Wednesday 6 April 2011

Brooding on Bondi - Sun, Sand & Postmodernism

A few times each month, my mum and I go for a walk along Bondi Beach. It's a beautiful place where beautiful people jog by, showing off their blonde highlights and superbly sculpted physiques. The abundance of outer spectacle and the vacuum of intellectual stimulation offered in these walks makes me broody.

I have brooded over such things as:

a) Does the arrival of Easy Way tea make the franchise too ubiquitous to be found endearing? Does it, along with Boost, McDonald's, Burger King, New Zealand Ice-cream, Bavarian Bier Cafe, Moo and San Churro, make Campbell Parade just that extra little bit less unique? Or am I just reading too many travel writers who lament the loss of one-of-a-kind businesses to corporate chains?

b) Who decides which graffiti artists can contribute to the graffiti wall, and how quickly to rotate the exhibits? And is there a way to impose a quota on the amount of scantily clad women that can be depicted, so as to minimise the harmful effects of sexist male culture?

c) Why do I keep trying to change my mum, knowing that it can't be done? Why does she keep trying to change me? Doesn't she realise that it's in vain, also?

d) What's it like in Sweden right now? Could I be happy there, even after many months of the infamously bleak winters? Could I find my way there as an immigrant, and how would it contribute positively to my self-esteem?

and many more. The colourful buildings suggest that my time there should be uplifting, but I find myself longing for a darker space after all. 

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