Dan Djurdjevic

Those who read my other blogs will know that I was recently in Taiwan for almost 2 weeks to train with my martial arts shifu (teacher/father) Master Chen Yun-Ching. During that time I (amongst others) was adopted as a "bai shi" - an inner circle student or "martial son" of Master Chen. It is one of the highest honours I have ever received in my life, and also ranks with some of the most emotional experiences I've had. During the trip I not only experienced the joy of being adopted into Master Chen's extended family, but I also formed some very close bonds with other members of our group. These bonds transcend the normal/everyday friendships one might have at work or sports etc; I'm talking about friendships that go to the pit of your stomach. That I should have made such friendships is possibly not an accident; Master Chen and his adopted brother James Sumarac had clearly hand-picked people from around the world who are of a like mind, character and ...

Come raining down on me: I'm dressed for overkill. A book with pages glued floats in my living room, the wallpaper is peeling back the years. My portrait underfoot is already just a blur; the colours have bled to grey. Let it pour down on me, my stained fingers need the rain. Let it pour down on me and wash all my memories again. I'll be standing here, watching the picture fade away. The mp3 of the song can be downloaded here . Copyright © 2003 Dejan Djurdjevic

You're such a great Jedi knight, teaching others how to fight; you make them practise day and night to defeat the empire. They say that you're a workaholic; though you're not a chocaholic you may become an alchoholic if you work on weekends. Yoda, you've gotta take it easy. I know that you can fight and maim and kill, but Yoda, take a major chill pill. Check your cholesterol, your BP and, most of all, your liver function for the toll of your stressful lifestyle. Someone's got to pay the rent, but if all your life is spent not taking off a moment, you'll get sick and cranky. When all is said and done, a war on evil can't be won. You won't be wishing for your gun at your retirement village. Yoda, you've gotta take it easy. I know that you can fight and maim and kill, but Yoda, take a major chill pill. Try watching Kill Bill, buy a new wardrobe, try shave an earlobe, call up the Fab Five, go on a long drive, take a vacation with a relation, go to Niagar...

My jumbled world of limbless dolls, of summer heat and mistletoe, is always just the same. My garden is a universe where all my dreams are made of floppy hats and ballet shoes, a spotted dog and rhyming tunes ("Tommy says hello"), and it seems for all the world just like an ordinary day. "All aboard!" the station whistleman has spoken to us all; and I know it's hard to fight against his will. My sister comes from playing school and Daddy brings the afternoon, it's always just the same; we take the dog down to the fields and let him loose to run amongst the hay. The evening's full of dinner smells, with silver bells and cockle shells... Why do things have to change, when it seems for all the world just like an ordinary day? The mp3 of the song can be downloaded here . Copyright © 2003 Dejan Djurdjevic

He's always around, sitting here, just talking; and after a while I realize that he can't be. When I ask him how it's possible, he laughs like I already know, and I try to forget that I jinxed the moment. So it's as if he never left, only I get older every time I see my face in the mirror; he stays the same. I was a thousand miles away when it happened: I remember the telephone ringing in a dream, I remember pinching myself in the darkness, and my mother's cracking voice. Now I'm only awake when I'm dreaming. He's in the hallway closet now, under sweaters in a wooden box, with the date he started living in my dreams. The mp3 of the song can be downloaded here . Copyright © 2004 Dejan Djurdjevic

While I'm on the subject of direct marketing... I remember back in 1987 I was studying for my law exams. My nerves were frayed and my patience was stretched to its limits. My house mates couldn't stand me nor would they accede to my requests for a bit of quiet so I could memorize those damn constitutional law cases. When I finally had the place to myself I sat down with my books in the upstairs "study" (ie. the "box" room where we stored our junk). Then I heard a knock. I looked out of the window and saw 2 women standing at the front doorway bearing Bibles. It was about as much as I could stand. I went downstairs determined to tell them to go to hell and didn't they have better things to do, etc. Yet when I opened the door I was confronted with 2 sweet older ladies, both smiling gently like Dianne Wiest playing a doting aunt. Instantly my heart and resolve both melted. "Hello young man. Have you considered creation versus evolution?" the...

The day before Christmas eve I had a call from someone wanting me to participate in a survey. Now lately whenever I get some kind of unsolicited marketing call I've been doing the "right" thing: threatening to report them to the relevant authorities because I'm registered on the "do not call list". Since I've been on that list I have had surprisingly few calls, but some still get through - probably one every 2 months. Anyway, it's about 7:30 pm. The kids are finally asleep in bed and I'm planning on putting my feet up and having a bit of R & R. Then the phone rings. I pick it up and I hear a click and a whirr. A pause. An echo. By this stage I'm pretty sure I know what's happening. I prepare myself to give the telemarketer an almightly blast. Nowadays I've noticed that telemarketers give back as well as you can dish it out. They don't like us just as much as we don't like them. The last one opened with: "Co...