MS Walk 2022

 Last Sunday of May, as usual, Australian MS Society organised MS Walk - a beautiful walk (or run) around Albert Lake.
I joined this action some dozen years ago...

So last Sunday..
No, I did not feel fit for it.

Doesn't matter but more important issue was fundraising.
In my best years  managed to raise over $1,000.
During last 2 years, due to Covid there was no event in Albert Park so my fundraising relied on my own contribution plus donations from 3 close friends.
Last year 2 of them died.

So?
I felt shy to advertise my action in wider circle of friends as I am aware that many of them are involved in help to people of Ukraine.

And then an opportunity came... from a BANK.

We had a small fixed term deposit.
Few days before the maturity date a notification came to check options available otherwise deposit will be reinvested on the current terms.
I tried to check, but each time I was getting message - check closer to maturity date.
Day before maturity it was the same.
On the maturity date I got notification that term deposit has been reinvested on previous terms.
Still I tried to see what were the options before that.
This time the button worked, it displayed a message - this deposit cannot be managed online, please visit the nearest branch.

I visited, but it really did not matter, you know what interest rates our banks are offering.
But what about my frustration and wasted time?

The bank was quite conciliatory, we agreed on $100.
I added few bucks and here we are...

Here is a confirmation of my last effort...

Many faces of Westpac Bank

 Once upon a time I tried to contact my bank by phone.
Not just a bank, Westpac Bank!!!

On their webpage I found a phone number...

It shows - 1300 655 505 .

I dialled the number, the person on the other side of the line welcomed me to the bank - Westpac Bank - and asked about my credentials: Account Id and 3-digit code.
Luckily I did not remember this code so I hang up and went to my drawer to find it.

Luckily?

Yes, because when I looked on my phone, on the list of dialled numbers, I found...

Injectable Institute of Australia!!!

I checked on Internet, this is a skin care clinic - what a multidisciplinary bank!
They specialise in dermal fillers, isn't it wonderful?
I suppose they will fill your wrinkles and empty your account.

So I did not ring and did not tell them my 3-digit code.
I prefer to keep my wrinkles safe.

Solar energy in action

 Last Saturday I made a walk around the neighbourhood...

Autumn tree and a roof covered by solar panels.
This house is not connected to the electricity grid, the tree also not.
Both depend on the smile of the sun, but the nature does it so beautifully.

Mój kraj nad Wisłą

Mój kraj nad Wisłą by Jadwiga Śmigiera
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Osobista relacja z wizyt w ponad 60 miejscowościach Polski, niekoniecznie nad Wisłą.
Osobista, oznacza w tym przypadku nie tylko fakt, że autorka odwiedziła opisywaną miejscowość (czasem wielokrotnie), ale że pozostawiła tam odrobinę, a może więcej swojego serca.
Przede wszystkim jest to jednak bardzo solidnie opracowana skarbnica wiadomości, a również legend, o każdej odwiedzonej miejscowości.
Recenzentka - Ewa Radomska - pisze, że książkę można czytać na dwa sposoby - albo połknąć natychmiast całą, albo - dozować rozdział po rozdziale, odnajdywać piękno powoli i układać je w swoim sercu.
Wyznam, że te trudno mi było te dwa sposoby od siebie oddzielić.
Po spojrzeniu na listę rozdziałów, czułem potrzebę natychmiastowego przeczytania wszystkich, po przeczytaniu może tuzina, nie mogłem się oprzeć i musiałem wrócić do niektórych miejsc.


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Nellie

Nellie, the life and loves of Dame Nellie Melba by Robert Wainwright
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nellie Melba was at her time probably the best known Australian.
Still it does not make an interesting story.
I think, that life of popular performers are not necessarily good material for a book.
It may be easier with writers, composers, painters as their creations involve many aspects of history and culture. In the case of performers the main thing remaining are headlines in newspapers - successes, falls, scandals.
Having this in mind I acknowledge, competence and good taste of the author of the biography.
In the case of Lady Melba, there was basically one personal factor influencing her life - ill-matched marriage with Charlie Armstrong. It put long shadow on her life - especially the struggle for control over future of their son.
The other strong theme was her relation with Philippe, Duc d'Orleans - pretendent to the French throne.
This story I classify to the category of gossip, but I understand author's temptation to expand this theme.

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Women's Day

 8 of March.

I remember it quite well from a primary school in Communist Poland.
Day before the celebrations, our class teacher dictated:
In 1910, at an international conference of socialist women, Klara Zetkin and Eugenia Cotton proposed to celebrate International Women's Day ...

Above Klara Zetkin with Rosa Luxemburg.
By Unknown author - Public Domain, Link

The first Women's Day celebrations took place on February 28, 1909, in New York, on the initiative of the Socialist Party of America, at the request of a certain Teresa Malkiel - KLIK.

Socialist Party of America - I sighed appreciatively and clicked to find out something about Mrs. Teresa.
"Ukrainian born American activist".

Ukraine in 1910?
Actually Teresa Malkiel was born in a Polish part of Ukraine, which at the time of her birth was administered by Austria.
Somehow I found these connection quite significant.

No wonder I got quite excited when I learned that my local library organized a Women's Day Trivia Night.
I joined and connected to zoom.

The evening was hosted by Mrs. Tracy Bartram, apparently a very popular presenter of radio programs, comedian, singer.

Her behavior confirmed that she was a professional comedian, because before she said something, she was already laughing, when she started talking, she was choking with laughter every now and then, and when she finished speaking, she laughed until the last person in the audience stopped laughing.

Very quickly she moved to the actual women's issues.
Firstly, memories of sufferings women had to endure while using diafragm as anticonception.
Then the double edge of menopause.

At this time I got a hint - men-o-pause .
As I was the only men connected to the session I paused - switched off 

The Happiest Man on Earth

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I feel very uncomfortable.
A book written by a very honest and good person. A book describing how to turn each bad experience into something good. A book with lots of wise advice.
How can a sensible person say anything critical about such a book?
I do not pretend to be a very sensible person so I will mention some disappointments.
Eddie Jaku was born in Germany, in a Jewish family, which felt completely assimilated into German society.
So it was a terrible shock to them, that in 1933, after A. Hitler won the election, everyone around turned against Jews.
Father arranged false identity documents for his son and sent him to a good technical school away from home.
5 years passed - in the book there is absolutely no mention what happened in these 5 years. Just click and Eddie lands in concentration camp in Buchenwald.
Next 5 years are filled with numerous arrests and escapes until landing in Auschwitz where he managed to survive till the end of the war.
I read number of relations of Auschwitz survivors, I met few personally, but I never read or heard so dispassionate relation.
I do not know whether it was matter of age (Eddie was 99 when he started to work on this book) or time passed since things happened or a deliberate move to put more emphasis on the positive side of the experience, but for me it deprived story of any emotions.
Then, about a quarter of the book is filled with a lecture how much better it is to be good.
I agree with Eddie and with his message. I have great respect for his character and achievements, but my reception of this book was lukewarm.

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