What I did last week...

Was off to a well-deserved break to the Australian city of Sydney last week with some friends.

The BWN-SYD flight was horrible; the towel that they gave at the beginning of the flight smelled of cockroach, the food sucked and the personal tv monitor did not work for half of the cabin. It was one of the worst flights that I have ever taken.

Stayed in Sydney at a cheap hotel on George Street, one of the famous thoroughfares in Sydney. It was conveniently located near to the Paddy’s Market, the Central Train Station and Chinatown, and within walking distances to Darling Harbour, the main shopping area of Pitt Street and Circular Quay (where you might find the world famous Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge).

Circular Quay

The Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Harbour Bridge

Darling Harbour

We managed to catch a ballet performance, called ‘Destiny’, by the renowned Australian Ballet troupe. It was my first ever ballet show and I was kind of half-asleep, half-awake while the show progressed. (Well, I was tired, and I don’t normally sleep during flight and I managed to doze off for probably an hour during the 7-hour flight). Nonetheless, the bits of the show that I managed to stay awake to watch were amazing; the movement was graceful and the accompanying music was breathtaking. I was mesmerised to see the conductor who seemed to be a little too animated and full of energy.

What is a visit to Sydney without going to Bondi beach, where one could ogle on bronzed eye candy and a bit more? The guys were enjoying the boobies, while the girls were enjoying the bulges! And yeah, we took the opportunity to top up our tan (not that we weren’t that dark already).

Bondi Beach!

I know it's rude to stare, but if you look hard enough, you might see some b00bies!

Billy Elliott the Musical was playing in Sydney at the time of our visit. Secured some seats for one of the shows. Though you cannot compare to its movie equivalent, the show was brilliant. It was amazingly performed by a very talented cast and I thought the boy who played the part of Billy Elliott stood out with his superb talent. My favourite character was Mrs. Wilkinson, the dance teacher. The actress who played the part did so almost as good as Julie Walters in the film version. One complaint though; we all thought the show was better in the first half; somehow the energy was not carried through after the intermission. But this show must be seen whenever possible.

Shopping was not too bad. In the city centre, you tend to find the bigger names in Australian and international circuits. The likes of Myer, Jeanswest, Just Jeans, Borders, Kinokuniya, Dymocks, whatever-it’s-called chemist, Coles the supermarket, the usual staples of Starbucks and Australian-owned Gloria Jean’s Coffee and many more littered the city centre. We also tried shopping at Bondi Junction, where everything you might want to find can be found here. Plus Target; it’s like Woolworth in UK but bigger and better. All in one building. We actually preferred shopping here, as the shopping complex was air-conditioned and we didn’t have to spend more timewalking than shopping itself.

Food is really expensive here. Expect to fork out more than AUS$10 for a meal at a decent restaurant, such Wagamama, Nando and Kasturi. The last two places were halal. There were also the normal McD, Hungry Jack (Australian brand of Burger King, the ocean catch was served on a baguette, rather than in a bun; I thought it was nicer in a baguette), KFC and kebab shops. And there was also Krispy Kreme. I was a Krispy Kreme virgin before the trip; but somehow I found KK might be overhyped?

Overhyped Krispy Kreme?

I bought a book by Richard Hammond aka the Hamster, the short guy off Top Gear. It's called On the Edge. It tells the story of his nearly 300 mph crash in the Vampire dragster jet-powered car. The book also tells his wife’s story during his recovery from the life-threatening accident. If you want to borrow it, just let me know. I enjoyed the book, I thought it was touchin. (see the video of the crash here). I also got a few books, which are compilations of the best questions asked in the 'Last Word' column of New Scientist magazine. You'll be amazed by the amount of (unnecessary?) knowledge that you might get. Also got myself a nice Moleskine diary, as used by Hemingway and Picasso (apparent—ly).

Got Kylie Minogue’s latest album, X, and Spice Girls compilation of their greatest hits, both albums come complete with dvds. Those Spice Girls songs brought back those sweet memories, especially those years in the UK. Also got a dvd movie called Shortbus. Google it and let me know I you want to borrow it.

The return flight was marginally better. This time there was no personal tv screen, but at least the wet towel didn’t smell of cockroach and the food was better. The flight was more filled, but mostly by transitters going off somewhere via Brunei. But I wonder why did the whole airplane stink whenever someone flushed the toilet? And I was sitting quite far from the loo…….