The build up to 2015 and other Sydney capers

Published on 29th January 2015

Saturday 27th December 2014

With a blackout curtains which created a dark dorm room and roommates who liked to sleep in, I had lots of lazy mornings during my Christmas and New Year break, often making if down to the kitchen for brunch. Today was such a day and it didn't really increase with activity! It did however result in a trip to the Strand Arcade which I couldn't believe I hadn't discovered earlier. Reminding me of the arcades in Cardiff, it was an old fashioned arcade and I swooned over the bags in the Crumpler store. The rest of the day I mooched around, eating lunch at the Dymocks cafe, transfering photos onto a memory stick and devouring my latest book. 

Sunday 28th December 2014 

After a slightly hastier start to the morning, I made it to the cinema to see Paddington. As it was the school holidays the audience was filled with children so it was a little noisy throughout but it was rather cute when Paddington falling down a chute was met with gasps and cries of 'No!' Despite the rustles and whispers from the audience I really enjoyed the film and must read the books at some point. 

While I was at Westfield collecting T20 tickets (unsuccessfully as the office was closed!) I came across the biggest crowd I've seen in Pitt Street Mall surrounding 13 year old Ky Baldwin. Apparently he's been on The Voice Kids and he was a fantastic entertainer, taking the performance well within his stride. 

Back at the hostel I powered through some more of my book and later in the week impressed myself by completing the book I received on Christmas Day on New Year's Day!

Monday 29th December 2014

Again, I stayed in bed later than planned but went to the Medical Centre by the Town Hall for a GP appointment. After an initial wait to reach the counter, I was seriously impressed with the speed I was seen. I didn't have to book an appointment and simply waited my turn to see the next available doctor, a wait of no more than 10 minutes! After a quick consultation I was sent for an X-ray, literally metres from where I'd been seen, again I was in there within 5 minutes! So after I'd been in the building for 30-40 minutes I left, proudly clutching some X-rays of my foot and a diagnosis of tendonitis. My feet ache badly from time to time but hopefully they will sort themselves out with some rest and vitamin c!

By the time I'd left the medical centre is was business lunch hour so there was a long wait at the ticketek shop for the my cricket ticket but I had no choice but to wait. 

Come 5:30ish I was walking through a lovely suburb which is somewhere on the border of Darlinghurst and Surrey Hills with the old fashioned terraces and interesting cafes and restaurants. 

In the park close to the cricket ground I found a fascinating war memorial full of tall metal poppies. 

Once I was at the SCG, there were peekaboo gaps where the crowd could see the players warming up. The Sydney Sixers were emblazoned in shocking pink while the Perth Scorchers shone in vivid orange. 

Inside the vast stadium, the lower tier was packed with spectators wearing any pink clothing and accessories they could find but the higher tier remained empty.  My seat faced the member's stand, built in 1878!

Big Bash T20 league cricket is very much a family oriented game with its brightly coloured kits, music between each ball (similar to ice hockey), fireworks and cheerleaders every time there's a wicket, and wickets and stumps which flash when they're hit. Add that to the face paints, hair dye, inflatable clappers and snog cam and the crowd are well and truly involved!

Although I was supporting the Sydney Sixers, the first innings which saw Perth batting were more interesting because more runs, including plenty of fours and sixes were scored. 

Tuesday 30th December 2014

Lots of today was spent on blog posts but in amongst that I met Steph for another cinema trip, this time to see Annie. If was a fab remake with all of the expected songs modernised. 

Wednesday 31st December 2014

The much anticipated Sydney New Years Eve had arrived!  Leading up to the day, I'd had a dilemma over how to celebrate but the one certainty was that I wanted to see the fireworks released from the harbour bridge. The decision came down to seeing them from a public area for free but having to wait hours in a decent spot or buy tickets for a boat cruise which eradicated the monotonous wait but cost a few hundred dollars. A couple of weeks earlier I decided to go for the later, as then my perfect view would be satisfied. 

In the morning, although I'd woken earlier, I'd fallen back to sleep so was finally woken properly by a laughter filled FaceTime call, mainly at Dad's expense (sorry, Dad!) from the Isle of Whight!

By lunchtime I was ready to check out Darling Harbour to explore what would happen in the evening and ended up walking as far as I could along Kings Wharf, the furthest I'd ever walked along Cockle Bay, padding the latest addition to Madame Tussaud's along the way. 

Back at the hostel I seemed to stuff my face and complete blogs before heading back out in the late afternoon/evening. With 1.6 million people lining the harbour, organisers have to be prepared but I was really impressed with the pop up information points, this one next to the Queen Victoria Building. 

Even though I'd been on a mission earlier in the day,  I still ended up having to go through quite a palava to get alcohol into Darling Harbour. Having said that, if I wasn't so honest I don't think I would've had a problem. Rightly so for creating a family atmosphere, alcohol wasn't permitted within Darling Harbour but several of the cruises which departed from the wharfs there were BYO. Hence a battle to get it in but I succeeded in the end, I just had to walk a little further than planned!

After I'd collected my boarding pass, a long wait ensued before the entertainment started. Nonetheless I filled the time reading and as the skies darkened, the view became pretty spectacular. 

When the entertainment arrived it was amazing and even reviewing it now, it seems indescribable. At 8pm and 8:30pm there were warm up(?!) fireworks before the 9pm extravaganza. Now, this extravaganza was the biggest firework display I had ever seen! Just within Darling Harbour there were three sets of fireworks blasting into the air and each was a good display within itself! It was so loud that the explosions drowned out the music played in the background! To top is off, this was just the display in front of me, there were other barges spead around the main harbour so a glance to the right and behind me saw other simultaneous displays!

When the spectacle had finished, the girl sitting next to me and I just turned to each other and grinned speechlessly although we did manage a 'happy new year' before moving off on our seperate ways. 

My boat wasn't due to leave until 11:30pm so I grabbed a Starbucks hot chocolate en route to the wharf to wait for my departure. Finding a seat, I got chatting to a couple with their son who were holidaying from Hitchin. With them, when we embarked onto the boat, I managed to sit in the perfect seat on the top deck. We had a fifty fifty chance of being on the best side of the boat and by chance we chose the correct side facing the bridge. At midnight the images that are famously beamed out via satellites around the world were playing out in front of me.  It was stunning! Lasting 12 minutes in total it's understandable how they spent $7.2million! Again, the strategically placed barges around the harbour created a domes of light around us. It was a truly memorable event. 

Surprisingly, the walk home wasn't at all crowded and I was back at the hostel in no time - not like the fireworks in London. Back at the hostel, I facetimed Mum, Dad, Chris and Liz as a surprise so that we could facetime in different years. 

Thursday 1st January 2015

Although my New Years celebrations hadn't been alcohol fuelled, it had still been late so I didn't make it out of bed until lunchtime and the afternoon was hot and chilled. In the evening, Judith and I took the train to Steph's place for a delicious dinner. 

Friday 2nd January 2015

This morning I had to switch hostels from Sydney Central to Railway Square. As a result I was up and out earlier than I had been and my day turned into a bit of a make it up as you go along day. 

I'd left the hostel to go to the supermarket but the 555 shuttle bus was outside so I impulsively jumped aboard. I ended up in Starbucks for breakfast and they bettered their mistake of a couple of weeks ago (writing Aiden on my cup!) by giving me hot chocolate with hazelnut in it instead of hot chocolate with my name on it!

Next I went to the State Library to admire the Lynley Dodd exhibition.  Although I've never really been into Hairy Maclary or Slinki Malinki, I love picture books and it was a really interesting exhibition displaying original illustrations, early artworks and animated TV shows. 

On the way out I enjoyed an exhibition of portraits photographed be Nic Bezzina. A simple concept, documenting the shop keepers of Newtown, the series celebrated the independent nature of the stores in the area. 

Pondering what to do next, I realised I was close to Angel Place where the unusual but stunning street art 'Forgotten Songs' hangs. I took another look on the way to Jamie's Italian for lunch. 

After in interesting chat to a friendly older lady on the 555 shuttle bus, I had a chilled afternoon at Railway Square, sorting washing, writing my journal and chatting to the long termers I knew from my last stay. 

Saturday 3rd January 2015

I surprised myself today and spent nearly 3 hours sitting on Marboubra beach with Judith doing nothing! I'd taken my book but it didn't even make it out of my bag!  Mind you this view would explain a lot!

In the evening I re-met Judith and then Steph and we walked to China Town and a bargain karaoke bar. When we got there we soon realised why it was so cheap as it took half an hour and 3 rooms to get started! Either the sound or video didn't work in the first couple of rooms!  We had such good fun! Zoe arrived after work and Judith's friend arrived later and like I say there was lots of laughter. 

We were going to get a drink after but after we found that Hard Rock Cafe charged extortionate prices and there was an idiot bouncer at the door of another bar, we gave up. 

Sunday 4th January 2014

On the one hand, today was a pretty chilled out day but on the other, I still fitted quite a bit in. I found several apartments that mum and I had been looking at to rent when she visits and wrote, I must say, a very comprehensive review!

Chris had kindly sent me a 'Sketch This' book for Christmas and I spent some time drawing. 

In the evening I had another cinema trip, this time to see Night and the Museum 3 - a good film but the first will always be the best!

Monday 5th January 2015

My Christmas and new year break in Sydney was almost over but before I returned to Narangba, I filled my rather neglected sketchbook with a couple of studies of the Queen Victoria building. 

On the way back to the hostel I stopped in world square for lunch and there was some awesome advertising for the Pop Art exhibition I'd recently seen. 

 

After lunch I'd been looking forward to a chocolate muffin I'd saved from yesterday but I encountered one of the worst parts of hostel life - food thieves! The inconsiderate people had even left the packaging on my shelf!

Anyway, after the disappointment, I headed off to the airport,back to Brisbane and onwards to Narangba. 

 Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport.