One Grain Amongst the Storm

In Pursuit of Oz: All That Light in Sydney

umashankar — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 03:07:00 +0000

Nothing about the bustling waterfront around me suggested 1844. The wooden sailing ships that had once relied upon wind, tide and stars were gone. Engines, radio and radar belonged to a future beyond imagination.

In Pursuit of Oz: Lost in the Bush

umashankar — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 14:32:37 +0000

Step inside and look up, and you’ll find a waterfall dropping through a perfect hole in the ceiling — like the mountain quietly decided to let a little daylight in.

In Pursuit of Oz: All Quiet on the Gold Coast

umashankar — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:43:40 +0000

Despite being one of Australia’s best-known tourist precincts, the atmosphere felt remarkably restrained. Nobody appeared particularly interested in impressing anyone else. People walked, cycled, surfed, lingered, watched the ocean, or simply occupied themselves with the agreeable business of doing very little.

In Pursuit of Oz: Along the Great Ocean Road

umashankar — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:37:36 +0000

Armed with a 7-Eleven umbrella, she soon discovered that the local winds regarded umbrellas as little more than suggestions. After a brief but unequal struggle, the contraption inverted itself with remarkable efficiency, possibly as a precaution against its owner being carried off like a reluctant paratrooper.

In Pursuit of Oz: The Spirits of Melbourne

umashankar — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 12:06:24 +0000

I had watched Spider-Man swing between skyscrapers often enough. I had simply never expected to audition for the role myself.

In Pursuit of Oz: Temporary Melburnians

umashankar — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:44:05 +0000

Crossing the road from Flinders Street, we stepped into Federation Square. It is arguably Melbourne’s principal public space and, quite possibly, a declaration of war against the straight line. If Flinders Street Station belongs to the age of clocks, domes, and punctual railway ambitions, Federation Square appears to have been designed by a committee of highly gifted triangles.

In Pursuit of Oz: The Hong Kong Surprise

umashankar — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 04:54:23 +0000

The young woman attempted an explanation in English. Unfortunately, the circumstances required a language altogether different. The more she explained, the less I understood, and the less I understood, the more elaborate my objections became.

Catch-24 X 7

umashankar — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 10:21:38 +0000

This profound leadership oracle deserves its own place in the pantheon of corporate absurdities. It’s the kind of rhetorical flourish that leaves employees speechless, unsure whether to laugh, cry, or double-check their marriage certificates.

Virus and Void

umashankar — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 10:07:51 +0000

From virus to virusI have kept my date with not dying,tossing and turning in sheets,cough syrups and repurposed antibiotics.Inside me, the pathogen worms,outside me, the pathogen storms,in the middle of it all: a spent spring. Intervals of time don’t matter,intervals…

The Forgotten Barbecue

umashankar — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 04:53:42 +0000

It has come upon meonce more, this month ofinquisitions, the rat raceto the roads I never thoughtI’d take. Behind me and beyondthe misty miles, lie themuch-dreamt meadowsthat will never be my home now. They beckon me yet againlike the foliage…