An Ethical Life

What started as a reply to an old friend who asked me what had changed in me since I was a boy, escalated into an essay. If you are interested in the way I see the world right now, then by all means read on, but don’t feel obliged.

If anything it will be an interesting artifact for me to come back to in a couple of years when I am panicking about the onset of middle age (rather than stepping into my late-mid-twenties). Of course, I can’t take credit for thinking any of this. It is a pretty comprehensive mix of everything that I have come into contact with (ever?) and I owe a lot to the people I hold most dear who endure endless hours of conversation on topics such as love, compersion and butoh.

Thanks Lindy…

 You know what I mean…

Back when Paul Jennings and Morris Gleitzman books were the bomb….

This song “Have you ever, ever felt like this? When strange things happen, are you going Round The Twist?” brings back vivid memories, and you watched this show religiously…
(in fact, you knew your Paul Jennings books well enough to know when Round the Twist was innaccurate, but you still loved it)

You remember when Hey Hey It’s Saturday still had Ozzie Ostrich, and every week you tried to see what Dicky Nee’s face looked like….

You remember when 50c got you a whole bag full of lollies…

You followed the epic saga of the Animals of Farthingwood…

You remember just about every skit of Full Frontal, and you still quote it…

Three words – Agro’s Cartoon Connection…!

Hit me with a Samboy Chip!

But wait, there’s still more…

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer’s gone, and all the flowers are dying
‘Tis you, ’tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow
‘Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You’ll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an “Ave” there for me.

And I shall hear, tho’ soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you’ll not fail to tell me that you love me
I’ll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

I’ll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

Down the Stairs

Down the Stairs, originally uploaded by Ian Sweeney.

This is happy. Full of sunshine, and happy. I love these people, and want to see them soon (almost as much as I want to see my mum).

The Sandwiches of Happiness…

Yesterday, we found a small, 10 X 10 metre patch of Paddington, Red Hill or New Farm tucked away on a tree-lined street that seems far, far away from Seoul. This particular patch was in the shape of a tiny French Patisserie, with a tiny French Chef, and the most amazing sandwiched served on freshly baked ciabatta. He had vegetarian, I had tender beef. We both had coffee.

I almost cried.

I am very happy…

It’s almost 7 and I am eating black soy and corn cereal, I’ve been up for 40 minutes, after being asleep for 3 hours, about to brave the 60 minute walk to work to endure 90 minutes of make-up to be ready for the first of 8 shows for the week which opens in 4 hours, Christmas is 18 days away and The Lion King is 3 days after that, I receive some very close friends the day after that in time for New Years the day after that… And I am very happy…