westin hotel melbourne

the circle of life.  teen love at the front, budding romance in the middle and divorce and loneliness on either side of the couple at the back.

circular quay station, australia

on my way home through the airport link train to sydney airport, you only need to turn your head 180 degrees to find such an awesome view of the harbour bridge.  i hope sydneysiders dont take this for granted!

the painted ladies, san francisco

full house, anyone?

alcatraz, san francisco

the night tour of alcatraz is amazing. the island is now a national park, which means you can't take anything from the island, not even a pebble.  the ferry leaves the mainland and does a short circuit around the bay area, first giving you a great view of alcatraz.  the building on the left is where the prisoners "worked". the main building at the top was the cell block.  without any running water, they had to make do with the water tower seen on the left.

as the ferry goes around, you are treated with great views of the golden gate bridge as the sun sets. what an amazing view.

we were unlucky to have unseasonally wet weather during the week. although it was dark, some great views were still available from the alcatraz. prisoners were able to hear the fun and nightlife of the mainland on calm days. apparently it was a treat to be in the cell closest to the mainland on new years eve as you could hear the cheers and parties sweep across the water.  in accordance with the following order of the US president the flag was flying at half mast on the evening we were at alcatraz as a mark of respect for the death of the last surviving US WW1 veteran.

***

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

As a mark of respect for the memory of Army Corporal Frank W. Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of World War I, and in remembrance of the generation of American veterans of World War I, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, that, on the day of his interment, the flag of the United States shall be flown at half‑staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset on such day. I further direct that the flag shall be flown at half‑staff for the same period at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty‑eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

BARACK OBAMA

san francisco

i found it interesting that san francisco doesn't have a graffiti or other anti social behaviour.  if these newspaper boxes were in melbourne, they would be graffiti all over them and that assumes that they wouldn't be damaged in the first place.  yes, SF has a homeless problem and there are many homeless people with trolleys roaming the streets, but they are harmless and still polite. san franciscans are tolerant and sociable. i think i love this city.

PT in SF

a trip on any of the three cable car routes is a great experience. $5 a pop isn't so much, but hey, you only live once.  we grabbed a cable car at around midnight and the driver played melodies using his bell.  isn't it great that san franciscans are so laid back, though i feel sorry for those who were trying to sleep as the cable car rattled through the hilly residential streets.

these are funny things. i haven't seen them before.. they're not trams nor are they buses. i shall call them trusses.

melbourne central

it's interesting how melbourne central has converted the now disused myer walkway into some artist rest stops for the weary shopper.  a true capitalist piece of art made for bored husbands, children and young couples wanting to steal a moment away from the world.  not sure how an old bike gets its debut amongst the faux garden, but there you go.  behind the bike is a "community garden" where shoppers are welcome to take some herbs with the hope that they "take what they need".

brisbane

only a couple of months ago, the brisbane river was flooded leaving the city a ghost town.  the ferry stop on the left is still non-operational.  the ferris wheel and lawn on the right was flooded for days.

(sh)it(t)y mart aka city mart, queen victoria markets

after a month without a camera due to it being stolen, i took my new one out for a quick work out after stopping off at the korean grocery store, which koreans pronounce as shitty mart. they actually sell some cool korean stuff.  outside the store is one of those olden day toilets that are under the roads... does anyone even use them any more (except for locking bikes)?

tasmania

tassie is still all green - no drought, but lots of laid back people and windy roads

i miss bondi beach, nsw

hanoi, vietnam

its interesting how the night glow changes due to rampant pollution in a beautiful developing country.

st kilda pier, melbourne

 another sunny day in lovely melbourne.  happy new year

degraves st, melbourne

one of the most famous laneways in melbourne, degraves st, it is named after two brothers who moved from tassie to melbourne in the 1800s.  nowadays, better known for coffee than for pioneering

hidden melbourne

laneways of art, culture, food, coffee and shopping - melbourne in a photo

degraves st, melbourne

fancy a seat? pull up a milk carton. i hear the dairys want them back, so eat your cheap $3+ waffle quick

life's a beach, when you're at brighton, vic

in october 2010, some lucky brighton family paid $210,000 for one of these little huts.  they measure 2.4m x 2.0m x 2.0m. hope they find $210,000 of enjoyment out of them, i enjoyed them for free one afternoon

birrarung marr

is life actually greener on the other side?

Melbourne Airport to Canberra

Qantas has been in the news a lot lately.  Yes, they have had issues with their Trent 900 engines on their A380s.  Yes they have had lots of press on failed engines on some 747s, bird strikes, faulty warning lights and so on.  The press has been pretty unfair though.  For starters, the Trent 900s are made by a UK Rolls Royce.  Airlines frequently have engine failures and bird strikes.  There are some very valid reasons to dislike Qantas.  For example, introducing a 2-3-2 seating on their new trans-continental 737s in J between Perth and the East Coast :).  Failures by others (Rolls, nature...) sensationalised by news hungry press is, however, not a reason to avoid Qantas.

teen angst in perth

i hate you, no i hate you. well, maybe..

barossa valley, sa

dusk in the barossa valley.. strangely calming, even to a lawyer.

rockford

this is probably my favourite winery in the barossa valley, south australia. their basket press is to die for, they're traditionalists and are not a large producer.  for that reason, i break my rule and upload three photos on this post.   
 

rockford wineries use basket presses (see above) to press the grapes that make their wine.  because they don't press that hard, and they handpick their grapes, the tannin flavours from unwanted skins and unwanted crushed pips (where they are unwanted) are not present in their wines, making them mighty mighty fine.  if you have any vintage of basket press and you're willing to open it, i be your best friend lah

finally, they are so old skool they are still using an old imported british bedford ute! awesome!

lindsay house, barossa valley

the view from the backyard of Lindsay House b&b

Drewery Ln, Melbourne

drewery lane is the front door for baroq house, a lounge/bar/club.  it was originally called brewery lane, but its name was changed in the late 1800s.  nowadays, thanks to banksy, grafitti is becoming more artsy and drewery lane is host to this stencil of a person on a motorbike

landmark mandarin oriental hotel

i bought a tripod whilst in hong kong and tested it out in the hotel room yesterday on some of the decorative vases

hong kong

What is Hong Kong famous for?  Cheap shopping (though its not as cheap any more)? In my mind, Hong Kong has always been famous for its red taxis.

Cheung Chau

About an hour on a slow ferry (or 35 minutes on a "fast ferry") from Hong Kong's Central Pier lies a small island called Cheung Chau.  I went there with a friend's sister and had some seafood at a small outdoor restaurant reminscent of the Malaysian hawker restaurants you see around KL.  For a grand total of A$40, we had prawns, crab with ginger and shallots and noodles, sweet & sour pork and chinese vegetables for two.  What a bargain.  Cheung Chau is a fishing island and is also popular with couples wanting to "get away" for the night... you know what that means!  Babies

union road, ascot vale

Today was the Union Road 150th Melbourne Cup Anniversary Street Parade and Festival.  Guarding us was this dirty storm trooper, part of a community group of Star Wars recreationists.

singapore at night

looking out from the infinity pool at the fullerton bay hotel towards the marina sands casino and hotel.  singapore can put on some brilliant weather and night sights

Fremantle, WA

On a cold winter's day in Fremantle, WA, a young couple share some fish n chips whilst sitting on top of a disused pier looking out to the Indian Ocean.