I'll dedicate this post to my paternal grandmother, who died in Toronto a few days ago. She was an interesting lady: small of stature, but tough as dragon scales. I suppose anyone who lived through World War Two, immigrated to Canada with precious little and then built a life there for the next 6 decades had to be tough. Perhaps the thing I'll remember most is her unusual fondness for Swiss Chalet sauce. No one else in our family likes it, but she adored it and used it in many of her dishes. It's unfortunate that my brother and I are unable to attend the funeral but it just isn't feasible. In our own ways, we'll miss and remember her.
Fenner Hall is beginning to return to it's pre-holiday hum. The last week has seen the return of new and old faces. The hall has come back to life for O-Week (short for Orientation Week). Fenner is abuzz with life and activity again, though, in some ways, I think I will miss the tranquility of the summer holidays. As a character in a famous Australian film, The Castle, would say, "Feel that serenity."
O-Week has come with a plethora of activities designed to force people to mingle. Even in a residence with 500 people, you're bound to meet many of the same faces and it's probably a good idea to get to know them. You'll never know who you'll meet. All sorts of characters abound within these walls and to shut oneself away is to deprive yourself of many fantastic opportunities. To that end, I've begun volunteering at Fenner Hall's speak-easy, The Warren. Since everybody, or nearly so, loves alcohol, it gives me a great opportunity to interact with people.
Today, I also managed to get in some good exercise. I played in the annual Domestics vs. Internationals soccer game, essentially a friendly soccer game between domestic and international students. Since the Domestics were short of players, I was put on that team, justified by the fact that I have been living in Australia for a year; that anniversary passed on February 18th. I didn't disappoint as I scored the first goal of the game. Unfortunately, the Internationals rebounded and managed to win the game 3-1. Ironic, though, that the only goal scored for the Domestics was by an international student. It really was a fun great game.
I've also joined a few clubs around the area. A feature of Australian culture is the club. There really is nothing to compare it with in Canada. In Australia, clubs are social organizations for everyone, and inexpensive to join, generally. In Canada, the only clubs I can think of off hand are like the Rideau Club, exclusive and expensive organizations. Australian clubs, and you can be a member of as many as you want, are a source of good times, good food and good companionship. Similar in nature are the RSLs, the Returned and Servicmen's Legaues, sort of like Legion Halls. But these aren't places where a bunch of old guys get together talking about how they dodged bullets in Normandy. RSLs can be quite large organizations, complete with fancy restaurants and gaming facilities. I do wish Canada had things like these.
The clubs I've joined locally are Ainslie Football Club and the Tradesmen's Union Club, popularly known as "Tradies". For a 3 year membership, Ainslie cost me $10 while Tradies only set me back $6 for 1 year. I think it's a worthwhile investment. For example, the other day I went to Tradies, had a good fettuccine lunch and played some snooker. These are some of the benefits you get with membership. Really, you don't get that much except the right to enter the establishment and participate in some raffles. For me, though, the real benefit is being part of an organization and immersing oneself deeper in Australian culture. I'm also became an official supporter of the Sydney Swans, which means that I am also a member of the Sydney Swans Club in King's Cross, Sydney. Again, these clubs for professional teams is something that doesn't really exist in Canada.
This is the first post that I am writing with a laptop I acquired a few days ago. My old one was just not functioning properly and I managed to find this one for a great price at Officeworks, sort of like Staples. I also bought a 1 terabyte hard drive, sort of as a gift to myself. I am very happy with both and I hope to put them to good use for a long time.
Lastly, I'll just mention an unusual thing that happened in a dream. Many years ago, while I was just waking up, a phrase popped into my head, as if from the dream that had just ended. It said, "Can we blame many for the atrocities of one?" It's stuck with but until recently, this axiom was unique. The other night, as I was dreaming a new phrase was uttered, "It is better to be a pauper of geniuses than a king of fools." Even ignoring the rather questionable grammar, it is still a bizarre phrase, but perhaps good words to live by. I wonder which of the two I am, or will be.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
One Full Circle
It finally came. February 13th marked the 1st anniversary of my arrival in Australia. I can't really believe that I've been away from Canada for so long. It doesn't feel so different down here. Sometimes I have to stop and think about how far away I really am. Sometimes I don't even realize I'm in a foreign country. I wonder what that means?
The weather here has taken a very bizarre turn towards the cool. At the beginning of the week, the temperatures reached 40C and were such that I decided to have a tepid shower; it was very refreshing. Now, a cold front has moved through and daytime highs have been around 20C. The smell in the air reminds of me of autumn back home. I also noticed in the news that it's been one of the coldest winters in Europe. It could be a result of localized cooling caused by global warming. Let me explain. Global warming could lead to increased evaporation rates, which means more precipitation at higher latitudes. The higher snowfalls, in turn, reflect more sunlight causing localized cooling. It could be happening but then again, this could just be a fluke.
Reading comments online, many people talk about climate change thinking it an abnormal process. Don't be fooled, we live on a dynamic planet. We only don't realize the changes because human lifespans are short compared to most Earth-changing processes. For example, I would expect the temperature to be rising since we have only just come out of a glacial period. In fact, we are in an interglacial period meaning that more ice ages are coming. Also, for the record, only about 3% of total CO2 emissions are anthropogenic (man-made). If humans were the worst thing to happen to this planet, life would have checked out eons ago. There have been greater temperature variations in the past clearly without the benefit of human agency. That's all I have to say about that. Well, not really, but it's all I'm going to say now.
Speaking of cataclysmic events, I'm sure you will have heard of the destructive wildfires in southeastern Australian. They are now officially the worst natural disaster in Australia's history, costing some 200 lives, although that number may be higher. Australians have responded to this crisis with their usual resiliency and millions have been donated in just the last week. We can only hope that southeastern Victoria will be able to rebuild. Of the 6 most destructive fires, 2 have been deemed suspicious. 1 person is currently in custody charged with intentionally setting a fire, but so far, not murder (death by arson). In Canada, this would be murder in the first degree but Australian jurisdictions don't make that distinction. What more is there to say other than we can openly hope that the fires will be brought under control shortly.
It's not just rural areas that are threatened by fire, but major cities as well. In 2003, a major bushfire swept through the Canberra area killing 4 people, damaging 500 homes and threatening the city itself. It also destroyed the Mount Stromlo Observatory, a world-famous astronomical research facility. I took a bike ride out there on Wednesday.
Mount Stromlo, about 10 km from Canberra started life in 1924 as the Commonwealth Solar Observatory. From there it grew to a large observing and research complex. In 2003, the fires destroyed all but 1 telescope and most of the buildings. You can see Mount Stromlo clearly from the city but prior to January 18th, 2003, the whole mountainside was forested. Now, it's mostly grassland. Mount Stromlo is still in the process of rebuilding 6 years on and I suspect that it will never be rebuilt to its former splendour. Most of the observatories are still there in their dilapidated states. It's sad, but it shows the awesome power of fire in the Australian bush. Along the way I stopped at the ACT Bushfire Memorial.
At the beginning, I had a wonderful time at an important function at the harness race at Exhibition Park In Canberra (EPIC). This was the local Canberra Cup but because of the heat, few people showed up. The function had several important people including the CEO of ACTTAB (effectively my supreme boss) and Jon Stanhope, the Chief Minister. I took bets all evening from a little cubicle from which I could not stray. The people were very friendly. At the end of the night, in the public section, there was an Elvis Presley impersonator singing. At times, I wonder if Elvis is spinning in his grave with all these poor imitations of him. Then I remember that Elvis isn't dead, he just went home.
I actually had another run-in with the Chief Minister today. He came into the Jamison ACTTAB outlet and placed a bet with me. I didn't recognize and I only know it was him because my supervisor told me. I didn't believe her at first but she was adamant, and I have no reason to doubt her. Stanhope seems like a nice enough guy.
In other news, I had some of my photos from scout camp published in a Ukrainian community newspaper, Vilna Dumka (Free Thought). A local counsellor wrote a synopsis of the camp and asked me to give her some photos which I did. This newspaper is distributed across Australia. I guess I'm following in my maternal grandfather's footsteps as a journalist. He helped found Ukrainian newspapers and wrote articles on various subjects. I can't really say that having some photos published really makes me any kind of journalist; besides, radio is my preferred medium at the moment. Also, I've started going to AFL umpire training. A new season is upon us and I'm anxious to get back into the game. I hope I'm not too rusty. However, with school and ACTTAB, I don't know how much time I'll be able to devote to umpiring. On the plus side, now that I have a bike, I no longer have to beg people for rides to the venues or from training.
Today was also my last day of regular employment at Cafe Pronto. It's not that I didn't enjoy making pizza, it's just time to move on. Between school and ACTTAB, I just don't have the time to do this. I'm also far better paid at ACTTAB and that it also an important consideration. I've given Cafe Pronto 6 good months and I think it's time to move on.
The weather here has taken a very bizarre turn towards the cool. At the beginning of the week, the temperatures reached 40C and were such that I decided to have a tepid shower; it was very refreshing. Now, a cold front has moved through and daytime highs have been around 20C. The smell in the air reminds of me of autumn back home. I also noticed in the news that it's been one of the coldest winters in Europe. It could be a result of localized cooling caused by global warming. Let me explain. Global warming could lead to increased evaporation rates, which means more precipitation at higher latitudes. The higher snowfalls, in turn, reflect more sunlight causing localized cooling. It could be happening but then again, this could just be a fluke.
Reading comments online, many people talk about climate change thinking it an abnormal process. Don't be fooled, we live on a dynamic planet. We only don't realize the changes because human lifespans are short compared to most Earth-changing processes. For example, I would expect the temperature to be rising since we have only just come out of a glacial period. In fact, we are in an interglacial period meaning that more ice ages are coming. Also, for the record, only about 3% of total CO2 emissions are anthropogenic (man-made). If humans were the worst thing to happen to this planet, life would have checked out eons ago. There have been greater temperature variations in the past clearly without the benefit of human agency. That's all I have to say about that. Well, not really, but it's all I'm going to say now.
Speaking of cataclysmic events, I'm sure you will have heard of the destructive wildfires in southeastern Australian. They are now officially the worst natural disaster in Australia's history, costing some 200 lives, although that number may be higher. Australians have responded to this crisis with their usual resiliency and millions have been donated in just the last week. We can only hope that southeastern Victoria will be able to rebuild. Of the 6 most destructive fires, 2 have been deemed suspicious. 1 person is currently in custody charged with intentionally setting a fire, but so far, not murder (death by arson). In Canada, this would be murder in the first degree but Australian jurisdictions don't make that distinction. What more is there to say other than we can openly hope that the fires will be brought under control shortly.
It's not just rural areas that are threatened by fire, but major cities as well. In 2003, a major bushfire swept through the Canberra area killing 4 people, damaging 500 homes and threatening the city itself. It also destroyed the Mount Stromlo Observatory, a world-famous astronomical research facility. I took a bike ride out there on Wednesday.
Mount Stromlo, about 10 km from Canberra started life in 1924 as the Commonwealth Solar Observatory. From there it grew to a large observing and research complex. In 2003, the fires destroyed all but 1 telescope and most of the buildings. You can see Mount Stromlo clearly from the city but prior to January 18th, 2003, the whole mountainside was forested. Now, it's mostly grassland. Mount Stromlo is still in the process of rebuilding 6 years on and I suspect that it will never be rebuilt to its former splendour. Most of the observatories are still there in their dilapidated states. It's sad, but it shows the awesome power of fire in the Australian bush. Along the way I stopped at the ACT Bushfire Memorial.
At the beginning, I had a wonderful time at an important function at the harness race at Exhibition Park In Canberra (EPIC). This was the local Canberra Cup but because of the heat, few people showed up. The function had several important people including the CEO of ACTTAB (effectively my supreme boss) and Jon Stanhope, the Chief Minister. I took bets all evening from a little cubicle from which I could not stray. The people were very friendly. At the end of the night, in the public section, there was an Elvis Presley impersonator singing. At times, I wonder if Elvis is spinning in his grave with all these poor imitations of him. Then I remember that Elvis isn't dead, he just went home.
I actually had another run-in with the Chief Minister today. He came into the Jamison ACTTAB outlet and placed a bet with me. I didn't recognize and I only know it was him because my supervisor told me. I didn't believe her at first but she was adamant, and I have no reason to doubt her. Stanhope seems like a nice enough guy.
In other news, I had some of my photos from scout camp published in a Ukrainian community newspaper, Vilna Dumka (Free Thought). A local counsellor wrote a synopsis of the camp and asked me to give her some photos which I did. This newspaper is distributed across Australia. I guess I'm following in my maternal grandfather's footsteps as a journalist. He helped found Ukrainian newspapers and wrote articles on various subjects. I can't really say that having some photos published really makes me any kind of journalist; besides, radio is my preferred medium at the moment. Also, I've started going to AFL umpire training. A new season is upon us and I'm anxious to get back into the game. I hope I'm not too rusty. However, with school and ACTTAB, I don't know how much time I'll be able to devote to umpiring. On the plus side, now that I have a bike, I no longer have to beg people for rides to the venues or from training.
Today was also my last day of regular employment at Cafe Pronto. It's not that I didn't enjoy making pizza, it's just time to move on. Between school and ACTTAB, I just don't have the time to do this. I'm also far better paid at ACTTAB and that it also an important consideration. I've given Cafe Pronto 6 good months and I think it's time to move on.
Monday, February 9, 2009
The Final Act
On January 20th my brother and I did some more exploring of Brisbane. This time we walked to the east of the CBD and were pleasantly surprised to find another vibrant area. This was Chinatown and it being close to lunch time, the area was abuzz with activity. Although it looked very inviting, my brother and I only casually walked through it and we didn't stop to eat anywhere. After some more wandering, we made our way back to the CBD.
We found, in my opinion, a completely different district from the CBD I had come to know. Far from a quiet urban landscape, this part of the CBD, the riverfront, was teeming with people. There was interesting architecture and the general buzz of urban life. I guess that Brisbane is a city of contrasts within small spaces.
Later that evening, my brother and I walked back to the Pig & Whistle, a new British-themed pub in the CBD. We went there to celebrate my 26th birthday and, according to my brother, Barack Obama's swearing-in. I wish him all the best. I told my brother that it's weird being 26 and realizing that you're that much closer to 30. We walked back to the hostel that night along the riverfront full of good food and cheer.
The next day, we left Brisbane and had another adventure. I guess I'd say I was pleasantly surprised by Brisbane. At first it seemed kind of dull, but stumbling into a few choice areas instantly ameliorated my opinion of the city. If you go, you have to see, Southbank, Fortitude Valley (Chinatown) and the riverfront. The new adventure we had was an unexpected side trip to Melbourne. Virgin Blue had cancelled our flight to Canberra so we were rerouted at the check-in counter. It was only a 2-hour stop in Melbourne so we couldn't see the city; a little unfortunate.
We were placed in premium economy, the very first row of the aircraft. It wasn't much different to all the other rows and if there is a difference, I couldn't see it. The best part, though, was the extra leg room. I got into an argument with my brother over where they put babies on planes and he was adamant that it was at the front. I disagreed and as it turned out there were no crying babies on the flight.
We landed in Melbourne and waited until our Canberra flight. There, we were seated in the very last row, and again, no crying babies. I call these seats "survivor seats" since statistically if you're in a plane crash, these are seats in which most people who do survive are seated. A quick hop later and we were in Canberra. And so, in this one trip, we visited every eastern mainland Australian capital city, albeit unintentionally. Still, not bad for 2 weeks.
Here is where my narration stops. My brother spent a few days in Canberra doing his own thing but you'll have to read about his adventures on his blog. I had work commitments and so I was only able to point him in the direction of the local sites, without actually being able to visit them with him. I did manage to see him off to the bus station for his trip back to Sydney airport. I hope he enjoyed his time in Australia, but I guess he'll tell you himself.
We found, in my opinion, a completely different district from the CBD I had come to know. Far from a quiet urban landscape, this part of the CBD, the riverfront, was teeming with people. There was interesting architecture and the general buzz of urban life. I guess that Brisbane is a city of contrasts within small spaces.
Later that evening, my brother and I walked back to the Pig & Whistle, a new British-themed pub in the CBD. We went there to celebrate my 26th birthday and, according to my brother, Barack Obama's swearing-in. I wish him all the best. I told my brother that it's weird being 26 and realizing that you're that much closer to 30. We walked back to the hostel that night along the riverfront full of good food and cheer.
The next day, we left Brisbane and had another adventure. I guess I'd say I was pleasantly surprised by Brisbane. At first it seemed kind of dull, but stumbling into a few choice areas instantly ameliorated my opinion of the city. If you go, you have to see, Southbank, Fortitude Valley (Chinatown) and the riverfront. The new adventure we had was an unexpected side trip to Melbourne. Virgin Blue had cancelled our flight to Canberra so we were rerouted at the check-in counter. It was only a 2-hour stop in Melbourne so we couldn't see the city; a little unfortunate.
We were placed in premium economy, the very first row of the aircraft. It wasn't much different to all the other rows and if there is a difference, I couldn't see it. The best part, though, was the extra leg room. I got into an argument with my brother over where they put babies on planes and he was adamant that it was at the front. I disagreed and as it turned out there were no crying babies on the flight.
We landed in Melbourne and waited until our Canberra flight. There, we were seated in the very last row, and again, no crying babies. I call these seats "survivor seats" since statistically if you're in a plane crash, these are seats in which most people who do survive are seated. A quick hop later and we were in Canberra. And so, in this one trip, we visited every eastern mainland Australian capital city, albeit unintentionally. Still, not bad for 2 weeks.
Here is where my narration stops. My brother spent a few days in Canberra doing his own thing but you'll have to read about his adventures on his blog. I had work commitments and so I was only able to point him in the direction of the local sites, without actually being able to visit them with him. I did manage to see him off to the bus station for his trip back to Sydney airport. I hope he enjoyed his time in Australia, but I guess he'll tell you himself.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Caniculares
The dog days of summer are truly upon us in Australia. Temperatures have been soaring across the country but relief is in sight. However, because of the heat certain horse races have been abandoned and if that happens, you know it's pretty serious. Australians love to gamble and only the most serious of events will prove to be impediments.
If you've ever wondered why the hottest days of summer are called the "dog days", the story goes something like this. The expression "dog days" is a literal translation of the Latin word "caniculares". In ancient times the star Sirius, the brightest star in the heavens and the constellation Canis Major (Big Dog), hence its name the "Dog Star", would be seen just before sunrise in mid-summer. These were, in the ancient Mediterranean, the hottest days of the year and even the name "Sirius" means "Scorcher". The arrival of the Dog Star just before sunrise heralded the onset of these hot days, hence the "dog days of summer". With the passing of the millennia, Sirius no longer rises just before sunrise in summer so the term does not apply to modern times but the expression has held. The Ukrainian/Russian word for holidays, "kanikuly" (kah-NEE-koo-lyh), is a transliteration of the Latin.
This week has been very hot indeed and temperatures in Canberra soared to 40C today and will do so again tomorrow. In Melbourne, the mercury topped off at 47C which I believe is a record. In Victoria (VIC) it's the hottest it's been in 100 years in terms of consecutive days above 40C while South Australia (SA) has seen its hottest summer since records started in 1855. It's not easy working in these temperatures at all, let alone in front of a pizza oven. Speaking of which, there hasn't been much business over the last few weekends at Cafe Pronto, which can probably be attributed to the heat. Today, for instance, I made a total of 2 pizzas and we closed the restaurant at 20:00. The heat will break soon though as a cool trough is expected to roar into the area in the next few days bringing temperatures back into the mid-20s. I am sort of glad at these high temperatures because I really want to experience the brutal Australian summer and it looks like I got what I wished for.
The story at ACTTAB is a little different and I've been quite busy in the last week, getting some 5 shifts in, where 3 is the norm. Today was particularly busy at the City Centre location, but I'll say why a little further on. On Friday, I was at the racecourse again and luckily I was placed in the public lounge. This meant that I got to see the races and stay cool as the air conditioning was on at full bore; others in other areas weren't so lucky. While on this subject, a few days before while biking to work at the Dickson location, I spotted and picked up a $50 note on the sidewalk. I hope it's an omen of good fortune.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but I'll put a quick note in now that I've been observing my old neighbourhood via the City of Ottawa's traffic webcams. In an instant I can be looking at the corner of Walkley and Conroy and seeing all that magnificent snow. For a brief moment, I imagine that I can travel through to the other side.
On Monday I sat down to watch the Superbowl live. Fenner Hall subscribes to the sports package on TV and so I continued my tradition of watching Superbowls live; I've watched every one since 1991. I was cheering for the Arizona Cardinals because they had never won it before, they were the underdog, my uncle lives in Tucson and the punter is a former AFL player for the Geelong Cats. I watched intently, even making myself some nachos, and I could not believe their bad luck. I had to leave for work at halftime but ACTTAB also had it on their TV. Arizona almost pulled off a stunning victory but were outdone by the Steelers. It's a shame, but that's the way it goes in sports, I guess, and it was an exciting game.
On Tuesday, having some time off, I biked to the National Museum of Australia (NMA) to have a look. It's quite a modern building sitting on a peninsula in Lake Burley Griffin and it is fairly new. The great thing is that the permanent exhibitions are free but temporary ones do require a ticket purchase. The current exhibition on tour was one about Charles Darwin, since I think its 200 years since he was born. The cost was $8.00 so I took the opportunity to visit it. The NMA reminds me a bit of the Museum of Civilization back home in its content. It was the usual Australiana through the centuries with a particular emphasis on indigenous Australians. There was even a rotating theater like the one in the Sydney Tower. The exhibits were interesting but nothing out of the ordinary.
The Charles Darwin exhibit was quite interesting too; it's on loan from the American Natural History Museum, I think. It detailed Darwin's life and his observations which led, after some 20 years, to the publication of The Origin of Species; my brother brought a copy with him to read in Australia. There was also explanations of evolution and how it works and how all species are related. As a side note, Darwin never did use the term "survival of the fittest" anywhere in the Origin of Species as that term was coined by another scientist. Also, that book never said that humans were descended from apes except as a passing reference, but everyone latched on to that idea. Finally, it wasn't even Darwin's most commercially successful book. One he published about worms fared much better. I will mention one last misconception some people have about human evolution and that is that we are descended from apes, which is not factually accurate. Apes, humans and all other primates descend from a common ancestor. It's like you and an older sibling. You are not descended from your older sibling, but from a common parent. I think that's the best way to describe it.
I mentioned that the City Centre ACTTAB was particularly busy today and that was because of the start of the Multicultural Festival. It's also the reason why Cafe Pronto was so dead today as well. The heat could not deter hundreds of people from sampling cuisine from various tents in Garema Place set up to showcase Canberra's ethnic diversity. Somehow, "cosmopolitan" has become an adjective that cities relish to have and take as a compliment. I went out, in the fantastic heat, and had some Dutch pancakes with a funny name. They are small and covered with apple, cinnamon and ice cream; you can have them covered with a few other things if you want. The official opening was today and it goes for a week, I think; I can't wait to sink my teeth into cuisine from half the world.
Quietly, and almost unnoticed by me, another anniversary passed. 02:00 on February 5th marked 1 year since I left home; I left Ottawa at 10:00 February 4th. It's been more than 365 days since I've been in Canada and it doesn't look like I'll be going any time soon. It's a strange, but comforting, feeling that I can't really explain. I wonder how long it will be before I get back to Canada? But then, I'm in no rush.
If you've ever wondered why the hottest days of summer are called the "dog days", the story goes something like this. The expression "dog days" is a literal translation of the Latin word "caniculares". In ancient times the star Sirius, the brightest star in the heavens and the constellation Canis Major (Big Dog), hence its name the "Dog Star", would be seen just before sunrise in mid-summer. These were, in the ancient Mediterranean, the hottest days of the year and even the name "Sirius" means "Scorcher". The arrival of the Dog Star just before sunrise heralded the onset of these hot days, hence the "dog days of summer". With the passing of the millennia, Sirius no longer rises just before sunrise in summer so the term does not apply to modern times but the expression has held. The Ukrainian/Russian word for holidays, "kanikuly" (kah-NEE-koo-lyh), is a transliteration of the Latin.
This week has been very hot indeed and temperatures in Canberra soared to 40C today and will do so again tomorrow. In Melbourne, the mercury topped off at 47C which I believe is a record. In Victoria (VIC) it's the hottest it's been in 100 years in terms of consecutive days above 40C while South Australia (SA) has seen its hottest summer since records started in 1855. It's not easy working in these temperatures at all, let alone in front of a pizza oven. Speaking of which, there hasn't been much business over the last few weekends at Cafe Pronto, which can probably be attributed to the heat. Today, for instance, I made a total of 2 pizzas and we closed the restaurant at 20:00. The heat will break soon though as a cool trough is expected to roar into the area in the next few days bringing temperatures back into the mid-20s. I am sort of glad at these high temperatures because I really want to experience the brutal Australian summer and it looks like I got what I wished for.
The story at ACTTAB is a little different and I've been quite busy in the last week, getting some 5 shifts in, where 3 is the norm. Today was particularly busy at the City Centre location, but I'll say why a little further on. On Friday, I was at the racecourse again and luckily I was placed in the public lounge. This meant that I got to see the races and stay cool as the air conditioning was on at full bore; others in other areas weren't so lucky. While on this subject, a few days before while biking to work at the Dickson location, I spotted and picked up a $50 note on the sidewalk. I hope it's an omen of good fortune.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but I'll put a quick note in now that I've been observing my old neighbourhood via the City of Ottawa's traffic webcams. In an instant I can be looking at the corner of Walkley and Conroy and seeing all that magnificent snow. For a brief moment, I imagine that I can travel through to the other side.
On Monday I sat down to watch the Superbowl live. Fenner Hall subscribes to the sports package on TV and so I continued my tradition of watching Superbowls live; I've watched every one since 1991. I was cheering for the Arizona Cardinals because they had never won it before, they were the underdog, my uncle lives in Tucson and the punter is a former AFL player for the Geelong Cats. I watched intently, even making myself some nachos, and I could not believe their bad luck. I had to leave for work at halftime but ACTTAB also had it on their TV. Arizona almost pulled off a stunning victory but were outdone by the Steelers. It's a shame, but that's the way it goes in sports, I guess, and it was an exciting game.
On Tuesday, having some time off, I biked to the National Museum of Australia (NMA) to have a look. It's quite a modern building sitting on a peninsula in Lake Burley Griffin and it is fairly new. The great thing is that the permanent exhibitions are free but temporary ones do require a ticket purchase. The current exhibition on tour was one about Charles Darwin, since I think its 200 years since he was born. The cost was $8.00 so I took the opportunity to visit it. The NMA reminds me a bit of the Museum of Civilization back home in its content. It was the usual Australiana through the centuries with a particular emphasis on indigenous Australians. There was even a rotating theater like the one in the Sydney Tower. The exhibits were interesting but nothing out of the ordinary.
The Charles Darwin exhibit was quite interesting too; it's on loan from the American Natural History Museum, I think. It detailed Darwin's life and his observations which led, after some 20 years, to the publication of The Origin of Species; my brother brought a copy with him to read in Australia. There was also explanations of evolution and how it works and how all species are related. As a side note, Darwin never did use the term "survival of the fittest" anywhere in the Origin of Species as that term was coined by another scientist. Also, that book never said that humans were descended from apes except as a passing reference, but everyone latched on to that idea. Finally, it wasn't even Darwin's most commercially successful book. One he published about worms fared much better. I will mention one last misconception some people have about human evolution and that is that we are descended from apes, which is not factually accurate. Apes, humans and all other primates descend from a common ancestor. It's like you and an older sibling. You are not descended from your older sibling, but from a common parent. I think that's the best way to describe it.
I mentioned that the City Centre ACTTAB was particularly busy today and that was because of the start of the Multicultural Festival. It's also the reason why Cafe Pronto was so dead today as well. The heat could not deter hundreds of people from sampling cuisine from various tents in Garema Place set up to showcase Canberra's ethnic diversity. Somehow, "cosmopolitan" has become an adjective that cities relish to have and take as a compliment. I went out, in the fantastic heat, and had some Dutch pancakes with a funny name. They are small and covered with apple, cinnamon and ice cream; you can have them covered with a few other things if you want. The official opening was today and it goes for a week, I think; I can't wait to sink my teeth into cuisine from half the world.
Quietly, and almost unnoticed by me, another anniversary passed. 02:00 on February 5th marked 1 year since I left home; I left Ottawa at 10:00 February 4th. It's been more than 365 days since I've been in Canada and it doesn't look like I'll be going any time soon. It's a strange, but comforting, feeling that I can't really explain. I wonder how long it will be before I get back to Canada? But then, I'm in no rush.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Paradise Found
One of the reasons Brisbane is known as Brisneyland is that to the south there is a stretch of coast known as the Gold Coast. It contains the very colourfully named city of Surfers Paradise along with many other lesser known settlements. This colossal conglomeration of beaches and high-rises makes the Gold Coast a popular tourist destination; this along with several major theme parks. All this excitement within an hour of Brisbane is where my brother and I were off to next.
Surfers Paradise began its existence as the town of Elston along a very beautiful stretch of southeastern Queensland coastline. In the 1930s, hoping to increase tourism by realizing that no one would, and more to the point, no one was, travelling hours on end to visit a place called Elston, the local council decided to change its name. After some searching, they found a slightly ramshackle hotel in their fair burg called the Surfers Paradise Hotel and they liked it. Surfing had recently been imported to Australia from Hawai'i and had skyrocketed in popularity; surfing is still one of the most popular Australian recreational activities. The name stuck and Surfers Paradise, or simply Surfers as Australian call it in their habit of truncating names, hasn't looked back.
Things didn't really take off until the 1950s and the post-World War Two boom. Suddenly, everyone wanted to go to Surfers. In the 1960s, the first high-rise was built, and then another, and then another. Within two short decades, Surfers' coast had bed transformed from a beautiful stretch of beach with solitary cabins to a full-blown resort with skyscrapers. According to many, some of the money that helped build it was not entirely clean. The Yakuza (Japanese mafia) are said to have "invested" heavily into Surfers. The best way to describe it is that it resembles Miami Beach or Waikiki --- endless sand, surf, sun and skyscrapers. In case your wondering about the hotel that started it all, it was torn down in 1983 to make room for a large shopping mall and a Hard Rock Cafe now stands on that spot. The only memorial to the Surfers Paradise Hotel is an inconspicuous bronze plaque on the sidewalk. I kind of made me sad.
Getting to Surfers is easy and relatively cheap. It doesn't sit on the main, or any, rail line from Brisbane but included in your train ticket is the fare by bus into Surfers. From Roma Street Station to Surfers costs $21.20, which isn't too bad in my opinion. The whole trip took about an hour so I made sure my brother awoke early so we could make the most of our time.
After getting off the bus in central Surfers, we took a little bit of time to get our bearings. You could see Surfers long before you got there thanks to the Q1 Tower, the tallest residential tower in the world at over 300m. I had a map of Surfers with me but we sort of just walked where we willed without any real purpose. But the first order of business was to get lunch. Australian restaurants seem to give really good deals on lunch specials and I remember having a steak with salad and chips (fries) for just under $10. My brother had a reasonably priced caesar salad. We ordered drinks from the bar and I realized another one of Australia's quirks caused by interstate rivalries. While New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) have Coca-Cola as the primate soft drink, in Queensland (QLD) it's Pepsi.
My brother and I then took a stroll to what Surfers is known for, the beach. There was a nice breeze from the sea and although there were many people about, there were not as many as I thought would be. In front of us was the blue south Pacific while behind us, as far as the eye could see north and south, there were the skyscrapers. This extends almost all the way to Brisbane to the north and to Tweed Heads/Coolangatta on the QLD/NSW border to the south. We marched up and down the length of the beach before heading back into central Surfers.
Walking along a pedestrian mall, we happened upon a large indoor shopping center and went in to check it out. Inside, we found a game complex and brother just had to play. I waited around, did a little internet surfing, before my brother, finally having had his fill of computer games, came out. We did a little more exploring and came to the base of the Q1 Tower. I must say that it is impressive and its architecture is quite stunning. I can only imagine how much the penthouse must cost.
After another quick walk along the beach, we decided to grab some dinner. We stopped in to the Hard Rock Cafe, the same one that I later saw was on the site of the Surfers Paradise Hotel. After dinner, and a little more walking, we caught the bus back to the train station. We just caught the train. An hour later, we were back in Brisbane and our hostel. It was a great excursion to a fascinating part of QLD. I encourage everyone to go see Surfers for themselves at least once. Maybe you could even go to the theme parks, something we didn't do. But the next day, we celebrated something special. That will have to wait as the next post will be my weekly update.
Surfers Paradise began its existence as the town of Elston along a very beautiful stretch of southeastern Queensland coastline. In the 1930s, hoping to increase tourism by realizing that no one would, and more to the point, no one was, travelling hours on end to visit a place called Elston, the local council decided to change its name. After some searching, they found a slightly ramshackle hotel in their fair burg called the Surfers Paradise Hotel and they liked it. Surfing had recently been imported to Australia from Hawai'i and had skyrocketed in popularity; surfing is still one of the most popular Australian recreational activities. The name stuck and Surfers Paradise, or simply Surfers as Australian call it in their habit of truncating names, hasn't looked back.
Things didn't really take off until the 1950s and the post-World War Two boom. Suddenly, everyone wanted to go to Surfers. In the 1960s, the first high-rise was built, and then another, and then another. Within two short decades, Surfers' coast had bed transformed from a beautiful stretch of beach with solitary cabins to a full-blown resort with skyscrapers. According to many, some of the money that helped build it was not entirely clean. The Yakuza (Japanese mafia) are said to have "invested" heavily into Surfers. The best way to describe it is that it resembles Miami Beach or Waikiki --- endless sand, surf, sun and skyscrapers. In case your wondering about the hotel that started it all, it was torn down in 1983 to make room for a large shopping mall and a Hard Rock Cafe now stands on that spot. The only memorial to the Surfers Paradise Hotel is an inconspicuous bronze plaque on the sidewalk. I kind of made me sad.
Getting to Surfers is easy and relatively cheap. It doesn't sit on the main, or any, rail line from Brisbane but included in your train ticket is the fare by bus into Surfers. From Roma Street Station to Surfers costs $21.20, which isn't too bad in my opinion. The whole trip took about an hour so I made sure my brother awoke early so we could make the most of our time.
After getting off the bus in central Surfers, we took a little bit of time to get our bearings. You could see Surfers long before you got there thanks to the Q1 Tower, the tallest residential tower in the world at over 300m. I had a map of Surfers with me but we sort of just walked where we willed without any real purpose. But the first order of business was to get lunch. Australian restaurants seem to give really good deals on lunch specials and I remember having a steak with salad and chips (fries) for just under $10. My brother had a reasonably priced caesar salad. We ordered drinks from the bar and I realized another one of Australia's quirks caused by interstate rivalries. While New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) have Coca-Cola as the primate soft drink, in Queensland (QLD) it's Pepsi.
My brother and I then took a stroll to what Surfers is known for, the beach. There was a nice breeze from the sea and although there were many people about, there were not as many as I thought would be. In front of us was the blue south Pacific while behind us, as far as the eye could see north and south, there were the skyscrapers. This extends almost all the way to Brisbane to the north and to Tweed Heads/Coolangatta on the QLD/NSW border to the south. We marched up and down the length of the beach before heading back into central Surfers.
Walking along a pedestrian mall, we happened upon a large indoor shopping center and went in to check it out. Inside, we found a game complex and brother just had to play. I waited around, did a little internet surfing, before my brother, finally having had his fill of computer games, came out. We did a little more exploring and came to the base of the Q1 Tower. I must say that it is impressive and its architecture is quite stunning. I can only imagine how much the penthouse must cost.
After another quick walk along the beach, we decided to grab some dinner. We stopped in to the Hard Rock Cafe, the same one that I later saw was on the site of the Surfers Paradise Hotel. After dinner, and a little more walking, we caught the bus back to the train station. We just caught the train. An hour later, we were back in Brisbane and our hostel. It was a great excursion to a fascinating part of QLD. I encourage everyone to go see Surfers for themselves at least once. Maybe you could even go to the theme parks, something we didn't do. But the next day, we celebrated something special. That will have to wait as the next post will be my weekly update.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Brisneyland
Queensland's capital, Brisbane, gets a bit of a bad rap. Come to think of it, so do Queensland and Queenslanders in general. Queenslanders, especially those from the north of the state, are seen by the rest of the country as rednecks and hicks. Brisbane is known by various names, like Bris Vegas and Brisneyland, supposedly because it is so garish and touristy. I was anxious to put this stereotype to the test.
Brisbane is Australia's 3rd largest city with a population of about 1.8 milion, which, compared to Sydney and Melbourne, makes it quite a distant 3rd. Although it is only slightly larger than the next largest city, Perth, which has a population on about 1.5 million. However, if you were to count only local councils, sort of like city councils or boroughs, then Brisbane is Australia's largest city with a population of 1 million.
Brisbane was founded in the 1820s as Australia's 3rd city, after Sydney and Hobart, meaning that it is actually older than the much larger Melbourne. Brisbane was founded as a convict settlement for some of Sydney's tougher criminals and was placed on a bend in the Brisbane River to make escape more difficult. This is where the CBD now lies. Brisbane, at 27S is Australia's most northerly major city and at 153E is Australia's easternmost capital city.
My brother and I arrived in Brisbane in the early afternoon. In keeping with their, shall we say eccentric spirit, Queenslanders do not partake in daylight savings. This means during that time period, not only is Queensland 1 hour behind Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and all the rest of the east coast, it is 30 minutes behind South Australia and the Northern Territory which are further west; SA and NT are, like Newfoundland, an odd time zone, half-an-hour behind the one to the east instead of a full hour. My brother and I took the train to Roma Street Station and then made our way to our YHA hostel.
We spent a good amount of time in the hostel before we set out to explore Brisbane in the evening. As you can imagine, being sub-tropical, the weather in Brisbane was hot, though not entirely sunny. There was a bit of a breeze, but it didn't take away the heat entirely. AS we walked, I commented that Brisbane was a little disappointing and wasn't as exciting as I supposed. We eventually found ourselves next to Parliament and the Botanical Gardens and here I had my first surprise. The night sky of Brisbane isn't populated by night birds, but by large bats. They flew quite close to us and it took some getting used to.
My brother and I then crossed a pedestrian bridge and made it to Southbank and here I found Brisbane's beating heart of night. Along the riverbank there was a boardwalk with restaurants, an artificial beach and buskers. My opinion of Brisbane suddenly changed as I realized that you had to find the right parts of Brisbane. We walked along the boardwalk and then across the William Jolly Bridge to make it back to our hostel for the night and the air conditioning.
The next day, I convinced my brother to go on a tour of Parliament. When we arrived I noticed that the next tour was scheduled to leave 7 minutes ago so stepped in and asked the friendly guard when the next tour was. He said that as soon as we got through security (him) a tour guide would take us. We cleared security and the tour guide just started when another couple walked in and we agreed to let them in on the tour. If we had been 5 minutes sooner we could have had a private tour. As it was, 4 people and the tour guide was still pretty private.
Queensland is youngest state, now celebrating its 150th birthday, having separated from New South Wales in 1859. The current Parliament building was built soon after and is one of the few buildings from that era to be used for its original purpose, or even exist. Most of downtown Brisbane was built in the 1960s during a mining boom and compared to Melbourne and Sydney, there are few Victorian buildings. Queensland's Parliament was built of wood and is much less grandiose then that of Victoria's as Queensland was still relatively poor while Victoria was in the middle of a gold rush. The Parliament had to be renovated in the 1980s after extensive termite damage was discovered. The premier, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, more on him soon, wanted to tear the thing down and start over but public pressure made him reconsider.
We walked along the hallways and found ourselves on a balcony overlooking a a green quad. On the other side was the Annexe, something added by Bjelke-Petersen to increase the functionality of the parliamentary precinct. The structure is perfectly functional and the space was needed but it is a little hard on the eyes.
Joh Bjelke-Petersen was Queensland's longest serving premier, governing with more or less and iron fist for 20 years. He was known for his eccentric ways and stopping at almost nothing to get his way. One of his nicknames was Gerrymander Joh for his habit of changing constituencies to make his party's chance's better. With respect to old buildings, he was not a fan. To avoid problems, he would send in wrecking crews in the middle of the night to avoid public protest. When people woke up, where there was once a building, there was now a pile of rubble and nothing to be done. It's partly because of him that the Brisbane of today looks very different to the one that General Douglas MacArthur would have known when he made it his headquarters during World War Two.
Queensland is known for it's bizarre politicians, though the current prime minister, Kevin Rudd, seems pretty normal except a bit religious for an Australian. I'm thinking of Pauline Hanson in particular. A former fish and chip shop owner, she was elected on a very right-wing platform in urban Brisbane (Oxley). She had very "interesting" ideas about Asians and indigenous Australians, but she provided no end of amusement. At one point, while being interviewed she was asked if she was xenophobic and her reply, which became classic, was, "Xenophobic? Please explain." This earned her the nickname, the "Oxley Moron". Depsite her own best efforts, her One Nation Party (now called Pauline Hanson's One Nation) had 9 seats in the Queensland Legislative Council. However, since the late 1990s her party has been on the decline though they still have 1 member who, ironically, has a Chinese last name. Even the mere mention of her name causes Australian's to cringe.
Back to the Queensland Parliament, we were then ta'en to the Legislative Council chamber. Queensland is the only Australian state that is unicameral, having abolished its Legislative Council in 1922, spurring an unsuccessful attempt in New South Wales. The chamber, though no longer used for a legislative purpose, is is now hired out for movies, parties, weddings and just about anything else that will bring in some money. The photo of me you see is me in the president's chair. From there, we were taken to the Legislative Assembly which is Queensland law-making body and the Parliamentary Library whose alcohol cabinet now contains reference materials; I guess progress isn't always a good thing. Just before we finished we passed cabinets containing the ceremonial mace and a new ceremonial didjeridu. To celebrate Queensland's 150th birthday, the didjeridu was commissioned in the spirit of reconciliation. The artwork on the didjeridu represents aboriginal arrival, then European arrival where the 2 peoples trod their own paths and finally, the hope that the future brings an intertwining of cultures. It is hoped that an aboriginal elder will play the instrument when Parliament opens again.
After leaving Parliament my brother and I continued exploring inner Brisbane. This included a stop at the old Treasury Building which is now, quite appropriately, a casino. We also explored the nearby Botanical Gardens and saw a rather large goanna (go-AN-na), a large native lizard. I wanted to go through City Hall but there was construction going on and it didn't seem open to the public. My brother and I did manage to take in a fascinating exhibit at the state library on the history of computer games. I had seen the exhibit in Melbourne but I was keen to see it again. The exhibit covered the history of computer games from its earliest starts like Asteroids, Pong and Pac-Man to the Wii. The best part was the you could even play the games. This interactivity makes this exhibit probably the most interesting one I've ever been to. I hope it comes to Canberra.
My brother and I explored a little more but we had to be in bed early as we were heading to Queensland's, and Australia's, ocean playground the next day.
Brisbane is Australia's 3rd largest city with a population of about 1.8 milion, which, compared to Sydney and Melbourne, makes it quite a distant 3rd. Although it is only slightly larger than the next largest city, Perth, which has a population on about 1.5 million. However, if you were to count only local councils, sort of like city councils or boroughs, then Brisbane is Australia's largest city with a population of 1 million.
Brisbane was founded in the 1820s as Australia's 3rd city, after Sydney and Hobart, meaning that it is actually older than the much larger Melbourne. Brisbane was founded as a convict settlement for some of Sydney's tougher criminals and was placed on a bend in the Brisbane River to make escape more difficult. This is where the CBD now lies. Brisbane, at 27S is Australia's most northerly major city and at 153E is Australia's easternmost capital city.
My brother and I arrived in Brisbane in the early afternoon. In keeping with their, shall we say eccentric spirit, Queenslanders do not partake in daylight savings. This means during that time period, not only is Queensland 1 hour behind Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and all the rest of the east coast, it is 30 minutes behind South Australia and the Northern Territory which are further west; SA and NT are, like Newfoundland, an odd time zone, half-an-hour behind the one to the east instead of a full hour. My brother and I took the train to Roma Street Station and then made our way to our YHA hostel.
We spent a good amount of time in the hostel before we set out to explore Brisbane in the evening. As you can imagine, being sub-tropical, the weather in Brisbane was hot, though not entirely sunny. There was a bit of a breeze, but it didn't take away the heat entirely. AS we walked, I commented that Brisbane was a little disappointing and wasn't as exciting as I supposed. We eventually found ourselves next to Parliament and the Botanical Gardens and here I had my first surprise. The night sky of Brisbane isn't populated by night birds, but by large bats. They flew quite close to us and it took some getting used to.
My brother and I then crossed a pedestrian bridge and made it to Southbank and here I found Brisbane's beating heart of night. Along the riverbank there was a boardwalk with restaurants, an artificial beach and buskers. My opinion of Brisbane suddenly changed as I realized that you had to find the right parts of Brisbane. We walked along the boardwalk and then across the William Jolly Bridge to make it back to our hostel for the night and the air conditioning.
The next day, I convinced my brother to go on a tour of Parliament. When we arrived I noticed that the next tour was scheduled to leave 7 minutes ago so stepped in and asked the friendly guard when the next tour was. He said that as soon as we got through security (him) a tour guide would take us. We cleared security and the tour guide just started when another couple walked in and we agreed to let them in on the tour. If we had been 5 minutes sooner we could have had a private tour. As it was, 4 people and the tour guide was still pretty private.
Queensland is youngest state, now celebrating its 150th birthday, having separated from New South Wales in 1859. The current Parliament building was built soon after and is one of the few buildings from that era to be used for its original purpose, or even exist. Most of downtown Brisbane was built in the 1960s during a mining boom and compared to Melbourne and Sydney, there are few Victorian buildings. Queensland's Parliament was built of wood and is much less grandiose then that of Victoria's as Queensland was still relatively poor while Victoria was in the middle of a gold rush. The Parliament had to be renovated in the 1980s after extensive termite damage was discovered. The premier, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, more on him soon, wanted to tear the thing down and start over but public pressure made him reconsider.
We walked along the hallways and found ourselves on a balcony overlooking a a green quad. On the other side was the Annexe, something added by Bjelke-Petersen to increase the functionality of the parliamentary precinct. The structure is perfectly functional and the space was needed but it is a little hard on the eyes.
Joh Bjelke-Petersen was Queensland's longest serving premier, governing with more or less and iron fist for 20 years. He was known for his eccentric ways and stopping at almost nothing to get his way. One of his nicknames was Gerrymander Joh for his habit of changing constituencies to make his party's chance's better. With respect to old buildings, he was not a fan. To avoid problems, he would send in wrecking crews in the middle of the night to avoid public protest. When people woke up, where there was once a building, there was now a pile of rubble and nothing to be done. It's partly because of him that the Brisbane of today looks very different to the one that General Douglas MacArthur would have known when he made it his headquarters during World War Two.
Queensland is known for it's bizarre politicians, though the current prime minister, Kevin Rudd, seems pretty normal except a bit religious for an Australian. I'm thinking of Pauline Hanson in particular. A former fish and chip shop owner, she was elected on a very right-wing platform in urban Brisbane (Oxley). She had very "interesting" ideas about Asians and indigenous Australians, but she provided no end of amusement. At one point, while being interviewed she was asked if she was xenophobic and her reply, which became classic, was, "Xenophobic? Please explain." This earned her the nickname, the "Oxley Moron". Depsite her own best efforts, her One Nation Party (now called Pauline Hanson's One Nation) had 9 seats in the Queensland Legislative Council. However, since the late 1990s her party has been on the decline though they still have 1 member who, ironically, has a Chinese last name. Even the mere mention of her name causes Australian's to cringe.
Back to the Queensland Parliament, we were then ta'en to the Legislative Council chamber. Queensland is the only Australian state that is unicameral, having abolished its Legislative Council in 1922, spurring an unsuccessful attempt in New South Wales. The chamber, though no longer used for a legislative purpose, is is now hired out for movies, parties, weddings and just about anything else that will bring in some money. The photo of me you see is me in the president's chair. From there, we were taken to the Legislative Assembly which is Queensland law-making body and the Parliamentary Library whose alcohol cabinet now contains reference materials; I guess progress isn't always a good thing. Just before we finished we passed cabinets containing the ceremonial mace and a new ceremonial didjeridu. To celebrate Queensland's 150th birthday, the didjeridu was commissioned in the spirit of reconciliation. The artwork on the didjeridu represents aboriginal arrival, then European arrival where the 2 peoples trod their own paths and finally, the hope that the future brings an intertwining of cultures. It is hoped that an aboriginal elder will play the instrument when Parliament opens again.
After leaving Parliament my brother and I continued exploring inner Brisbane. This included a stop at the old Treasury Building which is now, quite appropriately, a casino. We also explored the nearby Botanical Gardens and saw a rather large goanna (go-AN-na), a large native lizard. I wanted to go through City Hall but there was construction going on and it didn't seem open to the public. My brother and I did manage to take in a fascinating exhibit at the state library on the history of computer games. I had seen the exhibit in Melbourne but I was keen to see it again. The exhibit covered the history of computer games from its earliest starts like Asteroids, Pong and Pac-Man to the Wii. The best part was the you could even play the games. This interactivity makes this exhibit probably the most interesting one I've ever been to. I hope it comes to Canberra.
My brother and I explored a little more but we had to be in bed early as we were heading to Queensland's, and Australia's, ocean playground the next day.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Tower and Bridge
After our sortie to Taronga Zoo, I decided to take my brother to 2 other Sydney landmarks, Sydney Tower and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. These were landmarks that even I had only half-visited. I'd been in the vicinity of Sydney Tower and I'd crossed the bridge many times by bus or train, but never on foot. This was going to be an adventure for me as well. It was so exciting, I decided we should space it over 2 days so as not to over-exert ourselves.
The first day was the trip up Sydney Tower, formerly known as Centrepoint Tower. It was built many years ago and is the tallest building in Sydney. There is an observation deck complete with a restaurant and snack bar close to the top and it is even possible to walk outside as well. I looked into it at the ticket office but it seemed too expensive for any particular thrill so we gave it a miss. Instead my brother and I picked a package which included a virtual tour around Australia and a ride to the observation deck.
The first part of the virtual tour consisted of us being herded into a single room divided into several theaters, each one representing a different aspect of Australia, like the city, the sea and the Outback. The ingenious thing was that instead of you physically moving from theater to theater, the entire room moved so that you sat in one seat the whole time. It was sort of like a diorama with fixed backgrounds but the actors projected onto glass screens making them appear three dimensional. They even walked round some of the fixed props meaning that the actors in-studio had to hit their cues exactly; it must have taken months.
There was one thing which was a little surprising and that was the way they described the language options. The narration was broadcast in 4 languages: English, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean. However, they described English as "Australian". In a society that professes to be multicultural and tolerant, this seemed a little affrontious. I can only imagine the fuss that would be created if someone tried to describe either English of French as "Canadian". But, you could argue that "Australian" is more accurate since Australians don't really speak English. I have a friend who once described the language which Australians learn chronologically are swearing, then slang and finally English. As for the multiculturalism and tolerance, that's a debate for another post.
The second part of the virtual tour was more of a rollercoaster ride type thing. We were strapped into a single theater with chars that moved. Images were projected onto 3 screens in front of us to simulate windows. The adventure consisted of us flying and swimming through various parts of Australia in order to give us a taste of Australia's varied landscape. Both video adventures were very entertaining. After this, my brother and I took the elevator to the observation deck.
The observation deck offers spectacular views of Sydney. On the clearest days you can see to the Blue Mountains some 80 km away. It was quite clear when my brother and I went up. In the northern distance, though, I saw smoke from a bushfire, a constant danger in the Australian summer. After descending from Sydney Tower, my brother and I made our way back to Dulwich Hill.
The next day my brother and I walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. At the time of it's construction it was the longest single-span bridge in the world, and it may still be. It was to be the longest bridge of all but a few months before it opened the Bayonne Bridge in New York was opened and found to be a few meters longer. Nevertheless, the "Coathanger" as it is called by some locals is still the major artery into the city and is one of Sydney's most famous landmarks. A few weeks ago it went completely cash-free meaning that all tolls have to be paid via an electronic E-Pass. The NSW government has also introduced differential tolls during peak hours, $4.00 compared to $2.50 during non-peak hours, to encourage public transportation use. So far, the results have been mixed. By comparison, 20 years ago, the toll was $0.20.
The story of the bridge's construction is almost too incredible to believe. Construction began in 1923 when houses were expropriated by the state government and demolished. Some years later there was a change in government and the future of the bridge was in doubt but it went ahead. During the early Depression years, the NSW government was also being asked to repay its World War One loans to the UK government. For the Labor premier, this was an egregious affront; he called it the interest on the lives of the Australians who had died defending Britain in World War One. He refused to pay but the Commonwealth government passed a law allowing it to seize state funds to force repayment. The premier then pulled off one of the most brazen bank heists in history. He sent a few civil servants in the company of police officers to various banks where the NSW government held accounts. The bank tellers were handed brief cases and told to fill them with as much cash as was possible. When the Commonwealth government came to seize the money there was literally nothing in the vaults; the NSW economy was being run on cash. When I heard this story in a documentary just after visiting the bridge, I could scarcely believe my ears.
That was not the end of the drama, though, as the Labor premier was bitterly opposed by fervent right-wing elements; quasi, if not completely, fascist elements. These conservatives were also outraged that the new governor, a Brit, actually supported the premier in his socialist schemes. At one point, riots broke out over one thing or another. The governor, in an attempt at compromise, told the premier that he, not the premier, would be opening the bridge. This would have been a particularly bitter pill for the premier to swallow since he had been the driving force behind the bridge. There were also squabbles among the architects and engineers but I can't remember the details now. At the actual opening ceremony in 1932, one of the right-wing leaders, a war well-known veteran, rode on a horse out in full military dress and preempted the governor by cutting the ribbon with his sword, supposedly in the name of the king. He was quickly arrested, the ribbon was retied and the governor cut it with a pair of gold scissors. A remarkable story for a remarkable bridge.
The architect of the bridge, man I think named Bradfield, did have some foresight in that he realized that the bridge would have to carry trains and cars and might need to be expanded in the future. Therefore he put enough iron and support into the structure that it could still be expanded even today without much problem. A few years there was talk of making the bridge double-layered to deal with traffic. The bridge actually had was large enough to accommodate traffic without expansion for 50 years, up until the time the NSW government finally paid off the loans on the construction of the bridge. A fantastic bit of foresight on the architect's part, in my opinion.
Anyway, my brother and I walked across the bridge to North Sydney, just across the Parramatta River. There is a popular bridge climb offered where you can climb the arc supports of the bridge to view Sydney but at $190/person, I'm not so sure it's worth the money. I was particularly keen to see the suburb of Kirribilli, a very affluent neighbourhood on the waterfront. As we walked along, we managed to find Kirribilli House, the prime minister's official Sydney residence. Although nice, it wasn't spectacular.
We also made a little side trip to Luna Park, an amusement area near the bridge. It isn't all that big but it has been delighting Sydneysiders since 1935. There is another Luna Park in St. Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne that I visited in 2005. The distinguishing feature is the clown's face entrance. There used to be a Luna Park on Coney Island but it closed down decades ago. I think the name lives on only in Australia. My brother and I walked around for a little bit then walked back across the bridge to Circular Quay to catch our train.
This was our last day in Sydney and I think out trip here was very enjoyable. We did the tourist thing, but had fun while doing it. I do like Sydney, even though it is a bit big and noisy, but it has such colour and flavour. But now it was time to get ready for our next trip which would take us north to a more tropical land.
The first day was the trip up Sydney Tower, formerly known as Centrepoint Tower. It was built many years ago and is the tallest building in Sydney. There is an observation deck complete with a restaurant and snack bar close to the top and it is even possible to walk outside as well. I looked into it at the ticket office but it seemed too expensive for any particular thrill so we gave it a miss. Instead my brother and I picked a package which included a virtual tour around Australia and a ride to the observation deck.
The first part of the virtual tour consisted of us being herded into a single room divided into several theaters, each one representing a different aspect of Australia, like the city, the sea and the Outback. The ingenious thing was that instead of you physically moving from theater to theater, the entire room moved so that you sat in one seat the whole time. It was sort of like a diorama with fixed backgrounds but the actors projected onto glass screens making them appear three dimensional. They even walked round some of the fixed props meaning that the actors in-studio had to hit their cues exactly; it must have taken months.
There was one thing which was a little surprising and that was the way they described the language options. The narration was broadcast in 4 languages: English, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean. However, they described English as "Australian". In a society that professes to be multicultural and tolerant, this seemed a little affrontious. I can only imagine the fuss that would be created if someone tried to describe either English of French as "Canadian". But, you could argue that "Australian" is more accurate since Australians don't really speak English. I have a friend who once described the language which Australians learn chronologically are swearing, then slang and finally English. As for the multiculturalism and tolerance, that's a debate for another post.
The second part of the virtual tour was more of a rollercoaster ride type thing. We were strapped into a single theater with chars that moved. Images were projected onto 3 screens in front of us to simulate windows. The adventure consisted of us flying and swimming through various parts of Australia in order to give us a taste of Australia's varied landscape. Both video adventures were very entertaining. After this, my brother and I took the elevator to the observation deck.
The observation deck offers spectacular views of Sydney. On the clearest days you can see to the Blue Mountains some 80 km away. It was quite clear when my brother and I went up. In the northern distance, though, I saw smoke from a bushfire, a constant danger in the Australian summer. After descending from Sydney Tower, my brother and I made our way back to Dulwich Hill.
The next day my brother and I walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. At the time of it's construction it was the longest single-span bridge in the world, and it may still be. It was to be the longest bridge of all but a few months before it opened the Bayonne Bridge in New York was opened and found to be a few meters longer. Nevertheless, the "Coathanger" as it is called by some locals is still the major artery into the city and is one of Sydney's most famous landmarks. A few weeks ago it went completely cash-free meaning that all tolls have to be paid via an electronic E-Pass. The NSW government has also introduced differential tolls during peak hours, $4.00 compared to $2.50 during non-peak hours, to encourage public transportation use. So far, the results have been mixed. By comparison, 20 years ago, the toll was $0.20.
The story of the bridge's construction is almost too incredible to believe. Construction began in 1923 when houses were expropriated by the state government and demolished. Some years later there was a change in government and the future of the bridge was in doubt but it went ahead. During the early Depression years, the NSW government was also being asked to repay its World War One loans to the UK government. For the Labor premier, this was an egregious affront; he called it the interest on the lives of the Australians who had died defending Britain in World War One. He refused to pay but the Commonwealth government passed a law allowing it to seize state funds to force repayment. The premier then pulled off one of the most brazen bank heists in history. He sent a few civil servants in the company of police officers to various banks where the NSW government held accounts. The bank tellers were handed brief cases and told to fill them with as much cash as was possible. When the Commonwealth government came to seize the money there was literally nothing in the vaults; the NSW economy was being run on cash. When I heard this story in a documentary just after visiting the bridge, I could scarcely believe my ears.
That was not the end of the drama, though, as the Labor premier was bitterly opposed by fervent right-wing elements; quasi, if not completely, fascist elements. These conservatives were also outraged that the new governor, a Brit, actually supported the premier in his socialist schemes. At one point, riots broke out over one thing or another. The governor, in an attempt at compromise, told the premier that he, not the premier, would be opening the bridge. This would have been a particularly bitter pill for the premier to swallow since he had been the driving force behind the bridge. There were also squabbles among the architects and engineers but I can't remember the details now. At the actual opening ceremony in 1932, one of the right-wing leaders, a war well-known veteran, rode on a horse out in full military dress and preempted the governor by cutting the ribbon with his sword, supposedly in the name of the king. He was quickly arrested, the ribbon was retied and the governor cut it with a pair of gold scissors. A remarkable story for a remarkable bridge.
The architect of the bridge, man I think named Bradfield, did have some foresight in that he realized that the bridge would have to carry trains and cars and might need to be expanded in the future. Therefore he put enough iron and support into the structure that it could still be expanded even today without much problem. A few years there was talk of making the bridge double-layered to deal with traffic. The bridge actually had was large enough to accommodate traffic without expansion for 50 years, up until the time the NSW government finally paid off the loans on the construction of the bridge. A fantastic bit of foresight on the architect's part, in my opinion.
Anyway, my brother and I walked across the bridge to North Sydney, just across the Parramatta River. There is a popular bridge climb offered where you can climb the arc supports of the bridge to view Sydney but at $190/person, I'm not so sure it's worth the money. I was particularly keen to see the suburb of Kirribilli, a very affluent neighbourhood on the waterfront. As we walked along, we managed to find Kirribilli House, the prime minister's official Sydney residence. Although nice, it wasn't spectacular.
We also made a little side trip to Luna Park, an amusement area near the bridge. It isn't all that big but it has been delighting Sydneysiders since 1935. There is another Luna Park in St. Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne that I visited in 2005. The distinguishing feature is the clown's face entrance. There used to be a Luna Park on Coney Island but it closed down decades ago. I think the name lives on only in Australia. My brother and I walked around for a little bit then walked back across the bridge to Circular Quay to catch our train.
This was our last day in Sydney and I think out trip here was very enjoyable. We did the tourist thing, but had fun while doing it. I do like Sydney, even though it is a bit big and noisy, but it has such colour and flavour. But now it was time to get ready for our next trip which would take us north to a more tropical land.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Intermezzo
I will break my narration of the Adventures of the Brothers Dzioba to quickly update on the events of the past week. You may have just noticed that I split an infinitive. I won't get into a discussion as to why it's acceptable here and now, but the history of the split infinitive prohibition is actually quite interesting. Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program, sort of.
This past Monday 2 important holidays were celebrated: Australia Day and Chinese New Year's. I have already written about Australia Day so I will not belabour that point. I will note, with some interest, that no sooner had I written about how indigenous Australians might feel about Australia Day, Australian of the Year recipient Mick Dodson, himself an aboriginal, said that many of his people view it as "Invasion Day" --- his words. I think it's quite funny that my sentiments were echoed by an aboriginal Australian of the Year who is himself a professor of law at ANU!
I worked at ACTTAB most of Australia Day and since it's a public holiday, I received double my normal wage. That comes out to $47.31/hr after taxes and union dues. The day was actually a little quieter than usual as most people are down on the coast for these hot days. After work, I took part in another Australian custom, bludging (loafing about). I did take my bike out later and road up to Parliament at night but it looked like I'd just missed the fireworks. There were lots of people along the lakeshore and most of them were going home. I was right, though, in that the celebrations are more subdued than in Ottawa. There didn't seem to be any busking or anything of that sort. Well, I'll catch it next year.
As for Chinese New Year's, I can't really say much. I didn't even know it was on until I looked at the calendar the next day. I'm not even sure what zodiacal year it is but I think it might be a Year of the Ox.
On a little side note, it seems as though someone I made acquaintance with in Invercargill has made world headlines by becoming a father at the age of 111! This is Henry the Tuatara, a rare type of reptile that is a living fossil form before the time of the dinosaurs. Henry became less aggressive after an operation to remove a tumor and finally mated with a female Tuatara. It seems these creatures can live for 200 years so these baby Tuataras might live into the 23rd Century. To learn more, read my previous post on Invercargill.
I did have a bit of bad luck recently with my bike getting not 1, but 2 flat tires. I was biking and I think some thorns blew over the track and punctured my rear tire. I bought a new inner tube but as my floormate Phil, a bike expert, sportsman and all-round nice guy, was inspecting my front tire, he pulled out a thorn and the front tire deflated. I bought another inner tube off him but no sooner did I inflate that then the rear tire's inner tube burst with a crack. Tired and frustrated, I waited until the next day and took my bike to the shop, exchanged the inner tube, replaced it and so far no further problems. I can only hope this keeps up.
On my way to the bike shop, I stopped by the Road Transport Authority (RTA). This is a territorial government agency, much like the Ministry of Transportation, and it deals with licences, vehicle registration and a few other things. I was there to get an ACT driver's licence. I have an International Driver Permit (IDP) but that was set to expire on February 2nd. As well, if I wanted to drive I had to have it with me which was a little inconvenient. Now I have a driver's licence that is recognized everywhere in Australia and I can drive a car.
The process to get my ACT licence was actually quite straightforward. As the bearer of a listed unrestricted driver's licence (Ontario), I simply had to produce some ID and proof of residency. A quick eye test and photograph later, and I had my licence. Since I'm from Canada, I'm exempt from the road rules tests. I don't expect to be driving anytime soon but it's more for convenience's sake. This is my first piece of an Australian government ID; I feel a little more Aussie all of a sudden.
The heat is on in this country. Recently the temperatures around Australia have been very high, in some places into the mid 40s. Canberra hasn't gotten that hot but today it was about 38C. You can really feel it in the sun. The chef at Cafe Pronto closed us up early because it was clear that no one was coming in. We did have a few customers, but not many. In Melbourne, the quicksilver reached 45.1C and the power usage caused a massive blackout, disrupting trains and normal life. Those watching the Australian Open will know the heat has been giving the players some problems. Apparently, this is the hottest summer in 70 years in parts of the country and some horse races have been cancelled. Although somewhat uncomfortable I'm also glad in a way because this is partly what I was hoping to experience; a real Australian summer. I've managed to stay cool by buying a fan and so far, so good.
That's all for now. The next post will be a resumption of the tale of myself and my brother's adventures. He's also writing about it on his blog (http://bloggingmiddleearth.blogspot.com/) and I recommend that you read it to get his perspective.
This past Monday 2 important holidays were celebrated: Australia Day and Chinese New Year's. I have already written about Australia Day so I will not belabour that point. I will note, with some interest, that no sooner had I written about how indigenous Australians might feel about Australia Day, Australian of the Year recipient Mick Dodson, himself an aboriginal, said that many of his people view it as "Invasion Day" --- his words. I think it's quite funny that my sentiments were echoed by an aboriginal Australian of the Year who is himself a professor of law at ANU!
I worked at ACTTAB most of Australia Day and since it's a public holiday, I received double my normal wage. That comes out to $47.31/hr after taxes and union dues. The day was actually a little quieter than usual as most people are down on the coast for these hot days. After work, I took part in another Australian custom, bludging (loafing about). I did take my bike out later and road up to Parliament at night but it looked like I'd just missed the fireworks. There were lots of people along the lakeshore and most of them were going home. I was right, though, in that the celebrations are more subdued than in Ottawa. There didn't seem to be any busking or anything of that sort. Well, I'll catch it next year.
As for Chinese New Year's, I can't really say much. I didn't even know it was on until I looked at the calendar the next day. I'm not even sure what zodiacal year it is but I think it might be a Year of the Ox.
On a little side note, it seems as though someone I made acquaintance with in Invercargill has made world headlines by becoming a father at the age of 111! This is Henry the Tuatara, a rare type of reptile that is a living fossil form before the time of the dinosaurs. Henry became less aggressive after an operation to remove a tumor and finally mated with a female Tuatara. It seems these creatures can live for 200 years so these baby Tuataras might live into the 23rd Century. To learn more, read my previous post on Invercargill.
I did have a bit of bad luck recently with my bike getting not 1, but 2 flat tires. I was biking and I think some thorns blew over the track and punctured my rear tire. I bought a new inner tube but as my floormate Phil, a bike expert, sportsman and all-round nice guy, was inspecting my front tire, he pulled out a thorn and the front tire deflated. I bought another inner tube off him but no sooner did I inflate that then the rear tire's inner tube burst with a crack. Tired and frustrated, I waited until the next day and took my bike to the shop, exchanged the inner tube, replaced it and so far no further problems. I can only hope this keeps up.
On my way to the bike shop, I stopped by the Road Transport Authority (RTA). This is a territorial government agency, much like the Ministry of Transportation, and it deals with licences, vehicle registration and a few other things. I was there to get an ACT driver's licence. I have an International Driver Permit (IDP) but that was set to expire on February 2nd. As well, if I wanted to drive I had to have it with me which was a little inconvenient. Now I have a driver's licence that is recognized everywhere in Australia and I can drive a car.
The process to get my ACT licence was actually quite straightforward. As the bearer of a listed unrestricted driver's licence (Ontario), I simply had to produce some ID and proof of residency. A quick eye test and photograph later, and I had my licence. Since I'm from Canada, I'm exempt from the road rules tests. I don't expect to be driving anytime soon but it's more for convenience's sake. This is my first piece of an Australian government ID; I feel a little more Aussie all of a sudden.
The heat is on in this country. Recently the temperatures around Australia have been very high, in some places into the mid 40s. Canberra hasn't gotten that hot but today it was about 38C. You can really feel it in the sun. The chef at Cafe Pronto closed us up early because it was clear that no one was coming in. We did have a few customers, but not many. In Melbourne, the quicksilver reached 45.1C and the power usage caused a massive blackout, disrupting trains and normal life. Those watching the Australian Open will know the heat has been giving the players some problems. Apparently, this is the hottest summer in 70 years in parts of the country and some horse races have been cancelled. Although somewhat uncomfortable I'm also glad in a way because this is partly what I was hoping to experience; a real Australian summer. I've managed to stay cool by buying a fan and so far, so good.
That's all for now. The next post will be a resumption of the tale of myself and my brother's adventures. He's also writing about it on his blog (http://bloggingmiddleearth.blogspot.com/) and I recommend that you read it to get his perspective.
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