Time-Out, Sydney

Given a choice, Mirabelle Cafe isn't what I would pick to have coffee. Its flat white lacked flavor and body. It was nondescript. But the location's got lots going for it and I don't really have another convenient cafe to walk to.

On this sort of work trips, there is neither personal time nor planned time-out, not even on the weekends. Don't even bother to date the friends for a meal. I assure you that all plans will be thrown awry and work looms large every friggin' minute. Your day doesn't end at 7pm. You'll be very lucky if it ends at 8pm. On the average, it ends at 11pm, and starts at 8am. I only managed a very early morning coffee run with the friends in Melbourne. So it's down to seizing the moment to keep my sanity. And today I did.

It was completely out of character, but at Mirabelle, I chose to sit al fresco in the shade. I didn't want to sit indoors and feel cooped up. There is only so much I can take before feeling claustrophobic. Seeing only the insides of boardrooms isn't healthy for my mental health.

At least I had time for breakfast, and a meander through the Art Gallery NSW. It feels horrifyingly empty if it's all about the work and business and there's nothing else to fill the soul with. It's a drab drab sort of existence. Strolling through halls containing contemporary pieces, indigenous colors, Chinese relics, landscape photos, stone and wood sculptures, I felt hugely alive.

On my way out of the Gallery and onward to the afternoon meeting, I bought a coffee to-go. The flat white at the Gallery was good. I was in cheerful spirits. Trust me, the immense joy felt bounding along the streets was immeasurable.