I'm not a fan of Sydney but I managed to find some grime, as per the prior pic (no I wasn't staying there). Also before dinner with a close friend on Friday night at Yulli's (vegetarian) I wandered around Surry Hills to the homes I used to live in many years ago as a young pup straight out of uni, with John, my partner back then. One of them has been gentrified: 
but our first home together as renters, in a tiny quiet culdesac a mere 2 blocks from the gentrified area, is still the same dilapidated but cute lime green, and the cactii out the front have survived, which brought back a flood of memories.... 
It's uplifting to see it has survived where all around it has been gentrified. Truly tugged at my heart, as opposed to the prior place which is where I lived a lot longer and was a grand terrace with the wooden floors, high ceilings, plasterwork etc. but in gentrification the street had lost it's idiosyncratic soul... and didn't move me. Went to a wedding of a fellow who has been to hell and back the last 2 years, met someone 3 months ago and is now married.... So we went to the casual informal ceremony with wariness and ... they are a match and the day/night was fantastic. We cried during the ceremony. Then he gave a speech later on and thanked me (amongst others) for helping him through the past 2 years and I quietly bawled all over again, and turned to hide, only to see most people there dabbing their eyes. Very emotional but cathartic and ultimately joyful. It was so uplifting to see him so happy after such depths of hell and his whole life has turned around in 3 months since meeting his partner. His partner is from Colombo so the celebrations included LOTS of salsa dancing until 3am. Beautiful weather, fabulous night and they know how to party.
A lady in her early twenties was there, pale skin with black hair with a purple streak through it, and dressed in heeled Mary Janes and a black tutu. She had razor scars all over both arms. Hundreds of scars, more scars than skin and she had a couple of bandaids over fresh scars. I don't understand self mutilation and was curious. So I approached her and started a conversation. I thought she might be into some alternative goth or death metal scene, but although she said she like indie music, she didn't appear to be a scenester. She works fulltime for a corporate in a sensible role. She didn't seem to be shamed by them as was happily pointing to tattoos elsewhere on her body. So I tried another approach, I asked .. actually I can't remember what I asked as I'm still blurry from the party, but I noticed her eyes lit up when I did. I suspect she self mutilates to get attention. So I suspect it's an illness and she's taken it way too far. She's given it too much leeway. She did say she's moving back in with her mum and dad so hopefully she has acknowledged it and is taking steps to address it. I hope so as she was a sweetie and doesn't deserve it. Apart from that sobering conversation the party was a energetic happy celebration.
Missed my flight back to Melbourne but the lovely Qantas lady helped me out for free. Good because it was entirely my fault that I was slow and befuddled from too much partying and little sleep and multiple 'debrief' post wedding catchups on who did what with whom and other mayhem.... Back in Melbourne, today went to an oral specialist today for some dental work. He also specialises in pain management, and went into lengthy detail about pain and surgery and said the surgery another specialist has recommended for me is (he took a deep breath for pause effect) "extraordinarily" (another breath for emphasis) "painful." But then reassured me that at least it's far better than 15 years ago when they didn't have xrays and much of it was guesstimates..... But he was very sweet about it all and I'd certainly recommend him, and he spoke very highly of the other surgeon. I'd been told by that surgeon the surgery was "more painful than childbirth" but didn't need it to be reinforced... (and no the xray below is not mine):
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