Goodbye 2015

Happy New Years friends.
Try not to wake up the first day of the New Year with a hangover so bad that you want to cut both ears off.

A Night at the Oprah

Oprah at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre,
December 10th, 2015

I've never been a big fan of daytime TV, but I have caught the odd Oprah show now and again in my lifetime, so I knew enough about the format to wonder what this show would be about in Brisbane in December.

I knew this could well be my last chance to see a live show starring Oprah in my hometown of Brisbane, so I bought a ticket not knowing what to expect.
Being a fan of the Six Degrees of Separation theory and knowing just what an influence and icon Oprah was in the modern world, and how many more movie stars had appeared on her TV show than had acted with Kevin Bacon, it might be more fun to play "Six Degrees of Oprah", than "Six Degrees of Bacon".

Not that it would put me within six degrees of Oprah, by sitting in the audience, my interest is more that if any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart, then Oprah is probably a better link than Kevin Bacon, when it comes to the modern population. 
So everybody in the audience is probably less than six degrees away from Oprah, more so than Kevin.
I hope that clears up what I meant about my interest in the Six Degrees of Separation theory when it comes to Oprah. 

I pretty much had the same vantage point from where I saw Neil Diamond play the same venue a few weeks before and I thought it was funny how I drove home in a storm from the Neil Diamond concert only to have to drive back in a storm to get to the Oprah show -

Back to the Future with Neil Diamond on Nov 5th?

Another reason I wanted to see Oprah in Brisbane was because of the so-called media feud between the two Color Purple stars Rae Dawn Chong and Oprah herself, which I felt was a bit of a storm in a teacup at the time anyway, and wrote about it in the post linked below -
How Prophetic was this Episode?

Oprah and Rae Dawn Chong

I have to say that I was probably the only single straight guy there on the night, who actually paid for a ticket, and that probably isn't a joke, either.
But I quite enjoyed the night out as Oprah talked about her life growing up in Kosciusko, Mississippi and her spiritual and life views, which I felt were pretty much my own views anyway from what she said on the night.

View of Mount Kosciuszko from the east

I also thought it was funny how the name of Oprah's hometown, Kosciusko was almost spelled the same as the highest peak in Australia, Mount Kosciuszko.

Apart from Oprah telling her life story, she also gave advice about being yourself and not trying to be, or imitate somebody else, which is something I've blogged about in the past as well, so I hope she wasn't trying to copy me there when giving that advice;-)
The Message ... Just Be Yourself
Oprah was also keen on reading and drummed that home to the audience ... guess that's why she had a book-club? 
And the funny thing was, quite by synchronicity, I was reading John Safran's fascinating "true crime" book called, Murder in Mississippi.

John Safran is Father Bob's partner in crime, so to speak, and I mention him in a post I wrote on Christmas Day called -
In (Saint) Bob We Trust
Oprah also said, "pay attention to what makes you curious", which is probably why I have so many, what some would consider, crazy stories and theories on this blog of mine, which will most likely get me locked up in a nuthouse eventually, if not killed, so maybe, "curiosity killed the cat" might be advice to consider, as well, for the sake of your health.
Oprah also said to live with intention, which is something I have been intending to do in the future, so does that count?-)

There is no doubt Oprah has been a major influence on so many lives on this planet and sometimes without the individuals whose lives she has affected even realizing it.
I see it and hear it daily, like in the last book I read by Felicia Day where she became a child prodigy on the violin, because she had a thumb abnormality that Felicia's mother heard from watching an Oprah show, that learning to play the violin may correct the thumb abnormality.
You're Never Weird on the Internet (almost): A Shining Example ... Maybe?
There is also a book sitting here in front of me that I have read and am going to write a post about that has written on the cover, ""new voice of the month", Oprah Magazine".

And I see stuff like that constantly where something endorsed by Oprah has influenced many lives like one big ripple traveling across a societal pond leaving good results in its wake.

So, I was glad to see and hear the iconic lady's story told live to me in my own backyard.
It was an honour  and a privilege and something I will remember for a long time to come.
And after the show it was clear skies all the way home for once.
That has to be a good sign, I think. 

A picture of the Story Bridge behind Oprah

I also thought it was quite synchy that Oprah turned and walked through a door in the back of the stage, which when she walked through the picture of the Brisbane River photo (above), made her look like she was walking into one of my favourite stretches of the Brisbane River.
A stretch that I would often sit under the Story Bridge and stare out across and contemplate life and that I wrote about in this post linked below -
Story About a Bridge

* The Story Bridge,  Brisbane * Painting by Starr *

Elisa Romeo

I came across the above You Tube (which I had never seen before ... it's a more recent clip that has been added to her homepage by the looks) when I was sorting through some old Favorite bookmarks (and I have hundreds saved in my bookmark file that I was going to get back to eventually, when I got time that is) and I couldn't for the life of me remember why I had Elisa Romeo's website in my bookmark file.
Elisa Romeo
 But I finally remembered that I came across her work because she was friends with Sera Beak author of the The Red Book, which I wrote about in this old post called -
Onion Skin
That You Tube at the top of this post struck me, as I had a very similar out of body experience when I was about eleven.
It was a spontaneous out of body experience, which means I have no idea how it happened and no idea how to make it happen again if I wanted to, but it was a life changer for me from that point on in my life, because I knew then that there was a part of me that wasn't really part of my physical body and that if anything survived a death of that body down below me then this must be it.   
I didn't have a meeting with my higher soul at the time, or anything as profound as Elisa had, probably because in my concern to get back into my body I cut such a meeting off and willed myself back into my body before I got lost out there.
But I think that was all I needed to set me on my spiritual quest that I have been on since.
I wrote about it in this old post linked below -
Stradbroke Dreamtime

I kept that experience to myself for years telling nobody about it lest they thought I should be placed in a nut house, or just treated me like a nut-bag.
Even today I rarely talk about that experience unless I meet someone like Elisa who has had a similar experience.
Anyway, I didn't plan on writing this post, but after seeing some of the fascinating heartfelt videos she has since put up on her homepage I thought I should share her work in this post for other people who resonate with us nut-bags.
Your Destiny Blueprint

Oh, I don't talk t dead people like Elisa claims to be able to do, but I have had the odd occasion where they have tried to talk to me, unfortunately it's something I can't prove and it's one of those "you just had to be there" situations.
Either way, I don't care whether people believe me, or think that I'm deluded in having an OBE anymore, take it or leave it.
This post is for people who can relate to these experiences, not for skeptics.
I wouldn't bother wasting my time arguing with a man who has been born blind since birth and couldn't understand my experience of seeing, just because he can't at present.
The analogy is the same here, because I don't know how you can see and hear without a physical body, I just know that you can.
Believe it, or not.
Anyway, if you are interested in Elisa's work, check out her website at this link -
Elisa Romeo

UPDATE: 29th December, 2015.
It's rather synchy that I mentioned my Stradbroke Dreamtime post above, as this morning I see this news story -
Barge stuck on sandbank off Stradbroke Island leaves at least 200 passengers stranded

Stradbroke Ferries attempts to get
passengers off the Red Cat ferry.

"More than 200 holidaymakers spent hours stuck in waters off Brisbane after a barge headed for popular Queensland tourist destination North Stradbroke Island ran aground on a sandbank.
The barge departed Brisbane at 5:00pm on Monday, but the ferry came to a grinding halt just a few hundred metres from its destination amid high winds."

In (Saint) Bob We Trust

I finally watched the movie In Bob We Trust after just having finished reading the book Father Bob, which I wrote about last month in this post linked below -
Saint Bob

Costas Vasiliou in a scene
from In Bob We Trust

In that post I wrote how coincidental it was that Costas Vasiliou died suddenly on November 19th, 2011 (drug overdose I think was mentioned), which just happened to be my 23rd wedding anniversary, as well.

My wedding ring with the date of the wedding day inscribed inside - 19/11/88 (it's now in the Pacific Ocean)

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UPDATE: November, 2017
Remember, Remember the 19th of November ... Some Dates Are Made Not to Be Forgot?
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But what I found even more "coincidental" in the movie was how Father Bob said how Costas would bring home strange nick-knacks and keep-sakes off the streets which he would find that meant something to him.

The kingfisher Costas found
dead on the street

One such keep-sake was a dead kingfisher bird that Costas found on the street and wanted to keep and Father Bob said they decided to keep it in the freezer and it has surprisingly lasted 15-20 years in there without rotting (see photo above). 

The Sacred Kingfisher
that hit my window

The funny thing here to me that it was a Sacred Kingfisher hitting my window that started me off blogging and has kept me ranting like a madman here ever since;-)
The Bird that Flew into the Window

The underside of the moth Costas found

Father Bob even shows the underside of what at first appeared to be a plain looking moth that Costas brought home, until seen from below all the magnificent colours it has hidden under wing.
Which reminded me of an old post I wrote about moths and butterflies a while back,
Moth Verses Butterfly Symbolism

The sad clown in a matchbox that
 Costas had among his possessions?

Costas even had a sad clown among his collection that he related to which reminded me of my recent synchronicities that I have written about on this blog involving the sad clown creation of Emmett Kelly.

Green Volkswagen on the Synchronicity Roundabout
 I couldn't help thinking while watching Father Bob bringing out Costas' little treasures that also resonated with my own life, just how rough life seems on the surface, but how a common spiritual undercurrent seems to be flowing mostly unseen underneath our conscious lives uniting us all on some metaphysical level.

And just after watching the movie In Bob We Trust I was wondering if the radio show he and John Safran have been doing for years was still on JJJ radio and came across this article below saying the last show would air on December 13th this year. 

I also see nothing much else has changed in the news since the movie was made regarding the George Pell saga.
Priest John Walshe who defended George Pell accused of sexually abusing John Roach

While I find comfort in a lot of the spiritual practices of The Church (not being a Roman Catholic myself) barring all of the going to hell crap, I do cringe at the dogma and politics that goes on by the men on the chessboard of The Empire and how they can just turn a blind eye to the problems staring them right in the face.

In the land of the blind
 the one-eyed man is king?-)

A scene (seen?-) from Eyes Wide Shut

 But don't get me started in that direction on this post, or we'll just end up going round in circles;-)

I have to say though that this movie makes great Christmas viewing as Father Bob and his work in the Church is what the spirit of Christmas is all about.
I think I will be giving this DVD a spin every year at this time, just as a reminder of what being a true Christian is all about.

And what's with the 42 units of the South Port Public Housing Project? 
A nod to Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy and the meaning of life, the universe and everything?-)

UPDATE: 26th December, 2015

Adam Douglas Driver

Here is another synchronicity regarding the date of the 19th of November.

We were discussing the age of Adam Douglas Driver 

(ADD?-) (Douglas Adams?-) in a Facebook group and when I looked up his birthdate at IMDB I found out he was born on the day of my wedding anniversary (November 19, 1983) also.
I loved Adam in the movie 'Tracks'.

Black Sea of Oz?

May the Force be with
 you Father Bob:-)

I thought it was amusing that Adam Driver plays the baddie with the Satanic looking sword in the new Star Wars movie and Father Bob seems to be wearing that sword on his vest on the DVD cover of  In Bob We Trust:-)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

And on the subject of Rome and St. Peters, I also found a bottle of St.Peter's Ruby Red Ale at my local bottle shop and it's not a bad drop either ... which is strange;-)

Ruby Red slippers?

All roads lead to Rome?-)

UPDATE: April 20th, 2023

Father Bob Passes Away on St. Emma's Feast Day?⛪

Kind of eerie that Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Pell and Father Bob died months apart from one another, I just realized as I re-read the above post;-)

Beyond Unbelievable - Parliament House, Canberra, Australia

Another thought provoking film clip from halfasheep.
Interestingly, my son is moving to Canberra next month, so I'm hoping to visit him when the Sharks play the Raider's down there in April.
I've never been to Canberra before, so I'm hoping to take in the sights down there, especially the big house above. .

Canberra ... Capital Punishment. Tag For Luggage
I better get myself a baggage tag for my trip in April;-)

Fate, or Just Dark Coincidence?

Click image to make bigger, so you can read the article

I was flicking through an old Brisbane paper from Sunday December 13th, 2015, with the hindsight that Mick Fanning had lost a brother to a sudden unexpected death while Mick was competing in a surfing competition in Hawaii, but on the two-page spread in the paper that Sunday was a story about Mick Fanning with the headline, "Fanning faces local force at Pipe sudden-death", and another story on the opposite page with the headline, "Lost 'Brother' Inspires Todd's Homecoming".  

On the Thursday after these somewhat darkly prophetic headlines appeared in the Sunday paper Mick Fanning learned of his brother's death prior to his third-round heat at the Pipeline Masters in Hawaii on Thursday morning (AEDT), but still competed in the season-ending event, advancing to Friday's quarterfinals.
Mick Fanning honours brother Peter at Pipe Masters in Hawaii after 'one of the most challenging days' of his life
Now Mick Fanning is famous as the guy who punched a shark in a surfing tournament earlier on in the year and lived to tell of it.

In the other story in Sunday's paper, it tells of the players who grew up like brothers playing football together and first meeting as juniors playing for the Caloundra Sharks as eight-year-olds and with Todd leaving Brisbane last year to go play for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks NRL club in the National competition, only to return back home after hearing about the sudden death of his 'brother' from a deadly tackle on the football field.
There were even surfboards on the front page of that paper in an unrelated story.
Maybe I'm just reading too much into this newspaper spread of news stories about sudden-death and Mick Fanning and a homecoming to a lost brother and sharks, but I still find it rather eerie reading in hindsight of what happened since that Sunday paper hit the newsstands -
What is it About 2015 and Sharks?