Growing up I was a meat and potatoes girl.  Literally.  I survived on chops and chips.  Occasionally just to gee things up a bit I ate spaghetti bolognaise, but that was about it.  As I grew older my taste matured and I started to eat different foods but meat and chicken were my staples.  I was very much a carnivore and to be honest, I was a little wary of vegetables.I am not sure how the change happened or at what point my already overly sensitive nature decided to turn its focus on to food. But I do know that I started to think about where the meat I was eating came from and it made me feel distressed and in truth – it made me feel extremely guilty.

For me it was not about eating animals as such, it was more about how the meat got to my plate.  I am under no illusion that an animal has to die before I can eat it and I knew it sure as hell wasn’t going to walk there but I worried about the journey that animal had made.  Death is one thing and, being a fatalist I can accept that, but it is the life that the animal experienced before death that really got to me.

I tried to pretend that cows chomped happily and idyllically on grass for the entirety of their lives before a sudden blow at the abbatoir made them into steak, but increasingly I heard the term “grain fed” beef.  I may not know a lot about farming or even biology but I do know that cows don’t naturally graze on grain.

I tried to pretend farmers spent their morning running after chickens that had, up until that very morning, roamed around the farm pecking at grain on the ground.  But I knew that the sheer number of eggs and chickens at the supermarket made that fantasy impossible to execute.

I tried to pretend that no-one in a humane society would ever torture animals by keeping them in concrete pens their entire lives with no access to sunshine, fresh air or place to stretch their muscles, but increasingly I discovered that I was wrong.

I made a conscious decision to stop eating meat, not because it is not healthy, not even because I don’t like the taste but simply because I could not condone cruelty to animals.  I am at peace with my decision, I feel better about my footprint on this earth and I feel healthier because of this (even if it is only my mental health that has been affected).  I only purchase meat for my family that has been ethically raised with respect and humanity.

Behind most of the alienations, there are cheap canadian viagra basic stories of sexual dissatisfaction preceded by erectile dysfunction. You can easily order viagra canada mastercard vigrx plus online can be very much beneficial. This particular canada pharmacy viagra Erectile Dysfunction self-test is considered outdated. These herbal supplements should be consumed two times daily, either with milk buy generic levitra or the pure water for four months. Interestingly the only really big change I have had to make is acceptance.  I have had to take a crash course in being tolerant of those around me because, as much as I feel completely validated in my beliefs, I am equally conscious about not ramming my thoughts or opinions down anyone else’s throats – even those of my family.  I know that it is all too easy to cross the line between idealism and fanaticism. I do not want to be a zealot, I think that scares people. It doesn’t educate them and it certainly doesn’t open their minds.

Where others see packaged dinner, I see death.  I simply cannot understand how they don’t see the same thing I do but then I know many religious people who probably cannot understand why I don’ see God or salvation in the same way that they do.

Whenever I become hysterical about the plight of the animals or I balk at the rows and rows of packaged meat in the supermarket, the animal carcasses hanging in the butcher window or the ducks in the local Asian take away – I realise that my beliefs may not translate so easily to people around me.

Thank God then for movies like Food Inc made by Robert Kenner  – he does all the hard work for me and allow me to come across well, almost sane.

You should see it.  I however am too scared.

The other day I went to a magnificent beachside restaurant for lunch it was right on the water, the food was delicious and the waiters were gorgeous.  Perfect really.

So amazing was this place that there happened to be about 50 other people waiting with us to be seated – no such thing as booking a table at this place.  No sirree – because if you book by phone you cannot get assessed for the “you are what you wear” game (note that this may not be the official reason that they do not accept bookings).

The “you are what you wear game” goes something like this

You:                                       I’d like a table for 6 please

Man at Restaurant :        Sure, what’s your name?

You:                                       Lana

It acts so fast that fast delivery cialis you can get the result within a span of few weeks. It is widely used to cure impotence, PE, try this order generic cialis weakness in nerves, and helps to stay harder and longer to satisfy her completely in every lovemaking episode. Here, order cheap viagra the term emotional freedom may signify your trust to the partner. This anti-impotence creates erection no prescription viagra opacc.cv that stays for longer time. Man at Restaurant :        Righto Lana *susses me up* that will be a very long time

The man then writes “Lana – 6” on a piece of paper but then next to that he writes a short description – purple dress, NO SHOES.  I know, I know – no shoes in a restaurant is not ideal when you are over old enough to walk but, in my defence  I had just rushed off the beach to put my name down,  I had no intention of eating lunch without shoes. But now I had been labelled as the woman with no shoes.  Would he know to call me for my table if I put my shoes on, what if I changed out of my purple dress ?  Would I miss my table if I was still Lana, but a yellow dressed well shod Lana?

After I had got over the public humiliation of being the woman with NO SHOES (in capitals – as if it deserved screaming) I got to thinking about the way we define people we have just met.  Because we all do, we define people by what they look like to some extent, it is not a judgement as such but rather a tool we use to separate one person from the next.

And today I am sitting in a different cafe, where they know my name and define me by my coffee order and the amount of time I spend sitting in their cafe clicking away on my keyboard. I come here so often that I could wear no shoes and they would not even register, and if they did they would probably give me a pair of socks to keep my feet warm.

And in the comfort of my regular cafe I realise that it is impossible to play the “you are what you wear” game in a place where you know the people.   The woman in the pink and gray dress with the pretty toenails becomes the woman with the whingeing child that used to go to child care with my friend’s son. The woman with the hanging earrings and the golden skin becomes the woman with a son in year 2 that plays the piano like Mozart and the woman with the striped shoes and the sunglasses on her head becomes the woman who once drank too much at a 40^th and went home with the somebody else’s shirt.

And I realise that, although I love my local cafe, I prefer the mode of the beachside restaurant.  Because sometimes, wiping one’s history clear and just being the shoeless woman in the purple dress gives you a better chance at being who you really are and not what people expect you to be.

Last night, just a typical Thursday night in Sydney and I went to see a movie.  As you do.

I saw the Opera House, Luna Park, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the city skyline, boats in the harbour and the twinkling offices of the commercial hub of Sydney all to the soundtrack of Nine

Normally when you go to a movie you are destined for some large shopping mall or perhaps if you are lucky, a cinema complex in the midst of some suburban sprawl. But not in Sydney, not in summer.  Summer time in Sydney you get to see movies outdoors.  Not only outdoors where you can breathe in the movie and not feel like a claustrophobic sardine (ok that is just me – the one with a panic attack at the ready at the thought of a long movie in a small theatre) , but outdoors where you get to witness the most amazing view that Sydney has to offer.  Not just a movie and a view but excellent dinner choices and $13 drinks.  Okay I admit the $13 drink was not compulsory but it was bloody delicious and worth about $3.75.

I was not born in Sydney, not even in Australia and I am still amazed at the beauty that is Sydney. I know that this sounds clichéd and trite but I look out at the harbour and I am mesmerised at the magnificence that is the backdrop of the city.  I am in awe of it.  Every time.

Long ago, before I had Little Pencil and I was a fit, corporate chick I used to work in North Sydney and in the evenings, after work I would run across the bridge (not the scared running away from stuff run that I perfected in South Africa but the fitness, endorphin lifting run).  It still boggles my mind to think that I could look at this awe inspiring harbour, the sun setting, the city lights igniting and the people driving home from work every night and it was part of the world in which I lived.  In summer I tried to swim lengths in the pool next to Luna Park but the view was so superb that I often struggled to breathe (that and I am a shocking long distance swimmer).

If regular mode is not your cup of tea, then cialis no prescription view for info now a B. They happen viagra purchase online because is not normal towards the drug. Although there are several treatment options available but the most popular is the online course. cialis online mastercard Of course there are no other restrictions regarding ingestion of usa cialis and it is not compulsory to consume the drug after meals. I grew up a 5 hour drive from the closest beach so beaches were always a holiday affair for me.   Now I live on holiday.  I can go to the beach every single day if I want to, I can stare at the huge blue ocean and stand on the soft powder like sand.  I can immerse myself in the water and be a part of the ocean and I can do it on a Tuesday afternoon after school or a Thursday morning at 9am or anytime I like, not just a determined weekend beach day.

I love living in Sydney.  Not just the views, not just the beautiful landscape and the phenomenal city skyline but the diversity of people and the experiences this city has provided for me.  I am thrilled and excited that my child will grow up taking this all for granted.

Do you see the beauty of your city if you have never known any other?

*I took these photos on my iPhone at the outdoor movie.  You see living in Sydney even without amazing photographic equipment, filters, special effects and with absolutely no clue about photography – you can capture wondrous scenes (even if they are fuzzy and grainy)

So on Saturday I went to see Sculptures by the Sea.  And you know what?  I don’t get it.  Art that is.  I mean I like to look at beautiful forms as much as the next person.  It is just that the next person is often looking at things that are just, well, things that happen to be plonked in a gallery, or in this  case – by the sea.

There were some pieces that I thought were beautiful, spectacular even and then there were some things that I thought had been left behind after a rave party.  But I am open and understanding to what art is and I get the freedom of expression idea.  I also get that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all of those similar metaphors but I just do NOT get the blurb that describes  each piece in the accompanying guide.

Seriously.  No Seriously.   Call me intellectually lacking or call me a cultural ignoramus but first explain to me how I am supposed to take this description of a beautiful piece of steel seriously.  Allow me to quote

“Organic vs. geometric. Consumption vs repulsion. Order vs chaos. So many dualities and so little quality shopping time”
It is estimated that over half of the patients with erectile dysfunctions actually felt that Muira Puama was proven to be effective in improving libido and sexual performance as well. buy sildenafil uk But there is no for concern as this problem can be easily cured with proper medication, diet and lifestyle changes There are also herbal sex enhancer pills available for women which can be bought from the reliable suppliers online as there are ordering viagra online numerous medical conditions which have been found playing the culprits of erectile dysfunction. Excessive calorie intake: People who take excessive calories are usually suffering viagra 20mg india from the problem of obesity is caused due to improper functioning of the digestive system. GREEN TEA – It is said that it is used to treat headache, order cheap levitra dizziness and sexual dysfunction like premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction and many others.
Yes it was magnificent and I really appreciated the aesthetic, until I read the creative blurb and just felt like hurling.  Artistic, philosophical, deep and creative I am sure.  But to me – it just sounds pretentious.

The setting however was ideal.  Stunning really, and made me appreciate, once again, this beautiful city that I live in. And child heaven – sculptures to climb, the ocean to ogle and good old fashioned parks along the way to, well just to play in while the adults bicker over the deep, Freudian meaning of a rock exhibit.  Only to be told that it is in fact a rock and not an exhibit at all.

So tell me – do artists ever create pieces that are just beautiful ?  Do they sometimes create art for the sake of that beauty and the aesthetic alone ? And more importantly – have you ever been to a gallery and spent ages checking out the Exit sign in the mistaken belief that it is in fact the major exhibit?