What a day! Today I attended my first in-person TED Talk. A number of speakers were there covering a varying range of topics. My dream is to do my own TED Talk, and I can think of a number of topics I can discuss.
Being here today required working a bit of magic, as usual. The other day when I was hitchhiking I saw a sign for today's TED Talk and I informed my film director, Lydia Nibley, straight away. She said to definitely go. My heart sank the other day when I found out that tickets were sold out. It reminds me of the "supermoon" flight last month...when I attempted to book it, the website crashed and then it was sold out. This time, however, persistence and some good ol' Chris Farrell luck paid off. At $150 the cost is rather steep but a "goodie bag" is included with a bottle of wine, jar of cashew butter, shampoo, Chinese medicine, and a coconut bowl.
There were about 10 different speakers today giving talks about various topics. Hiromi Tango is an artist based in Tweed Heads, although she's originally from Shikoku in Japan. She was dressed so elegantly. Franck Gazzola is a travel photographer who has sailed through Canada's Northwest Passage, and I thoroughly enjoying hearing his story and talking to him afterward. My favourite speaker today was Dr. Gregory Smith, who is author of Out of the Forest. I'm sure you spot something else here...
He was a homeless alcoholic and drug addict who lived as a hermit in the forest and now holds a PhD in sociology and teaches at Southern Cross University. His story is really inspiring.
Lunch was delicious, with a choice of either Peruvian stew or falafel, but I got to have a bit of both. Attending a TED Talk makes me feel like I'm part of an elite group of people. The talks today overall were very intresting and informative. Afterward, we had an opportunity to chat with the speakers, and this evening we had a private gathering at Stone & Wood Brewery. I was annoyed at first because they didn't have wine but I had to remember it's a brewery; it'd be like going to a vineyard and expecting them to serve beer.
Now that I've attended my first TED Talk, I have an even greater desire to do my own.
