sunnyday

Ice Cream Day!

2008-08-01T00:30:00.005+10:00

Last Sunday was ice cream day - or, as more commonly known, Sundae on the Common. This great initiative by Ben & Jerry's involves listening to bands and eating unlimited Ben & Jerry's ice cream. What else does one need in life?

We got there fairly early, when there were no queues and you could just walk up and get any ice cream you liked. It wasn't early enough to get a spot in the shade though.

There were so many flavours to try: Chocolate Fudge Brownie (the best!), Cookie Dough (very good), Baked Alaska (disappointingly plain), Bohemian Raspberry (worst of the day), Caramel Chew Chew (very good), Jamaican Me Crazy (not sure about the pineapple bits), Mango Berry Swirl (flavourful sorbet), Mint Choc Chunk (very good), Phish Food (chocolate ice cream, so has to be good) and Chunky Monkey (good if you like lolly banana flavouring). Yes, I did try all of those, but I admit I minimised the ratio of cone to ice cream. You could stamp a card every time you got an ice cream - and even the server was surprised at how quickly I got to 7!

The rest of the time was spent visiting the Flavour Graveyard (see right), watching toe fights, coming so disastrously last in the egg and spoon race that people clapped when I finally finished and failing to knock W off a stand with a plastic bommyknocker (although he didn't knock me off either!). The bands were mostly good, (apart from the terrible fill in band) and the sun was getting to people, so we missed Ash. We had tried to guess which way the sun would move - and we guessed wrong.

It was a wonderful way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon in London - and I will be making sure I have tickets next year too!

Belgium

2008-05-07T23:17:00.006+10:00

We wanted to go away, we craved some sunshine, yet W didn't want to get on a plane. Fortunately, Eurostar came to the rescue and in 3 hours we were out of London and in Belgium. (For the record, Eurostar is fantastic - no long check ins, no 1 hour waits at passport control, no treks out to distant airports. Fantastic!)

We didn't have much of plan for Brussels. Well, that's not completely true, we did plan to stuff ourselves with mussels (despite it being out of season) and eat a waffle at every meal (didn't even come close), but it was a relaxing, rambling holiday.

It didn't take long to take in the Grand Palace (certainly very grand), Mannekin Pis (extremely disappointing) and other usual tourist sights, so we found ourselves spending a lot of time lounging around in parks. We broke this up by visiting the Museum of Musical Instruments, succumbing to a chocolate tasting, admiring the Atomium (see left) (admiring the fact they could turn a building from Expo 58 into a tourist destination) and enjoying al fresco dining.

This was also our first time couchsurfing. Our host was great, quite a character, and took us to dinner at her friend's (also quite a character). There we learnt about graphic novels, medieval role playing and how atrocious our didgeridoo skills are.

On our last day we took the train to Bruges. We had been warned by the trusty Lonely Planet that it was a charming place in a tacky way. So we tackled it by embarking on all the tacky, touristy activities. We had a set meal in a restaurant by the Burg, went on a river cruise (see top right), climbed the Belfry, but didn't see any dwarves. And we learnt useless little facts - did you that people boarded up their windows as they were taxed per window? (see left) A great way to finish a restful trip.

Legoland

2008-04-27T22:16:00.004+10:00

So you were expecting photos and ramblings about Legoland hey? Well, having left London early on a Saturday morning, we were expecting to make it there by midday. What we didn't count on, was a parade of returning soldiers (I think that's what it was) which meant all the roads out of Windsor were blocked.

After a few hours of waiting, we did manage to catch the right bus to the land of the little, plastic blocks. The first stop was Miniland which, as you might expect, is a mini recreation of cities around the world in Lego (with a definite bias to European cities). The attention to detail was amazing and it's strange seeing familiar London scenes, such as the Tower of London, the Gherkin, soccer pitches (with streaker) and the Tube in miniature.

We were drawn in by the countdown at the space station and hung around until it was time for lift off. It must be noted that you shouldn't be allowed to have a countdown unless you are counting down to something (even vaguely) significant. It must also be noted, that if you cannot see any strings, pulleys, cogs or other moving parts, it most likely means that what you're studying is not going to move. The 'takeoff' of the rocket was the most underwhelming event of the day (yes, it beat the parade) as it was just a tiny puff of smoke under a stationary model of a rocket. Grrr.

Pulling ourselves away from Miniland we headed towards the rides. During the rest of the afternoon, I realised three quite obvious things: 1) Kids live shows can be painfully boring - I am long past the days where people running around in costume, following a very thin plot is amusing. Although I am told the show improved in ridiculousness, if not in quality. 2) Kids can be quite violent. You give kids some Lego blocks to play with and they won't fit them together or build structures. They will slam them on the table, fling them on the floor and throw them at each other. And I learnt all this because 3) Lines at amusement parks are very very very long. I had forgotten just how long.

We were lucky to have a sunny day though, which made waiting around (and the rides where kids splashed everyone with more water than the ride necessitated) much more enjoyable. We went on the Jungle Coaster, Vikings' River Splash, Long Boat Invader and were spinning the fastest on the Spinning Spider. Finally it was time to leave (but not without Lego muffin tins as a souvenir) for the train ride back to London.

Bless Iceland

2008-03-27T06:54:00.000+11:00

It was finally time to head home (and pack for Costa Rica). Overall, Iceland was a great place to visit: with its volcanic & geothermal landscape, its high standard (and cost) of living, its American influence (surprising) and its abundance of horse riding tours and geothermal swimming pools (guaranteed in almost every town). We wouldn't go again, but were very happy we went.

Food and lagoon

2008-03-26T06:49:00.000+11:00

Our last full day was spent as it should be: eating and relaxing. We tried to visit 'the lobster soup' place in Stokkseyri, but it was closed, so we went to its rival, Rauða húsið (The Red House) in Eyrarbakki instead. We had some fantastic hommus, very good lobster and bottomless soup (to W's delight).

After finally giving up on the idea of the ski resorts opening, we went to the Blue Lagoon. Despite its obvious pandering to tourists, it is extremely well run and a pretty impressive place. I finally got my massage: you lie on a floating mat with a warm, wet towel draped over you, and while your back is massaged, you can gaze up at the blue sky - absolute bliss! W had scoped out the place, so we visited the 'hot' area, floated among the 'clouds', got pelted / massaged by the waterfall, tried out the steam bath (wet heat) and sauna (dry heat) and put mud on our face to make it silky smooth. Then finished the day with the best fish and chips we've had this side of the world: fresh and crisply battered fish, crunchy potatoes and 8 types of skyrronaise to dip the potatoes in (ranging from curry to basil to wasabi) (see above right).

Golden Circle and more

2008-03-25T06:29:00.005+11:00

This was our driving day (see right). First stop was the inviting-sounding NLFÍ clinic, where we hoped to book massages. We were led through sterile, hospital-like corridors and left outside a room to wait. No one came out of it, and after watching old people shuffling past and noticing the eerie photos on the wall, we decided to quietly escape.

After getting hesitant confirmation from petrol station staff that roads were open, we set off in icy conditions in our 4WD. We drove down Route 26 towards Mt Hekla (see left), a volcano that goes off roughly every 10 years (last time was Feb 2000) and saw about 2
other travellers in the 3 hours of driving.

As our only map of that road stated that it was '...not meant for use during actual travelling...' (I only realised once we were well and truly on our way), it was extremely exciting when we finally reached a road sign confirming our location - so exciting, in fact, that it warranted a photograph (see right).

We continued on to the famous Golden Circle: firstly Gulfoss (see left), a waterfall that looked even more impressive when you took the extremely icy and slightly scary path to get closer. Our next stop was Geyser - well, Geyser is no longer erupting, so we were really there to see Strokkur (see below right), which was.

After a few failed attempts to capture it (it went off every 8-10 minutes), we moved onto Þingvellir (see below left). This was the original
seat of Parliament, but most of the sights were covered in snow, so we admired the rift (between the North American and European plates), then set off to Reykjavík.

As I had a hand in planning it, dinner was a long affair. Firstly, tasty lobster soup in polystyrene tubs with fresh bread from Sægreifinn (Sea Baron) near the harbour; then we tried puffin (surprisingly tough; in between duck and lamb according to W) and lamb at Við Tjörnina (By the Lake), a fancy restaurant filled with loud foreigners; and finally ended up in our favourite cafe (if you can have a favourite in only 2 days) for dessert.

Back to Reykjavík

2008-03-24T06:25:00.001+11:00

We arrived back in Reykjavík later than expected (due to flight delays), but picked up our car and finally got to see the town. After some lamb (very tender), fish soup and nachos at a cafe, we rugged up and went on a personal walking tour, with me (and the Lonely Planet) as our guide (starting at the statue of Ingólfur Arnason).

Almost everything was closed, so after a visit to one of the art galleries (the building being more impressive than the art itself), we headed off to Hveragerði. Due to me missing a road sign, it took a lot longer than it should have, but we still made it to the slightly run down, almost deserted hotel. But it had a hot tub and sauna, so we were happy :)

Lake Mývatn by jeep

2008-03-23T06:10:00.001+11:00

A sightseeing tour was scheduled for Sunday, but our guide was sick, so a local resident took us around instead. He told us a huge amount about the town, its history and its stories - he clearly loved the place.

Lake Mývatn sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, so a lot of the features were volcanic or geothermic. He pointed out local birds, opened up the tourist info store for us, called a resident to open the craft store and took us around to the sights around the lake:

we quickly explored a specially planted park Geiteyjarströnd (see above left), walked around the 'dark city' of Dimmuborgir, covered our shoes in plastic bags (see right) and stomped through the mud at Námafjall (see above right), peered into natural bathing holes and ended up, of course, at the Nature Baths again.

Lake Mývatn on horse

2008-03-22T06:04:00.001+11:00

The next day, we braved the weather again and went horse riding (see right). I didn't quite get the hang of it, so my horse lagged behind on the way out, then began thundering back once we reached the halfway point (well, it seemed like thundering to me). Icelandic horses have a special gait that is supposed to be smooth, but my horse only seemed
to manage that when it was accelerating. Still, we saw amazing views of the volcanic landscape (see below) and didn't end up too sore.

As we were visiting in the low season, transportation and choice of meals was pretty limited. Still, the restaurant has some lovely fish and lamb dishes - and we tried skyr (yoghurt-type dessert) and hverabrauð (strange tasting bread that is baked underground).

That night, looking like Michelin men, rugged up in all our warm clothes, we trudged outside in search of the Northern Lights. We saw a streak of white across the sky, but it never reached the bright green colours you see in photos, so we went back to admire it from our room.

Lake Mývatn on foot

2008-03-21T05:42:00.002+11:00

On Good Friday, Lake Myvatn residents don a badge and walk the 30 or so km around the lake - so we did too (well, half of it). At times it was glaringly bright and the cold made it tiring, but we got some great views of the lake and the surrounding area, keeping Mt Hverfell (see right) as our reference point.

We opted for a more relaxing afternoon, napping then recovering in the hot water at Myvatn Nature Baths (see left). Those baths are amazing - we spent so long there, the hotel rang up to see if were ok! There were a couple of large pools, a small tub, steam rooms and snow to roll around in when you got too warm. It got down to -5°C, so while our bodies were warm, our hair froze into fragile icicles.

Halló Iceland

2008-03-20T05:35:00.003+11:00

First impressions of Iceland from the plane are brown and desolate. Walk outside, and you can add to this crisp and snowy. Drive towards Reykjavík, and the American influence becomes apparent as you race past shops. Fortunately, the best was to come...

Three hours in a plane wasn't long enough for us, so we boarded a domestic flight and headed north to Akureyri. We had some time to explore the town - primarily from the warmth of a bookshop and a restaurant. We did eventually brave the snow and found a giant snowman (see above) and some impressive graffiti (see right), before being transferred at a crazy speed (given the conditions) to Lake Mývatn.

Brief visit to Sweden

2008-02-11T17:46:00.000+11:00

My first time in Scandinavia, but I honestly don't know how much I can say about it. I visited a friend's family in Västerås, a primarily industrial city 100km west of Stockholm.

We went skiing in perfect weather, practised saying hello and thank you (the complete extent of my Swedish vocabulary), visited IKEA (of course!), went shopping (bargains everywhere once you're out of London), read the celebrations page of the newspaper (tried to), browsed the supermarket (bought a green cake), recovered from a cold and ate amazing homemade Vietnamese food.

As well as being wonderful chefs, my friend's family were lovely (although I couldn't speak to most of them) and they had a huge house (one of their three bathrooms is bigger than our living room in London).

So when I'm healthy and have more time, I think I will definitely have to visit Sweden again.

York

2007-12-02T04:54:00.000+11:00

One of my favourite things about Christmas in Europe is the Christmas markets. I didn't make it to the German ones, but instead took an overbooked train with 3 other girls to York.

We stayed in a lovely B&B (are B&Bs here anything but lovely?) and spent the weekend walking and eating. We rambled along the wall, then joined an informative, but very long, walking tour until we finally gave into our frozen extremities and took refuge in a restaurant. On the tour, we did learn what it takes to stop large supermarket chains from expanding... apparently constructing buildings and walls under the site thousands of years earlier will do it, as historic sites do not have to bow to commercial pressures.

The rest of the day we wandered randomly around York - but it's the kind of place where after wandering randomly for more than an hour, you're certain to end up in the same spot. Our walking was broken up by several food stops: Betty's Tea Room, sharing platters, hot chocolates, warm ciders and everything else food-related we could find at the market.

The highlight of Sunday was the Jorvik Museum. We were probably not the target audience, but who can resist a time machine failure, resulting in a ride through York's streets in Viking times, complete with sights, sounds and smells.

Overall, York is just how you imagine a smaller English town to be - pretty with cobbled streets and cosy places to escape the cold.

Our wedding

2007-08-12T09:31:00.000+10:00

The whole weekend flew, was amazingly fun, I'm still spinning...

It began for the girls on Friday, when we got our nails done, had a beautifully relaxed lunch at Pettavel Winery with Mum and found some white arum lilies that were just starting to open. That night was spent arranging flowers, deciding on photo venues with our photographer Charlie, doing last-minute tasks and attempting to sleep early...

Jess and I woke before our alarm on Saturday, too excited to sleep. We met Kate at Darren Grayson to get our hair done, then rushed home to get changed. Even the drive down the highway to Melbourne seemed fast and we were near the registry, I suspect, before the boys.

The Park Hyatt was perfectly placed as a change room and we touched up, put band-aids on our feet (the shoes were worn in, but obviously not enough), then walked down the road to the registry.

To be honest, I was expecting it to be a little sterile where you're rushed in and rushed out. (There's a wedding scheduled every 30 minutes). We arrived a little early and were escorted to a waiting room, where we... waited. Finally, the celebrant arrived and explained what would happen, where to stand, what to say. Then we were lined up outside, waiting for the doors to open.

Kate walked in first, followed by Jess, then Dad and I. To the simple sounds of First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes, I gave a bunch of lilies to Sue, then one to Mum, before joining Ben at the front. I was told to hold his hand, so I did, very tightly... not believing we were really there.

For some reason, I didn't expect it to be as quiet as it was (I guess I didn't hear the roadworks outside). I knew it wasn't going to be raucous, but it felt like everyone was holding their breath and the near-silence made it even more unbelievable.

After the intro from the celebrant and the giving away by Dad, Charles read the first reading, 'Something Short' written by W. As he was doing this, W pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. I began wondering if I should have written down my vows too, when music started up - the unmistakable start to She by Elvis Costello, which W began singing!

I was stunned, in a state of shock, as W doesn't consider himself the most musical person and this was an amazingly brave and touching thing to do. It brought my father and bridesmaids to tears and it took a lot of self-control (the shock might have helped too) to not break down too. It was a surprise for everyone - I couldn't stop smiling and squeezing his hand in support.

After that, Kate and... um... Jess, read the reading I wrote called 'Dear Waldo'. Then it was onto the vows, which we also wrote, exchanging of rings (which took some effort for me, but at least it won't fall off his finger), then the kiss and the signing. Jess and Melinda signed as witnesses to the sound of Elixir's Essence of My Love and Drunk on Her Taste.

Finally we were presented with the wedding certificate and hugged everyone before running out to I'm a Believer by Neil Diamond, as W was adamant we do.

We were met outside by roadworks and the 'papparazzi'. But there were more photos to come as we headed to the Treasury Gardens. Once the family photos were done, we walked to the Conservatory in Fitzroy Gardens, had a drink at Riverland, then wandered up to Fed Square towards the Arts Centre, with Charlie snapping away.

Running extremely late, Jess whisked us off to the brasserie at Crown (where we were even later, as we couldn't find valet parking and ended up at Southbank) for an amazing lunch with family and the bridal party.

It finished even later than I expected and we barely had time to have a rest and a bath at the Royce Hotel before Jess, Kate and Mark were back. The girls took a cab while the boys walked to Bacash in the rain.

We had a wonderful night, with possibly, even better food. Fearn and Jess did amazingly beautiful speeches, Amy stayed awake, Jon was unimpressed with the note on his placecard and James started a trend with Saskia's jewellery. Once again, time flew and moved onto the Amberoom for a couple of drinks before retiring upstairs in the early hours of the morning.

We got the timing all wrong on Sunday and were surprised when Jess and Kate joined us at breakfast. Still, we managed to do our hair, load up the car and arrive in Warranwood - not too late.

It was wonderful to see all our family and friends there, but there were so many people (and I was so tired), I didn't get to talk to as many people as I wanted to. It made me even more glad that we didn't try to have a big celebration with friends and family there, as it would have been even more overwhelming.

There were more photos (in the cold!), more speeches and more food, although I barely ate or drank. Dad, Nigel and Wendy spoke, then Fearn and Jess repeated theirs, to a much less rowdy crowd. The cake Andrew made was heavenly - and tasted even better than it looked.

By the end of the day, we were exhausted, but so happy - and not wanting to face the prospect of W flying out to London the next day...

Melbourne Comedy Festival

2007-04-07T15:18:00.000+10:00

This is one of my favourite festivals, but one where being random with your selection doesn't always pay off. So this year, we were a lot more selective and only saw two...

1. Daniel Kitson, It's the Fireworks Talking - it's Kitson, obviously awesome, does anymore need to be said? (I think not).

2. Charlie Pickering, Impractical Jokes - took him a little while to warm up with some unrelated, semi-funny jokes, but once he got into the main story, it was hilarious! His improvised conversation (with a French parking meter) was great and all the more funny because it went on for too long. Such great material - with toilets cemented to fences, cheap fish for sale and drunken renditions of There's Snow Business like Snow business... he couldn't go wrong. (If that doesn't make sense, you'll just have to go and see the show).

Fish, chips, gelati and home

2007-03-20T12:50:00.000+11:00

Unfortunately we had to spend most of the day driving back to Perth. We stopped at Fremantle on the way (a great achievement considering we were low on maps and W was navigating) and after a detour through a carpark we arrived at the Fremantle docks. It was a very hard decision - the 'best fish and chips' or 'voted the best fish and chips'... we went with public opinion and ate at Kailis' Fish Market. Not sure I'd quite go as far as best fish and chips, since I'm not really into crumbly fish, but it was fairly good, especially when followed with gelati. After stopping to remove evidence of not driving on dirt roads, we handed our car back and headed off to the airport and home.

Wines and pubs in country towns

2007-03-19T12:50:00.000+11:00

After our routine of a swim and a breakfast of fruit salad, a croissant with Jarlsberg & chutney and peppermint tea, we headed off to Mt Barker in search of more wineries. We missed the turnoffs for the first few and the first one we turned up at didn't have a cellar door. They did direct us to 2 more though, the first being open, the second was not (despite all the signs proclaiming the opposite). Finally succumbing to common sense and picking up a map with opening times, we headed off to a couple more, stopping for a really nice, simple steak sandwich before driving to Kojonup.

We arrived at a nice farmstay with sheep, kangaroos, dogs and metal cutouts of the owners. We asked for advice on places to eat that night - the recommended Caltex restaurant had lost its chef, but you could get takeaway and eat in the maze or the Commerical pub was apparently good; the other pub and the chicken shop which had changed owners 15 times in 2 years were not. So obediently, we headed off to the Commercial. It was a pretty typical pub - we had a drink, then found the restaurant, which had spotlit fake trees and tables surrounding Home & Away on a projector. So, following the basic tenet of ordering lemon chicken in a Chinese restaurant, we ordered a parma at the pub and did not pay on Amex before heading home.

Wind farms and more beaches

2007-03-18T12:50:00.000+11:00

We started with a swim (it really helps if you run into the water screaming how cold it is as loud as you can... and being short so it only takes 5 seconds of running until you're drenched by the waves) followed by a great breakfast at the cafe joined to our accommodation. Then we set off trying to remember what the restaurant owner had told us the night before.

First stop, the wind farm (see above), which was surprisingly impressive and actually looked quite nice. After that, the Gap and the Bridge (see right). Next stop was 'after the camp sign, past the yellow squiggly sign, once you can see Albany again, park in the carpark on the right'... after a couple of detours, we think we found it - another amazing looking beach (see below).

After a relaxing afternoon reading the not-so-relaxing American Psycho (not quite holiday reading, but interesting anyway), we headed back for fish and chips by the beach. I'd been thinking earlier in the day that a bit of rain would be nice, to wash the red dust off our car, and just when W had gotten used to the seagulls we were forced to make a walk for it (a little bit of a drenching can't hurt).

Tingles and beaches

2007-03-17T12:50:00.000+11:00

The next day we reluctantly left the kilns and headed off to see the Tingle Trees near Walpole. We walked through the Giant Tingle Tree (see right), did the Ancients Walk but couldn't quite bring ourselves to pay for the famous Treetop Walk (we'd seen enough treetops the day before). The tingles are amazing - in both red and yellow varieties, they are eucalypts that are often ‘hollowed out’ by fire and fungal attack. Despite this, they can still grow up to 75m tall (until tourists come and trample on their shallow roots...)

The lady at the tourist office recommended that we go to Greens Pool for lunch and it was brilliant advice. Despite being a little too windy for a picnic, we still managed to have one while gazing out at the perfect-looking, green-blue water (see left). We reluctantly left for Albany and it turned out that our accommodation had not only remembered us, but was also right near the beach. After W convinced me to have a swim (despite being crazily cold, I guess it wasn't his worst idea, since we swam 3 more times while there...), we went out for W's favourite-dinner-of-the-trip at the Mean Fiddler. It was one of those comfy, good value places (with a huge seafood platter including the biggest oysters I've ever had and a great lime dressing on the scallops) that had a fabulous owner - not only did he amusingly and confusedly try and serve us, but he also enthusiastically gave us brilliant directions on a trip for the next day...

Climbing trees & marron

2007-03-16T12:50:00.000+11:00

Due to W's obsession with trees and climbing them, we spent the day doing just this (see left and below). First the Gloucester Tree (61m), then the Diamond Tree (52m), then finally the tallest, most impressive (and specially built), the Bicentennial Tree (75m).

Apart from the last one, these Karris were originally used as forest fire lookouts. It's quite a strange feeling being up that high, looking at the treetops from above them.

We also stopped off at a truffle and wine company and couldn't resist buying a bottle of white truffle oil (the black was also amazing).

That night we bought some marron (relative of the yabby) from the owner, tipped them into the sink, then working up our courage, picked them up alive and nipping and boiled them (see left)... think it's the first time I've eaten something I've killed and it was a strange feeling. Still, it was a very nice dinner of marron, truffle oil, fresh bread, roasted vegetables and wine (with a free eyebrow tinting for W thrown in - don't ask him about it).

Phantom part 4

2007-03-15T12:50:00.001+11:00

We arrived in Northcliffe on a not-as-warm Thursday afternoon and found that the owner of our accommodation wasn't there. We were informed by one of his tutorees that he was on his way and when he turned up 20 minutes later, you guessed it... he didn't realise we were arriving! Once or twice, ok, three times, it's hilarious, but 4 times... what is so forgettable about us?!? (No need to answer that).

The only comforting thoughts were that the owner seemed like the kind of person who might forget - and our accommodation in a tobacco kiln (see right) was amazing. Peaceful, comfortable and complete with a vegie garden we could raid (which we did once we took a look at the Northcliffe pub).

From wine to Karri country

2007-03-15T12:50:00.000+11:00

No trip with me is complete without a trip to the doctor, which unfortunately occupied our whole morning. After drugging me up, we stopped for strawberry cheesecake and cinnamon & ginger ice cream, then the 'best hot chocolate in the world' (not quite, but nicer than I expected for what looked like scalding milk and a clump of chocolate buttons) before leaving the wineries for the forests.

Phantom part 3

2007-03-14T12:50:00.001+11:00

We arrived in Dunsborough on a warm Wednesday evening and found that the owner of our accommodation didn't have a record of our booking. Amusement turned to worry when we realised he was serious... but he found my emails and soon we were settled in our restored railway carriage (see right) trying to find kangaroos to feed.

Margaret River

2007-03-14T12:50:00.000+11:00

After a quick stop by the Busselton Jetty (the longest wooden jetty (pier) in the southern hemisphere) (see right), we began our food and wine adventure.

The first stop was a cheese company, followed by wineries (see left), a venison farm, a fudge factory, more wineries, a nut and cereal shop and a chocolate factory. And as you do after a big day of eating and tasting, we went out for a very nice dinner at Assisi in Dunsborough.

Phantom part 2

2007-03-13T12:50:00.001+11:00

We arrived in Bunbury on a warm Tuesday evening and found that there was no one home at our ChaletShed accommodation. Getting used to being forgotten about, we headed off for an authentic Chinese meal of lemon chicken and fried rice (both of which were bright yellow). It ended up that they did have our booking, it had just slipped their mind...

Rottnest Island & Perth

2007-03-13T12:50:00.000+11:00

After demanding a refund from the backpackers, we headed off to Rottnest Island, stopping off to check out the sculptures dotting Cottesloe Beach (see pics below).

While S & N opted for the quokka walk, we hired bikes and snorkels and rode off to the beach. The fish were amazing - the best snorkelling I've ever done (although W correctly pointed out that I don't often snorkel, because I'm usually diving). It really felt like you were in an underwater world, peeking in on all the sea creatures.

We stopped at a couple of beaches, drying off during the rides in the sun, before it all ended in blood, sweat and no tears. I managed to test out my helmet (it does work) and end up with scrapes down the left half of my body attempting, I'm sure, a very difficult manoeuvre on the bicycle (don't ask me about it)...

The next day we spent in Perth, primarily collecting food for a picnic in Kings Park, which perhaps surprisingly, can take 3/4 of a day. I like Perth - very green, lots of water, very peaceful - but there really isn't that much to do there as a visitor. We picked up our 'no birds...' car (I still don't get the tag line), thanked S & N for their impromptu hospitality and headed off into the south west.

Phantom part 1

2007-03-11T12:50:00.000+11:00

We arrived in Perth on a warm Sunday afternoon and found ourselves without a bed for the night. The backpackers (who'd already charged us) had no record of our booking. Fortunately, S & N let us crash on their floor...

Mar-Apr book list

2007-02-01T14:14:00.000+11:00

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul - Douglas Adams [Typical Adams... very funny]

Journey Among Women - Diana Fuller [Short but interesting... wanting to see the movie now]

American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis [Found it interesting and probably still would have without the violence... scary commentary on money, power, materialism and listening... hard to read in parts]

Running with Scissors: A Memoir - Augusten Burroughs [An entertaining, light read... can't help feeling it's a little embellished and wondering what the other side is... hole in roof and moving outside was hilarious though]

Lady with Lapdog and Other Stories - Anton Chekhov [Great set of short stories... says so much about people in so few words... would love to read more of his work]

Upstairs, Downstairs - John Hawkesworth [Makes me realise how little I would enjoy living in London in the early 1900s]

They Do It With Mirrors - Agatha Christie [Pretty standard murder mystery, nowhere near as good as And Then There Were None or Poirot's Last Case]

Jan-Feb book list

2007-01-01T12:50:00.000+11:00

Phantom - Terry Goodkind [I liked it better than others, despite long ramblings by Richard... hopefully the final is not disappointing]

1984 - George Orwell [Not as relevant as I expected... still, had some interesting theories on revolution and breaking humans]

A Fortunate Life - AB Facey [Interesting, short read, especially as I have no idea what living so close to the land was like]

Saving Francesca - Melina Marchetta [Made me feel like a teenager and wish my life had been that exciting (in a way)]

The BFG - Roald Dahl [Not as good as when I was a kid... still fun, but some of the words got to me]

Mum's 60th Birthday

2006-11-10T08:50:00.000+11:00

We had been planning this day for months - and for once, it was as good as I hoped!

Jess, Mark, Waldo & I got there earlier to select wines (helped by Sue & Nigel) - such a great way to start the afternoon. The guests started turning up soon afterwards. After mingling near the foyer, we were soon escorted to our room at the end of the restaurant (with 3 walls of glass windows). The food was as good as I remembered, especially the entrees. And the staff there were absolutely amazing.

I was a little nervous about the speech, but it seemed to go well. Despite trying to make it informal so Mum wouldn't have to speak, she still came up to thank everyone - happy but emotional. Oh, and the book I made didn't fall apart!

I think everyone had a great time, most importantly, Mum - happy 60th birthday again!!!

(Btw, Mark took all the amazing photos of the day).

God on My Side

2006-11-06T23:42:00.000+11:00

After seeing An Inconvenient Truth, this documentary didn't really seem to have a point - but that was what was great about it. It just gets you thinking without really trying to push you in a certain direction.

If you haven't heard much about it, it's Andrew Denton taking his amazing interviewing skills to a Christian Broadcasting conference in the US to find out what these televangelists are really like and to put the spotlight on 'our religion' in the same way the spotlight has been on Islam. The first I think he does well; with the second, if this is as bad as extreme Christianity gets, then it's not too bad at all (somehow, I doubt these are the equivalent 'extreme').

He really is a marvellous interviewer. He maintains such dignity without being condescending - especially when told there are sparkles on his hand (made of no material known to man). The conference seemed to have everything - personalised bibles, puppets and 3 brilliant ministers with seemingly interchangeable hair. And he did manage to find a producer who had some interesting (and rational) thoughts.

A few things did surprise me though. One was the importance of Israel to American Christians. Another was the size and power of Christians in the US (perhaps explaining support for Bush?) The biggest however was the idea of Russia backing the Muslims in the Middle East (as someone suggested, is this really the case, or just a generational Cold War idea?)

This was not the slickest documentary I've seen recently, but it's definitely interesting for Christians and non-Christians alike. And yes, of course I know not all Christians are like that!

True Live

2006-10-21T09:29:00.000+10:00

I saw these guys at the Commonwealth Games, so when I heard they were doing an album launch at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, I dragged W, Fi & James along.

They're described as a combination of hip hop, jazz & orchestra - but they're much more hip hop than anything else. What I loved when I first saw them was the energy of the lead singer, Ryan Ritchie, and the skill of every member of the band - not surprising that most of them came from the VCA.

It was a slightly different feel being indoors at night, but I still loved it. Hope the others did too...

Check out more about them & their album 'The Shape of It' at www.truelive.com.au

Greatest Song Ever?

2006-09-13T09:41:00.000+10:00

Those who know me know I don't watch much TV. But I managed to make time for some quality viewing last night - 20 to 1 Greatest Songs Ever.

I know this must be one of the most subjective lists to compile, and they did cover most of the 'great' artists, including Dylan, the Beatles, Elvis and the Rolling Stones (complete with corny comments and Bert Newton in costume).

I think it was compiled by someone from a previous generation: Like a Virgin, Smells Like Teen Spirit and Sunday Bloody Sunday just made it, but that was about it from recent times. Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin, etc. made it much higher.

Led Zep's Stairway to Heaven was beaten by Lennon's Imagine for the top spot - great song, inspiring lyrics, but greatest song ever? I guess it's simple and is relevant to everyone, but to me there's nothing that stands out about it. So, what would I have picked? Maybe Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody...?

Gomez at the Prince

2006-08-29T11:03:00.000+10:00

Firstly, this night was to launch the Fitzgerald Foundation (for anyone interested, brain cancer is the biggest solid cancer killer of ppl our age - congrats to the organisers for a wonderful night!)

Emily Ulman and Dallas Crane were on first - they were good, although I was really there to see Gomez. In between acts, we were depressed with an informative slideshow about brain cancer, roused with an auction / raffle, then finally they brought out Ben, Ian & Tom.

It's understandable being a little hesitant of a band with guitars / sound effects playing acoustically, but I loved it. The only other time I've seen them was at a festival in Germany, but the more intimate venue really suited them. I'd somehow managed to curl up and have a nap (tired and sick after a record number of hours sleep on the weekend!) but when Get Myself Arrested came on, I was wide awake and bopping away.

They did an awesome version of Sweet Virginia, In Our Gun (with an amazingly energetic ending) and played one of my favourites, Love is Better Than a Warm Trombone. There was a great mix of new / classics and the guys took turns singing / drinking together and alone.

Hmm, now I wish I had tickets to see them at the Hi-Fi Ballroom!

Why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good plane?

2006-08-21T16:09:00.000+10:00

Because it feels AMAZING!

On the weekend, W & I did Stage 1 of the Accelerated Freefall Skydiving course in Nagambie.

- Friday night, I was worried;
- Saturday lunchtime, I was more worried - I'd just signed a form saying 'Skydiving is DANGEROUS' and our instructor spent 2 hours explaining all the parachute malfunctions that could occur;
- Saturday evening, I felt a little better - the 'drills' were finally starting to set in;
- Sunday morning, it was too late to back out now!!!

Being the lightest, I was the first to jump (yes, I was their test windsock), so there was no time to think about it too much. I changed into the jumpsuit and put on the pack - then was told to change into a different jumpsuit and different pack. I have to say, the cameraperson did try, but I wasn't a very good interviewee, giving only 1 word answers.

Before I knew it, we were up in the air. The experienced Supafly guys had jumped and I was backing towards the door. Once at the door, I just ran through the drills and with a mighty 'Arch thousand', I was out the window with 2 instructors holding onto either side of me.

The feeling of the wind against your face is unbelievable - I'm sure I looked like a goldfish, opening and closing my mouth, which was uncomfortably dry. The 50 seconds of freefall absolutely flew. I tried to take in the scenery while doing the drills, but too soon, it was time to pull the pin.

After a 'tongue-poke' to the left and right, at 4000 feet, I pulled the pin and shot up into the air (well, that's what it felt like, as my instructors were still in freefall).

With the drills still in my head, I tried to check the three S's (shape, size, slider), but got my head stuck in the lines trying to look up. I pulled my head out, then realised I hadn't checked the shape at all! So I squeezed my head back through, and suddenly, the lines untwisted and all was right. I'd had tangled lines (a common minor malfunction) and hadn't even noticed!

From then on, almost all my work was done. I located the arrow in the paddock and followed the directions from the target assistant to land. I was racing through the sky, but as I got lower, the wind was much calmer and I stopped racing. I was enjoying the view so much, I didn't realise that I wasn't quite going to make it back to the designated paddock... then I saw my instructor waving his arms at me - and he was nowhere near where they were supposed to land me! I had a slightly hard landing, as I was directed to flare too early, but very happy that I'd made it to the ground!

The rest of the day was spent watching the others jump and land - one guy didn't do any drills and instructors had to pull his pin; another girl used her reserve as the parachute didn't look right. W (the heaviest) was last and remembered everything, although he took home some painful looking bruises.

So now, I just have to find the time and money to go back... and do the whole 10 stages...?

Pictures are up!

2006-08-07T23:19:00.000+10:00

I've finally attached photos to my previous posts, so go check them out!

Toilet self help?

2006-08-04T10:40:00.000+10:00

I'm not sure if it's just the ladies that are honoured with this (a short survey indicates it may just be the ladies at Lvl 5, South Tower, Rialto), but I find it a little strange - our toilet doors are covered with self help articles.

It started last year when one place of work brought out 'health messages' - drinking water, eating healthily, etc. The next place went a step further and included signs on how to use the toilet - ie. don't stand on the seat. But now, I am bombarded with A4 length spiels on being a 'genuine person', improving self esteem and admitting I'm wrong... I may be wrong, but isn't this a little bizarre...?

Back home

2006-07-25T10:39:00.000+10:00

The only good thing about coming home was that I finally got to see my family and W! And getting upgraded to business class from Hong Kong!

It's always slightly unbelievable finally seeing someone you've missed for so long. You just don't want to let go...

Paris

2006-07-22T17:22:00.000+10:00

I thought I'd escape the heat in Paris, but it was even hotter than down south in Lisboa! Still, that didn't stop Sara and I from walking around this huge city.

We started at Montmatre, by climbing up to Basilique du Sacre-Coeur - made more interesting by me losing the map. From there we headed towards the river, passing through Pigalle (and the Moulin Rouge) and the shopping district (see right) to the Avenue des Champs-Elysees. Everywhere we went, there was another impressive building to marvel at.

The search for crepes proved harder than expected, but we found a shop that sold them - then after lunch, passed about 10 more! We weren't about to make the same mistake with ice cream though and stopped for a huge bowl on the Champs-Elysees.

We needed all that energy to climb the Arc de Triomphe (see right - amazing view during the day!), then we stopped for a cocktail and to cool our feet in a pool, before lining up to climb the Tour Eiffel (see above). I'd underestimated how long this took - it was around 11pm by the time we were back down and I was famished! (I guess ice cream, cheese and crepes don't really sustain you for a whole day of walking). Still, it was an impressive sight at night.

The next day we visited Notre Dame, then wandered through the Latin Quarter before I had to leave... It was great to finally catch up on 2 years worth of news with Sara... maybe I'll see you over there again soon.

Lisboa

2006-07-19T05:20:00.000+10:00

Lisboa is a beautiful city - large plaças, Moorish castles, hilly (and slippery) cobblestoned streets, without the feeling of being overrun by tourists. The tiled exterior walls are even more stunning here and thankfully, there is finally a breeze!

Apart from gorging ourselves on custard tarts (see right), cheese pastries and other very yummy pastries, we've done a lot of walking - between the plaças in Baixa (the commercial district), up to the castle in the old Alfama district, between the restaurants on the hills in Bairro Alto, around Belem and especially on our day trip to Sintra.

Sintra was beautiful - it used to be a retreat for royalty and still has that well-kept feel about it. We talked our way into the palace (see left) and walked up to the castle, stopping often to refuel on pastries.

Dinner is around 9pm here and we've been filling our evenings with fado concerts (amazingly passionate Portugese singing - see right) and port & cheese evenings. (I'm really starting to like port).

Lisboa is also the place where Mel and I go our separate ways... very sad to leave her :(

Oporto - no burgers, but lots of port

2006-07-19T05:12:00.000+10:00

Despite arriving hot and tired in Oporto, we couldn't help being charmed by it. It doesn't have the grandeur of other European cities and appears to be a relatively poor city, but it is still elegant in its own way.

We spent a lot of time wandering up and down the cobblestoned streets (literally - it's very hilly) and it took us until our last day there to really hit the port houses. I'm beginning to quite like the stuff... oh and after visiting a few, our future party plans (and imaginations) grew, ranging from sumo wrestlers and Alice in Wonderland themes to scarves, sports cars and butlers...

As usual, food was a central part of our day. We found a couple of favourite restaurants - one in particular, we ate at every night. We were adopted by a friendly Portugese, Alberto, who acted as translator and provided witty comments at dinner (far right in background). The food here is brilliant though - quite simple, but really hearty food (a nice change after tapas).

The only down side was the heat. It became unbearably hot, with no respite at night. And Lisboa is meant to be even hotter...

Bilbao, San Sebastian - and Dylan

2006-07-14T23:54:00.000+10:00

I´m glad we visited Bilbao, although we didn´t see much more than the Guggenheim. You cannot miss it - the huge dog made from flowers out front (see right), or the glass / titanium building itself. I loved the permanent collection, including some steel snake-like structures and the modern art pieces, but didn´t find the Russia exhibition as interesting. We ended our trip there with a very thick, lumpy hot chocolate (the last one I´m trying in Spain), then it was onto San Sebastian...

People end up staying a long time in San Sebastian and I can see why. It has 3 beaches, generally good weather, beautiful mountains framing it and lots of money... enough money for a Bob Dylan concert followed by fireworks and a beach party. It's too resort-y for me to ever want to live there, but it´s definitely a nice place to relax for a while.

We didn´t get up to much here: admired the view from the top of Mt Igueldo (see above), went to the beach (see right), browsed the shops, cooked some vegetables (finally a respite from tapas), met a LOT of Aussies on BusAbout and of course, went to the Dylan concert.

I think the concert disappointed a lot of people, as he didn´t sing his supposedly most famous song, Hurricane (I´ve never considered that his most famous, but I realise now that most do), the sound quality was quite bad and Dylan sang in his usual mumbly way, not sticking to the usual melodies - it made for an interesting game of ´pick the song´. It was still great though and the crowd went crazy for Like a Rolling Stone.

Pamplona: San Fermin - crazy, messy, but fun

2006-07-10T22:23:00.000+10:00

We got off the bus in Pamplona and realised we´d missed the party. The bus from Logroño arrived at 9am (we´d woken up at 5am), but the first encierro (run) was at 8am, so our plans for a day trip went out the window - we had no choice but to stay the night and make it to the encierro the next day...

We weren´t quite dressed appropriately (in white tops/pants with red sashes around our necks/waists), so some French guys donated scarves to us - along with a scary-looking (and tasting), yoghurt-like hot chocolate (see above). Once suitable attired, we joined the rest of the crowd, although we were very far behind on the alcohol side of things.

All the families were out (kids and grandparents dressed up too), there were parades of giant wooden dolls (see right), people sleeping or resting on benches and on the grass, packed, noisy bars and lots of sun.

We met some veteran runners - I´m talking 12-22 years of coming to Pamplona - who reunite every year and included a couple who met at San Fermin. We managed to score a shower in a very very nice apartment (see below), then continued on into the night...

The party never stopped - it just got louder and messier. There were amazing fireworks and lots of happy people. We eventually made our way to the Mussel Bar, outside the status which some really stupid people jump off (none that we saw) - there is nothing at all about that statue that screams jump off me, or even climb me! Well, this was supposed to be where all the Aussies, or at least English-speakers, hung out, but we didn´t find many. It was up to Mel´s French-speaking to get us a couple of hours sleep on a couch for the night - and I really needed it!

We made it to watch the run the next day though, although it was hard to see through the barricade. (There was no way I was running - the local girls aren´t stupid enough to, and I wasn´t either). Basically, there was a flash of white legs, a flash of bull´s legs and it was all over in a second. By then, the smell and rubbish was getting unbearable, so we made our way back to our beds in Logroño.

Logroño - I didn´t want to leave

2006-07-10T22:17:00.000+10:00

We knew we´d strayed off the main tourist track when we found no one else spoke English. It was a great... until we needed to explain that the hot water didn´t work.

It would be very hard not to like Logroño. Right in the Rioja region (known for wine), filled with cobblestoned lanes that opened onto plazas where people spilled out on the streets and music from buskers wafted through. It was so relaxing, eating cheese, pate, hams and biscuits on our tiny balcony, overlooking the locals below (see right).

I can´t say we did a lot in Logroño (apart from the day trip to Pamplona - see other post). Still, food, wine and wandering through town was enough for us...

Valencia - food, food, food!

2006-07-06T01:58:00.000+10:00

Valencia was a much-needed change from Barcelona. The didn´t actually do much more than eat, rest and walk, but somehow (I´m putting it down to the heat) we still managed to exhaust ourselves.

We did the usual foodie things - ate paella, bought hams, cheeses and fruits from the market and hung out at tapas bars. The city is full of little plazas where people spill out onto the cobblestoned streets. (I´m so glad Mel loves food too!)

Valencia´s river got diverted, but they turned this into a huge positive by changing it into a long park, with sports grounds, lots of grass and at one end of the city, 3 bizarre looking white buildings: a science museum (which looks like Darth Vader´s helmet - see above), an arts venue (which looks like an armadillo - see left) and an aquarium (which looks like a huge rotunda with waves on top of it).

Barcelona / Gaudi town - bars, beaches... and of course, the art!

2006-07-02T17:23:00.000+10:00

I didn´t love Barcelona as much as I did last time, but it was still amazing.

We stayed at the famous Kabul hostel and have met enough other Aussies to last me the rest of the trip... unlike some others here, we´ve managed to see some sights other than the man-made beach, including La Sagrada Familia (still one of my favourite buildings, even though I can´t really tell what progress has been made in the last 4 years - see above right), the Picasso Museum (fantastic progression of works through his life, despite them moving some of the pieces I wanted to see to the Prado in Madrid!) and the Dali Theatre 2 hours away in Figueres (a wonderful monument to himself in the theatre he had his first exhibition in - see below left).

We finally made it to a salsa club last night, avoiding another night of pub crawls with English-speakers. It was great - some of those on the dancefloor earlier were intimidatingly good dancers, but at around 2am, some guys led an aerobics-type salsa routine and after that, it didn´t matter how you moved...

I´ve had fun, but I loved Barcelona more when it wasn´t the height of tourist season and I had a chance to wander further than a 15m radius from La Ramblas. After about 3 hours sleep, it´s onwards to Valencia and hopefully lots of good food.

Haifa - the city on the hill

2006-06-27T19:37:00.000+10:00

I'm really glad we made the trip to Haifa. It's built on Mt Carmel and from anywhere in the city you can see it stretching up the mountain.

We were lucky enough to get a place on a tour to the Bahai Gardens (see right). Sounds like an interesting faith - peace and equality in the world, a calendar of 19 months with 19 days (the extra 4 days are for visiting friends) and the odd but practical rule that Israelis cannot join the faith unless they move countries (to keep the peace). The symmetrical, immaculately kept gardens are mostly tended my pilgrims around the world who look after it for 1-2 years in their lifetime.

Still, the heat got to us and before long we had to retreat back down for gelati.

The big day!

2006-06-27T19:24:00.000+10:00

The lead up to the wedding was fantastic - the hen's night was relaxing (see right), with lots of food and a tarot-type reading (apparently i've got the spirit of a black crow at the moment and i'll become a whale in the future).

The next night was the henna, which included food, dancing and traditional Moroccan costumes (see left).

Finally, the wedding was last night. Tali looked like a princess and Gil looked great in his brown vest. The setting was perfect - everyone (including the bride and groom) mingled/drank/ate a little beforehand, then the ceremony was held around sunset across the bridge in the middle of the lake (see below). Gil did a brilliant job of saying the vows and breaking the glass, then it was onto the eating and dancing. And there was a lot of both...

The wedding had everything - Tali's sister sang a beautiful song, there were balloons after the bridal dance, we had light wands and whistles on the dance floor.

The food was amazing - there was a very yummy buffet, then people carrying out trays of fruit, then trays of chocolate. And then there was dessert. When you thought it had all finished, around midnight, they brought out the hamburger and waffle stands. Amazing!

It was just such a magical night. Masal tov again to Tali and Gil!

Jerusalem - I love it!

2006-06-22T00:18:00.000+10:00

Jerusalem is one of those places that you know you should like. It's a place of significance for Muslims, Christians and Jews, where all three religions meet. Yet I didn't expect to love it as much as I did.

The old city is surrounded by a wall and is a crazy maze of narrow, cobbled streets. There's meat (we can't work out which animal) hanging in the stalls, fresh pastries and bread in the morning (see our local right) and tubs of spices and herbs. Boys push huge carts of goods around without toppling them or squashing any toes.

And then just around the corner (and through an inevitable security check) is the West (Wailing) Wall (see left).

Go over the narrow bridge and you see the Mosque, then turn around and the is the Dome of the Rock, with its bright blue tiles and golden dome (see below right).

It is amazing being in a place where so many 'important' things have happened - where Christ died and was resurrected, where Mohammed went up to heaven, where the First and Second Jewish temples were built.

We ended up following some of the Stations of the Cross and arrived at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - an odd shaped church with lots of separate areas, where people prayed with muffins and told us off for crossing our legs.

Why you shouldn't fall asleep in buses...

2006-06-22T00:13:00.000+10:00

Or in my case, why you don't get too engrossed in a book. We were catching the bus from Ein Gedi to Jerusalem and thought the last stop was the bus station...

I looked up earlier and saw backpackers still on the bus. I looked up again and it was just Mel & I - and the bus driver was leaving the bus!!! Before we could catch him, he'd walked off and into a house!

In true Aussie style, we took a few photos and videos, then realised we didn't actually know how to open the door (no Mel, the red buttons don't do anything). I tried waving at some women at the bus stop across the road, but they thought we were crazy and ignored us (I wonder why?) So, there was no choice - I opened the driver's window and climbed out, knocked on his door and got him to let us and our luggage out.

Oh well, we got home in the end...

The lowest point on earth

2006-06-22T00:04:00.000+10:00

It was time to head back to Israel - a car, bus, taxi, interrogation at Israeli border, taxi and bus ride later, we were at Ein Gedi, on the Dead Sea.

It is the oddest feeling floating in water - it's an effort put your feet under water or stand up. The water has an oily film over it, leaves salt residues on rocks that look like dripping candles and burns the eyes (as one guy found out, who ducked under the water!)

Everyone looks ridiculously uncoordinated when they try to turn over. And ridiculously touristy when they rub black mud into their skin - yes we did that, but with free mud. I'm not 100% convinced it helps your skin - it could possibly be just for the locals to laugh at.

Despite all that, it was still very relaxing and our skin did feel super-soft afterwards... to top it all off, we had a romantic dinner (omelette sandwich and water) overlooking the pink-tinged Jordanian mountains and the Dead Sea - what more could one ask for!

Petra

2006-06-21T23:58:00.000+10:00

Petra was amazing - buildings carved into the mountains, caves for food storage, water systems. The Nacabateans controlled the trade routes and you could see in their work the mixture of Egyptian, Roman and other influences.

To begin with, you walk through a 1.4km Siq (gorge), avoiding the heat and trying to not to get trampled by the horse and carriages.

Then you see it - the Treasury (of Indiana Jones fame).

It is breathtaking - the size, the detail are amazing (see right). The trek up to the Monastery (see right above) was made a little less enjoyable by having to fend off children selling postcards, boys offering donkey rides and uni students wanting to 'practise English'. Still, it was another amazing sight.

The Bedouins

2006-06-21T23:52:00.001+10:00

After our little episode in the night, we were keen to leave Wadi Rum. We headed straight for Petra and met a friend of Jafah's - a Bedouin guide whose family has apparently featured in National Geographic (see right). We went up into the mountains to escape the heat, had a 'BBQ' over a campfire (see below), then visited Little Petra (an appetiser for the real Petra).

The Bedouins are remarkably hospitable (regardless of whether you overlook the business side or not). We were invited into houses, offered tents and meals, given jewellery - and we'd only just met them.

Still, we declined the tent and opted for a hotel instead.

A stranger in the night

2006-06-21T23:36:00.000+10:00

Ash organised for his friend, Jafah, to pick us up the next morning. After a short tour of Jafah's houses (great views of Aqaba!), we set off into the desert. It felt like we were driving away from everything, with the windows down, Arab music blaring and the mountains (massive piles of rubble) rushed past us.

The first time you are in the desert it's breathtaking. The silence overwhelms you and it's hard to believe that people live there. We burnt our feet clambering up sand dunes, stumbled on a movie crew, climbed a bridge-like rock, survived Mel's first attempt to drive in a manual and helped to tow a family's jeep... everyone seems to know everyone here - or at least, people have the time to stop those in need.

After an amazing sunset, we hung out at the camp, only talking (well rather, showing photos and playing a form of charades) with a large family from Amman until dinner was ready; then we went straight to bed in our tent (see below right).

Mel woke up first and heard footsteps. Someone stopped in front of our tent and said in a soft voice, "Hello. I love you. Goodbye". I called out, then Mel told them to go away. Then someone tried to enter our tent, not quite triggering the booby trap we'd set (a bottle of water... we didn't have much at our disposal). We screamed and the owner rushed over and offered us his tent for the night. Despite Mel being armed with her Swiss Army knife, neither of us slept much that night.

There were people up almost all night trying to catch him, but they never did. I can understand that this doesn't happen all the time, but we don't think we did anything to provoke it (we were covered up the whole time and weren't chatty with anyone but the family) - still, it did seem to taint that part of the trip a little.

Diving in Aqaba

2006-06-14T23:27:00.000+10:00

I'd been looking to forward to diving outside of Australia - everyone had said the Red Sea was amazing and it was - so I dragged Mel out for a day trip to the Gulf of Aqaba.

After some scary driving (it's seriously much better not to watch the road), we arrived at the Saudi Border. I had a personal guide who made me do some skills again, then took me on a tour. It was beautiful - I never know how to describe what it's like underwater... doesn't help not knowing the names of anything. But we saw a turtle, huge parrotfish, see through pink things with legs, coral that looked like brains, spiky red things, long flat creatures that camouflaged in the sand and jumped when you went near them, creatures with long, thin tentacles that retracted when you went near them (my guide had an obsession with making things move), blobby sea cucumbers, huge schools of fish that made up a circle, coral shaped like a statue of a sad boy, Nemos and more.

It was freezing though - they gave me 2 wetsuits for my second dive. Time flew while I was under though... apparently we were underwater for 1.5 hours altogether and it felt more like 1/2 hour.

That evening, the dive shop owner, Ash (very funny guy) took us out for some local food - and there was a lot of it. He ordered one of everything so we could try it: salads, dips (& fries) for entree, then platters of meat for the main. Simple, but very nice food!

We ended up at a bar of his Canadian cousin's, where we heard about female Japanese rapists, learnt about Jordanian marriage proposals and tried to decide whether Ash or Mel would have the best island (not so sure about using elephant trunks instead of blenders...) - naturally, it was all settled with an arm wrestle.

No mans land - border crossing and budgets

2006-06-14T23:14:00.000+10:00

The trip across the border to Jordan was surprisingly easy. They wouldn't let us take photos however, so we settled for pictures under the 'Welcome to Israel' sign (see right).

I was horrified when Mel suggested we make a run for it (to avoid border stamps)... so horrified in fact, that I (and the wind) threw most of our Jordanian money away and she spent the next 5 minutes running through the compound chasing after it. She attracted so much attention that the guards came over and ask what we were doing - we had been told to go straight from one counter to the next.

The Israelis, with huge guns casually slung over their shoulders, checked out passports several times, then there was a little walk through no mans' land. Straight, dusty and lined with tall barbed wire fences, the road seemed to stretch out to the Jordanian mountains. Once we were there, they checked out bags (and asked me what my soap was), before whisking our passports away. And that was when we got the dreaded border stamp. Oh well. At least the Israelis can go crazy stamping our passports now. We got into a white taxi and had to change into a yellow taxi (strange) and got dropped off at our hotel in Aqaba.

Mel had a little scare with the ATMs - they told us the transaction was successful, but didn't always spit out money, so of course we tried again... and again... the random amounts sometimes worked, but sometimes didn't. Then finally, we decided we should cut our losses.

We splurged on a hammam (Turkish bath where you are washed with special dark soap for ages, sit in a sauna, then get scrubbed like crazy so your skin falls off). It's actually a lot more fun and relaxing than it sounds and for the first time since arriving, I felt SO clean!

We only had 8JD left on us (16AUD), so we were on a mission for a cheap dinner. Which was actually quite easy. For 7JD we had a huge plate of mixed grill, cheese pastries, meatballs (kobe) and lots of advice on travelling to Petra. We went all out and left a 1JD tip.

Don't think Mel is going to trust my assessment of food again though... I told her that the roasted green thing was a capsicum (it tastes like one when you don't have a mouthful of seeds) and she burnt her mouth off and spat our her food like a heathen. I, on the other hand, thought the meat was really spicy... (well, with chilli it is!)

Go Aussies!

2006-06-14T23:09:00.000+10:00

We found a little pub near the markets in Tel Aviv that was not a football free zone and settled in to watch Australia vs. Japan.

We'd found ourselves a lot of Aussie supporters (including the bar owner) - the first goal by Japan was devastating for everyone. Another guy there told us not to worry, mate... Australia will win 3-1. Not surprisingly, no one believed him.

Nothing much happened until the last 10 minutes when Cahill got 2 amazing goals, then Aloisi kicked the final one - it was amazing!!! The bar went off, even the huge adopted dog. Perfect end to the match really!

On the sunny side of the world

2006-06-12T21:29:00.000+10:00

Beautiful, sunny weather greeted me in Paris after a horrendously long flight. I met Mel at Chatelet station in Paris and went back to her family's place for breakfast. The afternoon was spent on an infuriatingly long search for one of her relative's picnics - about 1.5 hours later, we found it, on a patch of grass behind a swimming pool.

Couldn't resist a nap in the afternoon. After saying goodbye to her lovely cousins and uncle, we faced our first interrogation. After picking up our Israir tickets, we were separated and questioned extenstively. They even took my card for the wedding couple, my guide book and called the people we were staying with Tel Aviv. But with that amount of sleep, I just found everything hilarious.

The night flight to Tel Aviv was half empty but still uncomfortable. We found our way to Vered's apartment (after knocking on the wrong door for 10 minutes!) and succombed to another nap before venturing into the city.

So far, we've just visited the Yemenite Quarter, in particular the Carmel Market, where we're stocking up on fruits / snacks / cheap clothes. Think we'll settle in somewhere to watch Aus vs Japan, before heading off the Eilat / Aquaba tomorrow.

4 Day Weeks

2006-05-05T16:59:00.000+10:00

It's amazing what a difference a day off in the middle of the week makes. Came into work full of energy, enthusiastic... pity it only lasted until lunchtime.

Candy

2006-04-26T23:11:00.000+10:00

I finally won tickets through City Rewards and went to see Candy at Nova. I should have guessed from the fact that Abbie Cornish was starring in it that it would be an emotionally draining film... the kind of film that mutes the rest of the evening.
It tracked the lives of 2 young lovers through their heroin addiction: from heaven, to earth, to hell.
For me, the movie seemed to take a little more than it gave. While other viewers could probably detach themselves from the characters and see them as druggies who would never escape the cycle, I couldn't help hoping that this time, they'd pull through.
Good movie, but I was glad to go back to my boring little life.

Chocolates...

2006-04-22T15:17:00.000+10:00

Dragged myself out of bed this morning to go to the Level 1 Choc and Pralines school at Savour in Brunswick. It was probably a little too early and tasting choc / choc ingredients at 9am probably didn't help my stomach.
We made cut praline, frozen mint, vanilla ganache, strawberry ganache and caramel, learning to temper chocolate (through the innoc and 'table' methods - yes, you just throw the chocolate onto the table and try to keep it moving and off the floor), dip chocolate and use moulds.
By the end of the day (it was only 5 hours, but it felt like the whole day), I could not face a single piece of chocolate - we didn't eat that much, just being around it and inhaling it was enough.
Even though I didn't do the hard bits (ie. making the fillings), it's still great to eat and give away chocs that 'I' made.
Will I try it home? Probably not, considering the ingredients and equipment you need, but it was still a lot of fun!

I want my money back!

2006-04-18T08:30:00.002+10:00

Having decided a little too late that we wanted to go to the Comedy Festival, all the big names were sold out, so we bought tickets for Mark Watson and the Best of the Edinburgh Fest... we figured there were 3 acts, so at least one had to be good.

Mark Watson was fantastic! Loosely based around approaching death, with every ten minutes equating to the next ten years of his life, it was basically a funny rant. He made an effort to localise his show, commenting on how Australians are so laid back, we actually take the time to vote that we 'don't care' on a survey of Howard's involvement ithe wheat scandal. He probably spent a little too much time getting off track with 'admin', but I did love the fact that he chose someone in the audience to go into a draw to go into his will.

We rushed across from the Powder Room at the Town Hall, to the much less intimate RMIT Capitol Theatre for the Best of the Edinburgh Fest. There is no way this could have been the best... Gordon Southern and Rhod Gilbert were good - funny, but they didn't have anything special to make them a fantastic comedian. However, the Doo Wops were terrible. I rarely feel like this, but if F & J weren't there too, I would have walked out. Their songs were pretty repetitive, not that original and almost offensive. They were trying to be cool and daggy at the same time, which really didn't work and were way too arrogant to be funny at all.

Danny Bhoy

2006-04-12T23:23:00.000+10:00

Arj Barker was a disappointment last year, so I was hoping Danny Bhoy would be better. And he was.

He had some very very funny parts, including a great sketch about an orchestra, although some parts (like the chicken impression), he took a little too far. I think it would be interesting to see him again at the end of the festival, since he seemed to be still figuring out what worked in Australia.

London

2005-11-28T10:37:00.000+11:00

... or more accurately, Stevenage and Watton-at-Stone.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting my time in London to be as eventful as it was. I arrived extremely annoyed, as passport control had taken 30 minutes and the official was downright rude and intimidating. I can see now why they have to put up a sign warning people about being arrested for assault. I'm guessing they're aiming to scare people who are trying to sneak into the country, but really, they could be a little politer about it...

Anyway, I was very very happy to see R and L there. And I was very quickly drawn into a night of intrigue... R had enlisted L, his mother and grandmother into an elaborate scheme to keep my arrival a secret from W. R and his mother were supposed to be at a craft fair, L was going to cook dinner for them all that night. To be honest, I'm really quite impressed about the amount of effort put into it... there were about 5 different plans about what we'd do when we finally got to R's house. In the end, he went in first, got W downstairs while I hid outside (in the rain!). Then, R opened the front door, put the light on upstairs and that was my signal to come inside and surprise him. And he was surprised... but I think more annoyed that he'd been 'betrayed' by so many people! He only slightly suspected, as people had been acting strangely that day... L had rung up and asked how R liked tomatoes, then hung up; R had cleaned the cooktop; etc.

But the scheming didn't end there... we went out to dinner at the good old Three Horseshoes, but just as we were about to leave, J (who we used to work with) arrived. Then on the way, we stopped and R jumped out of the car ('to drop something off I think', L said) and came back with 'Stella' J. All surprised out, we had a fantastic dinner there (nachos of course, and lamb shank). It was strange being back there. Not quite as good as I expected, since I didn't really know anyone there at all. Still, it did bring back memories...

The next day was spent watching the video of K & B's wedding, visiting people for cups of tea and wandering around garden centres / fish shops. We had a nice small lunch at another McMullens pub, then R left me at M's. I felt a little bad, b'cos I couldn't help gawking at M's house before I even said hello to her. she had done an amazing job of transforming it into a more 'Australian' house, with a large open-plan kitchen, big light, breezy rooms and lots of white walls... it looked wonderful!

We chatted about house plans, life & family (V is so mature and responsible for an 11 year old!), had a roast for dinner (I love parsnip chips!), then went to the George and Dragon for dessert. But the real excitement started when we got home. It turned out that M only had the back door key, which couldn't be used while a key was in the lock from the inside. She ran down to the neighbour's to pick up a spare key, only to find that that was also a back door key. I climbed onto the 'balcony' to get through her bedroom, but that was locked. Then we tried to break in by smashing a window with a rock and using a credit card on the front door. Finally, we had to give up and call a locksmith. Those people make it look so easy...

Kunsthaus

2005-11-25T10:34:00.000+11:00

The big bug, the blue bubble, the big blue bubble... whatever it's been nicknamed, the Kunsthaus is a great place to visit on a snowy Friday afternoon. If you're wondering why I'm not at work on a Friday afternoon, it's because in Austria, most people leave work after lunch on Fridays... which I quickly realised when all the people I needed to talk to were not at their desks...

So I took refuge from the cold in the museum and wandered around M City, an exhibition about mid-sized European cities. Displays ranged from a supermarket trolley covered in 2 tonnes of sugar; to a visual display of things people like / dislike about sprawl; to replicas of well-designed city layouts around the world; to a city carved out of candles, of which a few were lit each day; to a map of Graz showing where several volunteers were currently located by tracking their mobiles. It was interesting seeing how different people around the world solve the dilemma of whether to be squashed together in a busy city or be isolated from amenities outside a major city. And how sprawl occurs in different geometric patterns and is affected by social trends and public transport systems. And how many major cities are moving towards 'public transport hubs' which contain overdesigned public areas as well as parking and easy access to the city.

M City only took up two 'spaces' in the museum, so a couple of hours later I was outside warming my hands with chestnuts and picking beads in a ceramic shop (Graz is apparently known for its ceramics) before returning for a photography exhibition opening. It was by a South African photographer who has taken photos of SA locals since apartheid. There was an amazing 'family portrait' of a woman and her two daughters... the caption told us that she died a few years ago of AIDS, her son died a couple of months later, also of AIDS, then her daughter died a couple of months after that, once again of AIDS. There were pictures of children playing in water in an abandoned blue abestos area - if you inhale the slightest bit of it and are a susceptible person, it will kill you within 10-40 years. Although not all the stories were as depressing as that, the photographs certainly gave you an insight into these people's lives...

I stayed for the opening itself, but it seemed to be all speeches in German. One of the photographers wandering around snapped me when I turned around to look at him. It was then that I decided I should probably brave the cold again...

Snow! (And food)

2005-11-22T20:01:00.000+11:00

It snowed today! Snow is so beautiful. Not just on the ground, but when it's falling. So much more beautiful than rain. You really don't see the four seasons in Melbourne the way you see it in Europe.

I've decided that I'm going to miss the food in Graz. Despite the huge portions, I think the food is actually quite good for me. Because it is so hearty (although perhaps a little too salty), I find that I can never finish my meal and am therefore not overeating... perfect!

Some really nice people at Infonova have been driving us to little restaurants or guesthouses nearby for lunch. Apart from the pizza days, you usually order the 'menu', which is 2-3 courses for around 6-8 Euro... and the food is fantastic!!!

I have lots of favourites. I am now a big fan of clear soups, especially the ones with scrambled pancakes or dumplings in them (even liver dumplings). I had the most amazing one yesterday, with little Malteser-sized balls of souffle-like dough. They were hollow and squirted out soup when you popped them in your mouth.

The main meals tend to be meat and something else. The meat is usually in a rich, thickish sauce. The something else ranges from more dumplings to potatoes to dough that looks like potato to risotto to sauerkraut to nudels/pasta. And yes, because it's me I like the dumplings the best.

Desserts I can always finish. I've had cakes, pastries, pancakes with ice cream - all of them are fine with me :)

Maribor is not

2005-11-20T19:59:00.000+11:00

As optimistic as I am, I have to admit that Maribor was a disappointment. I guess it was partly our fault. We did go on a Saturday (when shops are closed) and we did go to a border town rather than the capital city - still, the tourist office could have followed it's advertised opening hours!

Without a doubt, the best part was the train ride. We passed little villages covered in snow, (I am so glad Graz is in a valley!), expansive fields and beautiful forests. The only sign that we had passed into Slovenia was when our tickets / passports were checked about 5 times... at least they're thorough.

As I mentioned, the tourist office was closed, so we got a taxi into town (2 minutes away) and picked up a map from the nearest hotel. We found ourselves a place for lunch and attempted to order some Slovenian food (lots of meat and potatoes). We also had some 'Slovenian' hot chocolate, which is basically frothy milk, with a faint chocolate flavour.

Finally we braved the cold and tried to see some of the sights. With our trusty map, we first headed for what looked like a castle - we walked past it a few times, before realising it was really just a big building. Then we went in search of the fish and snakes in the park - that turned out to be a ducks in a pond and a closed (of course) lizard museum. A little disheartened, we made some attempts to find an earlier train (or other means of transport) to Graz, before finally taking refuge in another cafe. This time the hot chocolate was extremely thick and syrupy - around the consistency of thick pumpkin soup... even I couldn't finish it!

The day ended well though - we had dinner at Murinsel (Island in the Mur), an amazing looking 'architectural project' consisting of an amphitheatre and a cafe. With lots of glass, light and curves (even the toilet made you feel like you were in a spaceship). It's actually connected to each side of the river by a bridge and apparently it kinda 'floats' and is not affected by rising water. Apparently they're building one in Melbourne...

Graz is beautiful

2005-11-19T19:45:00.000+11:00

I am in love with this town. I want to move here for a while - but only if I can buy a puffy down jacket and fur lined boots...

Seriously, it is extremely beautiful. During the day, with the carpet of golden leaves and in the evening, with the sparkling Christmas lights...

We got up as early as we could and did a walk of the old town. We saw the Painted House opposite the Landhaus, wandered around the Christmas markets (see pic on left) in the Hauptplatz (central square), spotted the 'Turkish warrior' under the cornice of the Palais Saurau and admired the pastries in the Edegger Tax bakery.

After pausing in the Cathedral, we left our mark in the Burg (at the top of the spiral staircase), before playing in the leaves in the Burggarten and the snow(!) in the Stadtpark. Oh, and I can see why there are so many Maroni (chestnut) stalls in this country - you need something to keep you warm!

In the Stadtpark (see pic on right), is one of the best things about Graz. Right next to a beautiful fountain is the 'Rusty Nail' (as you may guess, a modern, very tall nail) - Graz has beautiful old buildings and cobbled streets, but it also has some brilliant modern architecture and art. Same deal with the Opera House and the steel sculpture 'Light Sword'.

We made our way through the Farmers Market at Kaiser-Josef-Platz before deciding we needed lunch. Rewarding ourselves for bounding up the stairs to the Schlossberg (amazing view!), we snapped away at the Bell Tower, the Clock Tower (with hands back to front!) and a bizarre message from space before warming up with some soup. We decided to take the funicular down - beautiful view again.

We quickly visited The Bug aka Grazer Kunsthaus (see pic on left), another modern building, before cramming in some shopping. Then it suddenly turned very cold. Taking refuge in the Sacher Cafe (I LOVE their hot chocolates), we went home to rest before our night out...

Wien

2005-11-14T22:40:00.000+11:00

Cakes, colourful houses and classical music... how can you not love Vienna?!?

Friday night was all about food and drink. We trekked out to a brilliant little restaurant called 'Stomach' (thanks to Lonely Planet), then went to the local (i.e. closest to our hotel) pub for drinks. Not a fan of the smoke, but they played everything from yodeling to Christmas carols to Shakira. We learnt from the 'wo-man' waitress that drinks were half price as they were celebrating their 6th birthday, but much to Roshan's disappointment we headed home before the sun came up.

For some unknown, annoying reason, I did not sleep on Friday night. It's not an absolute essential in Vienna though, because the morning chill keeps you awake. We made our way into town and did a little walking tour (thanks to Lonely Planet again) before stopping for an amazing torte break at the Sacher cafe. I shared a dessert platter (i.e. 4 layers of platter), all of it amazing! We made our way down Wien's Walk of Fame, where Mel Gibson and Big Bird are replaced with Tchaikovsky and Puccini. Then I crashed.

On Saturday night we found ourselves a little concert in Lutherische Stadtkirche (a Lutheran church) - we heard an amazing 20th century Hartmann violin concerto sandwiched between some sing-along choral works by Brahms, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and Reger. After finally trying a Vien Schnitzel (not worth the effort), I crashed again. I guess 20 minutes sleep in 38 hours just doesn't cut it.

Sunday found us a little more organised and we headed straight to the Kunsthaus. Hundertwasser had very interesting concepts along the lines of 'Straight lines are godless and bad for the soul' and was a big proponent of tree tenants and grass on roofs. Although I wasn't such a big fan of his paintings, I have to admit that the little model hobbit-like village did look very appealing... There was also Albert Watson's Frozen photography exhibition - the photos of people, amazing and not, were captivating!

I had time to visit the Toilet of Modern Art (see pic on left) and squash a 2 cent coin into a souvenir before we took refuge from the cold. Despite originally mistaking it for vinegar, I am now a huge fan of pumpkinseed oil. And the pumpkinseed pesto pasta I had for lunch did not disappoint. Simon had a brilliant idea to hire bikes and we braved the roads, stopping at the old ferris wheel for mulled wine and chestnuts. As the bike was quite tall, I had a lot of difficulty stopping and starting; I showed off my unique method of falling / leaping off the bike to everyone else's amusement. Our last stop was the Demel Cafe (Sacher's rival), where I had a 'Choco-Baileys' and some more to-die-for cakes...

A big, big thanks to Mel for organising it and to Ankur, Roshan and Simon for putting up with me in my sleepless state!!!

I'm in Austria!

2005-11-08T22:38:00.000+11:00

Wow! I'm finally back in Europe again! Even after 20+ hours of flying, it is still very exciting... YAY!!!

The flight wasn't anywhere near as bad as I feared. Could have something to do with flying business class for the first time in my life. You know the flight can't be too bad when you have people hanging up your coat when you board, when you can eat as much chocolate as you want and most importantly, when you can lie down in your own little 'pram' or 'bubble' when it's time to sleep.

Not all went well though... I met a lovely old German lady on the flight to Frankfurt and very proudly whipped out my notebook of German phrases. However, when I tried to say 'Where is the toilet?', she burst into laughter... not quite the response I was after...

The healthy option?

2005-10-20T08:48:00.000+10:00

OK, I give in. I am sick.

So I went into Coles and picked up the only Day & Night Cold & Flu Fighter tablets available. But to my bewilderment, this is what the day tablet contains:

1.5g extract equivalent to dry berries
1.0g extract equivalent to dry bark
1.2g extract equivalent to leaf

I guess I was expecting something that sounded vaguely medical, not a collection of items I can pick up in a backyard.

The most interesting thing though, is that to convert this to a night tablet and make yourself drowsy, all you have to do is replace the dry bark, with dry root. Hmmm...

One of those days

2005-10-13T13:55:00.000+10:00

Today is one of those days where things are just not working.

I've got a sore throat, my tummy is unhappy, I keep going from being really cold to really hot... but I'm not sick!!!

It's one of those days where you start a sentence, then realise half a minute later that you haven't finished it. Where you almost fall over while you're standing up. And where sometimes you feel like you're floating above watching yourself move.

Perhaps I need more sleep.

Coke Live 'n Local 05

2005-10-10T10:59:00.000+10:00

Despite not winning an acoustic guitar or an xBox, this was an event I'm glad I went to...

The fun started when we were queuing up. There were announcements over the loudspeakers informing us that bottled drinks had to be poured into cups - fair enough... explaining how to scan our tickets - ok... outlining what a barcode looked like - what?!?! They obviously don't think much of the youth of today!

Anyway, you know you're old when you get a perfunctory nod by security. That is, everyone apart from W, whose bag of Safeway groceries clearly made him look dangerous... the thing was, our Amish boy had even (partially) shaved recently!!!

Anyway, I better get onto the music. There were 5 bands, which I thought got progressively better, separated by interludes from DJ 'Make Some Noise!!!'.

The very young-looking The Gear were on first, and unfortunately the loudest cheers came when they announced they were playing their last song. They were followed by The Spazzys who I enjoyed more, but their voices were disappointingly drowned out by their guitars.

The most curious act of the night was definitely P Money. He did a surprisingly small amount of singing / rapping. Not only was his main hit pre-recorded, but the moment the kids went crazy was when he played original versions of Blur's Song 2 and Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. Ah, I guess classics will always be classics...

This was proven again with Spiderbait, whose songs are actually very short. I loved Calypso and of course Buy Me a Pony, but the most popular was definitely Black Betty.

Finally the band the mosh pit were waiting for, The Living End. I loved the songs from 'our generation', as W puts it... I think Prisoner of Society and Second Solution are brilliant songs. Although I only realised tonight that Second Solution is actually about a guy on death row... I guess 'And what I wanna know is will I get death row' makes more sense than 'And what I wanna know is where I get to go'...

I think the scariest part of the night was realising that I was not that young anymore. When I was a teenager, I didn't necessarily immerse myself in the typical 'teenager' mentality. But rather than feeling relief and validation that most people my age now see the boys as abusive, the girls as badly-dressed, it just makes me feel old...

I guess that's what you get for going to a Coke-sponsored 'alcohol-free, drug-free' event.

Thanks for the ticket Fi!

Madness

2005-10-07T09:08:00.000+10:00

All living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways.

Vann Martel, Life of Pi

I think a little madness is important... what fun would it be if everything was always logical and sane? Aren't the times when you're most free the times when you're a little crazy, saying what you want and doing what you want with no regard for what the world thinks?

Sometimes when I go mad, I go into one long fit of uncontrollable laughter. Not many people have seen it, but those who have either stand back from the epileptic display or join in.

Other times it's a little darker. I crave the pain, the tears, the anger. I know that it's illogical, but that doesn't mean a thing. Those who have seen this never join in.

Still, it's those times of freedom that make it all worth living...

La Bohème, Sydney

2005-10-06T08:39:00.000+10:00

I've never been a huge fan of opera. I was almost scarred for life by a school excursion to Hansel & Gretel. However, Simon Phillips' version of Puccini's La Bohème has changed my view on that...

Firstly, despite being a true Melbourne girl, it is hard not to get excited by being in the Opera House, looking over the water at night to the Harbour Bridge.

Secondly, the opera itself was amazing. The sets were simple, but very effective; the costumes were... modern; the orchestra was good and the singers, not that I know anything about singing, sounded great to me!

Finally, I love the fact that opera can get away with ridiculous story lines. For example, in the first act, Mimi visits her neighbour Rodolfo to get help relighting her candle. His goes out too, she loses her house key and then suddenly, they're declaring their love for each other! Maybe I'm not enough of a romantic to believe in love-at-first-sight-in-the-dark. And I guess 2 hours of singing isn't enough to develop a romance. But still, opera gets away with it.

Thanks for the ticket Mel!

Intro to me...

2005-10-05T17:45:00.000+10:00

Just for the record, I am a happy pixie... not an angry one, not a cute one, not a ditzy one. Just happy.

And why a pixie? Well, also for the record, that has nothing to do with feeding children dirt. It's just due to my belief that children should not be kept in bubbles and that a little bit of playing with snails and slugs in the garden won't harm them. Surely it would help them, at least to build up their immune system... For some reason, this belief makes me a pixie.

Anyway, I have finally made the time to start up my own little blog. I have no illusions that other people will make time to read it, but here it is anyway.