Tropical Snowflake: March 2007

Saturday 31 March 2007

Bollywood in Hyde Park

Walking through Hyde Park, Giles and I came across the set of a Bollywood movie. They were in the process of filming a dance fight scene... and there really are not enough of those in movies these days (think Beat Street and West Side Story).

We did have to hang around for a while (about 5 mins) to get the video but it was entertaining to watch it. There was also a very tall Indian woman who looked like an actress. She walks in front of my camera as the fake fight is progressing.

Sydney Botanic Gardens

On a fabulous walk through the Sydney Botanic Gardens and around The Domain and Circular Quay, we saw why this is a pretty city. I don't agree with the Witlams , I think she has a nice soul too.

Giles relaxing on a wooden bench in the gardens

There are thousands of fruit bats that live in the gardens. They spend all their daylight hours there and then fly off in to the suburbs to feed off fruit trees and flowers. At sunset, you can see them leaving the gardens all at once as a constant trickle heading south west across the sky.

The infamous bats

Watch out when you look up

The botanic gardens has a rare and endangered plants area near a slightly more defensive succulent garden. Both were beautiful. It was nice to visit many succulents like the ones I grew so successfully in frosty Canberra.

Beautiful pink bells

Spikey succulent

If you've read my post about The Bad Tree, you will be happy to know that there are pines of the same species wandering freely in the gardens. These pines are Wollemi pines and are as old as the dinosaurs. It's a nice idea to walk by plants that dinosaurs once walked by.

Don't fence me in

We stopped for lunch and a nice rose at the Opera Bar. Giles had the veal and I had my first order of fish and chips since coming to Sydney. The food was not bad at all. The sun burnt us a little. After this we continued on to the Rocks and saw the dig site they have unearthed under a 1970s carpark.

Let's play where's wally with that bridge that is in every shot

Friday 30 March 2007

Afternoon City from Darling Island

This is the view of the city of Sydney that I get when I leave work around 6ish.

The floating cranes are building behind Wharf 7

Thursday 29 March 2007

Firestarter Twisted Firestarter

Hyde Park is full of interesting sites and sounds during all hours of the day. On Thursday night, Giles and I met a friendly group including Kaos who were quite talented at playing with fire.

Kaos the fire breather

Fire dancers in front of the war memorial

An action shot

The Bad Tree

Every day as I walk through Darling Harbour on the way home, I wonder what this poor tree did to deserve to be locked up.

This a serious fence

Does the tree get visitors?

Poor tree

Extra fencing for other naughty trees

From the Front Door to Our Floor

Today I stopped and looked around at the short journey from our common front door, to the lift and to our apartment. You really have to visit to see it for yourself. It's funky.

Our chandelier

The mirror that is screwed to the floor - damn them, I need a full length mirror

Our mailbox

At the lift door

Pay Day Lights

I am not sure why the lift foyer lights at work are orange but I'll put it down to the only big event happening this week - pay day.

Tuesday 27 March 2007

My Favourite Web Comic

XKCD is my favourite web comic at the mo. Giles introduced me to it about a month ago.

Sunday 25 March 2007

Mei's Hen's Night

On Friday the 23rd of March, Irene and I took the soon to be married Mei out for a small hen's night. We went out for a delish dinner at Longrain (Nicole Kidman's fave restaurant but thank god the skank wasn't there), then more cocktails at Lo Stuido and then on to karaoke at Karaoke World.

There were many drinks and many revelations... the main one being that the three of us are only divas in attitude and not in tone.

Mei + Irene @ Karaoke World waiting for our room

Mei was hesitant to sing at first

Irene selected most of the songs

Irene and Mei belted out Britney (see bad quality video below)

The picture isn't good but you can hear the sound

Monday 19 March 2007

Sticky Noted Desk

When I got in to work this morning, someone had sticky noted my desk, computer, keyboard and filing cabinet. The culprit has not owned up. It is funny. I'd like to say thanks for a nice start to Monday morning, right before I toilet paper maiche them to their chair :o)

Sunday 18 March 2007

Sydney Harbour Bridge 75th Anniversary Bridge Walk

The 75th Anniversary of the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was celebrated today. All lanes were closed and the coat hanger was open to the public to walk across. If you have ever driven across the icon, then you will understand the significances of people being allowed to walk casually along her lanes, north to south.

Watch the movie...

The sound of historic events that the bridge has witnessed played as we walked

The signs that lined the way, just in case we forgot the occasion

Giles and I got the train from Central to North Sydney and walked down the middle of the Princess Highway towards the bridge.

Giles and thousands of others walked down the Princess Highway in North Sydney

All walkers were given a free hat. My friend Yasmin called as I was walking over the bridge for a chat. At the end of the conversation, I told her "Look out for me on TV, I'm wearing a yellow hat." Sorry Yaz, I really was :o)

Giles modeling his free hat even though people were told not to use this area for a photo op

There were more people than you can possibly imagine streaming constantly across all lanes of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from 10am until late in to the evening. Giles and I walked at our pre-booked time of 2-2:30PM.

Giles before we go on to the bridge

As we stepped on to the bridge

The NSW police were very helpful when people needed a moment digitally recorded

I have traveled across the Sydney Harbour Bridge many times by car and train and always looked up with awe. Having the opportunity to slowly stroll across the drive deck and gaze up at her truly was a memorable experience for me.

The yellow heads cross the bridge

All lanes were open south-bound

Looking north back from where we came from at Giles and his camera

Coming to the end of the walk

It was amazing to see the whole city surrounding the bridge closed down. People were walking in the middle of normally busy streets. Everyone was smiling.

Giles standing in the middle of usually bustling George St

Saturday 17 March 2007

Jen + Andrew's Wedding Party

Jen + Andrew were married the day before the wedding party. It was nice to see them so happy and to catch up with friends like Dean, Sharon + Cass that I had not see or spoken to in months.