Dim's Write Stuff

I am Australia born. And bred. My accent is a batter of Queensland Aussie twang and transatlantic drawl (thanks to time spent residing in Europe and riding the high waves of superyacht crewing). I have the colouring of a Mauri and have been mistaken for a woman of Mauritian or Pacific Islander descent. I have the perverse wit of the Irish and the dark hair of a Romany Scots. Frugal as crazy rich Asian and just as superstitious, I am all of these things and none of them. I identify most strongly as a citizen of the world or perhaps, that is how I wish to be perceived. Maybe this is why I resisted so fiercely to answering the frequent question of my youth, 'But where do you come from originally?'  In truth I have no recollection of a former life prior to being born. All that backstory is filled in as ones future narrative unfolds. Why then should it have been a subject of such scrutiny when I was too young to understand the reasons behind their interrogations? I understand better...

Saroo Brierley’s tale is one of heartbreak and tenacity. It’s the kind of bad dream that has you waking in a cold sweat; you know the one, where dread and abject terror fill every cell of your body because something so unconscionably bad happens and you are helpless to reverse it. Saroo Brierley experienced such a dream, which for a boy of just five years of age is harrowing enough, except Saroo’s nightmare was real. Separated from his older brother one fateful night whilst roaming the train platforms near his small hometown village, Saroo’s life takes an irreversible detour. From simply searching for opportunities to improve their improvised existence in India’s regional mid-west, Saroo’s young logic transports him half-way across the country to Calcutta (Kolkata); a veritable galaxy away from everything and everyone he’s ever known. Incredibly, he survives alone on the streets for weeks until he finds refuge in an orphanage. Within a month fate steps in again and Saroo is adopted...

Music Is there a young somebody under your roof with a passion for reality? Then I recommend you scoop up this little non-fiction wonder, Music . Released by What on Earth Publishing , this resplendent encyclopedia of music is just one of the many non-fiction titles this company specialises in all designed to engage (a child’s) natural curiosity and passion for learning . And they are simply astounding. Music is a fold-out graphic history of music which means it can be read from cover to cover as a normal book, but each page is actually a concertina fold which when unfolded spreads out into an engrossing timeline 2.5 metres long! This musical odyssey begins with an overview of the world allowing readers to gain a sense of time and place that is all encompassing. Time is measured in the religiously neutral but same timeframe as BC, BCE and CE (AD) and begins with ancient music from prehistoric times. It’s a fascinating journey and one I am certain adults will want to experience ...