Coldplay might have drawn massive crowds to Sydney Olympic Par tonight, but my friend Damien and I opted for a more intimate experience at the stadium next door.
We caught Take That (sadly, without Robbie and Jason) supported by the amazing Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
While the ’90s heartthrobs have matured (and updated their setlist with some newer material), they still delivered the nostalgic goods with classics like “Back For Good” and “Pray.” Sophie almost stole the show in our opinion with a string of her own hits.
We even bumped into a friend who confessed he was mainly there for her!
In the last two days I’ve been to see two cabaret shows in which the focus has been on new arrangements of older pop and folk songs. The one I went to see tonight, “Lemon Tart” was really sensational, while the other, “Bravo” was okay.
Bravo is Australia’s answer to “Il Divo”, the “pop-era” group put together by Simon Cowell of “American Idol” fame, with their operatic style interpretations of pop songs, including Toni Braxton’s “Unchain My Heart”. Last night was Bravo’s first public performance and it showed many ways. As they entered the stage at Star City Casino, they adopted much of the “Il Divo” style posturing, with sullen looks and puckered cheeks taking on almost as much significance as the songs themselves. In the first half of the show, their dialogue was also totally un-natural and very laboured, a point they had rectified by the second half. By the second half, they’d also ditched the Marcs suits (yes, they told us who provided their suits), and they were far more comfortable both in their singing and in their onstage patter. Unlike the first half, there were a couple of terrific moments in the second half, including a Simon & Garfunkel melody. I think they’ll be successful, but they really needed some good direction.
In tonight’s show, Genevieve Lemon also noted the importance of good direction, giving thanks to Tony Sheldon because “without him, we’d just be a band”. But what a band! I’ve been a fan of Genevieve Lemon for quite some time, having seen her perform as an actress, though never as a singer. Along with Josh Quong Tart (and his brother Brendon), Genevieve performed an eclectic collection of songs on the premise that she sang those with a male vocal and he sang those with a female vocal.
Highlights included Genevieve’s gentle interpretation of the Midnight Oil song, “Blue Sky Mining” and Josh & Brendon’s beautiful interpretation of the song “I Know Him So Well” from the musical, “Chess”. Both songs brought me, literally to tears. Terrific stuff.
We decided to go “upmarket” for our Christmas Party this year. Last year we went to a nearby pub, this year we settled on Opera Bar. Such a great place.
As someone who usually has no trouble nodding off on planes, I was out before takeoff and only woke up about 30 minutes into the flight. The seating was comfortable enough, helped by the fact that there were only two of us in a row of three. One noticeable shift from the usual domestic run was the all-Thai crew; while the cabin was full of “anglo” Australians. There was no sense of expacts making their way back to Thailand.
Food & Drink
Unlike many international carriers heading into Asia where you choose between a couple of “meat and rice” options, this was a pay-as-you-go service, very similar to an Australian domestic flight.
The Menu: It featured the standard domestic choices with a few international extras.
My Choice: I opted for sandwiches and a glass of wine. The sandwiches were a bit chilled, but they were tasty and the portion size was decent.
Snacks: I also tucked into a protein bar later in the flight to tide me over.
Accessibility & Arrival
The absolute highlight of the journey was the seamless wheelchair assistance at both ends.
Melbourne: A fantastic crew met me at check-in and escorted me all the way to the aircraft door.
Bangkok: I was met at the plane and whisked through the airport. Being in the chair gave me priority access, meaning I cleared customs in about five minutes—bypassing some incredibly long queues.
Logistics: I still had to have my fingers and thumbs scanned, and I was glad I’d filled out my Thai arrival card a few days in advance.
According to friends I look a bit tired.
Final Verdict
The flight went quickly, passed mostly with a mix of movies and sleep. By the time we touched down at 7:30 pm, the transition from the tarmac to my driver—a friendly local who introduced himself as “Mate”—was effortless. For a budget-friendly international option, it certainly passed the test.
I haven’t had much luck with cameras over the last few years. In July 2008, as I began my “big overseas trip” I left my camera “on the charger” back in Sydney, and was forced to buy a new one in Singapore. Several months later, my house was broken into as I slept, and my new camera, as well as my older one, were both stolen. There were no problems as I travelled to Sweden this year, though unfortunately I lost my latest camera somewhere in Hobart a few weeks ago.
So tonight, ahead of my trip to China, I went and bought a new one. When it comes to camera choices I think I’ve pretty much settled on Canon as my favourite brand. Generally speaking, they’re intuitive, sturdy, and take good photographs. All of the reviews and recommendations have always mentioned the superior lens quality of the Canon, and of all of the Canons I’ve had over the years, I’ve always been very happy.
I’ve spent a couple of hours playing with my new Canon, taking those stupid photographs of yourself you always do when you get a new camera. This one combines good features with a compact size. I’m pretty happy with this one, and looking forward to taking lots of photographs in Beijing.
I’m not sure how much I’ll be blogging of this trip at the time, as I’m not sure how much internet access I’ll have, but you can hopefully expect to see some great photos towards the end of the month, if not earlier.
“What are you doing in my neighbourhood?”, I asked some colleagues who I ran into in Crown Street. They live in Sutherland Shire, and I was surprised to run into them. “Aren’t you cold?’, one of them asked me, remarking on the fact that I was wearing a polo-shirt and jeans. “Not at all”, I replied.
Minutes earlier I’d heard a group of women laughingly comment on a group of people wearing shorts. “Don’t they know it’s winter”, one of them commented with an almost mock indignation. While they were wearing shorts, she was wearing a scarf and a jacket. I swear you’d think she was Anna Karenina on a journey to Siberia they way she was dressed.
And then tonight on Twitter, a friend and colleague commented how cold she was. I replied…
@Tzarimas It is not cold. It is currently 14 degrees. 3 months ago I was in Sweden when it was minus 14. That’s cold. This isn’t !!! :):
What a bunch of wimps, I thought to myself. It’s been a gorgeous day in Sydney. Warm temperatures. The sun has been shining. There’s nothing to complain about, IMHO.
Sydney is not cold in winter
A scarf is nothing more than a fashion statement in Sydney, and if you think it’s cold… get over it!!
After the events of the last couple of weeks, it’s nice to sit back and relax and not do much at all. I woke late, made a coffee, wandered down to that wonderful patisserie on Victoria Street, Darlinghurt, where I had a coffee and a croissant, and since then I’ve been doing little except listen to music, watch a bit of tv, and chat online.
“Lovin’ the long weekend”, I said in sms conversation with Sharron, who’s also been enduring a lot over the last few weeks (and earlier).
Naboer
I have no plans for the night except a bite to eat, and then to watch the Norwegian/Swedish film, Naboer which screens tonight on SBS2. I saw it a couple of years ago and have been hoping for a repeat screening ever since.
The last time I saw it, I described it in these terms….
“Naboer” (“Next Door”), is one of the most disturbing and scarey movies I have ever seen. Having just finished watching this Norwegian film on Foxtel’s “World Movies”, I’m still a little “on edge”, which may or may not be a good thing for a Sunday morning.
So that’s my Saturday and Saturday night. And for all those complaining about the cold, I’d recommend a glass of red wine, something warm over your knees, and a scarey film on SBS.
