The Opera House by day

If watching shows at the Opera House makes one cultured, I have never been more cultured in my life. In the 3 months that I've been here, various friends have convinced me to watch 4 different shows: a dramatic play, a contemporary dance performance, a kids' version of Macbeth, and soon to be added to the list, a comic opera about pirates. Well, I can probably only assert that I have cultured friends unless culturedness is transitive through friendship.

1st. aforementioned cultured friends in front of building oozing with culture.
2nd. the sails of the Opera House up close.
3rd. view of Circular Quay from the steps of the Opera House.

Like bees to honey

I don't know if this kid thought he'd found a good hiding spot. He seemed to be timidly watching one of the "live statues" from afar. When I turned around, a mob of children had appeared out of thin air, surrounding the statue we had been taking pictures with, just minutes ago. Lollipops. That oughta do it.

Speaking of candy, I had a bag of Jolly Ranchers smuggled to me from Canada (thanks Mom! And Nhung and Mai!) I brought some to work today to share my rich North American culture with colleagues, and have serendipitously discovered that my boss really likes Jolly Ranchers. I mean REALLY. I shall have to source more for special circumstances, like... bribing my boss. So, if you're coming to visit, please bring Jolly Ranchers!

Being touristy

There are the touristy things I couldn't be bothered with - like riding giant ferris wheels and watching street artists create sci-fi artwork with spray paint and a plastic lid. But there is a category of touristy that, even though I've seen time and again, never seems to get old. Like watching street performers and taking pictures with "live statues". When Nhung and Mai came to visit Sydney, I brought them to my most favourite touristy place in the city - Circular Quay.

With cheesy photo-ops abound, it did not take long before my paparazzi-like tendencies came unleashed. Luckily for me, Nhung and Mai seemed happy to oblige. :)

1st. Duct-tape sage reveals to the girls that they are deeply in love... with themselves. :P
2nd. Space-age Lady Liberty trio?
3rd. Camel rides. Good pose, Nhung. Not compromising at all. :)

Palm Cove

On my last day in Cairns, my friends and I decided to head up to Palm Cove, a little beach town just a short drive from the city. A relaxing day at the beach with good company - what a wonderful way to round out the end of semi-retirement.

At the risk of sounding like a sand snob, I have to say that the sand at this beach was perfect. Not the superfine stuff that is impossible to brush off, but with just enough texture to still feel soft and unabrasive. If you looked at the individual grains of sand - and I did - you'd see that they were like snowflakes - no two the same colour or shape. I don't think I have ever made so many conscious observations about sand before. It was just that nice!

More Cairns

This weekend I realized there was one thing I was really missing in my room - a radio. In the age of streaming radio and podcasts and bittorrent, I still prefer my music over a good old FM receiver. In many ways, I'm a very reluctant adopter of new technology. Or maybe it's not so much that I don't want the latest new-fangled gadgets but rather I always find something more important to spend my money on. Like plane tickets, for one. Anyway, I went shopping with the intent to buy a radio and came back with this digitally-tunable alarm clock radio with an ipod dock and remote control! (All for only $20 more than what I'd have had to pay for just a radio.) Yes, this grandma has finally gotten with the times.

More pics of Cairns to follow.

1st: my travel buddies and I, decked out in Canada tattoos.
2nd: tree with a huge mess of vines on it. Or is it part of the tree? I can't tell.
3rd: these trees look like they are tiptoeing above the ground. It amazes me how such a large tree supports itself with all those thin little trunks.
4th: UPS has a special box for didgeridoos! Only in Australia...

I'm back! With more rainforest.

I've been reminded that I am slacking on the posts. So now I feel a need to explain my absence.

Was again a busy week at work and outside of work. At work I'm getting to do things that should have been completed before I was assigned them. A little pressure is always fun. :P The outside-of-work part of things included the not-so-fun grocery shopping, housecleaning (it was my week to do the chores), and the more enjoyable activities of catching up with friends over dinners and some more climbing. Oh and I also made banana bread!

I decided for a change of pace this weekend and scheduled in some much-needed downtime. 24 hours of sleep in a 48-hour period never felt so good. Now that I am well-rested, it is time to catch up on the blogging. Nothing like a case of sleepies to give you some major writer's block.

Here are some more snaps of my Cairns trip.
1st: along the coastal drive up to the Daintree National Park.
2nd: getting into rainforest territory. The island popping out of the water on the left is where Steve Irwin met his demise with the stingray. :(
3rd: spirally vines.
4th. uh.. big leaves. here is where my lack of botanical knowledge shows.