What do you think of when I say the word ‘Bali’? You might think cocktails, drugs, surfing, Schapelle, tropical beaches, relaxing…safe trip? You might think, ‘I don’t want to go’ or you might think, ‘Get me there as soon as possible!’ My love affair with Bali began in 1982 when I made my first trip overseas …
Two out-of-work actors are waiting patiently in line to see their casting agent. They don’t know each other but they have both been living in Los Angeles working as bar attendants (as many actors do), waiting for their big break which never seems to come. They are looking for inspiration. The first actor is called …
Picture this advertisement in the paper: Easy-going and athletic Professional male 41 seeks sensitive female. Looks not important, must be tall, slim and attractive. Early online dating — it hasn’t changed, has it? Dating blind is nothing new. In the 1700s matrimonial services existed to set up men with good wives. If you like show …
Get busy livin or get busy dyin… Do or do not, there is no try. Run, Forrest, run! What do these quotes have in common? They are all from movies and they all mean ‘never give up’. Inspirational quotes and speeches in the movies seem to be varied, and inspiration is a recurring theme. But …
My husband, Steve, mixes up his words. It’s a problem of his. I’ve learnt how to translate what he’s saying. Others are not so fortunate. We were at an African restaurant one evening. It was very elegant, decked out in an African theme, leopard print on the chairs, pictures of lions and giraffes decorating the …
We often see trailers for movies which advertise a few key points from the movie but do not give away any spoilers or key plot points. The trailer should give the moviegoer a taste of the adventure and excitement to be found in the movie to entice them to go and see it. Book trailers …
On extended travel one year, I decided to spend some time in Bali and had had enough of spruikers and people selling me everything from massages to surfing lessons to belly button rings. I was sick of the people, the noise and the traffic. To get away from the marauding tourists I decided to head …
I am walking along real marble floors surrounded by towering pillars. The rooms of this former palace are peopled with statues centuries old, created by artists long dead, but still living in our consciousness. On the walls hang works of art, each more beautiful than the one before, and the following more brilliant yet. I …
Everyone loves a good story. Whether it’s a shaggy dog story over a campfire, a joke at a dinner party, a poem, a song, or a memoir, and … we all have a story to tell. This has been happening for centuries. Many Indigenous cultures especially have a strong oral tradition. But what makes a …
I looked down over the ancient Italian city of Vicenza. The helicopter was flying over the outskirts of the old town, where the dense street of cobbles and hills stretched out to spaces filled with green fields, grand old homes atop hills, and churches with steeples reaching to the sky. It was so close, I …