Weekend in Sydney: Looking for Clues & Ludovico Einaudi
I am currently reading this book by Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being. In one of his many enlightening chapters, he talks about looking for clues in life. He says,
“When clues present themselves, it can sometimes feel like the delicate mechanism of a clock at work. As if the universe is nudging you with little reminders that it’s on your side and wants to provide everything you need to complete your mission.”
I underlined these sentences, packed the book in my luggage and made my way to the airport for the weekend trip Abhay and I had planned for Sydney. We were going to watch Ludovico Einaudi, one of our favorite classical artists, play at the Sydney Opera House.
There was one hour left before boarding opened so I happily began to read “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” while Abhay slept on my lap. I’m often reading multiple books at any given time — books are like music for me, you pick the one that best suits your mood. We went into one of our usual time warps and snapped back when we heard our names being announced in the final boarding call.
We had booked this boutique hotel called Hotel Morris in Sydney. As we opened the door of what seemed to be the reception, it opened up to a bar. I thought I had it wrong when Bridget, the concierge, said that’s how they do it. They served drinks & checked in guests at the same reception, which we found strangely appealing. We began to talk to Bridget and from the time we entered till the time she checked us in, we had managed to have a really fun conversation. Theo, the bartender came soon after and all three of us had a good banter about Bridget’s new shoes she was trying to break in. We were already quite impressed with the interior of the hotel and having met Bridget & Theo, we were almost certain we were in for a good time.
The room in terms of area was tiny but so tastefully crafted — from the color palette of the room to the abstract shape of the mirror, it was nothing but tasteful. This hotel had the identity of a really classy gentleman who believed in taste, not showing abundance.
We had just completed the challenge of alcohol-free January so naturally you treat yourself with lots of alcohol as a reward. Abhay & I made our way down to the bar for the happy hour. We were so pleased by the house wine & beer they served — it was too good to be in the happy hour menu. Pretending to be an expert, I suggested to Abhay, “The texture is that of a Pinot Noir” and Theo chimes in to tell me it wasn’t Pinot & Pinot was actually one of their worst wines and I should never have it. We all laughed our asses off. Theo had this unique chuckle that would appear after he says something cheeky or brutally honest. We loved that about him.
The next day, we went down for our morning breakfast. I have a habit of waking up 2 hours before a buffet breakfast is supposed to close, so I can get there in time to clock two meals at the very least. I left Abhay snoring and made my way down. I met Laura, who also worked at the Hotel and we got to talking. She suggested to go for the Manly hike. She also advised to carry grapes to feed the dragon lizards.
We took the bus to Spit bridge and dropped off near a small park. We saw a pull up bar and before you knew it, Abhay was already hanging from it. There was a very well-built & handsome guy at the bar already, practicing his own movements.
A few moments later, he struck a conversation with us and half an hour later, we were still talking. His name is Harrison and we were stunned at the things he was talking about. He spoke to us about learning to create tension in your muscle through joint movements & strengthening your mind-body connection through movement. He taught us a few things about the way he does things but mostly spoke about how important it is to enjoy the physical movements you partake in as part of your daily exercise. It was such an effortless conversation but what struck us the most was that we were both exploring this topic for ourselves of late. Learning how to apply our bodies in a way that we learned not just about how our bodies moved but also cultivated a strong mind-body connection. We added each other on Instagram and were absolutely stunned at the clue the universe had given us. This random (yet not so random) conversation confirmed the path we were on — moving our bodies with intention.
We walked away so gleefully, starting our 2-hour walk. We explored secluded beaches & so many breathtaking views on the way. The same night, we had Ludovico’s concert. As we made our way to the Sydney Opera house, we were blown by the Harbor’s beauty.
As Ludovico came on stage, I felt the goosebumps and intense sensations in my body. I also felt a tear or two roll down my face just at the sheer excitement & gratitude of being in his presence. He began to play and no matter how much I try, I just cannot find the words to describe this experience. I cried so hard when he played Nuvole Bianche & Experience, two of my favorite pieces. Abhay and I held each other tightly when he played Nuvole Bianche. It’s a special piece because it is attached to an indelible memory for me. Abhay weaved this piece in the middle of the set he prepared for me (Here’s the set for anyone interested — highly recommend) and when I heard it for the first time, I was in tears. With so much skill & love, he had weaved this song into the fabric of his set that I would never forget the moment I first heard it. This piece remarks a very crucial stage of evolution in our relationship in the set.
The concert made us feel so inspired, so alive, so in tune with everything. Music has so much power and while I know this in theory, it still takes me by surprise the way I subconsciously communicate with music through goosebumps or tears or an elevated heart rate.
We were transfixed for the entire concert & when he finished, the whole room applauded for at least 10 minutes. As we walked out with a full heart, Abhay remarked “Did you see how humble he was? The way he gestured towards the room and clapped until the crowd was finished applauding. You could tell he was oozing humility and I love that.”
One of Abhay’s strongest traits is unbridled humility so he has naturally always been attracted to humility as a trait in people. You could tell by the people he most admires in music or sports that humility ties them all together.
We sauntered in the city to find a place to eat and finally sat at Bar Totti’s, one of the few serving food after 10pm. We were, yet again, impressed with the food & the hospitality of this French guy serving us. He cracked a few jokes with us and we couldn’t help but think how charming he was. He would’ve been working the whole day by then and to retain that spirit was so impressive. Abhay casually remarked how beautiful he thinks women in Sydney are and I agreed, having seen a countless of them from the glass window of the restaurant.
The next day, we went out to explore different suburbs in Sydney. We made our way to Miller’s point which offered us, yet again, a breathtaking view of the Harbor. As we kept walking down from there, we came across this local market which was buzzing with people & shops. We decided to get something for Theo, as a way of thanking him for his company during our stay.
We left for the airport shortly after. As we sat down to wait for the boarding to open, we started to have a heated debate about a few things. Time flew by, and we found ourselves rushing to the gate, 15 minutes after it had opened. We found out that the gate had closed & the flight was ready to leave so we would have to catch the next one. As we looked around to confirm whether all passengers had boarded, an old couple passes a judgmental look at us and says “This is what happens when 18-year olds try to catch a flight”. Abhay smiles, “They think we’re 18!” and I smile to the voice in my head that went “They don’t even know our circumstances”- I noticed how much perspective matters in that split second.
My heart sank as we made our way down but I reminded myself that not only was this a good lesson but also a chance to practice the change of perspective. I told myself that it’s another one of those situations where I prove the learnings I talk about so enthusiastically. I said aloud,
“Well at least we get to spend more time exploring the airport.”
At the counter, I tried persuading the lady to not charge us, but it didn’t work. We paid and made our way back to the security line. We were directed to go to the extra security line, which made sense because if the cameras spotted us lining up 40 minutes after we were here, it would’ve picked us up with a question mark “What the fuck happened?”
We got a McDonald’s meal & coffee to make the most of this and made our way to the boarding gate, which to our dismay, didn’t open until half an hour later. I thought to myself,
“It is unfair that we had to pay for a new flight because we were a couple of minutes late but this flight is now late but we patiently have to wait” then shifted my perspective to,
“That’s how it works for everyone. Stop whining!”
We boarded the flight and sat next to a 48-year old Greek gentleman. We struck a conversation and he offered to drop us till Brunswick, where he lived. As we drove back together, I asked him about Socrates/Plato/Aristotle, and he said, one of the most important learnings was from Socrates for him which was “Know Thy self. You have to know yourself in order to understand the world around you.”
When we talked about the Greek family values, he remarked how the Greek language played such a crucial role in the formation of these values. Midway through the conversation, I told Alex (his name) about how unhappy I initially was to be paying for this flight and having met him, it makes it completely worth it.
He went on to tell us a story that ended with the moral,
“Time is your most valuable asset. Money comes & goes, it’s time that simply goes so if you can learn to make the most of your time, there is nothing better to do in life.”
We smiled because life at this moment was so synchronous. We felt so aligned with the way events had unfolded. We listened to music and Abhay asked Alex what type of music he enjoyed. He immediately retorted, “What type of food do you like?” and Abhay said, all kinds of food, there’s so much he enjoys. He exclaimed, “EXACTLY!” then went on to play some 1950s music that was the genesis of electronic music. As we heard music together, we spoke about everything from Greek food to restaurants in Brunswick. He dropped us off, saying “Take my contact details. I will invite you over for some authentic Greek food.”
We hugged him bye and couldn’t believe our own god damn fortune at having had life be so aligned. Throughout this trip, clues were scattered across. We were so ecstatic, we decided to have a drink at this bar in Brunswick. We called up our dear friend, Ana, who was on her way to Chapel Street but thought us being in the neighborhood was a sign so she made her way back to have a drink with us. As we toasted all to life, Rick Rubin’s quote again came to me,
“When clues present themselves, it can sometimes feel like the delicate mechanism of a clock at work. As if the universe is nudging you with little reminders that it’s on your side and wants to provide everything you need to complete your mission.”
