A useful app I’ve discovered: Markup This markup and feedback platform is easy to use and looks beautiful. I haven’t used it for anything yet but have added it to my list of productivity tools to explore.

What I’m learning/practicing: Piano lessons on Udemy. I’m struggling. Not because it’s technically hard but I’m so bored! I’d prefer to do lunges or push ups instead. I haven’t been to the gym in over 4 weeks.

What I’m listening to: Atkins Labcast is a new podcast by the wonderful people at Atkins Lab, an Australian photo lab that I use for my client work. It’s refreshing to listen to the owners Kate and Paul Atkins talk about photo industry stuff. Kate in particular is loud and funny.

What I’m watching: Future Man. This is a surprisingly amusing show albeit a tad unsuitable for my 14 year old son. I hold my breath and hide under my oodie whenever the dick and cum jokes appear. It goes away quickly enough. I had no idea Future Man is already up to season 3! I love that each episode is a bite sized 19 minutes of silly but clever absurdity.

A quote I’m pondering on: “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” – Leo Tolstoy

What I’m reading: We started subscribing to the Guardian Weekly magazine late last year. We all read it in the house including my 14 year old son. It’s a really great way to get a global perspective on what’s happening in the world in a “slow” way by reading it in print. You don’t get digital distractions like ads popping up.

What I’m learning/practicing: Piano lessons on Udemy. I used to play piano when I was in high school and I completed up to Grade 3 AMEB. But it’s been a long time and I’ve forgotten how to read music and I’ve had no practice. So I’m starting from scratch. The lessons are a tad boring at the moment but I’m going to stick with it. We have a piano at home and it doesn’t get played at all. I have no excuse.

What I’m listening to: 7am podcast

What I’m watching: Star Trek: Picard - It requires some effort and a few episodes to get into the multiple mysterious plot lines. I’m up to the last episode and I’ve enjoyed it overall so far.

A quote I’m pondering on: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” — Theodore Roosevelt

I’m out of kilter. For the first time I feel a little bit lost, distracted and anxious. The current situation we’re all in feels so strange. As if all our hopes and dreams have been put on hold. I have no idea when this will end. And what a weird thing to be uncomfortably unproductive! I can’t sit still and feel guilty that I’m not doing anything useful or creative.

What I’m reading: I’m currently reading How to Be Right… in a World Gone Wrong by James O’Brien. I picked this book up the last time I was in London and I couldn’t put it down.“The challenge is to distinguish sharply between the people who told lies and the people whose only offence was to believe them.”— James O’Brien

What I’m learning/practicing: Piano lessons on Udemy.

What I’m listening to: 7am podcast

What I’m watching: Star Trek: Picard, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and re-watching the Alien series - I’m up to Prometheus. I skipped Alien 3. Too dark. I should have skipped Alien 4. That giant baby alien scared the hell out of me.

A quote I’m pondering on: “There is no innovation and creativity without failure.” — Bréne Brown

I haven’t posted anything on this page in a while. There’s so much to write about and I don’t know where to start so I’ll begin with some photos.

I started a project last year with the aim of capturing a photo story of my neighbours. I’ve only managed to do one so far as it’s a slow process. I visited Kevin more than once over a 3 month period.

This is Kevin. He loves the Essendon Football Club, has a couple of Budgies and lives on his own with his dog, Billie.

What I’m reading: Gosh I’m so behind! I can’t even remember where I’m up to with my reading so I’m not going to “backdate” the content of this post. I’ll just write down what’s happening now. I’m currently reading “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown. I have a really meaningful connection with her work but it’s also the most difficult to put into practice and embrace wholeheartedly. It’s a slow process. It’s like learning a new language.

Here’s a quote from her book: “One of the most important findings of my career is that courage can be taught, developed and measured… All it requires is a commitment to doing bold work, having tough conversations and showing up with our whole hearts. Easy? No. Choosing courage over comfort is not easy. Worth it? Always. We want to be brave with our lives and work. It’s why we’re here.”

A movie I’ve seen: The Favourite - I can’t remember whether I’ve written about this already but I wanted to mention it because it was such a memorable film. The three leads, Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone and Olivia Colman who I believe won the best actress Oscar, were all superb. It’s compelling, unnerving and at times difficult to watch. I love the minimal use of ultra wide angle shots.

What I’m listening to: Adam Savage on Great Tools, Great Projects and Great Lessons - Tim Ferriss podcast

What I’m watching: Star Trek Discovery Season 2 on Netflix - I love this show. It’s not well liked by Star Trek fans but I’ve never been a fan. That’s probably why it works for me.  I’m a fan of sci-fi. I think it’s always exciting and enjoyable to watch. And I’m invested in all the characters. I’ll be sad when it ends.

A quote I’m pondering on: “If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap. If you want happiness for a day — go fishing. If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a life time — help someone else.” — Chinese proverb