Having ran out of Star Wars film titles I've had to resort to Star Trek.
I heard something somewhere, I'm not sure where actually, that dick Cheeny is in town and that traffic would bad , and no trains would be running. Which is why I am sitting here now at an airport internet kiosk. My flight starts boarding in about 40 minutes. The bus ride to the airporst wasn't too bad actually, thank god they only charged $2.40 instead of the usual $15 to use the airport train service.
A bit of a sour note is that I lost two T-Shirts I bought in the hostel somewhere (either that or they were stolen!). I didn't realise until I packed up my stuff and left the room. I lodged a report with reception, I'm positive I didn't leave anything behind in the locker in the room. I've even checked my bag twice. I'm a bit pissed off actually.
The other thing is that after getting back from the Blue Mountains last night I just felt sick in the stomache and had a headache. It was an exhausting (but good and totaly worth it) day. I just curled up on my bed and well just lay there. Eventually I decided I needed something to eat, and rememered that KFC is a good medicine for sick stomaches. I know it sounds strange, but it worked for me once. This time it worked with middling success. I did feel better, but still not real well. I felt the pain move through my intestines through the night, it started high but by early in the morning it was low, and was gone by the time I woke up. I can feel it coming back now, I hope I don't get airsick.
I suppose the good news is that I have a window seat for the flight back to Melbourne. I'm really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again. I put fresh sheets on it the day I left. I will not miss the hostel, in fact I don't think I will stay there again. They claim to clean the rooms thoroughly, but I doubt it, and the bathrooms are small and grotty. But yes, Mum's cooking and my own bed beckon...
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Ben's Adventures in Sydney: Train and Shopping Day
After toying with the idea of going to the Blue Mountains, I realised that I had missed the most appropriate train to get there (it takes 2 hours so you have leave early-ish to get the most out of the day). So I went with plan B which was to begin with watching freight trains pass Canterbury Station. From what I have read on the internet, there is a steady stream of freight trains passing here throughout the day. I was not disappointed. In a little over an hour and a half I saw 8 trains on the goods lines. I took quite a few photos, and even photographed a few sparks in the downtime. It was good.
Getting a bit bored, I decided to move on. The other train related thing I wanted to do was ride on the Carlingford Line. This blue line on the Sydney rail map has always intrigued me. To get there I needed to get first to Lidcombe, which necessitated traveling thorough notorious suburbs such as Lakemba and Bankstown. Much to my surprise (when considering how this area is portrayed in the Media) there was hardly a Muslim extremist to be seen. Instead there were many people from any number of faiths and ethnicities. Once at Lidcombe I needed to find a train heading west that stopped at the junction station of Clyde, only two stops further on. Eventually one turned up after nearly half an hour and I was on my way.
Branching off the main western line at Clyde it off up into the hills terminating nowhere in particular (as I found out it starts nowhere in particular as well), when most lines in Sydney seem to go somewhere, or at least loop back on themselves. I wasn't disappointed however, as it passes through an area of Sydney I was totally unfamiliar with, the most notable highlight being Rosehill Racecourse. The frequency is appalling and I risked getting stranded for an hour getting out at Carlingford to take a photo of the train, luckily there was about a 5 minute turn around. I would compare it with the Alamein Line in Melbourne except that it's longer, has a worse service and appears to traverse less well-to-do suburbs.
Back at Clyde I decided to go to Paramatta, don't know why but it seemed the logical place to go when searching for food in that part of Sydney. I ended up in the Westfield Shopping Centre, but nothing in the basement level food court took my fancy at the time so I went seeking the other food court. This place is huge, it's got at least 5 levels (although they are all narrow and head in the same direction). I ended up wasting a few hours here. Upon re-emerging into daylight to get the train back to Sydney (an express to Gosford stopping at only Lidcombe and Strathfield) I discovered that the clouds had rolled in and it was raining. No complaints from me, it was refreshing.
Once back in town, I took some time to re-group in the hostel before heading over to Market City in Hay Market where I ended up buying some T-Shirts which subsequently got lost/stolen. Gunzel time again struck when I took some time to photo some Sydney trams/light rail. Becoming lazy I opted for a light dinner at Darling Harbour, before just vegging out on a step overlooking the water for an hour or so. Again I took the light rail back to the hostel, but decided to forgo the beer because I decided that tommorow was my last chance to go to the Blue Mountains before returning home.
Getting a bit bored, I decided to move on. The other train related thing I wanted to do was ride on the Carlingford Line. This blue line on the Sydney rail map has always intrigued me. To get there I needed to get first to Lidcombe, which necessitated traveling thorough notorious suburbs such as Lakemba and Bankstown. Much to my surprise (when considering how this area is portrayed in the Media) there was hardly a Muslim extremist to be seen. Instead there were many people from any number of faiths and ethnicities. Once at Lidcombe I needed to find a train heading west that stopped at the junction station of Clyde, only two stops further on. Eventually one turned up after nearly half an hour and I was on my way.
Branching off the main western line at Clyde it off up into the hills terminating nowhere in particular (as I found out it starts nowhere in particular as well), when most lines in Sydney seem to go somewhere, or at least loop back on themselves. I wasn't disappointed however, as it passes through an area of Sydney I was totally unfamiliar with, the most notable highlight being Rosehill Racecourse. The frequency is appalling and I risked getting stranded for an hour getting out at Carlingford to take a photo of the train, luckily there was about a 5 minute turn around. I would compare it with the Alamein Line in Melbourne except that it's longer, has a worse service and appears to traverse less well-to-do suburbs.
Back at Clyde I decided to go to Paramatta, don't know why but it seemed the logical place to go when searching for food in that part of Sydney. I ended up in the Westfield Shopping Centre, but nothing in the basement level food court took my fancy at the time so I went seeking the other food court. This place is huge, it's got at least 5 levels (although they are all narrow and head in the same direction). I ended up wasting a few hours here. Upon re-emerging into daylight to get the train back to Sydney (an express to Gosford stopping at only Lidcombe and Strathfield) I discovered that the clouds had rolled in and it was raining. No complaints from me, it was refreshing.
Once back in town, I took some time to re-group in the hostel before heading over to Market City in Hay Market where I ended up buying some T-Shirts which subsequently got lost/stolen. Gunzel time again struck when I took some time to photo some Sydney trams/light rail. Becoming lazy I opted for a light dinner at Darling Harbour, before just vegging out on a step overlooking the water for an hour or so. Again I took the light rail back to the hostel, but decided to forgo the beer because I decided that tommorow was my last chance to go to the Blue Mountains before returning home.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Ben's Adventures in Sydney: Train and Ferry Day.
Wednesday, ah yes, I slept in 'till 10 I think. I decided to take it easy and start off with a train ride. I ended up at Berowra via the North Shore. On the way back to the city I stopped off at Waverton and Wolstoncraft for a bit of gunzel photography (I'm a sucker for a curved platform), although I wasn't really into it and the results weren't too good.
By the time I got back to the city it was about 2:00pm. After a quick bite of lunch I decided to hit the ferries for the afternoon. Focusing on routes I haven't been on before, I chose Woolwich and Mosman. Having missed the Mosman ferry, Woolwich was the go.
I always enjoy the ferry to Darling Harbour as it goes under the bridge and through the less well known parts of the harbour. The Woolich ferry was no exception, passing all kinds of boat yards, and more "mundane" harbour side suburbs. I just love the "industrialness" of this area. We called at warves such as Birchgrove and Grenwich before arriving at Woolwich. At Woolwich we appeared to suffer some sort of engine trouble and the captain came down to inspect the engine. It can't have been too serious as we were soon on our way back to Circular Quay, via a few extra wharves in Balmain and the like.
Once at Circular Quay we appeared to play chicken with a number of larger boats before berthing. These included cruise boats such as Captain Cook and Matilda, as well as the larger Manly Ferries. I wasn't complaining, I was enjoying my cruise. Once on the wharf I needn't have exited the barriers as the Mosman Ferry departed from the opposite side.
The Mossman ferry was an experience and a half, it's like Toorak with water up that narrow inlet. Certainly a very nice part of the world to live, but limited to the privileged few. I'll add that to places in Sydney I would live if given the chance (yeah right!).
From there I decided to go and check out Kings Cross and Potts Point. Taking the train, I went the long way via Museum meaning I had to change at Central instead of Town hall. My main reason for going there was to have a look at some accommodation I considered staying at, both places seemed reasonable, and I might stay at either next time.
What struck me the most was the Contrast between Kings Cross and Potts Point. You walk out of the Kings Cross train station and turn left, passing all the sex shops, backpacker oriented shops and homeless people as you go. Then you turn the corner in to Macleay Street (it's the same street, but there's a bend) Potts Point. Everything is neat and very up market, the people are well dressed and there's luxury cars driving down the leafy street. It's almost like there's a line drawn across the road and the footpath, odd indeed. Back into King's Cross and heading south down Victoria Street I did consider eating at one of the two Thai noodle restaurants nearby, but decide I was not hungry enough.
Next stop was Bondi Junction for a bit of a look around, but by the time I got there, all the shops were shut. So after a brief walk around the Mall it was back on the train to Town Hall. When I got there I decided to take the Monorail to Darling harbour. It's clearly targeted at the dumb tourist and priced to match, but for me it's one of the things to do in Sydney. I could have used my daytripper on the bus instead, oh well.
So after wandering around the Harbourside "Tourist Trap" shopping complex I had Oporto for dinner. After wandering around a bit more I ended up at Star City Casino. By now I was buggered, so decided to tram it back to the hostel. On the way I got a little side tracked, and ended up having a few beers at a bar in Haymarket before going to an internet cafe I was familiar with in George Street for a while.
By the time I got back to the city it was about 2:00pm. After a quick bite of lunch I decided to hit the ferries for the afternoon. Focusing on routes I haven't been on before, I chose Woolwich and Mosman. Having missed the Mosman ferry, Woolwich was the go.
I always enjoy the ferry to Darling Harbour as it goes under the bridge and through the less well known parts of the harbour. The Woolich ferry was no exception, passing all kinds of boat yards, and more "mundane" harbour side suburbs. I just love the "industrialness" of this area. We called at warves such as Birchgrove and Grenwich before arriving at Woolwich. At Woolwich we appeared to suffer some sort of engine trouble and the captain came down to inspect the engine. It can't have been too serious as we were soon on our way back to Circular Quay, via a few extra wharves in Balmain and the like.
Once at Circular Quay we appeared to play chicken with a number of larger boats before berthing. These included cruise boats such as Captain Cook and Matilda, as well as the larger Manly Ferries. I wasn't complaining, I was enjoying my cruise. Once on the wharf I needn't have exited the barriers as the Mosman Ferry departed from the opposite side.
The Mossman ferry was an experience and a half, it's like Toorak with water up that narrow inlet. Certainly a very nice part of the world to live, but limited to the privileged few. I'll add that to places in Sydney I would live if given the chance (yeah right!).
From there I decided to go and check out Kings Cross and Potts Point. Taking the train, I went the long way via Museum meaning I had to change at Central instead of Town hall. My main reason for going there was to have a look at some accommodation I considered staying at, both places seemed reasonable, and I might stay at either next time.
What struck me the most was the Contrast between Kings Cross and Potts Point. You walk out of the Kings Cross train station and turn left, passing all the sex shops, backpacker oriented shops and homeless people as you go. Then you turn the corner in to Macleay Street (it's the same street, but there's a bend) Potts Point. Everything is neat and very up market, the people are well dressed and there's luxury cars driving down the leafy street. It's almost like there's a line drawn across the road and the footpath, odd indeed. Back into King's Cross and heading south down Victoria Street I did consider eating at one of the two Thai noodle restaurants nearby, but decide I was not hungry enough.
Next stop was Bondi Junction for a bit of a look around, but by the time I got there, all the shops were shut. So after a brief walk around the Mall it was back on the train to Town Hall. When I got there I decided to take the Monorail to Darling harbour. It's clearly targeted at the dumb tourist and priced to match, but for me it's one of the things to do in Sydney. I could have used my daytripper on the bus instead, oh well.
So after wandering around the Harbourside "Tourist Trap" shopping complex I had Oporto for dinner. After wandering around a bit more I ended up at Star City Casino. By now I was buggered, so decided to tram it back to the hostel. On the way I got a little side tracked, and ended up having a few beers at a bar in Haymarket before going to an internet cafe I was familiar with in George Street for a while.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Ben's Adventures in Sydney Episode 2: Attack of the Queens
No, as I said in a previous post, not the queens normally associated with Sydney around this time of year.
So my day was pretty much taking in the sights of the harbour. I went for a couple of ferry rides. The first was to Kirribilly (Hi John) and Neutral Bay. This ride gave a pretty good view of the Queen Mary II which was docked at the Garden Island naval base 9it's not actually an island, I checked). GArden Island was used because it waas to bid to fit in to the passenger terminal at Circular Quay. one time when I was in Sydney there was a US aircraft carrier berthed at Garden Island, which would make a good comparison with QMII. I would probably describe her a 3 or 4 appartment buildings and then some.
The other ferry ride ws to Watsons Bay. Here I went for a walk along the top of the ocean cliffs to the lighthouse. Having missed the last ferry back to the city, I decided to hang around and watch the QE2 enter Sydney Harbour, something I don't regret. I had a very good vantage point, the photos which I should post soon tell the story for themselves. I even got to have doyles fish and chips for dinner. For $10 you get some of the freshest fish (from a fish and chip shop) that you'll ever have and a mountain of chips.
Getting back to the city wa another story. Eventually the 8:15 bus to the city arrived to the applause of some of the 30 or so passengers waiting at the Watsons Bay Bus stop. The ride in was ok, but busy until we hit traffic gridlock at Kings Cross. It took us ages to turn into William street and then another 30 or so minutes to reach circular Quay. It might have been quicker to walk, but I was content to just sit there. In all it was just surreal to see a traffic jam of this size at 9:15 pm on a Tuesday evening. Apparently all of Sydney wanted to see the Queen Mary.
I was lucky enough to watch QMII leave sydney from the walkway on Sydney harbour Bridge. Getting back to the hostel was not easy as I missed the last train for the night from Circulay Quay. I ended up riding a bus down George St and got off just around the corner from the hostel. You gotta love the Daytripper (except for the price! (by Melbourne standards anyway)).
So my day was pretty much taking in the sights of the harbour. I went for a couple of ferry rides. The first was to Kirribilly (Hi John) and Neutral Bay. This ride gave a pretty good view of the Queen Mary II which was docked at the Garden Island naval base 9it's not actually an island, I checked). GArden Island was used because it waas to bid to fit in to the passenger terminal at Circular Quay. one time when I was in Sydney there was a US aircraft carrier berthed at Garden Island, which would make a good comparison with QMII. I would probably describe her a 3 or 4 appartment buildings and then some.
The other ferry ride ws to Watsons Bay. Here I went for a walk along the top of the ocean cliffs to the lighthouse. Having missed the last ferry back to the city, I decided to hang around and watch the QE2 enter Sydney Harbour, something I don't regret. I had a very good vantage point, the photos which I should post soon tell the story for themselves. I even got to have doyles fish and chips for dinner. For $10 you get some of the freshest fish (from a fish and chip shop) that you'll ever have and a mountain of chips.
Getting back to the city wa another story. Eventually the 8:15 bus to the city arrived to the applause of some of the 30 or so passengers waiting at the Watsons Bay Bus stop. The ride in was ok, but busy until we hit traffic gridlock at Kings Cross. It took us ages to turn into William street and then another 30 or so minutes to reach circular Quay. It might have been quicker to walk, but I was content to just sit there. In all it was just surreal to see a traffic jam of this size at 9:15 pm on a Tuesday evening. Apparently all of Sydney wanted to see the Queen Mary.
I was lucky enough to watch QMII leave sydney from the walkway on Sydney harbour Bridge. Getting back to the hostel was not easy as I missed the last train for the night from Circulay Quay. I ended up riding a bus down George St and got off just around the corner from the hostel. You gotta love the Daytripper (except for the price! (by Melbourne standards anyway)).
Monday, February 19, 2007
Ben's Adventures in Sydney Episode 1: The Virgin Menace
They frigging well canceled my flight. So I spent a few more hours than intended at the airport. When they announced the delay, I had vision of various UK TV shows such as "Airline" and "Airport". No such luck, they were very good with how they handled it and after spending half an hour in the checking qeue ( the real one, not the blue check one) I was on flight that departed Melbourne 2 hours after I should have arrived in Sydney. I even got a $6 voucher for food while I waited (the pasta I had for dinner was dry anyway).
The flight itself was uneventful. I saw the baggage crew load my bag on to the plane, good thing I didn't pack the good china. The people sitting next to me sounded surprised when I told them I was from Melbourne, after they asked me how long my stay in Melbourne was. One of the flight attendents had a massive VPL (I would have thought there would be a regualtion against that sort of thing on Virgin Blue). I just listend to my MP3 player for an hour, like any other bus ride.
From Sydney airport I made my getaway on the train and was checked in to my room within half 45 minutes of stepping off the plane. As I'm cheam I'm only staying at a backpackers (a more reputable one I might add. So far there's no sign of lice or bed bugs, and no sign of tinea from the shower.
This post has been backdated.
The flight itself was uneventful. I saw the baggage crew load my bag on to the plane, good thing I didn't pack the good china. The people sitting next to me sounded surprised when I told them I was from Melbourne, after they asked me how long my stay in Melbourne was. One of the flight attendents had a massive VPL (I would have thought there would be a regualtion against that sort of thing on Virgin Blue). I just listend to my MP3 player for an hour, like any other bus ride.
From Sydney airport I made my getaway on the train and was checked in to my room within half 45 minutes of stepping off the plane. As I'm cheam I'm only staying at a backpackers (a more reputable one I might add. So far there's no sign of lice or bed bugs, and no sign of tinea from the shower.
This post has been backdated.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Mixed news
The good news is that the change has hit.
The bad news is that so far there is no railn
No wait, it's raining now, hope it lasts.
It's all good.
The bad news is that so far there is no railn
No wait, it's raining now, hope it lasts.
It's all good.
A few thoughts
I can't believe I haven't blogged at all this month, oh well.
One day not so long ago I came to realisation that I have a man-bag. Well it's a backpack, but I just carry around so much crap in it, mostly stuff I don't need on a day to day basis. The main things I have in it are a water bottle and my camera and assorted public transport timetables. I feel naked if I don't have it with me.
I learned this week that one of my friends quit his job and is moving to Townsville with his girlfriend and taking up a new job there. It's a 9 month contract so he doesn't have to stay up there if he doesn't want to. He had a bit of a farewell shindig on Friday night at his parents home (parents weren't home). He says he's either going to start up an email list or a blog while there, which should be interesting...
Some sad news is that my cousin's wife died from cancer early last week. They were married not quite 2 years ago in a very nice (despite the rain) wedding at Healsville Sanctuary , which was very fitting as she was a vet. Keeping with the bush theme all the guests at a wedding recieved a small native shrub as a gift. I believe there was a small private funeral, which we weren't invited to (not many of the extended and even close family were). Next week there will be a memorial service, which some/most of the family won't be attending (not because of any family disagreements either), myself included. In a way I'm glad our part of the family wasn't invited, I don't do too well at funerals, but who does really.
Finally, Ben's Adventures is off to Sydney to see the queens (no not the queens usually associated with Sydney at this time of year) this week. I may or may not post while I'm there, depends on if I can be bothered paying for the privilege.
Right now I'm sweating like a pig waiting for the wind change to arrive, it may be cloudy and there may be a bit of thunder, but it's still bloody hot.
That's about it really
One day not so long ago I came to realisation that I have a man-bag. Well it's a backpack, but I just carry around so much crap in it, mostly stuff I don't need on a day to day basis. The main things I have in it are a water bottle and my camera and assorted public transport timetables. I feel naked if I don't have it with me.
I learned this week that one of my friends quit his job and is moving to Townsville with his girlfriend and taking up a new job there. It's a 9 month contract so he doesn't have to stay up there if he doesn't want to. He had a bit of a farewell shindig on Friday night at his parents home (parents weren't home). He says he's either going to start up an email list or a blog while there, which should be interesting...
Some sad news is that my cousin's wife died from cancer early last week. They were married not quite 2 years ago in a very nice (despite the rain) wedding at Healsville Sanctuary , which was very fitting as she was a vet. Keeping with the bush theme all the guests at a wedding recieved a small native shrub as a gift. I believe there was a small private funeral, which we weren't invited to (not many of the extended and even close family were). Next week there will be a memorial service, which some/most of the family won't be attending (not because of any family disagreements either), myself included. In a way I'm glad our part of the family wasn't invited, I don't do too well at funerals, but who does really.
Finally, Ben's Adventures is off to Sydney to see the queens (no not the queens usually associated with Sydney at this time of year) this week. I may or may not post while I'm there, depends on if I can be bothered paying for the privilege.
Right now I'm sweating like a pig waiting for the wind change to arrive, it may be cloudy and there may be a bit of thunder, but it's still bloody hot.
That's about it really
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
E.T. where are you?
As I went through Auburn on the train this afternoon I thought I saw a UFO somewhere over Abbotsford or Carlton. This got me thinking about what would happen if Extra Terrestrials (aka Aliens, Martians etc) visited Earth tomorrow and how people would react. This naturally led on to religion and how the various different ones would react. Naturally for the single (or few) god religions it would cause all kinds of questions to be asked. For philosophical religions such as Buddhism or Sikhism it would cause no great alarm. Then for multi god religions such as Hinduism such an occurrence would probably raise a few questions also, but in the end cause no rift in the faith.
Thoughts naturally led to Scientology, where things could get interesting. Naturally at first they would be claiming they were right after all (not bad for a 30-40 year old movement). Really it all depends on whether the new arrivals accept Scientologists as disciples and servants or eat them for breakfast. All in all I think *Scientology has the most to loose if we are visited...
* I know there's lots of stuff about "thetans" and souls getting spewed out by Hawaiian volcanoes etc as well, but I can't be bothered researching properly now.
Thoughts naturally led to Scientology, where things could get interesting. Naturally at first they would be claiming they were right after all (not bad for a 30-40 year old movement). Really it all depends on whether the new arrivals accept Scientologists as disciples and servants or eat them for breakfast. All in all I think *Scientology has the most to loose if we are visited...
* I know there's lots of stuff about "thetans" and souls getting spewed out by Hawaiian volcanoes etc as well, but I can't be bothered researching properly now.
The Scottish Comet
Comet McNaught- 24/01/2007Oh right, the comet? It was pretty good...
Ben's Big Day Out
Kasabian
Finally after all these years I made it to a Big Day Out and had a fantastic day. I went with a couple of mates from uni, one of whom lives in Carton so it was a short walk to the venue at Princes Park (right next to the Melbourne General Cemetery, RIP my arse...) from his house.
In no particular order the bands we saw were:
- Muse
- The Killers
- You Am I
- Kasabian
- The Herd
- The Vines
- Little Birdy
- The Sleepy Jackson
- Evermore
- The Violent Femmes
- Tool
I can't really think of any more that we saw. The full lineup is on the Big Day Out website.
The highlight was without a doubt Muse, who performed a killer set. The Killers were pretty good as well. Notable mention goes to Kasabian (I thought I didn't know any of their songs, but recognised quite a few from the radio). The headline act was Tool but none of us are into tthem so we didn't stick around for long after they started. Apparently they had a pretty cool laser show after we left though. Oh well.
The two big mistakes I made were forgetting my small rollon sunscreen and camera. Even though I put some on before I left home I ended up forking out $4 for a small tube of sunscreen. That was $4 well spent, and have very little sunburn, well maybe a few small bits on my arm I missed. I certainly was not lobster red like many people I saw on the train on the way home. Years of airshow experience and very fair skin (did anyone mention freckles?) have taught me that lesson. As for the camera, the reason I didn't take it was because I thought i would loose or break it, but lots of people had them. I did take some dodgy shots with my pohne but got nothing worth displaying in public (one included to illustrate this post, atmospherics etc...). I really regret not taking my camera.
A smaller mistake was not taking a bottle of water. Supposedly they were confiscating water bottles at the gate, but a mate managed to smuggle one in, I saw some “dudes” with a goon bag, so they can't have been looking that hard. I bought a bottle for $3 and stupidly threw it out when I'd finished it. I didn't realise that they had taps where you could refill, needless to say I bought another latter for $3.50, and refilled it several times.
At the outset i said that I was going to buy a T-Shirt. And so I did, a black one with giant blood shot eyeball. Tre chic! It was either that or a Muse T-Shirt. I should have bought one of the counterfeit Muse T-shirts being sold on the footpath outside as well (or “half price” as the man selling them said when he overheard me say counterfeit). I think I'll head in to the Queen Victoria Market and see if I can pick one up there instead.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Australia Day
I don't know what it is about this day, but I'm a bit perplexed about the whole thing. When I was younger it was just a public holiday, a few people I'd never heard of got some awards, and was an excuse for "grown ups" to get drunk and very sunburned. Now there's this nationalistic pride that arises on the day. Where the hell did that come from? Admitedly this year it was helped by the (un)banning of the Australian flag at the Sydney Big Day Out.
What did I do? I did what I've been doing the last few years and just gone to the festivities around the Federation Square area. A good excuse for a day out, but I don't get carried away with flag waving (or wearing for that matter). As happened last year we found ourselves at the Ian Potter Centre, although last year it was more to do with avoiding the heat, but it seems set to becoming a tradition. So anyway, there I was minding my own business looking at this (and this), when who should walk up next to me but, this man (but wearing far less makeup than he did in his earlier career) and his son. If it wasn't him then I made a fool of myself, because I freaked out and quite literally ran about two galleries on. I don't handle celebrity encounters very well. Last Australia Day at the same location I saw this man and lady friend in the cafe, only recognising him through his blog and a few brief media appearances.
Other than that time was spent walking around, sitting down on an island eating ice cream and looking at some purple haired woman's house and comparing it to that of not too distant relatives. Didn't bother sticking around for the fireworks though, managed hear them just fine at home accompanied by distant flashes in the sky (said relatives would have had a better view from their home).
What did I do? I did what I've been doing the last few years and just gone to the festivities around the Federation Square area. A good excuse for a day out, but I don't get carried away with flag waving (or wearing for that matter). As happened last year we found ourselves at the Ian Potter Centre, although last year it was more to do with avoiding the heat, but it seems set to becoming a tradition. So anyway, there I was minding my own business looking at this (and this), when who should walk up next to me but, this man (but wearing far less makeup than he did in his earlier career) and his son. If it wasn't him then I made a fool of myself, because I freaked out and quite literally ran about two galleries on. I don't handle celebrity encounters very well. Last Australia Day at the same location I saw this man and lady friend in the cafe, only recognising him through his blog and a few brief media appearances.
Other than that time was spent walking around, sitting down on an island eating ice cream and looking at some purple haired woman's house and comparing it to that of not too distant relatives. Didn't bother sticking around for the fireworks though, managed hear them just fine at home accompanied by distant flashes in the sky (said relatives would have had a better view from their home).
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Hung Long Video
Now for a long promised contribution from my "blogphotos" folder:
I get the feeling the proprietors didn't quite have appreciation for English language euphamisms when naming their business in down town Box Hill. I'm assume it's the owners surnames? I wonder what "Harvey Norman" means in Vietnamese?
Taken with my eBay bought camera phone. (That gives me an idea for another post, but I'd better not over do myself tonight.)
I get the feeling the proprietors didn't quite have appreciation for English language euphamisms when naming their business in down town Box Hill. I'm assume it's the owners surnames? I wonder what "Harvey Norman" means in Vietnamese?Taken with my eBay bought camera phone. (That gives me an idea for another post, but I'd better not over do myself tonight.)
Hot Hot Hot *
*This title could equally read lazy lazy lazy, or even busy busy busy, more probably just can't be stuffed.
Yes, I'm a bad blogger I know, my reasons for saying this are that (apart from all the other obvious reasons) I don't past much, or very often. So much for the adventures part. My excuse is that I seem to spend all day at work in front of a computer, and just don't feel like doing the same at home (although I am now). I could blog at work, but that would be unprofessional.
This blog seems to be more about procrastination than anything...
Back to the regular blog content...
i.e. nothing.
Good evening.
Yes, I'm a bad blogger I know, my reasons for saying this are that (apart from all the other obvious reasons) I don't past much, or very often. So much for the adventures part. My excuse is that I seem to spend all day at work in front of a computer, and just don't feel like doing the same at home (although I am now). I could blog at work, but that would be unprofessional.
This blog seems to be more about procrastination than anything...
Back to the regular blog content...
i.e. nothing.
Good evening.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
I know what I did this summer.
I think I've seen as many movies (films even) at the cinema in the last week and a half, than I've seen in the last two years...It started last Thursday when my mother and myself took my niece and nephew into Imax at the Melbourne Museum to see Open Season in 3D. The next day I went to see Borat. On New Years Day I saw Casino Royale. On Tuesday I went back to work, but took Thursday off to take the niece and nephew (and Nana again) to Flushed Away, followed by lunch at the Pancake Parlour.
Monday, January 01, 2007
2006 + 1 Hoo-bloody-rah...
Where the fuck did last year go? I hate new years eve, my feelings on the matter are pretty much summed up by Steph (via highriser) . I've never really had a good time on new years eve, but maybe that's more to do with the company I keep.
I remember new years eve 1999, dawn of the new Millenium etc etc (little did we realise that the true occasion was the following year). I bluntly refused to do anything I was so ticked off at the whole thing, I spent the better part of the afternoon and early evening playing bust-a-move on the computer while listening to triple j. At some point I was coerced by my mother to accompany her to her sister's, who always holds some sort of shindig for the occasion. I could have gone to a party at a cousins place to a party they were having, and by all accounts it was a good one, especially going by the phone conversation I had with my cousin shortly after midnight (a very difficult conversation I might add with all the slurred syllables coming out of the phone). On second thoughts I should have gone there instead and just got smashed, but I made my bed so to speak.
Last night was much the same, I went to my aunties at about 9pm and ended up playing pool with a cousin for a couple of hours or so while watching movies. One of these films was Independence Day, which my cousin insisted on reciting word for word as we watched, I kid you not (I don't think I've ever used that phrase before). How annoying! Other than that, as usual we watched the fireworks out of the upstairs window at midnight, except this year there was a fair bit of smoke haze, but we could see them clear enough. We got home by 1:30, and I ended up watching rage and video hits for half an hour or so before going to bed.
I remember new years eve 1999, dawn of the new Millenium etc etc (little did we realise that the true occasion was the following year). I bluntly refused to do anything I was so ticked off at the whole thing, I spent the better part of the afternoon and early evening playing bust-a-move on the computer while listening to triple j. At some point I was coerced by my mother to accompany her to her sister's, who always holds some sort of shindig for the occasion. I could have gone to a party at a cousins place to a party they were having, and by all accounts it was a good one, especially going by the phone conversation I had with my cousin shortly after midnight (a very difficult conversation I might add with all the slurred syllables coming out of the phone). On second thoughts I should have gone there instead and just got smashed, but I made my bed so to speak.
Last night was much the same, I went to my aunties at about 9pm and ended up playing pool with a cousin for a couple of hours or so while watching movies. One of these films was Independence Day, which my cousin insisted on reciting word for word as we watched, I kid you not (I don't think I've ever used that phrase before). How annoying! Other than that, as usual we watched the fireworks out of the upstairs window at midnight, except this year there was a fair bit of smoke haze, but we could see them clear enough. We got home by 1:30, and I ended up watching rage and video hits for half an hour or so before going to bed.
Brave new world...
No this has nothing to do with new years eve at all (more on that in another post), I just changed this blog over to Google. I have to say I like it. In the first 5 minutes I have changed and added some links, something I've been meaning to do for ages but haven't been arsed, and made this post. Not bad. Hopefully it's gone smoothly.
In other news I'm in the process of posting all previously un-posted but usable images from a folder called "blogphotos" on my hard drive. The post before this is an example of such and there are one or two more still to come.
In other news I'm in the process of posting all previously un-posted but usable images from a folder called "blogphotos" on my hard drive. The post before this is an example of such and there are one or two more still to come.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Christmas
It wasn't too bad actually. We went to my brothers place this year and had a seafood themed dinner. The main dishes of Snapper and Salmon were cooked on the barbecue by my brother out in the rain. The Snapper was also accompanied by a delicious chili sauce. Also had with our meal were baked potato's wrapped in prosciutto, a salad with shredded roast chicken, mango and iceberg lettuce, a tomato salad with red onion and balsamic vinegar dressing, and a cold "cut" platter (sounds too American to me, but that's what it was called).
After lunch we settled down for a while before opening our presents. The kids, who seem to already have everything, seem to have acquired even more stuff now. The adults didn't fare (or is it fair?) too badly either, some surprises were had.
After playing with our presents for a while it was about 4pm already and time for dessert. Once again it was my mum's pudding. Delicious as usual. Somehow while making the pudding last year she ended up with enough mixture for two puddings so we ate last years extra which had spent a year in the fridge. It probably could have done with a few shots of brandy throughout the year, but it was still yum in it's bath of brandy custard. Dessert was accompanied by a fruit and cheese platter with watermelon and chocolate coated cherries amongst other treats.
The rest of the afternoon and evening involved more playing with presents. No one even thought about eating. At about 8pm it was decided we would all watch the movie Cars, which Santa had left in one of the kids stockings. If you haven't seen cars I recommend you do, as there are a lot of funny little references that the kids don't necessarily pick up. I'd like to see it again.
Finally left after 10 pm, and were home in time to watch Boston Legal before going to bed.
After lunch we settled down for a while before opening our presents. The kids, who seem to already have everything, seem to have acquired even more stuff now. The adults didn't fare (or is it fair?) too badly either, some surprises were had.
After playing with our presents for a while it was about 4pm already and time for dessert. Once again it was my mum's pudding. Delicious as usual. Somehow while making the pudding last year she ended up with enough mixture for two puddings so we ate last years extra which had spent a year in the fridge. It probably could have done with a few shots of brandy throughout the year, but it was still yum in it's bath of brandy custard. Dessert was accompanied by a fruit and cheese platter with watermelon and chocolate coated cherries amongst other treats.
The rest of the afternoon and evening involved more playing with presents. No one even thought about eating. At about 8pm it was decided we would all watch the movie Cars, which Santa had left in one of the kids stockings. If you haven't seen cars I recommend you do, as there are a lot of funny little references that the kids don't necessarily pick up. I'd like to see it again.
Finally left after 10 pm, and were home in time to watch Boston Legal before going to bed.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Cool Change
This is the change passing overhead last night, the cloud formation in the front was pretty spectacular so I decided to take a photo. I can't believe I climbed onto the roof to take this, I could have been struck by lightning!"whatever you do, don't get hit by lightning" - Marty McFly
BTW the buildings you can see on the ridgeline in the background are at Doncaster, the one on the right is an apartment building, while the one on the left is the office tower at Westfield Shopping town. Both buildings have spectacular views of the city, and my house apparently.
It was a relief to get some decent rainfall after a hot smokey (the Firefox spell checker wants smoky, I think smokey looks better) week. In all we got 8.6 mm at our nearest weather station, not as much as I would have hoped for. No doubt the cooler conditions which are expected to persist for the next few days will help the fire in the east of the state.
Earlier in the day the tree across the road lost a very large branch during a strong sind gust. It landed in the fork of a branch lower down the tree and was hanging over the powerlines. At about 9 PM a cherry picker pulled up and the crew set about landing the branch safely. First they secured it to the fork it was caught in, then cut a bit off the bottom and then a bit off the top to stop it becoming a top heavy. I assume this went on until it was all on the ground, but because it was too cold I went inside and missed the rest.
I did happen to see a branch fall out of the same tree a year or so ago. I was sitting in the lounge room and heard a large cracking and creaking sound out side. By the time I rushed to the window the branch was bouncing off the powerlines, I watched it come down to the ground taking out one of the neighbour's phone and Foxtel cables in the process. Luckily there weren't any cars parked in the driveway it half landed in.
Present Day
Due to Monday being annual present day*, I spent the better part of the afternoon finishing off my shopping. I was a lean green present buying machine, everything just clicked into place and I managed to procure all intended gifts. One item did prove to be tricky, the recipient of this item (was on their wish list) had said they couldn't find it anywhere, but I managed to find it at a specialist music retailer in Hardware Lane in Melbourne (Actually in Hardware Street one block up from Hardware Lane, opposite Pug Mahoney's Irish Pub). As you can tell I'm really quite pleased with myself. Now all I have to do is wrap it all, the part I hate.
* I think it's originally some sort of religious holiday, either something to do with the winter solstice or some chick having an affair and telling quite a big lie to quell her husbands suspicions. I think a donkey may be involved somewhere as well...
* I think it's originally some sort of religious holiday, either something to do with the winter solstice or some chick having an affair and telling quite a big lie to quell her husbands suspicions. I think a donkey may be involved somewhere as well...
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