...

A final night of insomnia. Tomorrow I will be in the army.
Violinist. Photographer. Composer. Writer... soldier?
of all the things I thought I would do with my life, this makes the least sense. but it is strangely compelling.
The road bears an infinite number of destinations to those who take one step at a time.

A few pictures...

Spouting rhetoric...

I don't actually have anything to say, really. Not right now anyway. It's late, and I'm not even going to try falling asleep. The last few nights I've been staring at the ceiling til 3 or 4 in the morning, or out the window, my mind drifting from one topic to another. Thinking about why things are how they are. Not necessarily complicated things... just small things. The french lady on the train with the little girl, standing next to the chinese lady with a girl about the same age. Two strangers who looked like they would have had absolutely nothing to talk about, had they not had something in common. Something so close to each of their hearts that they had something they could relate to, and understand about each other, which crosse the boundaries of culture, class, colour... they shared an understanding, of what it was to be a mother to little girls of about 9 years of age and as a result, here they were, chatting away like they'd know each other for years. They say opposites attract... I'd say that's true only of particularly curious individuals. Most people, however, are drawn to each other by what they have in common. But is it possible to have too much in common? I suppose it depends on what it is that's in common... but i diverge.

 Tonight I don't feel like thinking. I feel the need to... spout. Rubbish most likely. It's almost as if the days when i think, produces all this energy that's stored somewhere, which needs to be released every now and then. I don't really know what it is, other than a feeling I get sometimes. A need to relate. 

I used to draw. Draw without any idea of what it was the lines were forming, and so it was a process of discovery... at the end this picture would appear. From where? I don't know. My subconscious? Did it know what image it was going to produce all along? An interesting thought. I don't know enough about the subconscious to put forward a suggestion. But sometimes I wondered what compelled me to put pen to paper at all. 

It's like now, where there is not one thing in particular that feel the need to say. Which is not to say that I won't end up saying something... but perhaps we'll both discover that together.

There is a nebulous fog in me that produces all sorts of ideas and perspectives which would be more useful to me and everyone else if I knew when to say the important bits. I think its this thing which compels me to write. and draw. and communicate.

Music probably has a par to play in this. Music was my way of expressing feeling and emotion long before I realised that such an outlet was necessary. Before I learned that the most specific means of communication - words - was perhaps the weakest. We are a species who has found words to describe things, people, places, actions, down to the most miniature of graduations, but in doing so, we cage ourselves. Our depictions limit our experiences to the words we use, and somehow when we relate these experiences, we know that the message received will be but a pale, faded image of what we initially tried to convey. Music, on the other hand, has the ability to move the emotions where words fail.

Or does it?

comment, if anyone's reading...

the return...

So chances are anyone who used to read this has given up checking for posts seeing as thought its been about what 4 months since the last one... but there's a time for learning, and experiencing, and a time for telling... the learning has been intense, and isn't looking like slowing down anytime soon, but I feel like I should write something. And put up some new pictures.

Really, there's been a lot to think about recently. My walk as a Christian for one. Adapting to new environments, which I'm used to , having moved around a lot, but maybe recently having moved to some really foreign environments... takes more adapting than usual. The funny thing is that moving to Singapore, the place where I was born, and have come back to so often, is the most difficult to adapt to. Difficult is definitely the wrong word, but... weird? haha. Not that that's much better.

The last 5 months on the MS Statendam, cruising through the US, Caribbean, Mexico, Nicaragua and Canada was an adventure. Life at sea is something else... on one hand it almost doesn't seem real, but then on the other hand, it is. Of course it's real. it's just different. completely. One's world is shrunk down to the size of the ship, so everything is magnified. Things which aren't a big deal on land become mountains, and you're forced to deal with it because there isn't anywhere to hide. It's like playing football (soccer) on a stadium pitch your whole life, then joining a futsal team. You can learn a lot in a short space of time if you want to.

Anyway, so now I'm in Singapore. I'll be joining the army here in about a week, which will be something totally different. I've been in the country for about 2 weeks, and am blown away by so many things. The music, the art scene, the food... it's a funny feeling. It's as if every time I've come here I've been living in a bubble, I just didn't realise it at the time. having lived in Australia my whole life, but having been brought up in a family with eastern traditions, I spent the first half of my life trying to adapt to that culture... and then to come back to what should be familiar, to discover that it's foreign even to you, is something to get your head around.

I'll be posting more soon. Then not for a couple of weeks, then I'll be back after BMT's over. Here are some pics : )

                                          Subway art.

                                          There's art like this scattered around the city. I'm in 

                                          the bottom left square.

                                           A band playing in the Esplanade foyer

                                          Michelle something or other...

                                          The town

Miami

So after a month it’s definitely time for an update. Apologies for my slackness. We’ve been on the ship for 36 days now, but time doesn’t seem to hold much sway here. It’s like a space/time vacuum. A week felt like a month, and now a month feels like a week. I didn’t have a camera for a while, for reasons I’m too embarrassed to own up to. Suffice to say I finally bought the Nikon D90 in San Diego a few days back. I do have some pictures of Miami, and I promise to blog with more regularity now.

So what to start with? I could start with the ship. The Statendam is the oldest ship in the Holland America Line’s fleet. When we boarded, it had just come out of dry-dock, which is the sea word for heavy maintenance. It looked great. Beautiful. He problem was that nothing had been tested in water yet (hence the term “drydock”). We had waterfalls flowing out of the ceiling in the corridors outside our rooms… long story short, most of the crew were wondering how long it would be before the stately Statendam moved onto its life. As a submarine. The good news is that everything seems to have been fixed, and everything is wonderful.

The photos below are from Miami, the day before we boarded the ship. There is a shopping complex called Sawgrass Mills, which is absolutely huge. Not only that, but everything is cheap here… I never realised how expensive Australia was. Food… clothes… everything. Anyhow. Time for some over-saturated pictures :)

Quartet Australis

So we are finally in the US. After a series of extremely close calls which resulted in my very nearly missing my flight, we made it to Los Angeles this afternoon, had a 4 hr stop over then connected to Miami. We're being put up in the Crowne plaza for tonight and tomorrow before embarking on Sunday. Everything seems like a bit of a blur to be honest, and I'm not sure I'm taking everythin in. One thing is for sure - there is no way I am taking photos of every Starbucks I see. They have starbucks's practically 20 metres away from each other... EVERYWHERE. So we'll leave that - there are better things to take photos of. like the quartet!

These are some pics from our going away concert in Orange, NSW...

So that was the concert... I don't have any pics of the US yet.

I like the states. Walking down the street is a strange feeling. I've never been here before, but this is what I've seen on tv... since... pretty much forever. It's familiar. But so different. We've got the day off tomorrow, will post again tomorrow. til then, adios. Oh yeah, everyone in Miami speaks Spanish. I have 4 months on a ship. I want to learn.

The beginning...

So it's four days into the grand tour, and definitely time for a check in! US visa approved, medical pending, we're off on the 9th (probably) but the entertainment company hasn't confirmed flights yet. I've been in Orange for the last few days rehearsing with the quartet for a concert tomorrow. It's a good life... good music, good friends, good food, and all the promise of adventure (not to mention possibilities...) I'll post some photos and introductions soon, but I left my camera connector in Brisbane. haha. There's always something. Concert tomorrow is at The Old Convent in Boorinall, just outside of Orange. Beautiful old building, with a wonderful, ethereal acoustic.

Made a trip out to Bloodwood winery in the afternoon to pick up some cases Stephen and Rhonda Doyle donated for the concert. There is a lot of support for the concert, mainly due to the efforts of Rob and Amy, the cellist and violist in Quartet Australis. Both hail from Orange, and have put a lot of work into getting support and publicity for the concert/quartet/tour. It's a great group - all the players are fantastic to work with, and good musicians. I think there is potential. Recordings on Tuesday in Sydney. Anyone know of a good producer?

I feel a bit boring without any photos to put up, so i'll wait til i have some to post. and go and buy a camera cable.

Til next time.

Dan.