the rhinocerous cloud and the eucalyptus tree

spent the last week in sunny ol' perth. still remember some of the sights from the family trip taken 9 years ago... though change is inevitable, it is good to be reminded of things that remain.

9 years later, i'm visiting on my own, driving a rented car all by myself (with the flatmate) to margaret river. no more dad-and-mom tag-team at the wheel. we had a flat tyre - we changed it. kudos.

things that will continue to remind me of the utopia that is western australia:

clear blue skies. a very real blue. not like the fake, pale ones we have in melbourne.

hospitality shown by auntie helen and relster (my fellow sufferer from bygone days at that publishing-firm-that-shall-not-be-named).

shops closing early, so the pace of life is kept regulated (read: slow).

the indian ocean. the sea breeze. lemon meringue and a flat white by cottesloe beach.

golden rays of the sun, beating relentlessly on the sprawling aussie bush.

lazy afternoons at vineyards, or spent lying on the rocks listening to waves crashing.

great seafood (forget freo. head south to margaret river!) and wine and dairy.

the feeling of being all alone in the all-encompassing vastness of mother Earth.


in such wide open spaces, it is easy to ignore the lack of stewardship with public-donated funds by the ex-CEO of the Naional Kidney Foundation of singas. in such wide open spaces, one begins to be reminded of life and its transcience: how easy it is to snuff with explosives in public places. in such wide open spaces, one is concerned not with material belongings nor social standing, but with the soul and the cosmos. in such wide open spaces, the small dramas of life are laughable.

check out the photos!