camminando | Discovering Golden Gray Hues

On my birthday recurrence, June 26, the early morning light shortly past sunrise had golden-gray hues. I went for my tracked usual sunrise walk at Eastern Beach while pondering about what nature gave me as a birthday present: food for thought. It was a beautiful metaphor of how the literal changes of colors  in the morning light had a symbolic meaning in life: with age hair turns into gray but t the growth offered by living mindfully every day is as precious as gold.

The golden-gray turns into blue

camminando | Quantifying My Geospatial Self While Viewing the Sun Rising at Eastern Beach

 

Dealing with the stress created by the School of Architecture during my PhD journey has become an endurance test. Walking and enjoyment of the natural beauty of Geelong offers some comfort, especially in witnessing the sun rising after a sleepless night. I continue quantifying my geospatial presence -and related biosensing- with Google My Tracks.

healing | energising water

Same place, different sunset

I did it! The kind Michael suggested jumping in the cold Eastern Beach water to clear off tensions and worries. I was hesitant, as the sun was about to set shortly, but I rushed back to my room, changed clothes and walked down to the Eastern Beach semicircular boardwalk, which surrounds the swimming enclosure. I laid down a towel, performed a head stand, then took the steel staircase to the water. The extremely cold bay water reminded me of the Atlantic Ocean in the other hemisphere of the planet, namely Cohasset, Massachusetts. I was able to swimming probably no more than 25 meter, then I returned to the boardwalk. While I was drying off I experienced a calming positive energy and was also rewarded with a remarkable view of the green grass lit by the sun setting in an intense grey sky. At the northeast side of the sky a rainbow appeared. I regretted not bringing my phone/camera.

A 2200 meter walk and 24 meter swim

camminando | Geelong, Sun Setting View from Eastern Beach

My usual lonely stroll on my way "home" on a Saturday evening: I am still enjoying viewing the sun setting on the South West.

camminando | PhD Second Chapter in the Southern Hemisphere

On March 4 I have landed again in the Southern hemisphere, hoping for the best. Here my first visual impression of the Waterfront experienced at end of summer.

Journeys | Lessons from Chance

So far almost everything in my almost nine months of the PhD journey in Australia went completely differently from what was planned and anticipated —both academically and in personal life. Yet it has been a remarkable experience: the PhD has turned into a self-growth spiritual journey, from which I have learned several life lessons beyond academia. 

Although I have been in quite emotional distress in a state of almost complete isolation for such a long time, yet I have been able to cope and survive many circumstances. I have learned:

• To accept the challenge of sharing a living space with people different cultures 
• Not to expect and be open to be the unexpected without fear
• Not to plan but accepting chance
• To overcome academic difficulties and politics by reminding myself several times a day of the purpose of my research
• To accept moments of weakness and despair knowing that energy and strength will return
• The importance of a yoga practice which I can always bring with me even if I have to modify it
• That there are always a few places offering solace and comfort, like the beautiful and comfortable university libraries
• To use what places have to offer, even if unusual, like the Geelong shark proof swimming enclosure where I finally went swimming this afternoon.
• To be without my phone, which has been my only companion not only for communication with other humans but also for music and photo-video recording, which are so much part of my life; since yesterday by beloved companion is not giving signs of life and I have to wait until my return to the US to fix it.
• To live in an nature hostile environment and overcome fears of mice, spiders. This morning I was thinking that I have been spared encounters with snakes, and this evening I have been offered this experience too. On my walk back to my residence in rural Waurn Ponds, I was on the side of the road and a USV makes a u-turn right next to me. The driver ---a blond woman with young children--- lowers the car window and tells me to be aware of a snake on the road. I turned my head and saw, probably less twenty or thirty meters away something coiled, probably the snake she was talking about. I screamed and thanked her.

The list of my learning experiences is not over; most of all, I learned of being on my own, not to despair, of letting go of attachments, and to expect the unexpected, having faith I will encounter one the many angels, always there, even for a few minutes, when I need them.

camminando | Summer Weather

Yesterday I could nor resist the temptation of a walk in Eastern Beach, at the Geelong Waterfront, in a sunny day. It is strange to see a Christmas tree in this hot temperature —81 degrees Fahrenheit. Even a short walk caused pain: will I ever heal?

camminando | Geelong, Water Views

 Eastern Beach Children Pool

Waterfront

 Cunningham Pier