Wednesday & Thursday November 26 & 27, 2008 (diary)

The weather is variable these last two days, mostly overcast with spells of sunshine or drizzle. All in all not unpleasant as the temperature is very mild.
Babette and Doug have been looking for a new TV for some time. Seeing that I am staying with them again this year for several months I decide to buy them one as a thank you for their hospitality.

So on Wednesday I drive to the nearby Joice Maine showrooms in Chancellor Park where they have an enormous range on display. What is it going to be an LCD or a plasma screen ? According to their advice LCDs are great up to a maximum size of 37 inches (about 90 cm), but above that they are no longer a match for the plasma screens. So I end up choosing a high definition 50 inch (125 cm) Panasonic plasma TV.   I have to pick it up from their warehouse, but when I get there find out that plasma screens must always be transported in an upright position. You live and learn all the time. I can only fit it in my van by lying it flat on my bed, so that is not on.

On Thursday morning Doug and I go back in his Big Horn 4 wheel drive to pick it up and upon our return home unpack the TV and install it in the living area. The screen looks in fact much bigger than in the showroom amongst all the other TVs. It is huge and I must say it is well worth the money. The picture is just unbelievable. Close up faces are twice life size and you can see every wrinkle and freckle on the skin. Cloth textures too show up as if you are looking through a magnifying glass and the panoramic vistas are awesome. All up it is an entirely new viewing experience which we all three much enjoy.

Friday November 28, 2008 (diary, writing)

It appears that Tin Tin, Babette and Doug's dog, is over his period of mourning after the loss of his sister and longtime playmate Kiku. Therefore today, he has been presented with a new friend, Nushi (Nush for short), just 11 weeks old. Nush is very lively and quite happy in her new environment the moment she arrives, but Tin Tin is as yet not so sure. In time however, as Nushi grows a bit older, I am sure he will succumb to the charm of the opposite sex. Don't we all ?

A thought for potential writers.
During the 90s Babette and Doug moved from Australia to Japan where they lived for seven and a half years. When they returned to Australia they both had a marked American accent. Why was that ? Quite simple, most of their English speaking friends over there were Americans.
In other words when you live in a certain environment for a while you tend to adapt, largely subconsciously, to that environment in various ways, including your speech. It is a common thing which affects us all, especially when the new environment is a foreign one.

I strongly believe that a similar thing is happening with writers. The books you read have an enormous influence on the way you tend to write, especially in terms of the formulation and construction of your sentences.
Of course, you need to develop a certain amount of writing skills over time, but ultimately the way you write will be strongly influenced by what, or rather who you read. Remember this and select writers which you admire and wish to emulate in style rather than perhaps content, and in time you will find your own writing "voice".

This is a well known and common approach for the serious Jazz improvisor. You have to develop a certain amount of knowledge and learn a number of skills, but your individual phrasing voice and (instrumental) tone are to a large degree shaped by listening to the performers you wish to emulate.

Saturday & Sunday November 29 & 30, 2008 (diary, terrorism, religion, mp3 of 'Coming Home')

I experienced the splendor and tranquility of the Taj Mahal Hotel when our cruise ship, the Silver Shadow stopped by in Mumbay in April last year. We had a magnificent morning tea there and it is hard to imagine the horror scene in which it was transformed these past few days, blood stained and with dead bodies lying everywhere. There are at least 195 dead and 300 injured spread over half a dozen locations in town.

I can not help but think :   When will the world finally recognise and accept that the old formal religions based on millennia old believes and hearsay (long since convincingly reputed by honest and intelligent reasoning and discovery), have done more harm to humanity throughout its history than anything else.   And, as the easy availability and spread of ever more dangerous weapons increases over coming years, it will only get worse.

I believe it will take hundreds of years, and not until all the people in underdeveloped countries are receiving meaningful unbiased education (without religious indoctrination), good health and an acceptable standard of living.
I read somewhere this week that it will take 25 years to wipe out terrorism. I much hope that is true, but very much doubt that this is achievable.

On a more positive note : I recorded another one of my own compositions this weekend and uploaded it online. It is called Coming Home. Downloads of my songs are steadily increasing ever since I started to record them 6-7 weeks ago, with 1,200 songs downloaded during this month of November.