Wine of the Week:
Wynns Coonawarra Estate 'The Siding' Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 - I know I have reviewed Wynns Coonawarra before but this one is different. Firstly, I had never seen this one before; which after reading their website makes sense as this is the inaugural release. Second, it has a green label which is very different to the standard black labels that Wynns have delivered through the standard retail channels.
On their website, winemaker Sue Hodder said that "the aim of this wine is to deliver a leading affordable Cabernet Sauvignon" which I believe she has. It is less than $20 and definitely a young Cab Sav so there isn't the huge body to it but is more than suitable for everyday drinking - put it this way, the bottle was finished in the one sitting!
http://www.wynns.com.au/?siding
Friends, I must admit that what I am writing about has bothered me on and off for some time now. However, it wasn't until I was on the train home one night last week that I was convinced that I needed to say something and get it off my chest.
Whilst standing on said train, I noticed that there was hardly anyone who didn't have headphones in their ears which in turn was connected to a device of some sort. That and if anyone was actually talking, it was to someone on their phone. It wasn't the first time that I noticed this either; in fact it happens every day of the week.
Which started me thinking...what happened to the random conversations between strangers? What happened to the days when you had "train friends" or "bus friends"? You know, those that you never see except for the times when you travel to or from work. Those that you shared your weekend's experiences or the day's events at the office; then bid a fond adieu until the same time tomorrow. The same ones that would always try to keep the bus or train from leaving because they could see you running to the get there on time.
Now, it just seems that people are quite content to stay in a world of their own; unwilling to engage in the base level of friendly greetings and conversation. We just seem to be more concerned about what we are listening to, answering that sms or checking in on Facebook.
And before you say it, I am as guilty as the next man or woman of having my nose in my Blackberry. That and I am fully aware of the irony of working in the ICT industry and here I am complaining that we are using it too much.
The thing is, I have always had this view that our use of technology would be reigned in by what I call 'the human handbreak'; in other words we would always have the ability to set the limits of what we would allow technology do for us; even if it is well below what it actually can do.
For example, I saw this video during the week which painted a vision for a glass company and showed how the mirror in your bathroom would be transformed into a touch screen where you could access your email, calendar and the web. I don't know about you but I don't need to respond to emails while brushing my teeth or any other part of my anatomy.
Similarly, I don't think we need to be always checking what we and others are doing on Facebook or shutting ourselves off with our favourite tunes or TV show at the expense of human interaction or building a sense of non-virtual (ie; real) community.
So I put this challenge to everyone (myself included). Turn the iphone off for a moment, keep the blackberry in the pocket for that little while longer and say hello to someone when you sit next to them on the train or stand with them at the bus stop. You may not become best mates, they may even be too shocked to say anything back and think you're a freak but you never know; you may make someone's day or even cause a smile (thinking that you are a freak).
Of course, I tried this the other night but no one heard me as they all had their headphones on...but tomorrow is another day!
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