DARWIN . . . THE TOP END

t h u r s d a y 24 s e p t e m b e r
my 1:00pm flight out of sydney turned out to be a 5:45pm flight
.....frustration.....
but i’m finally in
darwin
local time 9:30pm
sydney time 10:00pm

darwin
cosmopolitan . multicultural . lively

home of the larrakeyah people
capital of the northern territory
and
the top end
tropical australia
hot . humid . sultry

i’m staying at the
medina grand
on the waterfront

nice

i’m here for a conference
the australian council for educational leaders {ACEL} conference
“tipping points: co u r a g e o u s a c t i o n s p o w e r f u l s t o r i e s ”
conference insights will be posted on my other blog
http://www.sue-on-education.blogspot.com/

convention centre . . . wave pool . . . view from the medina grand


view of darwin city at sunset from stokes hill wharf precinct

f r i d a y 24 s e p t e m b e r
35°C
7:00am pickup
litchfield national park
waterfalls
plunge pools
wildlife
monsoon rainforests
ranges
freshwater creeks
giant termite mounds
and
swimming holes
wagait clan land

about 130km south of darwin
about a two hour drive
along the stuart highway
via the town of batchelor

giant {cathedral} termite mounds

giant {magnetic} termite mounds

florence falls

wangi falls

s a t u r d a y 25 s e p t e m b e r
35°C
twisting by the pool

skyway casino




s u n d a y 26 s e p t e m b e r
35°C

mindil markets

on

mindil beach

sunset

arts and crafts {didgeridoos}

m o n d a y 27 s e p t e m b e r

36°C

last day of conference

barramundi

at a pub on

mitchell street

t u e s d a y 28 s e p t e m b e r

36°C

next morning . . . home

to have a look at what others are hooked on this week, have a look at hooked-on-fridays

THE PARADOX OF OUR AGE

In May 1998, Jeff Dickson posted the 'Paradox of Our Time' essay

to his Hacks-R-Us online forum.

The essay has since been attributed to

comedian George Carlin,

an unnamed Columbine High School student,

and that most prolific of scribes, Anonymous.

The true author of the piece is neither George Carlin nor Jeff Dickson, nor is he anonymous. Credit belongs with Dr. Bob Moorehead,

former pastor of Seattle's Overlake Christian Church.

The essay appeared under the title "The Paradox of Our Age" in Words Aptly Spoken,

Dr. Moorehead's 1995 collection

of prayers, homilies, and monologues

used in his sermons and radio broadcasts.

eleven years later ... it's still as relevant and still speaks to me

it speaks to me of hope

The Paradox of Our Age

we have taller buildings but shorter tempers;
wider freeways but narrower viewpoints;
we spend more but have less;
we buy more but enjoy it less;
we have bigger houses and smaller families;
more conveniences, yet less time;
we have more degrees but less sense;
more knowledge but less judgement;
more experts, yet more problems;
we have more gadgets but less satisfaction;
more medicine, yet less wellness;
we take more vitamins but see fewer results.

We drink too much;
smoke too much;
spend too recklessly;
laugh too little;
drive too fast;
get too angry quickly;
stay up too late;
get up too tired;
read too seldom;
watch TV too much
and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values;
we fly in faster planes to arrive there quicker, to do less and return sooner;
we sign more contracts only to realise fewer profits;
we talk too much;
love too seldom
and lie too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life;
we've added years to life, not life to years.

we've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbour. we've conquered outer space, but not inner space;
we've done larger things, but not better things;
we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul;
we've split the atom, but not our prejudice;
we write more, but learn less;
plan more, but accomplish less;
we make faster planes, but longer lines;
we learned to rush, but not to wait;
we have more weapons, but less peace;
higher incomes, but lower morals;
more parties, but less fun;
more food, but less appeasement;
more acquaintances, but fewer friends;
more effort, but less success.

we build more computers
to hold more information,
to produce more copies than ever,
but have less communication;
drive smaller cars that have bigger problems;
build larger factories that produce less.
we've become long on quantity, but short on quality. these are the times of fast foods and slow digestion;
tall men, but short character;
steep in profits, but shallow relationships.

These are times of world peace, but domestic warfare;
more leisure and less fun;
higher postage, but slower mail;
more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more divorces;
these are times of fancier houses, but broken homes.
These are days of
quick trips,
disposable diapers,
cartridge living,
throw-away morality,
one-night stands,
overweight bodies
and pills that do everything from cheer, to prevent, quiet or kill.
It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stock room.

Indeed, these are the times!

these are the times

when technology can bring this essay to you

and a time when you can choose

either to share this insight

or to just hit delete...

these are the times

when

more than ever

giving a warm hug

to special people

in your life

is one of the few

treasures you can give

with your heart

♥

MY NEW FAVOURITE PERFUME!

flowerbomb is officially my favourite perfume now

i loooooooove it

it's so me!

it was given to me as a gift

by someone special

♥

it's the debut fragrance from Amsterdam-based design team Viktor & Rolf

it comes packaged in a soft pink square box

the whole box resembles a present with maybe a bomb attached

hence the name: flowerbomb

the bottle is shaped like a hand grenade

it is a lovely feminine shade of pink just like the packaging

flowerbomb was created by perfumers Olivier Polge, Carlos Benaim and Domitille Bertier

it has top notes of bergamot and tea

middle notes (or heart notes) of jasmine, freesia, and orchid

base notes of rose, amber, musk, and patchouli

impressive, huh?

i didn't make that up

i read it somewhere

it's a very feminine scent due to the mixture of floral notes

however, it really doesn't smell that much like flowers

it smells more of a sweet vanilla scent

it is very smooth and creamy

i ♥ sweet

i ♥ vanilla

i ♥ flowerbomb

t h a n k y o u

to see what others are hooked on this week, have a look at hooked-on-fridays .......