I suppose I should consider it an honor that my workmates decided to create my mural, after Pro Mobile Media API got slashdotted:
But did they really have to show the bags under my eyes and the neck of a giraffe?
BTW: the book cover says: J2ME for Gumbies.
Thanks Paul and Joel!
If you put enough gel in your head...
We took a driving holiday to northern Queensland in the second week of December. We went as far as Airlie beach (The Whitsundays). This was my first trip up north (from Brisbane) and to the Great Barrier Reef. Great fun, except for a speeding ticket while coming back home :(.
I had planned to blog on the trip, but we forgot to pack the camera cord for the computer, and the Internet was a bit patchy at most places, especially while we were driving.
We visited Bundaberg, the town of 1770, Rockhampton, myriad of small towns on the way, and of course, Airlie beach and the Whitsundays.
Here are some snaps.
At the town of 1770
At the Capricorn Caves
Not sure where, but it was a terrible motel and the rains were bad and we had a torrid night. We awoke to find these multicolored parrots just outside our door
The Airlie wharf as seen from the hotel window..
And I found a real good piece of block to build a dream home on! Look at the views! And the car looks great in the driveway :)
From Airlie, we went to Hayman Island, a resort right in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef.
On the way to Hayman..
The magnificent pool at Hayman. We were in a room that had direct access to the pool, which suited us just fine..
Considering that I can't swim, I found the salt water pool to be really good for practicing. For the first time, I was able to swim with my head above water. :)
The breakfast, was served right on the beach, and needless to say, I spent a lot of time at the breakfast. Here are some shots to prove that.
I tried my hand at paddling, but fell in straight away. Here is my tumble, and the rescue afterwards.
I fared much better at Catamaran sailing though..
All good things come to an end, and we started home the next day.. One last photograph, of the giant mango near Bowen...
there is something missing in this show. We went to see this Cirque du Soleil presentation in Brisbane on Friday night. It was my first visit to this famed show, and my expectations were high. However, the overall feeling was of disappointment.
Sure, the Varekai show has its moments, everything that you would expect in a circus presentation, but that was the problem. I just couldn't help thinking that in the end, this was basically a very clever circus show with a great set and a great costume designer. I kept waiting for the 'Wow' moment, which never came. It had several good moments, several ohhh moments, but no moment that would have defined the show for me.
Maybe I am just complaining because having paid an arm and leg to go to the show, I expected magic.
On Sunday I went to see the 4th day of the first test match between Australia and England at the Gabba. England were on the rocks and were playing for pride on the 4th day itself. Of course, they eventually lost the match, but it was fun to see some good batting by Pietersen and Collingwood. A rush of blood prevented Collingwood from getting his century.
We had great seats as they were always under the shade, although the angle that we were at made eying the ball a bit difficult. Gabba is a great venue for watching cricket and I completely support the recent drive by the Gabba authorities to ban hooligans and trouble makers. The show of strength by the police was completely warranted and welcome. They are only banning and throwing out people who cause trouble, and therefore, if you are there to have fun, enjoy the cricket and not cause any trouble to other people, you have nothing to worry about. Make as much or as little noise as you want.
We were also seated next to the Barmy Army and they provided the most noise and fun during the whole day. I can't believe their stamina in singing. They would chant 'Barmy Army' 'Barmy Army' for ages without running out of breath. Compared to them, the Aussie support group seemed feeble in its attempts to sing back.
Some snaps from the day...
Warne bowling to Pietersen
A view from the stands
A look at the scoreboard
Barmy Army chanting
Real English Gentlemen at the game
To somebody who didn't believe (you know who you are :) ), here is the screen shot of me on the Who wants to be a Millionaire show... :)
I know, I know, its an ugly shot, my teeth look weird in a half smile, half weirdness shot, but that is the best I could do when told to smile and wave. :)
There is a video too somewhere, but I can't seem to find it. If I find it I will post it as well, and you will see that I don't know the Italian cities correctly after all!
After a very long time, I have finally found an Australian made drama that is addictive and worth watching. Most Aussie drama is not worth your time, and before coming to Australia, I used to watch Water rats and thought that most Aussie drama was as good. No such luck when I came over here and had to stick with American shows.
But Tripping Over on Ten is an excellent effort. It is very well written, directed, acted and produced and it's a shame that there are only six episodes, making it kinda of a mini-series more than a drama series.
It's a joint Aussie and British series, so that may be some reason for it breaking Aussie stereotypes. There are different stories of 5-6 people who have switched continents (England - Australia) and how their lives evolve after they holiday in Thailand and there is an accident.
Incidentally, Ten also has the locally made comedy Thank God You are here, which is a pretty smash hit and has been sold worldwide. Looks like Ten is on a good thing, as far as home grown entertainment is concerned.