Warbird Flight

Belated birthday presents can be fun, and I finally caught up with one of mine recently - an aerobatic sightseeing flight in a WWII Chinese two-seater fighter trainer. http://www.flyingwarbirds.com.au/index.php

The flights run out of a hangar at a tiny airport at Barwon Heads, near Geelong. Actually getting there proved to be the biggest drama of the day. I allowed two hours to travel by car from Melbourne and was familiar with the old freeway to Geelong, having travelled it many times as a medical student, but it has been complicated by a new ring road, the exit signs for which had no mention of Barwon Heads. Travelling on through Geelong there was still no mention of Barwon Heads, only Ocean Grove and B110, which on my map appeared to be the feeder road. As Barwon Heads is very close to Ocean Grove, I took that exit, which ended up being the long way around, as you then have to cross back over the Barwon River. Apparently there is a signposted exit a couple more km down the road after the Ocean Grove exit! VicRoads has clearly failed on this one, so be warned if you are travelling from Melbourne - be sure to check the detailed directions first! On the way back from Barwon Heads I followed the signs to Melbourne via the M1 (rather than going into Geelong), which ended up being quite a long detour westwards which then connected with the new ring road. I guess you would need to look at a current map to appreciate which is the better option.

The proprietor/pilot was a personable young man. No special gear required, and as it was the first (and only) flight of the day we had to wait in the 'plane outside the hangar for about ten minutes while the engine oil warmed up etc. Needless to say there was a lot of fumes! My microphone was only working intermittently but it was deemed a case of 'see how it goes'. Eventually we taxied off over the grass onto a dirt track down to the runway. While we were waiting we could hear air traffic control chattering about a helicopter heading for the Geelong Hospital, which brought back memories of my days working there in the Emergency Department. After a while we taxied down the far end of the short grass runway, turned around, picked up speed and took off. After a bit of sightseeing up and down the Bellarine Peninsula west of Barwon Heads we tried out a few 'G-force' packing aerobatical manoeuvres including barrel rolls and loops. It was of course fun looking at the world upside down and hanging safely suspended from the four-point seat belt but there was no headrest and my neck was whipped back violently a few times (human neck muscles being insufficient to counter the gravitational forces). The headset also kept falling off my head! The pilot had advised me to clench my stomach muscles when going into a turn to reduce the risk of blacking out. I did this initially but then just concentrated on deep diaphragmatic breathing to control some feelings of nausea. I also instinctively found myself 'spotting the horizon' as a landmark during the turns.

Upon reflection I think the nausea was probably due to a combination of fuel fumes (quite strong at times), unaccustomed unnatural movements, the pressure of the headset around my face, and mild whiplash. At the time I was quite glad when the flight came to an end as I was not feeling that great but pleased there had been no hint of black-out and that I had not thrown up in the aircraft (a 'sick bag' is provided). After arriving back on terra firma and exchanging pleasantries I drove off but stopped for a rest at the first wayside stop as I was feeling quite drowsy and had started to nod off a couple of times whilst driving, which is never to be recommended! I think I actually went to sleep for a while in the back seat of the car and then received a lengthy 'phone call, so it ended up being a very long day by the time I got home.

All in all an interesting experience, but not for the faint-hearted, those with long necks or issues with fumes or travel sickness. I wouldn't mind trying out a jet flight if I ever get to be extremely rich one day but I think I would make sure it has head rests first and maybe consider some anti-nausea precautions!

An edited DVD of the flight and the scenery is available for $135 (takes ~6 weeks for delivery). When I received mine, I was able to see just how violently my head and neck were being thrown back and hyper-extended. No surprise that I became ill afterwards!

Footy at 'the G'

Spring in Melbourne means footy finals (Australian Rules Football) and the best place to experience this is the beloved MCG. The Melbourne Cricket Ground is famous for cricket (including the annual Boxing Day Test Match between Australia and another cricketing nation), football, sporting museums, the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 1954 Olympics.

This time it was a Friday night clash between Collingwood (first on the ladder and 'minor Premiers') and Geelong (second on the ladder). Both teams have 'won the flag' (Premiership) over the past few years and are keen to do so again this year. Being a huge circular stadium (seating approximately 100,000 people at full capacity) it has a marvellous Colosseum-type atmosphere. As well as the two tribes partaking in the contest, there are also two bigger tribes in the ground - the Australian Football League (AFL) members in the semi-circular Great Southern Stand and the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) members in the newer Northern Stand (officially the Ponsford and Olympic Stands). There is an excellent view from all sections of the ground and even when 'up in the Gods' in the top tier you still feel close to the action. Climbing all the stairs is of course beneficial for one's cardiovascular fitness and it is reassuring to know that the MCG has an outstanding record for response time and resuscitation for cardiac arrest.

Many games (such as this one) are played at night and with six massive light towers as well as the stadium lights the ground is very brightly and evenly lit.

The terms 'clash' and 'blockbuster' are frequently bandied about and Melburnians are certainly passionate about their football but with 17 teams around the country there is also a strong national following despite the competition from soccer and rugby.

Many supporters deck themselves out in footy scarves, hats and jumpers and wave team flags so the ground can be a riot of colour, and the roar that goes up when a goal is scored can be deafening!

One of the main attractions is that footy is a fast-moving and skilful game utilising handball, marking (catching the ball, sometimes in a spectacular fashion high in the air) and kicking (often long distances). Players can run up to 10km a game. In essence the aim of the game is pretty simple - to score points by kicking the ball through the big sticks (goal posts) at your team's end of the ground. The team with the most points at the end of the four quarters wins.

For the record, in this game Geelong won by a substantial margin (149 points to 53 points), attendance 85,705.

The finals start in earnest next week. If Collingwood wants to make it to the Grand Final it will have to do a lot better next time!

Winter ends early this year ...

There has been so much going on since around Easter it has been hard to find the time to stop and write. Easter was very busy singing with my choir for the Holy Thursday, Good Friday (x2), Easter Saturday (Easter Vigil) and Easter Sunday services. (web) Since then there has been a hectic mix of Ski Patrol education and training services together with providing volunteer medical services at Mt Baw Baw, working towards completion of a Masters of Emergency Health this year and tutoring first year graduate medical students in both Case Supported Learning and Principles of Clinical Practice. Unfortunately there hasn't been much skiing this winter, just a couple of hours of cross-country and a couple of hours of downhill skiing at Mt Baw Baw. One of the photos of snow-laden snowgums under a blue sky I took out on the trails at Mt Baw Baw was used as a backdrop for the ABC News weather report two nights this week, which was rather exciting!



The weekend before last saw a trip to Mt Hotham, one of the major Victorian alpine resorts, for some Ski Patrol meetings and a bit of skiing. The long and boring drive up the Hume Freeway was shared with friends of a friend, and we all then shared a room in their lodge for the weekend. Unfortunately there hadn't been any fresh snow for a while, so conditions weren't that great. It was hard-packed/icy at the start of the morning then started to soften by mid-morning and then gradually turned to slush. However, it was a chance to try out my new telemark skis and boots, which have been a long time coming since winning a 'Patroller of the Year' award in early 2010. I first tried out telemark skiing during a trip to Kvitfjell in Norway in 2006, and really enjoyed it (with the free-heel technique like cross-country skiing). The new gear performed well. On Sunday we had the added bonus of a helicopter ride to Falls Creek for a Ski Patrol meeting there. It was a fine day and the view from the air was spectacular. Snow conditions were no better but I did take some lovely photos of the still water reflections on Pretty Valley Reservoir, and one of them was used for the Channel 10 weather report a couple of days later. It was a late night after the long road trip back to Melbourne and off to work as usual the next morning!

Slaughter of the innocents

Having lived in Oslo and regarding it as my second home and having been told “du er jo halv norsk” (a true half-Norwegian) I was desperately sad to hear of the recent tragic events in Oslo and Utøya and like many others find it hard to believe that these horrendous acts were committed by an ethnic Norwegian. I cried when I saw the TV news last Sunday morning and my heart goes out to the Norwegian people and their palpable pain. So many innocent lives lost and so many lives touched. I have friends who live near the site of the bomb blast and who minister at the Gamle Aker and Orthodox churches not far away. Fortunately they are all OK, but it serves to remind us of how fragile life is and how we should not take anything for granted. May all the lost souls rest in peace and their families and friends receive the love and support that the need in these dark hours. My experience of Norway is as a peaceful and safe country with a strong history of democracy, tolerance and respect, both for each other and for nature. I hope that these good things will endure and in time the scars will heal and a stronger and more united Norway will emerge.

The Last Samurai (Den Siste Samurai)

I recently caught the second half of “The Last Samurai”, starring Tom Cruise, on TV. I first saw this film (“Den Siste Samurai”) in early 2004 in Oslo, when I had not long arrived in Norway for a six-month stay as a medical student. This was the original English-language version with Norwegian sub-titles. However, at that stage I did not know very much Norwegian, and the not-infrequent verbal exchanges in Japanese were also sub-titled in Norwegian, so a certain amount of the storyline was ‘lost in translation’!

I remember being impressed with the film, despite not being a big Tom Cruise fan, and its themes of loyalty and honour and being true to oneself. The choreography of the martial arts scenes remains quite stunning.

It reminded me of another film which I love, “Dances with Wolves”, and caused me to reflect upon ‘why this is so?’.

Both carry the story of a ‘stranger in a strange land’, and the theme of redemption and enlightenment through becoming immersed in another culture which resonates with your soul more strongly than that which you were born into. Through a combination of adversity and necessity, the stranger integrates into a very foreign culture and begins to question why his own allegedly superior Western culture is hell-bent on destroying ‘the way of the warrior’.

This is a story which is in some way my own, and it is no surprise that I feel empathy for the key protagonists. The timing of my trip to Norway came at a very difficult time in terms of my personal and business situation, and I knew that by being away for an extended period I would become powerless to control the forces of darkness waiting in the shadows and it was highly likely that my worst fears of a disastrous outcome would come to pass. When I arrived it in Norway was cold and dark with a lot of snow on the ground. I got off to a rocky start accommodation-wise, and the silences and lack of cooperation from home were ominous. I felt torn and wished I could jump on a ‘plane and return home.

That all changed when I had a chance to take up cross-country skiing. I was living at Kringsjå, a student village on the edge of Oslo next to a large lake (Sognsvann) and the vast Nordmarka forest which extends into the hills around Oslo. Cross-country skiing was my salvation, and Nordmarka was my sanctuary, a place where a felt truly happy and free for the first time that I could remember. I started learning Norwegian, made some Norwegian friends, joined a Norwegian church choir (Gamle Aker Kirke Kor) and decided to embrace what it is to be Norwegian. I felt at home and at peace and as if I had finally found the place where I truly belonged. When the time came to leave I did not wish to return home to Australia and leave my new life, and there were plenty of signs that the storm clouds were gathering and that I was going to be dragged out of the Vortex into some sort of living hell. This feeling of impending doom proved to be uncannily correct.

Over the following years I began to wonder whether I had experienced a phenomenon often referred to as the ‘collective unconscious’. Ever since I was a child I had been fascinated by the Vikings and the midnight sun and Scandinavia was the one place in the world that I longed to visit, and a strong factor in my choice of university was whether I could learn Swedish there. After my late great-uncle died, I found a box of his photographic slides at my mother’s house, and amongst them were several slightly faded slides from his trip to Norway in the 1950s. I was told that the fjords of Norway were his favourite place, and I later learned that this feeling was shared by his niece, my late maternal aunt. Neither of my parents have been to Norway so I cannot say what they might have felt if they had also experienced Norway’s breathtaking beauty, but I hope that, like other members of the family, their genetic imprint would have caused them to experience the siren song of the land of the Vikings.

Crouching tiger, hidden dragon …

Late on Friday 15th April I flew to Sydney with a colleague both to observe and act as assessors at a Sydney first aid course for ski patrollers. As the equivalent Melbourne course has been held recently this was a useful moderation exercise, and one that we hope to continue nationally over the next couple of months by visiting all courses.

As is often the case, it was a slow descent into Sydney after a bit of circling and waiting. We then caught a taxi to our accommodation at Avoca Lodge in nearby Randwick (close to the course venue). We were a bit surprised to find that this establishment was more like a youth hostel than a motel, with a tiny bedroom but a modern bathroom. We were also right across the road from one of Sydney’s major hospitals, so had helicopters taking off and landing at close proximity as well as the noise of heavy rain falling for most of the night. Having worked in emergency departments myself, I’m always conscious that the sound of a helicopter means that some poor trauma casualty or a critically unwell person is arriving at the hospital, and of course I feel sorry for the individual and their family. As there were no dining facilities, we went out to forage for food nearby, and found a pub and a number of lively restaurants, and settled on one of the Indian establishments, enjoying some Chicken Tikka Masala and Mango Chicken. A ‘Bollywood’ movie was playing in the background on a large plasma screen!

After a bit of a restless night we went out for breakfast to a local café, and unfortunately the available newspapers did not include the shining light of local journalism, the Melbourne “Age”. While we were there torrential tropical-style rain began and did not really ease off by the time came to walk to the nearby venue (perhaps a couple of km away). As a result, we were fairly well soaked by the time we arrived. Nothing like squelchy wet shoes and socks! Our welcome ranged through warm to conciliatory and lastly the cooler end of the traditional Melbourne-Sydney rivalry (which has survived unabated over two hundred and thirty years since European settlement!). One candidate was overhead to refer to us as “the Victorians”!

During the course of the day we observed some lectures (identifying issues for quality control purposes) and then assisted with some competency assessments during the afternoon and early evening. It was whilst we were doing some ‘unconscious casualty’ practical assessments in order to free up recertifying instructors to assist with assessing other candidates tomorrow that we found our ‘hidden dragon’, and it was certainly not short on firepower, leaving us slightly singed in the process. There was vigorous debate about the two main issues to arise, relating to a disparity between ‘on the hill’ practices at one of Australia’s largest ski resorts, and the official ski patrol teachings. These issues were “why should we repeat the ‘A’ part of ‘ABC’ if we can see that the casualty is still breathing?” and the use of a scoop stretcher as a ‘full body splint’ for an unconscious casualty rather than individual splinting of the affected body parts (in the assessment scenario a fractured wrist and a lower-leg fracture). We did not win any friends by insisting on accepted practices (as we expect from candidates Australia-wide, especially under an RTO structure) rather than these local variations.

The assessments were not concluded until around 19:30 and after one of our colleagues kindly gave us a lift back to the Lodge we went out to a local bistro for a meal and the opportunity to mull over the events of the day. There is clearly a lot of work to be done in terms of achieving national consistency and achieving reform of practices which do not adhere to the ‘gold standard’. I was reminded of the famous quote penned by J.K. Rowling for Albus Dumbledore in one of the Harry Potter books: "We have to choose between what is right, and what is easy."

Sunday was a busy day, and we worked on one of the unconscious casualty assessment stations for the whole day, and unfortunately no breaks were provided for. We finally finished about 14:30, and after missing breakfast and lunch were both hungry and tired. Our colleague again gave us a lift to the airport, and fortunately my companion had access to the Qantas Club so we were able to refuel and rehydrate whilst waiting for our flight back to Melbourne. It was a worthwhile exercise which served to reinforce the enormity of the challenge ahead and it will be interesting to see what the other courses are like over the coming months. Certainly we were pleasantly surprised by the relative quality of the Melbourne course and candidates.

Autumn ...

"Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness!"
Ode to Autumn
John Keats 1795-1821

Yesterday was the first day that I had noticed the autumn colours this year. It had been raining heavily and all the colours in the back yard were brought alive with that vividness that wetness brings. There was a moasaic of yellow, brown and green leaves on the ground and next door a silver birch tree was a shining beacon of gold in a burst of sunlight against the grey sky. There has been some snow on the mountains so the ski resorts are hoping for a good season ahead! (The official snow season does not commence until the 'Queen's Birthday Weekend' in mid-June.)

Carl-Einar Häckner's Swedish Meatballs

Last night I was the fortunate recipient of a complimentary ticket to Carl-Einar Häckner's "Swedish Meatballs" one-man show at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

I haven't laughed so much in a long time. It was an hour-long high-energy performance, combining music, magic, slapstick and a high degree of plain craziness. There was a liberal sprinkling of humourous Swedish references and Ikea featured prominently in the props, which also included a non-disappearing Houndini, barbequed birds, knives and fake blood and an Elvis-style bell-bottomed white jumpsuit, which looked 'fetching' (apparently a word for which there is no equivalent in Swedish) on the tall slim Swede with the wild eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair. He has quite a pleasant singing voice, and it was a pity that there was not more of this in the show, but the transition from guitar to ukelele formed one of the early running gags.

You certainly don't need to be Scandinavian to enjoy this show - highly recommended!

Melbourne Comedy Festival:
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2011/season/shows/carl-einar-hackner-s-swedish-meatballs/
Melbourne Herald Sun review 08 April 2011:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/special-reports/review-carl-einar-hckners-swedish-meatballs/story-fn89fat8-1226036131127
Home page:
http://www.carleinarhackner.com/

Antarctic Dreams ...

Thursday 31 March 2011
After a sleepless night and an early start, off to Hobart for the day for an interview with the Australian Antarctic Division. The last time I was in Hobart was two years ago when I attended the Australian Resuscitation Council Conference with a Ski Patrol colleague, who sadly died far too young late last year from a sudden event.

07:00 Leave home by taxi
10:30 Arrive at Antarctic Division
Interviews
15:30 Leave by taxi
18:50 Home

By amazing coincidence, along one edge of the runway perimeter is a row of neat green fir trees, which instantly reminded me of my beloved Oslo (Gardermoen Airport). Our approach to Hobart was over the ocean on a clear morning. A whole forest of fluffy sea fronds was visible below the surface, and the shadow of the 'plane grew larger and larger on the water as we came in to land. In the terminal we all had to present our hand luggage to the cute and industrious sniffer dog seeking out contraband fruit and vegetables (Tasmania being an island). Hobart is very spread-out around the harbor and surrounding hills, but in the centre of town there are still many elegant colonial-era sandstone buildings. There is also the famous Constitution Dock (Sydney to Hobart yacht race) and Salamanca Place (preserved colonial warehouses now shops, restaurants and an outdoor market).

The AAD headquarters in Kingston (about 20mins south of town) comprises a sprawling complex of buildings somewhat like the Tardis - bigger on the inside than the outside, and has an educational centre and library (both watched over by several stuffed huskies) and cafe, with glass cabinets full of jumbled fluffy toy Antarctic animals with their noses pressed up against the glass intently imploring for a quick release.

Australia operates four year-round research bases - Macquarie Island and the Antarctic Casey, Davis and Mawson Stations, each needing at least one resident doctor.

Advanced First Aid for Ski Patrollers

Over the past three weekends I have been involved with a Victorian advanced first aid course for ski patrollers as an organizer, lecturer and trainer/assessor. We have had a close-knit hard-working team of volunteers which has pulled together in an amazing way to deliver a high- quality successful course which was right up-to-date with the latest Australian Resuscitation Council Guidelines. I feel we can be proud of our efforts and achievements. Over the next three months the juggernaut rolls on with further courses in Sydney, Launceston and Jindabyne. It will be interesting to visit and compare.

Course catering by Waverley Industries Ltd – www.wavind.org - great finger food!

A night out - the 23rd Brunswick Music Festival brunswickmusicfestival.com.au
Saturday 19 March 2011 8.00pm, Brunswick Town Hall

VIKA and LINDA BULL
For 25 years, the glorious voices of Vika and Linda Bull have comprised one of the most distinctive, versatile and emotionally charged sounds on the Australian music landscape. Vika and Linda are household names in Melbourne and across Australia and in the music industry they are revered for their amazing singing ability, top class musicianship and performance craft. There's nobody even remotely close to them. They've made eight albums of their own and countless others with many of the greats in the Australian music. It's a pleasure to welcome the sisters back after Linda's sabbatical; and we're delighted to be able to again present them in an intimate beautiful acoustic setting. In their illustrious career the girls have performed in many genres of contemporary music but always grounded by their Tongan culture and music, and for this show they move moved back to the airy harmonies and deep spiritual resonance of their traditional Tongan music.

THE CARTRIDGE FAMILY
Sarah 'Shirley' Carroll, sister Suzannah 'Laurie' Espie (two June gels) and wayward son Rusty 'Danny' Rich (Scared Little Weird Guys) are The Cartridge Family, named for their breezy, sunshine-filled hillbilly songs of death, and for their strong affiliation to public radio, firearms and printing. Their three-part harmonies and two-part jokes are worth the long wait between shows. Family friendly ... provided your family swears as much as ours does!!! The Cartridge Family make their Brunswick Music Festival debut supporting the divine Vika and Linda Bull at the Brunswick Town Hall.

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie …

Three rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

JRR Tolkien's fabulous book is an allegory of the age-old battle between good and evil. In recent years it has been brought to life by Peter Jackson's magnificent trilogy of films: fittingly concluded by Annie Lennox's beautiful song "Into the West", which is poetic and profound on many levels. I first read "The Lord of the Rings" when I was about 15 and confined to bed with a severe attack of gastroenteritis which prevented me from undertaking my end-of-semester school exams. A family friend lent me the book and I found it captivating and could not put it down. It is interesting how humans will use humour as a defence, and some colleagues and I have adopted elements of LOTR in describing our own workplace struggles. Galadriel, Frodo, Sauron and Gollum have thus far come to life in our imaginings. Somehow the story is always the same - for good to triumph over adversity enormous effort and sacrifice is required, and in the end, like Frodo, you are utterly changed and bear a scar from being touched by darknessl that will never quite heal and your heart will never truly be at rest until you sail into the West. In my own life I am currently fighting the last great battle to recoup something of what has been lost through 21 years of being cloaked by darkness and pain. I can only hope that once it is over I still have something to show for it after the lawyers have taken their share and like Aragorn I can make a triumphal return to life.

The King's Speech

What a fabulous movie! Outstanding and very convincing acting from Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush and an excellent supporting cast. Not without moments of nail-biting tension, when you desperately hoped thar the fledgling friendship would see its way through the crisis, and an interesting insight into the British history of the period Thorougly recommended and one cannot imagine how the winner of the Best Actress Oscar was in any way thought to be the equal of Colin Firth's inspirational performance.

Shadows hang long over the Land of the Rising Sun

At the end of March I was due to leave for Japan with several of my Australian Ski Patrol colleagues to attend a biennial international ski patrol conference ("FIPS") at the ski resort of Rusutsu on the island of Hokkaido.

On Friday 11th of March I was attending an anaesthetics seminar at one of Melbourne's leading teaching hospitals when the news came through that north-eastern Japan had been affected by a devastating earthquake and tsunami. It has been heartbreaking to watch this terrible disaster unfold for the people of Japan and to know that it is not over yet. As I have undertaken a considerable amount of training in disaster management and radiological hazard management, I have been deeply concerned at the unfolding humanitarian crisis and the lack of certainty about the outcome of the nuclear containment efforts, and have felt incredibly sad about the loss and suffering of the Japanese people. It will no doubt be a very long and painful recovery process, with global implications.

It is also very sad that the ongoing unstable nuclear situation has led to the cancellation of the conference, and the lost opportunity to meet with our overseas colleagues and share ideas, knowledge and fellowship. I felt it was very important to write to the conference organisers to say thank you very much to all the members of the team for all the time and effort they have put into the organisational process and offering us such a warm welcome. It is hoped it will be possible to reschedule the conference for a later time.

I hope that we can all keep the people of Japan in our thoughts and prayers, and offer whatever tangible support that we can.

"Lá fhéile Pádraig sona!" (Happy St Patrick's Day!)

Irish Bears celebrating St Patrick's Day in Oslo! 

Due to the number of people with Irish ancestry in Australia (which doesn't include me!), St Patrick's Day is always widely celebrated with lots of jollity and green beer! It also seems to be a very popular time of year for birthdays (perhaps having something to do with being nine months after the official start of winter in Australia). Today I took some time out from the recently relentless pace of my volunteer work for Ski Patrol to enjoy a nice lunch with friends at the RACV Club in central Melbourne. The ambience of the Members' Dining Room is airy and functional, with white tablecloths and large comfortable leather chairs. The 'silver service' from the waiting staff was polite and faultless. I enjoyed a tender and tasty rib eye fillet, accompanied by sparse 'nouvelle cuisine' vegetables, a dob of mustard and a skimpy complimentary green salad, so that side of things could have been done better ($34.50). The rich chocolate dessert (individual serves of a melt-in-the-mouth chocolate mousse cake on a crunchy biscuit base and topped with a rich dark chocolate ganache sauce) was suitably decadent and filling ($15.00). Although served a little cold, the quality of the coffee served cappuchino-style in small white cups, was excellent, and accompanied by small and tasty hand-made hazelnut and chocolate pralines. All in all a pleasant dining experience, and no need for dinner tonight! As they say, "everyone is Irish on St Patrick's Day"!

Black Swan

Having been a ballet student in younger days, I was persuaded to go and see the movie "Black Swan", starring Natalie Portman. Although the ballet scenes were well done, the rest of the movie left me cold. Portman wears the same pained expression on her face for most of the time, except during one scene where she is persuaded to indulge in alcohol and drugs, and has a whiny little girl voice. In this visually dark and gothic horror story, the lines between fantasy and reality are so well blurred at times it is quite difficult to realise which is which. Nina (her character) is seriously disturbed and pyschologically manipulated by both the lecherous director of the ballet and her domineering mother, who gave up her career as a ballerina to bring up her daughter. The characters are very two dimensional, and it is impossible to warm to any of them. In her dancing, Nina never manages to show that spark of seductive passion that the director has called for to give life to the character of Odile, the Black Swan and daughter of the evil enchanter Von Robart, but she is certainly gripped by madness. In the final scenes, we realise that she has stabbed herself whilst fantasising that she is stabbing her key rival, and as the blood spreads across her abdomen through Odette's white tutu, we do not know whether she lives or dies; merely that she is calmly satisfied that her performance was 'perfect'. Portman is to be congratulated for bringing her dancing to such a high level, but whether the rest of her performance is worthy of an Oscar remains to be seen.

Too much to do, not enough time ...

So far I've enjoyed my tutoring experience - twice a week facilitating 'problem-based learning' for medical students. A good opportunity to keep one's own medical knowledge up to date! Other than that, my volunteer work for ski patrol has expanded to fill the available time and then some, but I must also now turn to focus on some long-standing unfinished personal matters. Yesterday it was nice to sing with my church choir again for the first time since Christmas - due to being away in the country I didn't get there very often last year so it will be nice to be a more regular participant again this year. Afterwards I had a special deal voucher for an Asian-style banquet at Chilli Padi, and with one exception the food was fantastic. The Szechuan Hot and Sour soup with chicken and wood-ear mushroom was a great starter with a lovely blend of flavours, but the chilli oil was fiery! Apart from the Pad Thai Seafood (bland, watery overcooked noodles) the main courses were delicious - Beef Rendang, steamed John Dory fillets with a ginger sauce, pan-cooked scallops and a Duck Red Curry with lychees, cherry tomatoes and pineapple (with a rice accompaniment). The only other disappointment was that there was no Chinese tea included with the banquet, but water was provided. The serves were quite generous, and as the voucher cost $20 compared to the normal $45 price of the 'Premium Banquet' it is impossible to complain, but just to make a note not to choose the noodles next time! (Voucher through 'OurDeal').

The Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest

Within the past week I have finished my twelve-month Critical Care medical job in the country, passed my Viva exam, packed up and moved back to town, started a new part-time job as a university tutor and started catching up on my voluntary work as a Ski Patrol educator.

Last night I attended a charity screening of the film of the third book in the Stieg Larsson 'Millenium' trilogy - "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest". I haven't had time to read the book yet, but the film is definitely the best of the three. It certainly helps to have either seen the previous two ("The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", "The Girl Who Played with Fire") or read the books in order to have the background to the story, but it is probably not essential. Mostly shot under dark and gloomy skies during Autumn, there is plenty of intensity and pace, and the musical score often mirrors that of a horror movie. During a couple of key moments of climax it makes you jump in your seat. The plot is very clever, bringing all the loose ends together with some interesting twists and turns, and justice more or less prevails in the end, with some murky ethical choices aiding its arrival. I was able to recognise streetscapes from Gothenberg and Stockholm and from my own experiences could appreciate the brooding darkness of the apartment building porticos and stairwells. As always, the quixotic Salander does what she needs to in order to survive but remains a deeply flawed heroine, and it would not surprise me if she suffers from Asperger Syndrome. I could understand a reasonable amount of the Swedish, and the subtitles were fairly faithful to the script, but the occasional subtlety was glossed over. All the characters are very human, warts and all, and one of the great strengths of the trilogy is that the key roles are played by very ordinary looking actors, making it all the more believable. It is not your typical Hollywood 'beautiful people' undertaking. Although there is a Hollywood version of the first book in the offing, I cannot imagine that it will be as good as the Swedish version, just as was the case when the original Kurt Wallander Swedish crime series was remade with English actors - it just didn't work as they could not recreate the inherent sense of 'Swedishness' that comes from the combination of language, culture and stereotypical facial appearances. 'The Eagle' was another fine Scandinavian crime series, and it is a pity that the writers chose to end it after a limited number of episodes.