Kuan Yean

Author: Lee Kuan Yean

  • iPhone

    The new 3G iPhone, let it be said, is a staggering piece of technology. It may be weeks away from official release here in Australia, but if everything that is said about it is true, then I am hard pressed to think of a device that does so elegantly what the iPhone does.

    Bulls eye!I have had my eye on the yet-to-be-announced Nokia E71 for a while, and there is a real chance I will still go for that, however the iPhone has gone from being a pretty toy to a serious business phone and surprised everyone in the process. It isn’t the fact that Apple’s moved the goalposts; it’s more that they have started playing on a different field altogether. As if each iPhone developer at Apple had a picture of me (and every enterprise user on the planet) on his or her desk, with a cross-hair superimposed on it!

    I should also point out that I do not normally gush about any particular brand or piece of equipment. I am not a Macevangelist, nor am I a Microsoft junkie. I just like good technology. So I really do hope that the iPhone does all that it promises to do… I don’t know if I could deal with any more disappointments this year.

  • Bushwalking

    It’s been too long since I’ve been out in the bush. There’s something about standing in the middle of a jungle track and hearing nothing but the sounds of nature. It drives home the fact that you are part of it, and not a spectator.

    Kondalilla FallsThat said, sometimes it would be nice to be just a spectator. There’s a lot of stuff out there that seemingly just wants to barb, swipe or maim you on a whim. In this part of the world, it’s more of the small things – for example, I imagine it’s a matter of time before someone discovers an Australian variety of ant that will knock out an entire football team with just one nip. Where I used to go walking in Malaysia, we at least had the privilege of seeing what was going to eat you.

    Tiger, tiger, burning bright
    In the forests of the night,
    What immortal hand or eye
    Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

    I make it sound perilous, but it isn’t at all. The most deadly things I have come across so far are ticks and leeches. And bush cockroaches, which are pure evil.

    When the stars threw down their spears,
    And water’d heaven with their tears,
    Did He smile His work to see?
    Did He who made the lamb make thee?

    Yes, I need to get out of town…

  • Legacy

    Chinese funerary altar

    At a Chinese funeral that I attended recently, there was a lot of debate about whether the Christians amongst the family should be participating in the prayers and ceremonies, which followed the Taoist and Buddhist traditions.

    Chinese funerary altar - detailI won’t offer an opinion on the matter, but reflect on this: when Brahms wrote Ein deutsches Requiem (Op. 45, A German Requiem) in the 1860s, he derived the text from the Lutheran Bible. However he managed to write the libretto in such a way that it could have read as a Jewish prayer. In fact, it may even serve as a respectful and sincere requiem for a believer of any of the Abrahamic religions – more than half of the world’s population. There is an elegance in both the music and the text that suggests that the ecumenism of the message could only have been intended by Brahms. What a wonderful legacy.

  • Luxury weekend, anyone?

    Braeside, embroidered on pillows

    Driving down the New England Highway from Warwick to Stanthorpe, you wouldn’t immediately think that boutique weekend accommodation would be nestled in the Braeside bush. I had the great privilege of staying at Braeside Homestead this last weekend, and I figured I may as well rave about it. Make you all jealous.

    The drive from Brisbane on this particular Saturday was about as perfect as it gets – easy traffic and big blue skies overhead. Once you hit Cunningham’s Gap and cross the range, it’s a treat to be able to wind down the windows and feel the coolness of the Darling Downs in your face (and maybe a bug or two…), but it helps bring home the feeling that you’re out of Brisbane and away from it all, even though two hours’ drive isn’t really that much of a distance.

    Braeside HomesteadWe made a quick pit stop in Warwick to grab some provisions and went another 20 minutes South to Braeside, arriving just after lunch. We were greeted by Lloyd Ernst, who has lovingly restored the place with the help of his family, and landscaper Clint Kelly. Making ourselves at home with a welcome drink, we wandered about the place a bit, admiring the gardens which Clint has recreated to match the ornate late-19th century gardens as displayed in old photographs of the property.

    It was late afternoon, and time for a swim. After gathering towels and gear, we made our way up to the pool, which is located on Braeside Mountain, next to the golf driving range and helipad. The positioning of the pool is such that the view from anywhere in the pool is spectacular. 270 degrees of the view consist of wide open vistas of the surrounding country, all the way from Toowoomba in the North, to the border ranges in the West, and further south into New South Wales. Behind you are the exquisite gardens of Braeside Mountain, completing the 360 degree view.

    Down by the creekDinner followed – lamb on a spit cooked down by the creek. A good ’02 Shiraz, countless stars and the wonderful company of our host family made the whole evening just magical.

    So that’s how I began my weekend; it was pretty spiffy to begin with and it got even better as the weekend progressed. But nothing, of course, is perfect…

    I’m quite familiar with the feeling of homesickness, but I usually only feel it badly for a few weeks after having spent Christmas at home. The weird thing is I am feeling it right now, after only a weekend at Braeside. I have looked through my photos from the weekend six, seven, eight times now. And it’s not likely to be because I haven’t had a holiday in a while.

    It’s just that awesome.

  • Australia Day

    Arthur Phillip. Tsk… wonderpantsIt’s Australia Day tomorrow. To remind everyone about it, the local train station has put up big A4 sheets of paper with “Remember Australia Day” computer-printed on them. “January 26” is also taped up here and there. Altogether it’s supremely tacky.

    But it does raise a point. Sure, people will remember Australia Day before the event, but certainly not after. A good Australian will probably have a story about being barred from the barbecue because they’d become flammable on VB. The amount of brain-pickling that goes on is challenged only by Melbourne Cup day (which is strange, because we’re nowehere near Melbourne).

    OK, so I’m generalising. But I do think most people enjoy Australia Day. I do. The timing is such that it consoles the weary worker who is still mellow from Christmas gorging (or brain dead from New Year champagne). I mean, we don’t get all that many public holidays in Australia. Coming from someone who grew up in Malaysia anyway. We get:

    • New Year’s Day, 1 January
    • Australia Day, 26 January
    • Good Friday, 21 March
    • Easter Saturday, 22 March
    • Easter Monday, 24 March
    • Anzac Day, 25 April
    • Labour Day, 5 May
    • Queen’s Birthday, 9 June
    • Royal Queensland Show, 13 August (a Brisbane thing)
    • Christmas Day, 25 December
    • Boxing Day, 26 December

    … and that’s it. So I guess we’d better dust off the barbecue, get down to the bottle shop and slip, slop, slap. You know, like Arthur Phillip would’ve done. It’s the last real holiday of summer. Happy Australia Day!