Happy New Year!

Sydney's NYE banners!

I wonder how many of these hopes and dreams from the people of West Concord, MA, USA, came true for them in 2013? I used to pass this sign every day I was staying there last January.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

1.1.11

Today, I am told, is the first day of the second decade of the third millennium.

Last night, Sydney celebrated with the traditional anticipated/expected fireworks spectacular over the harbour - and I actually ventured in for the first time since December 31, 1985 (the year the movie "Explorers" premiered, because we filled in our afternoon by going to the cinema to see it.)


Ice cream van in Martin Place.

I had been invited by a friend to attend her rooftop gathering in The Rocks and this sounded like the perfect way to enjoy the event without having to tolerate the crowds!


The view upon arrival, above The Rocks.


Sydney Harbour Bridge.


Sydney Opera House (recently nicknamed the "Oprah House").


Fireworks by Foti Brothers, wavy glow stick by Karen, glowing rings by Chie-Hoon.














Happy New Year!

(By the way, the first photo is a closeup of the battery-operated pendant I wore for the event.)

Vacation photo roundup, Part II

The holiday snaps continue:


New Year's Eve midnight fireworks commence. View from suburban Cooparoo, Brisbane. 1 January 2010.


Piddling canine, a metal sculpture at the DFO complex's plaza, Brisbane. 2 January 2010.


A small Cookie Monster holding a giant cookie. 3 January 2010.


Graffiti on bamboo, Botanical Gardens, Brisbane. 4 January 2010.


My Virgin Blue plane home to Sydney, being readied for departure, Brisbane. 5 January 2010.

Happy New Year!

It somehow seemed very appropriate, at age 50, that I drink in the New Year with a bottle of 2003 Krondorf chardonnay, labeled to celebrate the 100 year birthday of my now-deceased friend, Edna Blackshaw.

I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Perth for Edna's landmark birthday in 2003, as she was quite an inspirational person in my life. When I first met her in Sydney, sometime in the 1970s, she was already a retired Infants headmistress, living in French's Forest on Sydney's north shore, and was the beloved grandmother of Shane, a little girl my brothers and I used to babysit. We called Edna "Grandma", too. (For several years before she actually met us, she knew us only as "IanBrian&Keith", and she was probably surprised there were three of us!) Later, she moved to the little hamlet of Brooklyn, on the Central Coast, and later to Perth, in Western Australia, and I spent several very memorable interstate holidays with her and her family over the years. In her 80s, Edna went back to university study, and created some new records for that WA institution when she graduated.

In early 1980, though, Grandma Edna had generously donated one of her several vintage white wigs to an important project of mine: one Therin of Andor. At the time, I couldn't buy a suitable white wig for all the tea in China. (If it wasn't a very expensive, long-haired platinum blonde women's wig, then it was a Captain Cook wig or a judge's wig.) Edna had one that was perfect, but it couldn't just be a loan, since the Andorian's antennae would require permanent changes being made to the wig.

I gave Edna a framed picture of blue-skinned Therin during my last visit, which she kept on her mantelpiece in the nursing home, and her quite lucid explanations of the Andorian species (and her unusual relationship to this important Starfleet captain) sometimes caused her visitors and carers to express concern about advancing Alzheimer's Disease.

Anyway, the wine was a special gift to all attendees of Edna's centenary celebrations. Last night seemed the perfect occasion to pop its cork. Thanks Edna!

Happy 2009!

2009 approaches...

Usually I have a quiet New Year's Eve. Pizza with a few friends. I think it'll end up being the same this year. I've tried having bigger New Year's Eve gatherings here, but no one likes travelling too far afterwards, and someone in each carload has to be the designated non-drinking driver.

I was excited to be invited to see the fireworks close up, from a rather unique residential tower on the north side of Sydney Harbour this year. I'd have to get there by 4pm, as all the ferry transport stops in preparation for the two fireworks shows (at 9pm and midnight). My friend, who lives there (opposite Nicole Kidman's apartment on the other side of the Harbour), is only allowed to invite a certain number of people, and even has to hand out passes. Reluctantly, I passed.

I think I rather prefer seeing the fireworks on TV these days. When I lived in Lakemba, I used to see them really well (but tiny) from my balcony. By turning on the TV we could even hear them as well! But no crowds. It really does get ridiculously crowded at Circular Quay on New Year's Eve in Sydney. Getting home again is the rotten bit. Everyone trying to get on the first train out of the city, idiots wandering through the subway tunnels, holding up the trains. Been there, done that, rather be comfortable and safe(r).

Happy New Year!

Meanwhile, here's yet another amazing Youtube fan mash-up on the upcoming "Star Trek" movie, this time using images from TOS:




The TAS mash-up is HERE and the official one it's based upon is HERE.

Magazine Sorting Day

It's already threatening to become Magazine Sorting Weekend. Or Month. Sigh...

I moved house in January 2000, and every time I hold an event at my place (the original housewarming party, annual Midwinter Christmas, Jack's first birthday party, the Weber BBQ christening, New Year's Eve, etc) I usually spend a few hours stashing loose magazines into boxes and hiding them: behind the bar; in the Star Trek (Shrine) room; under the bed; in the built-in wardrobes.

It's now reached the point of no return - critical mass - and so, in order to get a little control back into my collection, every magazine bought since 2000 is now in piles on the lounge room floor. I've sorted them by title, and I'm now puting them in issue order. There are some ongoing magazines titles I make a point of buying every issue ("Starlog", for example: I have a complete set from #1; I started with issue #30 and found all the back issues in 1980 or so). Other titles I buy only when there's a meaty article about Star Trek, or something more fleeting that I'm particularly interested in at the time.

It's an awful job, this Magazine Sorting Ritual, and I know why I kept putting it off. I have no idea where I'm going to store them when they're all in order, since most magazines bought between 1980 and 2000 are in storage, and just as hard to use for research as the more recent ones when stashed in random piles behind the bar, in the Star Trek (Shrine) room, under the bed, and in the built-in wardrobes. Sigh.

But neither am I ready to downsize the collection, nor attempt to sell them off, nor create "tear sheet" scrapboxes so I can recycle the rest of each magazine. I watched a friend once try to sell off several boxes of really great, old movie magazines at a garage sale, but there was zero interest. She couldn't even give them away. Well, actually she did give some away... to me - and they're all here on the floor too, all those years later.

I haven't read all my magazines yet either. They've all been glanced at, usually in the train, on the way home from purchasing them. And - when they are handy to the computer - I do use them for research.

At the moment, I'm panicking - because there are certain issue numbers missing from the piles. I'm sure they'll be in another box somewhere, but part of me already wants to order... back issues! Someone, please stop me!

On the seventh day of Christmas

Not much to report this morning. Did some more housework yesterday, and went to the movies to use up my last discount Hot Cash before the coupon expired (ie. today). I saw "The Queen", which stars Helen Mirren, in an excellent, thought-provoking docudrama about the reactions of the Royal Family to the death of Diana, the Princess of Wales. These days, this kind of movie usually turns up as a telemovie or mini-series on TV, but it was refreshing to see this on the big screen. Fascinating!

Here are today's Christmas tree ornaments:



Above left: For 1994, the (very heavy!) ceramic, church-shaped stable is hinged, so it can open up to reveal the Nativity scene. Baby Jesus is in a water-filled glass ball on one side and the onlookers are on the other side, reunited only when the stable is closed up. Purchased from David Jones' city store. The little raccoon inspects a bag of Christmas gifts. This cute little ornament was purchased from Grace Bros. in Roselands.

Above right: For 1993, this decoration celebrated that year's big animation movie, Disney's "Aladdin". When a cord is pulled, Genie raises his arms. From Grace Bros. in Roselands. The silver plastic Tin Woodsman, from "The Wizard of Oz" was found in a local "Two Dollar Shop" and was good timing, since there was a great stage show version doing the rounds at the time.

Happy 2007 everyone!