Life & Experiences
Since 2002, I’ve been writing a “yearly review”. Watch and read, as my weight, thought and value system fluctuates from year to year!!! Hopefully I get wiser each year, though don’t count on it. :)
“I’m not sure I can make it all the way to the midnight fireworks”, I said to my friend Kate, as we spoke earlier today about plans for New Year’s Eve in Sydney, where we have tickets to the celebration at Barrangaroo. “Don’t worry”, she said, “I’ll bring a blanket, and if we need to, we can have a little nap”.
In some ways, that whole conversation was emblematic of where I find myself at the end of 2017.… Read the rest “Yearly Review – 2017”
So, it’s the end of 2016, and I’m currently in Lismore where I’m spending time with my family. Although I’m working through the Christmas/NY period (while colleagues with families take a break), it’s been great having a few public holidays on the back of the weekends. It’s been a busy year at work, as you may have read about in the papers. Though I should emphasise it’s been far more difficult for colleagues than it has been for me, it’s not been a year without challenges.… Read the rest “Yearly Review – 2016”
2015 has definitely been a year of ups and downs. Highlights/lowlights of the year have included some wonderful overseas travel, a life-changing meeting with a family member, the near-loss of one close family member due to a heart-attack, and sadly, in the days before Christmas the loss of another close family member due to cancer. In all the years I’ve been writing this “year in review” (since 2002), I don’t think there’s been a more significant year in my life for the highs and lows involved.… Read the rest “Yearly Review – 2015”
Half way through the year, Sue and I went on a trip to China. When she first spotted the “Nexus Holidays China Sampler” late last year, we both thought it sounded “too good to be true”. For about the cost of a return flight from Sydney to Beijing (about $1200-$1300), the sampler price also included an internal flight from Beijing to Shanghai, accommodation in “five star hotels”, about three quarters of the meals, tour guide support, and entry to lots of major tourist attractions.… Read the rest “Yearly Review – 2014”
“You’ve lost a lot of weight. You look fantastic” is the most common phrase I’ve heard this year, usually followed shortly afterwards by a secondary question, almost whispered, “You’re okay, aren’t you?”. “Yes I’m OK”, I’ve told lots of people this year, as they’ve queried my weight loss. Although not as much as I’d hoped, I’ve slimmed down a bit this year thanks to the combination of “low levels of exercise, sensible eating, and a reduced level of alcohol consumption”.… Read the rest “Year in Review 2013 – Not The 48 Crash”