version :

Buddhism is not about believing in a higher power that can magically make everything right for you.  It’s about knowing that your actions have consequences on yourself & those around you & it’s up to you to make those consequences good!  It’s about turning ignorance into knowledge (you know, learning from your mistakes!) so that you don’t make them again & you can recognise when someone else does so you can help them out if you can.  It’s about making lemonade when life gives you lemons!  And that’s it in a very, teeny-weeny, itsy-bitsy, polka dot nutshell!!

This I can live with!

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