The Rise of Rooftop Bars – Why I Can’t Get Enough of Sky-High Sips
In the last week I visited two new rooftop bars. One because its birthday month and doing something different on your special day is definitely Joie de vivre and the second,well, we don’t need an excuse for a midweek beverage other than for a girlfriend catchup and connect. With the many bars on offer around this beautiful city, why does the prospect of sitting outside in the fresh air, above the commuters on the ground watching the sunset make me want to push everyone aside as I run for the elevator?
Published : Sylvia Jimenez
Unexpected Joys: Human Connection in Japan
The trip to Japan was memorable not for its famous sights but for the warmth of human connections. A simple interaction with a kind store assistant named Koji highlighted the profound nature of kindness in daily life. Small gestures, like his assistance with laundry supplies, left a lasting impression, showcasing Japan's culture of respect.
Published: Sylvia Jimenez
Everyday observations: The joys of teaching a teenager to drive
The humid, hot day felt even more stifling in the back seat of the car. Jamiroquai played, doing little to ease my nerves. I watched as my teenage son took the wheel, his father in the passenger seat directing him on which lane to stay in. As I observed the other drivers on the road, overtaking, braking without warning and giving the finger, I had to ask, “How have people gotten their driving licenses?” The standards have seriously dropped, either that, or society is on the downward spiral of inconsiderateness, or that driver was just an [insert derogative adjective here].
Published: Sylvia Jimenez
Beachside morning and a shared moment
Today the beachside wasn’t just a shared destination, it was a reminder to appreciate the moment, the sound of the waves, the warmth of the 9am sun and a testament to how easily strangers sit close, upholding social decorum to not invade personal space and like a Mills and Boon novel, everyone was dreamy, and the atmosphere was euphoric.
Published: Sylvia Jimenez
Niceness is (thankfully) still alive
This post is more of a happy affirmation rather than an observation, but if taken in the context of human behaviour, then I’m pleased to say that people are still inherently nice. My youngest, Master V, is employed as a Trolley boy at a local garden nursery. It is his first officially paid casual job means he is privy to the perfect balance of fresh air, movement and a clientele of grey nomads with a common interest of the gardening kind. And for me, it’s a great source of character observations for my upcoming stories, but that is for another time.
Published: Sylvia Jimenez
Live like a local and get off the tourist path
If I could, I would split my time between countries, my home with my family and my ancestral home with my culture. Earlier this year, I spent five fantastic weeks living like a local. I had the tremendous opportunity to be a digital nomad and simultaneously combined work and family matters. A great plan, excellent collaboration and complete trust from my employer meant that I could log in a work from the opposite side of the globe without having to dip into my precious annual leave.
Published: Sylvia Jimenez
Would you share your music playlist?
On the morning commute into the office (yes, believe it or not, I’m venturing out of my loungewear and putting on proper shoes), the radio station announcer posed a question to the listeners. ‘Would you share your playlist?’ Her co-presenter immediately retorted with a stern ‘No way.’
Published: Sylvia Jimenez
Water Therapy
The locals laughed and scoffed about my thermal bath mania. Warning, if you don’t want to be confronted with the myriad of rubens-esque physiques, then my suggestion is to omit the customary soak in the mineral-laden waters of Budapest. But if you are like me, and believe all female figures are interesting and extraordinary, then dive straight in, well, no diving, but immerse yourself in the 38-degree water and let the stress of the day simply melt away [pun]. What I loved most, apart from the medicinal aspects, was that regardless of one’s form, all inhibitions were left at the door. Granted I attended on Tuesday Ladies only day, but it was the one few places where being at ease with one’s body was the norm.
Published: Sylvia Jimenez
A missed connection reflection
One’s true personality tends to reveal itself under due stress. As you read this, I am on a flight from Dubai to Europe. I should have been there yesterday. However, our scheduled flight from Sydney was delayed by one hour. I only found out the reason behind the delay from one very vocal and distressed passenger. I was both intrigued and amused, and as I and most of the others were going nowhere fast, I thought and sat back and enjoyed the ‘entertainment’, a private joke between husband and me.
Published: Sylvia Jimenez
What's the reality of a reality show?
I admit it, there’s nothing more I like than to tune into a reality show to make me laugh out loud. And by that, I mean, I can convince myself I’m the normal one in the comfort of my inner voice (ah, but what constitutes ‘normal’ one would say, ok, I confess I would say that). What I find funny is whose reality are we talking about here? Is it those whose socio-economic wealth-o-metre is more than the debt of a third world nation or those who consider orange spray tan and a ‘bedazzled jewelled gown’ haute couture? Or that you’ll find ‘true love’ on an island, or that botched plastic surgery can be magically repaired by another surgeons knife? And while I cannot subscribe to every reality show, the few that I watch religiously never fail to entertain me at all.
Published: Sylvia Jimenez
12 Good-mornings versus six blanks stares
My observation for this week. Since when have we become a community, where a pleasant ‘good morning’ has been replaced with a curious blank stare? I’m watching Ted Lasso on Apple TV, and I find it hilarious in a Ned Flanders kind-of-way how the main character Ted faces the constant barrage of colourful language while still smiling and extending a cheery hello! I would have told them to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine, but hey, that’s just me. The thought did linger. I decided to test out the theory that faced with a ‘good morning’ from a stranger would compel you to adhere to social customs to respond, unless you were a psychopath and if that’s the case, run for the hills!
Published: Sylvia Jimenez
Somewhere north of So-Ho – October 2000
Currently embracing the armchair traveller movement, more images of past trips emerge as I finally get to the end of a five-decade photographic journey. I won’t even begin to count the number of images I’ve paused, giggled, and sighed at. Come on Covid, go away so we can travel again! When this picture was taken, we were sans children and on a trip to NYC. We learnt about ‘tree rodents,’ the importance of tipping, that a hot dog from a corner street vendor makes for a great lunch and tourist companion, and that coffee made by Australian baristas in Australia will always be the best. Apologies to my U.S friends but hoping for a good coffee we realised was all but a dream…Passing the myriad of mirrored Starbucks coffee shops along W Broadway, we came across this madam who decided to have a snooze. While she was very much alive (yes, we went in to check) we loved the fact that she was not only a fashionista-coloured co-ordinated granny, but that on close inspection she had the smoothest complexion. (Remember we lent in to make sure she was breathing and not in a creepy sort of way.) And as we channelled our inner Samantha Jones we said ‘Girl Paleese!’
Published: Sylvia Jimenez
Go on..try not to smile!
Change the mind, you'll change the world.
Before I begin, let me just outline that while I’m not a clinical expert in the field of psychology or an advocate for violence, I do want to point out that dealing with the bully in the 80s was a lot easier than it is now. And I really feel for those kids who have to deal with the issue that seems to be repeated with every generation.
Published: Sylvia Jimenez
Never assume on a daily walk...
As a creature of habit, you will most likely find me taking my daily walk at the same time every weekday. I plan, it’s scheduled in my online diary, friends can catch me on the phone as I am most likely listening to a podcast or song, generally, it’s a green light for any future stalker. Contemplating now, perhaps, is not such a good idea. That being stated, there are others like me, who walk the same path around our area, albeit opposite, which, is another OCD moment on my behalf because I tend to walk the same path at the same time in the same direction.
Published: Sylvia Jimenez