Yulefest - Christmas in July

Three sisters in the Blue Mountains

Last weekend we went away for the weekend to celebrate Yulefest in the Blue Mountains. It is basically Christmas in July when it is winter here. And this is where we celebrated it and here you can get a feel what we were in for.
Besides having a great Christmas dinner it was also my first visit to the Blue Mountains.
Even though it is no more then 90 minutes from where we live, I have only driven through it once when we went to Mudgee last year. Caroline had already been before. And because it was my first time we did the big tour.

It was so windy the water came back up Wentworth Falls

Wentworth Falls and the Three Sisters on one day and a walk around the Three Sisters and Scenic World (the worlds steepest railroad) the next.

On our last day we visited the Jenolan Caves. The best I have seen in Australia so far (the other one being Capricorn Cave).

Lucas Cave

the Devil's Coachhouse

We choose to take a guided tour through the Lucas Cave and while we waited for the Lucas Cave tour we walked through the self-guided Nettle Cave and around the man made Blue Lake (because of the dissolved Calcite in the water, breaking the light, the water appears blue)

The Blue Lake
(how do they come up with a name like that)

Sebastian's Voodoo

A voodoo doll must find the courage to save his friends from being pinned to death.

Simon's Cat 'TV Dinner'

Simon's cat is craving for his 'owner's' attention.... again.

Another episode here.

And I thought I had this one somewhere too, but could not find it. So here it is (again?)

Mower

Robot 250 BigBot
Mower, installation by Osman Khan.

If they could only make it mow the lawn for real.

Family Portrait

Family Portrait is a story about a little girl neglected by her parents. Everynight she could hear her parents yell and argue with each other. Her traumatic experience made her run away from reality.
Directed by: Chin Lean Kee
Story by: Albert Ang Yik Chuan

Story inspired by the song Pink-FamilyPortrait

Where do they find them...?

Where do they find those telesales presenters?

How It's Made - Pots and Pans

How It's Made - Pots and Pans

Makes you wonder why builders DO need hard hats?!

Fort Denison

Last Sunday we went to Fort Denison. A fort =)
Fort Denison lies in the middle of the Harbour overlooking the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

It only came under siege once, when three 2-men Japanese submarines entered the Harbour. The fort was shot upon when a US naval ship aiming for the submarines accidentally hit the Fort. It didn't do much harm to the thick walls.

We were always interested in a tour of Fort Denison and because Caroline now received a 2 for 1 discount with her Myer One Card, why not?
Since 1906 at 1PM daily a cannon is fired for sailors to set their ship's chronographs correctly. This practice was stopped during WW II and they only brought it back 20 years ago. We both said we can't say ever noticing having heard it go off when in the Botanic Gardens.

Because it was around lunch time we enjoyed a nice lunch in the dining room.

And last weekend I had to get a new winter jacket. Even though it is between 17-20C during the day in Sydney, in the evenings and mornings it plummets to 5-8C, put in the wind chill factor and it is freezing.

Black Button

Mr Roberts finds himself awoken inexplicably in a white room. A man sits before him at a desk and in between them stands a black button. If Mr Roberts pushes it, he will receive a briefcase filled with millions of dollars. Or he can take the key to the door and leave penniless. The catch? Pushing the button will result in the death of a human being. What would you do?

HONEY?!!!!!

Get me a beeer!!!


And one of those....?
Please?
Here

Homer's Life Flashes By Before His Eyes

Homer's life flashes by before his eyes.

Sue and Scott's wedding in the UK and Holland

It was nice being back in the UK again. And I said the first thing I would like to do is to sit in a beer garden and have a nice pint of lager. Unfortunately the weather in the UK wasn't that good the day we arrived, but we went out and sat in a beer garden. Hiding under a parasol to stay clear from the hail. Oh well you can't win them all.
Finally the big day arrived. The bride looked stunning and Scott looked great in his family tartan and kilt (Scott is Scottish)

Sue and Scott's wedding was great. The ceremony was held at the Town Hall of the picturesque Cotswold town of Woodstock.
They had made a big effort for their reception and it really paid off.
They had organised to hold it in a barn with great views of the country-side.

Just the winter before the barn had housed the farmer's cows.

Scott said for the reception they had to remove a layer of manure deposited by the cows who stayed there for winter which is now visible on Google Earth as a big pile behind the shed.

The barn looked immaculate, as if it had never housed any animals.

Speaking about animals, near Caroline's parents house we saw a field with mixed farm animals in it. Sheep, goats, horses, miniature horses, cows, longhorn cows, donkeys and pigs.
There was one naughty pig, the farmer had to chase on his quad bike, we enjoyed watching it.

In Holland we had even less time, but we managed to have a nice time.

One of the things we did was to go to Amsterdam and watch Holland play against.....? Eeehrm,.. another country. Main thing is. We won.

Oranje madness even at the Red Light District

It was nice to see our family again and we had a great time, hopefully we'll have some more time next time around.

Thailand

On our way home to Sue and Scott's wedding we thought it would be a good idea to have a 4-day stopover in Siam, now known as Thailand, to have a mini holiday away for the two of us. Because Caroline is English and I am Dutch we already knew we had to visit 2 countries (the United Kingdom and the Netherlands) and we would be rushed off our feet. We knew from the start that we would not be able to see everyone we would have liked to visit together, unfortunately.
We arrived in Thailand at around 23.00 local time (-3hrs Sydney) and it was hot and sticky.
Driving in the back of a taxi from the airport to the city it reminded me a bit of Queensland for some reason.
On our first day we decided to stay close to our home for the next few days, the Indra Regent and to get our bearings and a feel of the place. We stayed near the Pratunam Market which seemed an obvious first place to visit. Lots and lots of clothes, most selling your big name brands , highly discounted and lots of souvenirs.

From there on we went to look for a shrine. Which looked like it should be easy to find and not too far away. After two hours of walking around we still hadn't found it, and when we were nearly there a Tuk-tuk offered to take us there for only 10 Baht. When we stepped in he said he would take us to some sort of shop on the way. As we had read the Lonely Planet Guide to Bangkok we picked up on the fact that it was some kind of scam. ''Whatever you do, do NOT let them take you anywhere else, but where you tell them to go.'' We got out and after another 45 minutes of wandering around we finally found what we were looking for. The Lingam Shrine.
It is not as easy to find as you might expect and it is a bit out of the way. It is not a big shrine, but its not the size that matters...... (no pun intended, okay maybe a little bit).

This shrine is for young women who seek to improve their fertility. We'll keep you posted if anything happens. ;-)

After that we walked to another mall, Siam Paragon and because neither of us are big shoppers we quickly walked out. We had walked for miles and miles and we welcomed the sight of the Hard Rock Cafe Bangkok. It was not only a nice cool haven away from the stickiness, they also had ice cold Singha and the bartender treated us to some neat 'magic' tricks.

After seeing all the shops the day before we wanted to see something more cultural and so we visited the Grand Palace and the temples of Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho. Because we are full of good ideas we thought it would be a good idea to take a taxi down to a place downstream of it, and take a ferry upstream and enjoy the sights of the River of Kings while going there.

In the end our friend the taxi driver dropped us off, somewhere where you can hire a private longboat, as we discovered shortly after being dropped off when the man that welcomed us led us to a pier with only longboats. We explained we were only after a ferry to take us up river and they let us go easily and even pointed us roughly in the right direction of the proper ferry.

left: When asked if it was heavy, he replied it was peanuts; right: a pushcart filled with lychees.

As we arrived at the palace we decided to walk around it first and soon we were asked over and over to take a Tuk-tuk. We don't mind walking unless it is at the end of the day, after a day of walking. The Palace and the temples are truly sights not to be missed.

From there we decided to take a Tuk-tuk (you have to do it at least once) to Khao San Road (known by backpackers the world over). Here we saw many newly arrived backpackers making us smile, being thankful we have traded our backpacks in for wheeled suitcases, and dorms for a comfortable a/c double- if not queen- or king size bedroom with private bathroom. Although the idea still appeals to us, we both realise we have become creatures of comfort.

Food stalls one selling dried squid the other Durian (Yum,..gag)

As the night was still young we decided to go to the infamous night markets. Here you can get anything from genuine Lorexes to Poma's. The nightlife is also heaving here and if you are asked to attend a ping-pong show it doesn't mean you will watch a game of table tennis (apparently).
To our surprise we also saw a small elephant walking in the streets that you could feed sugar cane to for a small fee, less then 1 AU$.

On our third day we went to the Snake Farm at the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute. The first taxi we took did not take us further then around the corner of the hotel before we got out as he said there was no such thing in Bangkok and he would take us somewhere else. The second one wanted to take us to some shop along the way. The third time we took a tuk tuk (third time lucky?, kinda thing).... was no better and the fourth time we tried a taxi who charged us double the 'normal' price (a total of only AU $5, not bad for 3 taxis and one Tuk-tuk) and he took us to the wrong building of the hospital, the one that was across a busy street from the snake farm. Anyway we did manage to get there and see the process of how they milk a snake - no longer on a dish where they squeeze the snake's venom glands that can cause inflammation - but by letting it bite a cup.

For our last day we had booked a tour to the Floating Market from our hotel. Not the cheapest way to book a tour but at least we knew we would be 'home' at 13.30 as our late checkout was at 14.00 and we both wanted to take a shower before our 02:00 o'clock flight to London.

Some final notes: Expect to be hassled by vendors, expect to be approached by people who are more then happy to show you the sights on your map and hail a Tuk-tuk for you, expect to get into Tuk-tuks or taxis that will either charge too much or want to take you to a shop nearby so they receive a fuel coupon. Be polite, smile and walk away and they'll leave you alone even if they have already taken you half a block. And always ask for a taxi to turn on the meter.

Finally, as long as you take the above notes seriously and act on them accordingly, like us, you will have a great time in Bangkok. We are looking forward to going back to Thailand and to see more of the country itself.

Where The Hell Is Matt?

Matt has travelled all over the world to perform his dance.
Don't forget to take a look at his second slide
He always reminds me of a good friend of ours, this one is for you Matt =)
(can't get you back for that Lloyds one, unfortunately)

The Website Is Down

Working at a CIT helpdesk, I can relate to this particular video. Unfortunately we do not play Halo all the time.

U Towel Ultrathins

One wrong commercial in every way possible shown in Australia. I could not, not share it. And every time it appears on the TV a cold shiver goes through my spine.

WRONG!!!

Sneaky striker

I am not a fan of Football or soccer depending where you are from, but I do like what this sneaky striker does.

E.T.A.

Marvin has the most boring job - ever. But all is not as it seems...
Director Henrik B. Clausen and produced by Junkworks.

What else can this rally driver do?

After nearly crashing into a crowd of spectators, what else can this rally driver do?
Apologise?!

A Dodo's Guide to Surviving Extinction

Here is the complete "A Dodo's Guide to Surviving Extinction" in 8 parts.
(after watching one slide click on >> for the following part)
It is a bit ironic to take advise from a bird that is already extinct.
Anyway,
When Dutch sailors arrived on the island of Mauritius in 1602 they were greeted by an unknown, turkey-sized flightless bird. They called it 'Dodo'. Then they tried eating it. Within 80 years the Dodo was gone. The first celebrity extinction, notorious for its non-existence, the Dodo was the first animal to be so effortlessly wiped out by the interference of humans. Now more species than ever are threatened. If other animals are to avoid the Dodo's fate they would do well to learn from its experience and to follow 'A Dodo's Guide to Surviving Extinction'.

New Species of Horse!!

A new species of horse has been discovered. And it is not brought to us by Animal Planet or National Geographic... wait, there is more... or the Discovery Channel. It is brought to you for this unique, "once in a life time opportunity" by the Home Shopping Network.

And we thank them for it.

Stop the bullet!

Not many things can stop a bullet...

Optical Illusions

Always nice to look at now and then (even when you have seen them a hundred times in emails before)

MUTO

A nice piece of wall-painted animation.
And as a bonus it also gets rid of some of the horrible graffiti that was on it before.

Unbelievable!

A car has plowed into a bike race along a highway in Mexico, killing one and injuring 10 others. The 28-year-old driver was apparently drunk and fell asleep when he crashed into the race. Not that it would be any better if it happened at night but it appears to be in the middle of the day!!!

Train running through a Bangkok market

Next Saturday we are flying to Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit (Bangkok,Thailand) for a four day holiday and after that we will be flying to the UK and Holland. The main reason being that Sue, Caroline's sister, and Scott are getting married on the 14th. Anyway instead of reading the Lonely Planet guide about Bangkok I decided to look on the web and came across this little clip about a train running through a Bangkok market.

Humpback whales in the Harbour

"Winter" is fast approaching and instead of bringing us snow it brings us Humpback Whales.
Last Friday there were four in the Harbour near Little Manly, we can't wait to see them ourselves.

Edward Scissorhands

Tonight we are going to see Edward Scissorhands at the Opera House. And after having seen the interview with Matthew Bourne the director of the show, we can't wait.
And because we think we should do everything right first time around we have also booked a table at Guillaume at Bennelong (located inside the Opera House) for a pre-theatre dinner.

Interview with Matthew Bourne

This is one of the treats we have been treating ourselves to for being in Australia for 1 year already!!!
The other treat was last weekend at Cafe Sydney where we enjoyed al fresco fine dining with a stunning view of Sydney Harbour. What can we say we love Sydney and we love being in Australia.

Rocket Man

Rocket Man
A little girl opens a 3D book that comes to life.
Created by the Swedish students Tim Sundin, Olov Jacobsen, Mehmet Özdemir, Johannes Lindberg and Michal Marcinkowski.

The Evolution of Mobile Telephony

The humble beginning of your mobile phone...to present...to future?

The Story of a Sign

With a stroke of the pen, a stranger transforms the afternoon for another man in this emotionally stirring short film by Alonso Alvarez.

BBQ Seafood Cooking Class

A nice place to visit in Sydney is the Sydney Fish Market. A real treat to the senses.

Just look at those crayfish, crabs and Moreton Bay/Balmain bugs!!!

Last year Caroline bought me a seafood bbq cooking lesson at the Sydney Fish Markets. And because I am 'original' I bought her a lesson for Christmas, thinking two might remember more then one. Going to the fish market is always a treat so much seafood and so many varieties to see, most freshly caught by the boats that are docked nearby.

In the end we cooked five types of seafood:

• prawn skewers with a herb marinade
• Thai squid salad
• char-gilled vegetables (yuk! capsicum and other veggies)
  
• Seared yellow tailed Kingfish with wasabi mayonnaise
• parmesan crusted Garfish
• Blue mussels with garlic butter sauce and crusty bread

We won't hesitate to cook these again.
We do not do requests ;-)

To Infinity and Beyond.....

''To infinity and beyond.....''

Buzz Lightyear

That's what Yves Rossy must say every time he straps this rocket powered wing on his back

The Sydney Opera House

Saturday we finally went for a tour in and around the Opera House only because Caroline received a 50% discount on the tour that normally costs $35 per person. The tour took about an hour and it was nice for a change to have a look of the inside of the building we have walked past and around a million times before.

Here is a photo of Jørn Utzon the architect next to the Opera House while projected on one of its walls.

If you are wondering why there aren't any photos of the concert hall it's because you are not allowed to take photos of it during the tour because of copyright issues.

Lane Cove National Park

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

Last weekend we went to a National Park almost right at our doorstep.
Lane Cove National Park. It is only 9 Km from the middle of Sydney surrounded by suburbs on all sites. Bandicoot and wallabies still roam in the fenced in park together with echidna, red bellied black snakes and a whole variety of other wildlife we didn't see.

We did see some picturesque areas though and it was nice to be out and about on what would otherwise would have been a quiet Saturday afternoon.

It was nice to find two rainbow lorikeets hanging around in and outside their hollow tree trunk.