5 Went Over

This is the last picture of the 5 brave men and women that dared to travel across the Sydney Bridge. Known to some (who've maybe consumed a few too many) as the bridge of deaaaath, this courageous mêlée of call-centre workers, simple folk like you and I, threw caution to the wind - and maybe even past some on the way - and did what, in their hearts, felt right. Stef, Lynda, April, Adam and Jason made a decision on the 15th of March that would alter their lives forever. Stefani, a student from the United Kingdom and part time traveller, had only just arrived on these burly shores for a one year holiday working visa. Lynda, a part time Architecture student and brilliant mind from a far location know only as Canadiaum. April, a beautiful and brimming Scottish lass from over the hills and far away. Adam, a thoughtful and pensive being from the planet Zorb and Jason, a half English, half Portuguese, fully baked ginger bread man, all departed from Milson's Point, 1.5 miles North of Sydney and embarked on their trip across this, the widest long-span bridge in the world. It is also the largest steel arch bridge with the top of the bridge standing 134 metres above sea level though it can increase by as much as 180 mm (7 in) on hot days as the result of steel expanding in heat. Two large metal hinges at the base of the bridge accommodate these expansions and contractions and thereby prevent the arch from being damaged. Although these factors are rather daunting, this still hindered not these 5 valiant souls from completing the trip of a life time. Where are these 5 martyrs now? What will they do next? And who will they take down with them? Stay tuned for more adventures in the world of the Fab 5 Falconites!

Happy Birthday Bridgy Boy

And so it came to be! Sydney Harbour Bridge was about to celebrate it's 75th birthday and the city's present to it was to give it a day off... apart from the fact it was going to let millions of people walk over it and sing it happy birthday whenst doing so. But at least it got a day of no cars or buses zipping across it to make the treck over Sydney Harbour. A group of us set off at around 8pm to do it and I must admit, it really felt like we were a part of something rather special. All people had to start from the north side and travel over to the south. At the beginning, it was kind of like going through one of those marathon gates with tents stacking up supplies of water and sponges for its athletes. Instead, however, this time, the "athletes" were given hats with little lights on them. It sort of gave the effect that millions of little aliens were trecking across it. Great Stuff actually. The walk didn't take that long, and would have taken even less had we not stopped every 5 minutes to take photos of everyone and everything around us. They installed lots of speakers across the bridge, looping recordings of radio transmissions that had been saved from the approximate period that the bridge had been built in. That, mixed with a plethora of classical "victorious" tunes that really made you feel like either you were gunning to accomplish something extraordinary, or to just give you the impression that an Indian Jones movie was reaching it's climax. There was a great light show... apparently, but unfortunately we were actually "doing the walk" when it happened so we couldn't really see it. Those who'd completed it and were standing on the harbour's edge or even at the Sydney Opera House said it was all rather impressive though. Now I think I know why there was so much of that artificial smoke being huffed out of those machines for. It was slightly annoying at the time but I just thought they were gonna turn it into a disco of sorts. It was also a bit of a shame the fireworks display didn't go ahead. For what reason, we still don't know. Maybe high winds, maybe low clouds, maybe millions of people actually on the bridge at the time meant it would make it somewhat unsafe. One of the above probably. Anyway, it was all good stuff :-)

Full On Basket Balls

Feel free and easy to click on the pic over to your right to make it FULL SCREEN BABY!!! (I'm quite proud of this little photo actually hehe) You gotta love this building really. I mean... If you don't, I might just have to force you to like it by designing Sydney Opera House lenses that you have to wear every morning or it'll give you a little electric shock every time you attempt to inhale oxygen... and/or other things with it. Anyway, a strange thing happened on this day. I was walking around the harbour, north side of Sydney and I saw these two guys laughing and joking, bouncing a basketball and walking down to the water front. I was getting a little cold as night was approaching so I slipped into a random persons garage to swap from my shorts to some trousers (as you do). As I left the garage, I saw the two guys come back up the hill in a somewhat more serious frame of mind than before, minus a basketball. Later on I walked on down toward Sydney Harbour Bridge and I came across said ball, weightlessly bobbing away, minding it's own business in its supernatant fashion, floating, buoyant in Australian waters (as you'd expect any basketball to be, once it found eurekeaic freedom from it's owners grubby hands and cleansed itself within the purity that finds itself densely immersed in mother earths salty waters). It was black and blue in design and I suddenly thought that maybe the guys had thrown the ball into the bay because they'd used it as a murder weapon. I quickly dispelled the idea as ridicule and ventured down to the water to pick it up. Later, I met up with Adam, a tall American chap I work with at the call centre. I told him the story but it seemed to matter little as his wide eyes focused only on the ball. They were like a child's eyes whenst presented with the biggest ice cream known to mankind. From the moment I handed the ball over to him, something told me that I was destined never to caress it again... unless I specifically asked for it. Knowing this, I let him have it. He now owes me, and if I suddenly forget how to reset someones password, I know he'll have to stop whatever he's doing to help me out. He also owes me two pieces of tropical chewing gum, which he brought over from America and guarantees me are better than the "normal" triple X pieces I gave him on the first two days we worked together. Week one at the call centre is now over and week two commences in the morrow. Should be fun! Repetitive fun... but fun non-the-less...

Optusized

"Welcome to Optus! You're through to Jason, how can I help?!" I've found a job! Sorry, I mean, SOMEBODY'S GIVEN ME A JOB!!! These Aussies must be insane! And desperate! And it's one of the jokes that's already been bestowed upon me by some of my new team-mates! It's crazy stuff! It's been a little tough getting to grips with the programs, answering phone calls and attempting to decipher what the customers problem is but, slowly but surely, I think I'm getting it! I'm working on the 19th floor of a beautiful building in the North of Sydney. I can just about see Sydney Harbour Bridge through the scattering of fellow skyscrapers dotted about the place. Our team leaders are all pretty cool people. They stay cool with when all around them is obviously quite tight and tense. The combinations of deadlines and us, novice phone bugs, must be creating a concoction that once induced, brings on hair-tearing and border-line screaming moments a plenty. The cool thing about the job is that the company, which is the major telephoning rival to Vodaphone over here, has just taken on 20 of us to take calls from people who have subscribed to Optus's new Cable Internet service and who are having difficulties setting up their email. The tough thing about it, is that all their customers are using different operating systems, ranging from your bog standard windows 98, NT, 2000, XP and now the new Vista, to Mac mailing systems too. That's the major challenge at the moment, but because that's ALL we're dealing with right now, I'm hoping we'll all get that mastered as soon as poss. Today will be day 4! So far... so good! "Is there anything else I can help you there with at all?"

Reddy Or Not

The Australian Red Back spider is one of the most dangerous around. It can be found anywhere from Sydney northwards... which pretty much means the whole country apart from Melbourne & Tasmania. Susana and I were preparing for the evenings entertainment, clearing out the garden for a barbecue that was to be readied for some guests when suddenly, whilst cleaning the eski (Australian for one of those cooler boxes you take to the beach or on picnics to keep your stuff nice and cold) for the beers, she came across this little fella. This one's abdomen was about the size of the surface area of your pinky's finger nail, which meant he was a male. A bite from him would probably only lead to paralysis, a fever, severe vomiting, general nausea, a slightly annoying headache and maybe a little bit of temporary blindness. A females bite, however, gives you about 2 hours to get yourself to a hospital and treated with an anti-venom or else... well, lets just say it's everything the males bite gives you except when you get the blindness bit, it's not so temporary. Funny really, I always thought these spiders were massive things, the size of fully grown giraffes or something but it turns out they're no bigger than my arachnophobiaec tendencies! Hmmm... how much truth there is in that statement is not for me to comment on ;-)

Doing My Part

I just have to say Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to Paula, Susana and Leanne for letting me stay in their place at Sydney. When I first arrived, I hadn't a clue what I was doing and was a little nervous, but they soon put me at ease displaying a level of hospitality that quite frankly hit me for six. Having never even met me and not even knowing what I looked like when they picked me up at the bus station, they welcomed me with open arms, spun me round a few times, fed me, wined me and dined me up and it's because of them that I've been able to settle into life in Sydney so easily. In exchange for the barbecues, the parties, the breakfasts and lunches, the tour guides and evening outings, the comfy bed and super shower (all wicked luxuries not afforded by the common backpacker), I've tried to do my part in helping out with the dishes and a bit of gardening... and hopefully just being as cheery as possible :-) On Saturday, I'll probably be moving out and giving them back their rightful space so that they can prepare for Nuno's (Susana's partner) imminent arrival. Congratulations Susana on getting your new job! A position in a highly respected Architectural firm at The Rocks, bang smack in the centre of Sydney! Once again, thank you guys so much for everything and it's with a tear in my eye that I shall be bidding you goodbye during this wonderful part of my Aussie adventure!

Buildings Of The Future

This Place is truly magnificent. Half of me is actually displeased at the fact I didn't come here right away. But upon reflection, my experience in Melbourne was a truly great one to start off at, simply because of the people that I met. As places go, however, Sydney is a city of many fronts. Many rears too... but, fortunately, I haven't had the displeasure of experiencing them. The only thing I know is that they're there. As a natural course of action of course. The city is a bustling burst of multi-culturalism, concocted by the world, for the world's pleasure. I'm actually fearing that I might already feel at home here only a week after arriving. Sydney is divided into two CBD's (Central Business Districts), Sydney and North Sydney, physically linked by the Harbour Bridge. A colossal structure made of thick wrought iron which translates into pure metallic muscle. It's held up by massive blocks of concrete and when you stand underneath it, it gives you the impression it would withstand any natural, human or even alien disaster. I doubt even the Giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in Ghostbusters would have the ability to push this baby down! And then you've got the Opera House. It quite simply rekindles my faith in modern constructions. That such a piece of poetic architecture was constructed or even allowed to be constructed on what is probably the most important and predominant site of such a dynamic city as Sydney, is a credit to the Australians. I don't know if there was ever any protest at its creation, but I can see why if there was any. It's a highly risky building that doesn't really fit in with what we currently see as "modern" high rise buildings, with straight lines and cut off angles or "contemporarily" lavish habitats. Instead I actually think it points to the future and shows us what we should all be wanting our wonderful cities to become. Great Stuff!