Lightly Toasted

Thanks Kel for organising the World Press photography Expo rendezvous! Despite rain and pouring conditions and the constant five day down pour that Sydney seems to be engulfed in we braved it alright. Today was the last day of the exhibition. A bit crowded to start with but still very good. Really glad we went. There were some very graphic images of our happening and evolving world. Some of which we might not even know about. As I went through from one photo to the other it kept reminding me how lucky we all are to be living in the world of plenty and peace and choice. Probably two thrids of our human population doesn’t get to make the choices we do, nor the luxury we have or command. There is much bloodshed and disagreement. Where are the ideas and beliefs and convictions of sharing caring and love.

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On watching the Foreign Correspondent last night I was rather moved. The disparity of the medical system in India is absolutely the pits. Many poor and life threateningly ill patients go unnoticed and eventually die due to lack of care and timely advise or medication — not just because its unaffordable! Never do the newspapers write these harrowing tales. Talk of dirt, poverty and pain doesn’t fetch the dollars or even rupees for that matter. They much rather leave it to the voluntary social workers to deal with these issues. Luckily, Ram the father of this suffering little kid Inderjit wasn’t one who sat back and resigned to fate or destiny. He went about diligently, doing all he could in his capacity to restore his childs health even though his wife left him unable to cope with Inderjit’s medical complications. It was one long uphill trudge for Ram running pillar to post to restore his little baby’s life to normalcy.
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UPDATE: 8^th January 2007 What happened to winter on the Northern Hemisphere in December 2006 and summer in Australia? Is this proof enough? There are simple things you can do to make a huge change. Try these very easy 10 things (PDF, size: 1MB)

Based on the climate pattern changes that are occuring lately An Inconvenient Truth is a masterpiece. Film directed by Davis Guggenheim, featuring Al Gore, is a eye opener. Based on years of study, scientific calculation from data collected across the globe, endeavouring scientific knowledge, accurate understanding of climate change and photographic proof from Earth and space (outside Earth’s atmosphere) …An Inconvenient Truth offer raw, biting truth of how we can choke ourselves in rising smog quite possibly just over a decade from now if we didn’t start acting on issues today. We are in fact very rapidly reaching a tipping point. A point of no return :-(.

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David and I had the pleasure of watching the exclusive advanced screening of the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, written and directed by Christian Carion — Joyeux Noël which was a courtesy of ABC Classic FM. Joseph Hocking the Marketing Manager made the introductory speech before the movie was screened. I was hoping to see Julia Lester in flesh and blood too but she was on air and therefore couldn’t make it to the show. Passionate, bold, poignant, humane, extraordinaire are just a few thoughts that run through my mind thinking of last night. It was truly a moment of humanity that made history. A touching depiction of an extraordinary act of humanity. If I were to pick the two most impacting passions that lived right through the movie they would simply be brevity and respect for fellow human beings.

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…and it is making me bleed with passion, delirious with admiration, sad with sorrow, frightened of the bleaky unknown and carried away with a million unworded emotions that gnaw, stifle, and lacerate me unceasing! There is joy, elation, at times estatic and there is that emptiness in the stomach that makes me squeamish and queasy and weak at my knees. What a graceful journey! What an intense masterpiece. Charismatic!

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A very big thank you to Ruth for lending me such an inspirational book. It is a touching experience, something that makes you look deep within yourself and how and where you want to head. Following is an excerpt from “The seven habits of highly effective people” by Steven Covey — I was reading on my way home on the train. A small portion of the talk about proactiveness versus reactiveness in peoples lives and how often peoples actions and/or reactions are so passive. Read on…

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Good books are so hard to find thesedays… Among the lines of what I do enjoy reading, I certainly think Iyanla Vanzant has carved a niche for herself in my heart. Her books are downright honest and realistic, her messages simple and clear. Who ever said simplicity is not good. In fact keeping things simple is the key to many successful avenues if not the only and most recommended way. In the past I have read Iyanla’s ‘In the Meantime‘ This book will make you cry and tear up in joy.. .well it did to me. I am also reading here ‘EveryDay I Pray‘ … and now… ‘One Day My Soul Just Opened Up‘.

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