Posts from ‘Events’
Warm memories of Ubud.
Saturday, October 17th, 2009
I miss Ubud. I miss the warmth of the people and, well, just the warmth in general. It’s bleedin’ cold here in Melbourne at the moment. But, it is great to be home and I’ve got a wonderful two weeks of playing tour guide to my girlfriend Beth who is visiting Australia for the very first time. Except, the poor thing brought along bikinis and summer dresses because I told her that it is warm in Australia. A ski jacket and mittens were probably a better idea. So, to make me feel warmer here’s a few photos from my time at the Ubud Writer and Readers Festival… (read more)
The role of Bintang in Australian Literature.
Sunday, October 11th, 2009
Sadly, I’m at the end of my stay in Ubud, but I have had a wonderful time at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. All my ‘events’ went well – people turned up, no one fell asleep and I didn’t mumble too much. It really is the most fun writer’s festival I’ve attended. As well as the great sessions there were amazingly lavish writer’s dinners every night and one party that was straight out of Hollywood. The party took place in a ridiculously flash four storey mansion. I arrived late and there were folk lounging around on giant cushions around the pool, people swimming in their underwear in the pool, couples making out by the pool and normally conservative writers going crazy on the dance floor. Unfortunately I had to… (read more)
From kartoffelpuffers to nasi goreng.
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
My liver survived all the beer in Germany and I’m now in Ubud, Bali for the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. I ended my German Beer Drinking Tour, I mean Book Tour, back in Stuttgart to meet up with a bunch of couch surfers to attend Canstatter Volksfest (basically a big fun fair with huge beer tents in the middle). It was a Saturday plus a public holiday in Germany, so the place was packed with Germans in lederhosen. We queued at one beer tent for two hours and it looked like we weren’t getting in anywhere when another couch surfer found tickets for us into another tent. So, with ein mass (a litre of beer) in hand and half a grilled chicken I joined the throng standing on their chairs singing along to… (read more)
If it’s Friday, this must be Hannover.
Saturday, October 3rd, 2009
I’m nearing the end of my book tour around Germany for Couch Surfing: Eine abenteuerliche Reise um die Welt and scheiße am I tired. The tour has been going very well, though, and the book events have been well attended, my couch surfing hosts have been wonderful and I’ve eaten and drunk my body weight in wurst and beer. So far I have been to Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Leipzig and Rendsburg and I’m currently in Hannover. I think.
Here’s a brief run down of my trip so far: (read more)
A forecast of wind in Frankfurt.
Monday, September 28th, 2009
Guten Tag! I’m in Franfurt at the start of my book tour for Couch Surfing – Eine abenteuerliche Reise um die Welt and I’m lovin’ being back in Germany. I love my German beer, and wurst, and kartoffelpuffers, and spatzle, and jaeger schnitzel and all that other wonderful German healthy food that increase the chances of a coronary. My first meal was bratwurst with sauerkraut and pommes (chips) followed the next day by more wurst with kartoffelsalat and a large mug of beer for lunch. For dinner I had kalbsbraten (veal) smothered in thick cream and mushroom sauce and spatzle (with another two large mugs of beer). And today for lunch I decided to try the local speciality ‘Handkäse mit Musik’… (read more)
If you can’t come to Germany then join me in Bali…
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
I’m ‘appearing’ at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in October (the pic is of me and Tony Wheeler talking at the 2008 festival). It’s a fantastic festival taking place in stunning locations all around Ubud. Harpers Bazaar magazine called the festival ‘One of the six best literary festivals in the world’. I’ll let the folk from the festival give you the lowdown of what it is all about: ‘This year’s Ubud Writers & Readers Festival promises to be as exciting as ever. Our 2009 theme Suka-Duka: Compassion & Solidarity. The theme reflects… (read more)
I’m on the wireless this Saturday.
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
I’m joining Greg, Jodie and Macca on the Detours Travel show at JOY 94.9 FM this Saturday (and not be confused with JOY FM a Christian radio station in Sarasota which features Bible teaching programs and Contemporary Christian music). I’ll be talking about my latest trip travelling around South East Asia using the original 1975 Lonely Planet ‘South East Asia on a Shoestring’. You can tune in or listen to it online anywhere in the world at www.joy.org.au The show is on from 12.00 to 1.00pm Melbourne time (or 4.00am in Warsaw, 8.00am in Karachi or 9.00pm Friday night in Minneapolis)… (read more)
How to slack off from work for an hour…
Friday, May 29th, 2009
The lovely folk at the Athenaeum Library In Melbourne recorded my ‘library talk’ this week and put a podcast of it on their website. Amazingly, some of my talk actually made sense and those people I paid to laugh all the way through did a wonderful job. There may be some confusing parts as well, though. But that’s not just because I was talking too fast, but also a powerpoint ’slideshow’ accompanied my talk. It’s goes for a somewhat long-winded hour, but if you’re slacking off at work you can listen to it here… (read more)
Two library events and a nasi goreng.
Sunday, May 24th, 2009
Look how excited everyone is! That’s because I’m doing two library events this week complete with slide show and ‘witty’ tales about my latest book Sleeping Around. You can catch me at Pakenham Library on Tuesday May 26th at 7.00pm and at Athenaeum Library in the city on Wednesday May 27th at 1.00pm. For full details check out my events page. I’ll also be selling and signing books, which you can then sell on ebay for thousands of dollars.
And for those that can’t make it to Melbourne this week why not come hear me talk in Bali… (read more)
A very hot book launch.
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
I’ve only just cooled down enough from my book launch on Thursday night to finally update my blog! And what a scorcher of a night it was (in both respects!). Half an hour before kick-off it was 43.1 degrees (110 in the old money) and I was worried that folk would be sitting under their ACs at home rather than coming out and tackling the heat. But, bless them all, about 70 people risked dehydration and heat stroke to hear me waffle on about sleeping around the globe. The other problem with a hot night is that the bar tab soon ran out because… (read more)