Power Plant

Last night marked the end of the 2011 Sydney Festival, a one month summer arts festival (sorry to all those on the other side of the planet suffering through this crazy winter) featuring theater, music, dance, visual arts, and film events. With the very appropriate tagline, "this is our city in summer" the festival used the city as a backdrop for the largest and most attended annual cultural event in Australia. While I had the opportunity to attend a couple of events around town, which was a great introduction to the Sydney arts scene, last night we attended Power Plant at Darling Harbour, capping the festival off with the perfect twist.

Power Plant, originally curated for the University of Oxford Botanic Gardens, was a site-specific light and sound installation at the Sydney Chinese Garden of Friendship. Featuring five British artists, their collaboration of around 30 installations both illuminated the landscape and provided a soundtrack as patrons wandered through the Garden's dark meandering paths (the installation only opened once it is completely dark). It was a bit surreal as the darkness of the garden was gently illuminated by the lights of the city's Central Business District (aka CBD) looming behind, and of course the art installations themselves.

From left: Nokia Puja by Jony Easterby, Dream Vortex by Mark Anderson, From Memory by Kirsten Reynolds

Some of the more interesting pieces included Wabi-Sabi by Ulf Pedersen, strips of layered translucent fabric hung and projected on with changing imagery that morphed with the movement of the wind; Kinetic Flowers by Mark Anderson, a series of  kinetic pinwheels that rotated at different speeds producing changing light and sound; and my personal favorite (or should I be writing favourite), Sighs From the Depth by Kirsten Reynolds, a simple (in this case less was more) yet extremely dramatic installation where a hanging and rotating disco ball illuminated its glittering reflections on the various forms of landscape- the tree trunks, the hanging leaves and flowers, the textured rock, the reflective water, it was very cool.

From left: Soundwave and Wabi-Sabi by Ulf Pedersen, Kinetic Flowers by Mark Anderson

All in all it was a great experience and a nice way to end the 2011 Sydney Festival, besides the mosquito's (aka mozzies) that I could hear buzzing in my ear (a bit concerning). Hopefully it will come to a botanical garden near you...

Sighs From the Depth by Kirsten Reynolds

The Pace of Things

Photo of our TV, Oprah and her guests at the top of the Harbour Bridge

Last week, Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure aired in both America and Australia (previously posted about here). From what I have heard and read it was quite a success. As Tourism Australia stated, “US tourism operators are reporting a big spike in the number of inquiries about holidays to Australia”…”Qantas Vacations in the US has seen a 250% increase in visits to its website, a 25 per cent increase in phone calls, and a 30 to 40 per cent increase in quote requests.”

OK, I have to admit it, I watched all four nights of the show. It definitely highlighted the beauties of Australia, traveling throughout the seven states (New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania). During the commercial breaks ads capitalized on domestic travel, definitely piquing my interest (there is so much to explore Down Under).

But although Oprah named herself an “unofficial ambassador for Australia,” saying she has “the biggest mouth on earth,” there was a moment during the second episode when Oprah got a little frustrated with Australia and it hit very close to home.

After a climb to the top of the Harbour Bridge (which I will definitely be doing at some point), Oprah, her best friend Gayle, and her 300 invited guests, got in place for the ultimate photo opp, showcasing the world record for the most people ever at the top of the Harbour Bridge. And then it happened. The helicopter that carried the photographer had to refuel. At first Oprah was fine with waiting but after 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and ultimately 26 minutes her frustrations came to the surface. A bit of cursing (which was bleeped out) followed by the statement, “Not everything can go perfectly and everything has been perfect that's why this has happened…to teach me patience.”  

Another photo of our TV, Oprah is getting frustrated...

Oh Oprah, how I can relate. With a very different pace of life here, one or two gears down, patience is something that I am learning on a daily basis.

One more photo of our TV, Only 26 minutes later...

Cravings

All I can say is that we Americans need better culinary representation in Australia.

Almost all the grocery stores here have international food aisles with everything from Israeli to Indian to British food items but none ever seem to have American foods. I love that I can go to the grocery store and get fresh passion fruit, pumpkin (which I think is actually squash) or lemongrass but I miss indulging in some Haagen-Dazs (I could really use some right now). They do have Ben & Jerry’s here but it costs $12 a pint! After paying as little as $3 a pint in the States, I can’t bring myself to spend that much (one day soon I might cave).

But it is hard when you have a craving for something and you realize you can't get a key ingredient because the products and produce here are quite different (I have already posted about my difficulty making Mexican foods). So, I was extremely excited when a friend told me that David Jones (which is a popular department store) has its very own "American" food aisle in its basement food store.

I paid a visit last week and was not too surprised with the selection. I mean, most of the other countries featured in the market had gourmet products, items extremely unique to the designated place. I was confronted with Betty Crocker cake mix, Aunt Jemima pancake mix, pretzels, Pop Tarts, French’s Mustard, Corn Syrup, and Folgers Coffee. Not to say I don’t like some of these products, I was very happy about the Tabasco sauce, but it was not everything that I had hoped for. At least I know where to get my pancake mix…

Happy Australia Day!

Happy Australia Day! I am not sure if that's what you say here but today was Australia Day, Australia's July 4th holiday equivalent. In addition to being a national holiday, and a Wednesday off work (there is practically one public holiday a month, which I am not complaining about), it was Australia’s 223rd birthday. 

January 26^th marks the day that 11 convict ships from England rolled into Sydney Harbour to declare it their land (more detailed history here). Of course the official Australia Day website follows this information by saying, “though 26 January marks this specific event, today Australia Day celebrations reflect contemporary Australia: our diverse society and landscape, our remarkable achievements and our bright future.” Very PC…

It was an extremely hot and humid day, one of the hottest in several years (ranging between 91 to 104 in different parts of greater Sydney), a ‘scorcher’ as they say here. We took a quick 55 minute, air conditioned (felt so good) drive to Palm Beach for our friend Andrew’s surprise birthday party. Palm Beach, not to be confused with Florida’s equivalent, is about 41 kilometers outside of the CBD (Central Business District). It was a nice drive along windy, one-lane beach roads. It often felt like we were driving through the rain forest and then the water would apear.

We stopped for a meat pie (more on meat pies in a later post) along the way, which felt very patriotic. We took a quick mosey around the Palm Beach area before we headed to the party and then sat and gazed across an amazing view of the Palm Beach marina as we sipped on our cocktails (mine being non alcoholic, as I somehow became the designated driver), ate BBQ and chatted with new friends.

We drove back home and made it just in time to see the Darling Harbour fireworks from our patio. Unfortunately, the fireworks were hidden by the city’s buildings, just out of view, but we were able to see the reflections of light in the sky behind the dark shadows of the buildings.

It brought me back to last Fourth of July in New York (fittingly). The view in our NYC apartment faced east but the fireworks were on the west side. It was a similar day, nastily hot and humid. We unanimously decided to choose air-conditioning over fireworks. When they began we could actually see the reflections illuminating the facades of the buildings in the NYC skyline. It was way better then seeing the actual fireworks (see the video below, although it does not do it justice). So while we did not get to see the full extravaganza of Australia Day fireworks, it did bring me back to that great night in NYC with our friends (miss you all). OK, enough with the cheese. Of course, now it's back to work tomorrow even though it feels like it should be Sunday...

Holy Spider!

We all know that Australia is home to its share of “creepie crawlies”. A great article in the Sydney Morning Herald titled “Signs that you're a Sydneysider” (which made me realize that I have a long way to go) said, when referring to a local, “We're even less worried about spiders, having been taught from an early age to identify the funnel web's lair or the redback's bright slash of body colour. Casually catching a huntsman spider or a gecko in the living room and gently releasing it outside impresses tourists no end”.

While I have not had the privilege of being confronted with the deadly redback or funnel web spiders (thankfully), last night I had a rude awakening when I headed to bed and noticed that there was a huntsman spider crawling on the wall just above the bed. The spider was about 3.5” in diameter, which for an Aussie is probably nothing but for an American who tends to gravitate towards the city, it is big. The huntsman is also known as the “giant crab spider,” which frankly says enough. Its eight eyes (which is totally freaky) were staring at us with anger. I would prefer not to make the acquaintance.

After minor heart palpitations and the assurance that it was a harmless spider we worked to get it out of the bedroom safely. I mean the thing was massive, it’s not like you can smash it with a magazine or shoe, plus it helps to protect us, eating all of the flies and mosquitoes (or mozzies as they are referred to here). While the thought of having a pet huntsman did cross my mind, I quickly realized that was not a good idea.

It took us about an hour to get it out of the house and it was no easy task (I don’t think we would impress a tourist, as the articles states). Once it knows you are onto it, it moves super fast. First we trapped it with a tupperware container against the wall, then slid a thick folder underneath and held it tightly as we slowly walked downstairs. After a quick photo shoot (which was not making it happy), we released it back into the wild, also known as the city. Not something that you really want to experience before bed time. Oh dear…

Need I say more?

Saving the Animals

As a follow up to an earlier post, below are an amazing selection of photos that capture the Australian spirit. Animals have also being injured and displaced from the Queensland floods and here you can see Australians rescuing local animals, and not just any animals... we're talking wallabys, kangaroos, bats and snakes. With horrible floods throughout the world (Brazil, Sri Lanka, and now in the state of Victoria); record amounts of snow in the north-east of the United States; and a winter heat wave in Los Angeles (where it is currently warmer than it is in the Sydney summer), all I can ask is 'what is going on with the weather?'

Photo by Luke Skerman from ABC News

Photo by AP from The West

Photo by AP from The West

Photo by AP from The West

Photo by Nick de Villiers from the Daily Mail Online

Photo by Newspix/Rex Features from the Daily Mail Online

Photo by Luke Marsden/Newspix/Rex Features from the Daily Mail Online

My favorite: A snake rescuing a frog. Photo by Caters News Agency from the Daily Mail Online

Melaleuca Quinquenervia

Outside my office window sits a Melaleuca Quinquenervia. A what? A Melaleuca Quinquenervia is a type of tree native to New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, and the east coast of Australia, starting in Sydney and heading north. Apparently they are also in Florida (not native, of course).

I have to be honest, having the tree outside the window gave me high hopes that an exotic bird or other Australian wildlife would land on it, or nest in it, but that has yet to happen. I do have to thank the tree for protecting me from the intense Australian sun and preventing my transition lenses from turning to sun glasses while at my desk (which has happened). 

But while the tree has not lived up to all my hopes and expectations, once I got down to street level, it was revealed that this was no ordinary tree. Something I have never seen before. The Melaleuca Quinquenervia can best be described as a paper bark tree. The bark appears like different thicknesses and shades of paper wrapped and then torn in various places to reveal its layers. Sometimes the tears are sloppy and droopy while at other moments the natural decay produces a beautiful effect. Pieces of the bark lay scattered on the pavement below. 

It is really quite amazing. Now I just need to figure out the pronunciation…

Coffee

“I’ll have a decaf coffee. I’ll have a decaf espresso. I’ll have a double decaf cappuccino. Do you have any decaffeinated coffee ice cream? I’ll have a half double decaffeinated half cap with a twist of lemon. I’ll have a twist of lemon. I’ll have a twist of lemon. I’ll have a twist of lemon. I’ll have a twist of lemon...”  A twist of lemon?

Sound familiar? Well, if you have seen LA Story, I am sure you can remember the scene where a group of friends sit around a table ordering their post lunch coffees in typical LA fashion, customizing each ingredient. I must say that I think of that scene often when ordering coffee here in Sydney, as it involves practically learning a new vocabulary.

Let me begin by saying that most Australians think American coffee is crap, and I can understand why. In the US we drink brewed coffee from a coffee pot. The positive side to brewed coffee is that it is quick and easy and you are always offered free refills. The negative is that it can be very watery and sometimes the coffee sits on a hot plate for several hours giving it a refreshing burnt flavor.

In NYC you can walk into your corner bodega, order your coffee, pay $1 and change and it is handed to you in a brown paper bag in less than a minute. In Australia, be prepared to be patient. As Aussies take their coffee very seriously (as they should because it is that good) they will wait as their coffee is prepared with great love and care.

In Australia, coffee is espresso-based, which means that it is strong. A fairly small cup of coffee will keep you energized for quite some time. I made the mistake of trying several of the varieties all in one day which had me shaking for about 48 hours… but if you are going to write a blog post on Australian Coffee you have to become well-versed in the different variations. So here we go with the drink names and brief descriptions…

A “Short Black” is basically one shot of espresso; a “Long Black” (my drink of choice) is two shots of espresso mixed with half a cup of water; a “Flat White” is a shot of espresso with steamed milk and no foam; a “Latte” is about the same but with more milk and a little bit of foam, usually served in a glass; and a “Cappuccino” is a shot of espresso, steamed milk, and a lot of foam, usually with a sprinkle of cocoa on top.

From left: Long Black, Latte, Cappuccino

While there are other types of great coffee (Mocha, Macchiato, etc.), I can’t help but be disappointed with the Australian version of the iced coffee, which is typically my summer drink of preference. I drink my iced coffee black but that is definitely frowned upon here as an “Australian Iced  Coffee” consists of a shot of espresso mixed with milk, ice, a scoop of ice cream, and topped with whipped cream. A bit more of a dessert drink. I made the mistake of accidently ordering one at 9 a.m. a few weeks ago. When the barista questioned my order, I insisted, only to find out that it was not what I expected. I later learned that that because cafes don’t have ice machines, they are not equipped to make the American equivalent. I have now invented my own version, the “Iced Long Black”. My barista literally uses tongs to scoop the ice out of a freezer tray (they think I am strange). I wonder how many ice trays are in the freezer?

From Left: Australian Iced Coffee without the whipped cream, My invention: Iced Long Black

There are only a few Starbucks in Australia….it’s not like New York where they are literally on every corner. I have yet to visit one but am curious to see how they do their iced coffee. Have they adapted to the Australian way? Probably…