June 2026 Update
Apologies for not updating recently. I have no good excuse apart from simply not being able to overcome the lethargy that has been weighing me down.
Health
My most recent tests show that I am still cancer-free, which is great news.
However, I have had some issues with colitis and my overall energy levels. I have been very lethargic for much of the past few months and have had to cancel or pull back on several activities. The lethargy is such a weird issue because it just drains my ability to get out of bed and do the simplest of tasks like writing. I always have a baseline of lethargy, but this was much more extreme than normal. At one stage, the colitis issues meant I was dealing with diarrhea throughout the day and the night.
I am on top of the colitis for the time being with help from my doctors, and hopefully our plan will keep things settled. It was clear from my blood tests that the colitis had taken a toll on my body, but those tests also gave a clear, logical reason for being way more lethargic than usual.
The initial treatment was a high dose of steroids. This not only solved the digestive issue but gave me an amazing rush of energy to catch up on so many outstanding things. The issue with steroids is they also prevent the immunotherapy from working, which is why they are only used as a last option. There was a moment of panic when the initial test I did for colitis got mixed up at the labs. The faulty results showed the issue to be at a critical level, which would have completely stopped my immunotherapy. Thankfully, a retest combined with my treatment showed that things were stable and I could safely continue.
My plan now is to avoid any doctor visits until the 19th of August since I will be away. I lost about 5 kilos during this rough patch, but it is coming back quickly. Unfortunately, I also lost all the strength and build-up I had achieved at the gym because I was simply unable to go.
I am spending time thinking and working on how I can handle lethargy better in the future. Instead of trying to aggressively fight it, I am learning to manage it. I need to be patient!
Despite it all, I still managed to get most of what I had planned done. It was just a strict cycle of resting, dealing with the colitis, and then doing what was planned. Wherever possible, I just stayed mainly in bed for the day. For instance, one day during my Japan trip, I stayed in my hotel room for 30 hours straight just trying to get myself together before heading back out.
Personal
There seems like a lot to cover in this section, but that is simply because there has been a lot of time between updates.
I turned 50! I still cannot believe it. It was not long ago that reaching this age seemed like a remote possibility, so when the day actually arrived, it was a feeling of relief and almost surprise. The milestone is never the goal. The goal is always just the next month. Kirsten asked me if I would now set the goal to 60, and my response was a firm no. I set the goal as July. I feel extremely lucky that things have gone my way and that I am still here, especially when I think of some wonderful people out there who really deserved to be here and did not make it.
April kicked off with a Greek Easter dinner . It was a wonderful time focusing on our annual tradition of putting on a full lamb spit and catered dinner. Shortly after, I spent the girls' school holidays taking them to Tree Tops and on a nature walk, but I was unfortunately not in a condition to do much more.
Then it was time for my New Zealand South Island photography adventure. I flew in on the 17th of April and spent the first few days catching up with family. On the 20th, I took a quick flight down to Christchurch, picked up the rental car, and headed to a friend's house. The real photography work began when I drove out to Wanaka on the 22nd. I spent the next couple of days touring the area and capturing some heavy landscape shots. On the 25th, I made my way to Cromwell to catch up with a friend smart enough to leave the craziness of Auckland, followed by an overnight stay at the Temuka Hall of Terrace. I wrapped up the trip in Christchurch and flew back to Sydney on the 28th.
May and June were packed with a number of shows, movies, and catch-ups. On the comedy front, I saw Tommy Little on the 1st of May, took Kirsten to see Jenny Tian at The Concourse on the 8th, and caught Con Coutis on the 14th. The absolute standout was Kyla Cobbler at the State Theatre on the 13th. She is easily the best comedian of the year so far!
I also spent plenty of time at the theatre and the movies. I watched Kapodistrias and the highly anticipated The Devil Wears Prada 2 early in May. Later in the month, I saw the classic operetta Pirates of Penzance and a very suspenseful stage adaptation of The Birds. I also watched The Invite, which I think is the best movie of the year.
Then there was Hair the musical at the Theatre Royal on the 7th of June. I made a massive mistake and booked tickets for the kids. I realised about four minutes in that they needed to leave due to the explicit themes, and thankfully they did. I really should have left, too. It was the worst musical I have seen in recent memory.
Music was also on the agenda. I saw Split Enz for their Forever Enz tour on the 18th of May, which was great.
At the end of May, I headed off on a street photography adventure to Japan. I flew into Haneda on the 26th and spent the next day exploring the cyberpunk vibes around the city. I even managed to catch a baseball game at the Tokyo Dome and experience the immersive teamLab Planets exhibition before heading home.
The middle of June was all about food and celebrations for my 50th. I hosted a FirePit Night for 20 on the 12th, where I fired up the rotisserie and slow-cooked a 16-kilo lamb, a 3-kilo pork neck, a tomahawk steak, and a chicken for the vegetarians. The very next day, I checked into the Star Casino for my birthday weekend and had fantastic birthday drinks at The Gallon. I was not up to a full party, and it was very late in the planning, so I was extremely touched by those who went well out of their way to make the trip in for what was essentially a very short time to mark the day with me, also it was nice of the Knicks to bring home the championship on that day too!!
The month rounded out with having friends over for dinner and celebrating Kirsten's birthday on the 24th.
Well, that's it until the next update, which I hope will be soon!
PS: check out the pictures I have added recently, there is a lot more to be added.