Film: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Although a vast improvement on their first outing, Rise of the Silver Surfer, is still more of the same comic book team superhero adventure we saw two years ago.

Enjoyable but hardly original, and I'm finding it difficult to talk about this iteration any more than I did the last. If you're a fan of comic book franchises then you'll love this; otherwise you may want to think about watching something else instead.

New Music

The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani feat. Akon

I always have a "song of the holiday" and this is official soundtrack to my time in Australia. 97.3FM is to blame, but it's a good song in its own right anyway.

Film: Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

Even though I've got a backlog of Hollywood films to watch, my first cinema outing after my time off happens to be Bollywood. Not that I minded much: although I was expecting this to be just okay-nothing-special, it actually turned out to be pretty good fun.

Essentially JBJ is a light-hearted and easy going romantic comedy. It's well built too - I'll even go on to say that it got pretty sophisticated in some places. The leads Abhishek and Preity (still looking good) did a fine job in keeping the film going with their "will they or won't they" shenanigans, while the script provided plenty of laugh out loud moments to keep the film well grounded. The music was a bit poor though, supplying sure fire classics like "Give me my ticket to Hollywood".

We were also treated to a bit of an English twist; there were quite a few cameos by the stable British-Asian drama crew (Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Amit Chana and the like), and some pretty specific cultural references too. I'm still figuring out how they managed to pull it off so well.

All in all a nice enough film, and if you don't feel even a little uplifted after watching it I'd accuse you of having no soul. Heartily recommended.

Facebook, Finally

After years of avoiding anything claiming to be a social network and ignoring countless annoying invite emails ("xxx has added you as a friend!"), I've finally succumbed and signed up to Facebook.

Now that they've (kinda) opened up their technology, I reckon that it's only a matter of time before they become the de facto method of standardising and formalising contacts and relationships, so I figured I should start building my network now. That, and the temptation of poking random women just became too great. That last bit being a joke. Maybe.

Anyway, although I'll be adding as many contacts as I can individually I won't be inviting people massively at once. If you'd like me to be a friend or whatever then follow the link to my profile and add away. See you there!

Link of the Day

97.3FM pretty much got me through Brisbane with respect to music. Perhaps it's because Australia import a lot of their music, but this was an unpretentious station playing as much feel good pop from the past three decades as possible. And there weren't many ad/voice breaks either.

It's also yet another attempt to hang on to my time in Australia. Check it out.

Small Worlds

This morning, I bumped into someone I first met on the Whitsundays boat trip last week.

Now although I'm not usually taken aback by chance encounters (I believe that the world is smaller than we think it is; I recognised someone from uni on the flight back from Sydney too), I was kinda stunned when I saw them at Oxford Circus - perhaps it was 'cos the Whitsundays are so far away or maybe it's because I had such a wicked time there.

And although it was only a week ago, it does feel like it was ages more. In fact the memories of Australia as a whole are starting to fade, so it was nice seeing someone who pulled me right back into it. Bizarre.

Welcome Back, Scrooges

I've now lifted the access restrictions that I had put in place a while back (almost two months ago, it seems) on those who didn't want to cough up sponsorship for the Ben Nevis thing. I'm sure you didn't miss these pages too much (especially as some of you still refused to hand over the dosh), but I think enough time has passed as a show of my appreciation to those that did (thanks again to you guys).

Anyways, enjoy. I know you've missed me.

Back From Australia

Yes, the rumours are true - I landed on good ol' Heathrow tarmac this morning (specifically 5:45am). For those of you wondering how my time in Australia was, I will of course be frantically blogging it all retrospectively. But in the meantime the short version is that it was blummin' awesome, and ranks as one of my best holidays ever.

But for now, a few thoughts on returning to the UK:

• Although 24 hour flights aren't as bad as they sound, going straight to work after landing is a bit tough. Still at least it's not as bad as the Hong Kong-cum-uni lecture of 2000.
  
• No more four minute showers! Not that I was particularly good at restricting mine, but at least now I don't have to feel guilty about that.
• In just over two weeks some things have changed here at home. I've come back to a new Prime Minister, a home vastly modified and a bedroom that is no longer painted pink. I'm particularly upset about that last one.
• On the other hand some things never change. Work is the obvious one, and the refurbishment going on at Oxford Circus still hasn't been completed. Although that's been going on for months so I guess there's no reason to expect it to have been done with now.
• Around two weeks of no Internet, although liberating, is making it painful to come back again. I've caught up with the e-mail part (all four hundred items across three accounts), but groups and news just frighten me. I guess I should make a start...

Anyway, keep coming back for Australia updates. If you actually care, I mean.

Back In London

I landed at Heathrow at around 5:45am this morning and it's good to be back. I've got to go into work today; that should be fun. I'll expect to act like a zombie for the rest of the day.

I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank the lady in seat 26D. She is indeed proof that some people just shouldn't have kids (or at the very least shouldn't fly with them). I'm sure she probably got the worst of the child's manic crying, but that doesn't really compensate for the fact that the flight home was no way near as comfortable as it should have been.

Result!

With only eight Australian Dollars left in my wallet, I managed to get ten Singaporean Dollars (plus change) at the local rip off money changer (hey, I was desperate).

And ten Singaporean Dollars happens to be exactly how much a Burger King Double Whopper with Cheese meal costs. Oh yes. The burger will taste even better now that it's been so efficiently bought.

Mmmm.

Changi Airport

Good old Changi airport. I've been here a few times now, each trip leaving me with some pretty fabulous memories.

I've done my prayers already, so there's only one thing left to do now. And that's to get me a Big Mac.

I can't come to Singapore and not grab a burger now, can I?

Halal Sydney

One thing I've been really impressed with is the number of halal joints in and around Sydney.

I just had a halal shawarma in the airport, and apparently there are two halal MacDonalds in the city too, both things you certainly don't get in London.

I guess being close to a major source of halal meat helps, plus the fact that Muslim areas may be a bit more focused here than in London, but still.

Sydney airport also has a prayer room, but that's just to be expected nowadays.

British Airways

Just checked in at Sydney airport for my flight home and I'm amazed how patriotic I'm feeling after seeing the British Airways logo...

Mount Coot-tha And The Botanical Gardens

Since I was due to fly this evening I wasn't able to do anything too ambitious. Still, we managed to do quite a bit anyway despite a lazy start. After packing and finishing up my chores, we left after lunch at around 1pm.

First up was Mount Coot-tha, a 25 minute drive from South Bank. This was a real life mountain offering us stunning views of the city and surrounds - visibility was crap, but I could still make out the sea. Photos here.

After taking in the view, I followed a trail to the JC Slaughter Falls. The name made it out to be something pretty exciting, but I was a bit weary having had been disappointed by so called waterfalls before. And so was the case this time too - there wasn't anything to see at all (as a passer-by neglected to tell me till I met with her later, there is no water this time of year. Thanks!). Still the trail was nice: I was on it for over an hour by myself (the aunties I had come with declined the challenge. Humph).

The remaining time was spent walking around a botanical garden at the base of Mount Coot-tha. It was more interesting than it sounds actually, not that I can describe it as anything more than a zoo for plants.

Leaving Brisbane

So I'm now packed and waiting for my lift to the airport. I spent some time just now on the balcony looking over Brisbane, and thinking about my time here. I've done quite a lot these past two weeks (has it really only been that long?), and this definitely ranks as one of my best holidays ever. Still, despite writing about how I'm loving it here and haven't felt homesick yet, I think that I actually want to go home now.

I've pretty much done all I can in Brisbane. I've been a tourist and guest, and to stay any longer would be either an imposition or overkill. Either way, the weather seems to be agreeing with me - it was pretty cold today what with the rain and all.

It seems that this holiday will come to a natural end whether I want it to or not.

Homesick

I've one more night in Brisbane, and two more in Australia. That means that I've been here for over two weeks now. This in turn is bizarre since I've yet to feel at all homesick.

Feelings of homesickness usually kick in for me after around a week. I would say it hits me without fail, but Australia seems to be an exception. Quite the opposite in fact since I really don't want to go back home and am a bit jealous of my friend, the groom, as he's staying behind for a further two or three months.

So instead of missing home, I'm missing this place already; I have to admit feeling slightly poignant and even depressed when saying goodbye to everyone at my last dinner party here this evening. So much so that a few people had commented that I didn't seem myself any more.

Just goes to show what a fantastic time I'm having here - it's been fun, busy and interesting, but most of all I've been made to feel so welcome I've not missed home much at all. It feels like I've been here for months, but in a good way.

The Joys of Three

One of the many pleasant surprises on my trip is that I can use my Three phone as if I'm still in the UK. This means that I can call and text anyone back home out of my inclusive minutes, and get charged nothing for incoming calls either.

Pretty neat. I still need a local phone to keep in touch with all the people here, but there's nothing like being able to keep in touch with home too while on holiday.

Pancakes

Went to another sister's house for breakfast this morning. We had pancakes made for us - not bad, eh? Yet another example of how much we're being looked after by the locals here. They're really showing us a good time.

It was yet another free flowing hanging out session (we actually had breakfast around midday) which was, again, really nice...

... Except for the niggle in the back of my mind that it was all coming to an end soon. There's really not long to go at all.

Bowling, Pool, Karaoke, Pictionary

Aaaah, this is the life.

After a pretty uneventful Saturday day, I couldn't help but feel that it had been somewhat wasted; probably because my trip had been so jam packed up till then. It's now coming up to 3am, and I've had such a brilliant night that I've definitely salvaged the evening... And then some. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I've spoken before about how super the new in-laws have been here. Today was another example of that, especially seeing as they were just taking me out and no one whom they were actually related to. The plan was to have dinner and then head to a bowling ally and play a couple of games; nice and easy going.

The lanes were full, so that was a bit of a bust. Instead we hit the Pool tables and had a game or two. I lost abysmally of course.

After that, we managed to somehow swing the already booked private Karaoke room for half an hour. I did Karaoke in Brisbane! Fantastic. It's much cheaper there then it is here too.

Finally we headed back to one of the sister's place. We spent the main part of the evening/night/morning there sitting around the dining table chilling out, eating Tim Tams (there's a way to eat them don't you know), and playing Pictionary (which the guys shoulda actually have won) and just having a good old general laugh.

It really was superb and exactly the kind of thing I was after after the adventure that was The Whitsundays. Some people thought that I was a bit boring to be coming back to Brisbane when I could have fitted in another excursion, but I knew that I'd always enjoy the company of friends and local people over seeing another rock or beach, especially since the weather was so not on my side.

And I was absolutely right in this case too, 'cos today rocked.

Signs and Advertising

There are two possibly related things I've noticed about Australia during my stay here.

The first is that there seems to be an excess of signage. There is one for almost everything - when to wash your hand, where to walk, which lane to drive in (and how many demerits you'll receive if you don't) and even that you're driving down the wrong way on a slip road.

But more interesting to me was the sheer amount of advertising about. From billboards, to sponsorships to advertorials it really is a striking amount. Once again it's a stark contrast to the UK and indicative to me the different levels of controls present in the respective countries.

Perhaps the people here are more influenced by/receptive to visual signs and stuff?

Ey

I've managed to pick up an inflective "ey" that I place at the end of any question I have requiring affirmation. So for example, I'll ask "It's cold this morning, ey?".

I've no idea if it's Australian or South African, but I kinda like it. Pretty cool, ey?

Netball Rocks!

And Australian Women's Netball rocks even more so.

Checking Out Southbank

It appears that one of the most interesting parts of Brisbane is in our very own back yard. The South Bank stretches for almost a mile, and offers some parks, restaurants, arenas and museums and places to hang out. With my iPod in hand I set off to explore for a couple of lazy Saturday morning hours.

On the weekends it even has a cute little market selling all sorts of things. I cleared my souvenir shopping in one sitting because of this market. Lucky ey?

Sunrise On The Gold Coast

We got up at the crack of dawn (actually, no before that) in order to drive an hour or so south to Surfer's Paradise (an ace name, and so typically Australian). The plan was to catch the sun rising over the Pacific horizon. I explained how we would get exactly the same view from South End in the UK, but was kinda overruled. I guess you're supposed to do things while on holiday that you wouldn't do back home, and it's a bit of an adventure so I tagged along.

We missed Surfer's Paradise and ended up slightly further south at Burleigh Heads. It was just as good though, not that it mattered - the skies were heavily overcast so the whole thing was a bit of a bust. Humph. Pics here.

Friday Feelings

I'm really starting to get to know Brisbane now, especially without any wedding preparations to distract me from soaking in the atmosphere.

For instance today I attended Jummah prayers in a small community mosque in the West End. It was one of the main mosques of Brisbane, yet didn't have a congregation of more than 150 people, all of whom knew each other at some level of familiarity.

After dinner we were taken out to The Three Monkeys, a hip little cafe place, also in the West End. We whiled the rest of the Friday night there just chilling and, without realising it, becoming more and more native to our surroundings.

And you know what? Brisbane is actually a pretty awesome place.

Brisbane Daytime Television

I'm finally back in Brisbane, and while waiting for Jummah this morning I've managed to grab the first bit of downtime I've had for the whole trip so far. So obviously I spent it in front of the box checking out the local stations.

Perhaps it's a bit patronising to say so but the daytime shows here are pretty amusing. The issues and debates they raise appear to be so trivial and basic compared to what we talk about back in the UK; for example they're currently considering social problems we wouldn't bat an eyelid over.

I guess it's times like these that you realise how far ahead the UK is in both its thinking and problems.

Cancelled Flights, Part Two

It seems that the weather plays a much larger role in determining whether flights go ahead or not in this part of the world. The rain at the moment is really putting even London to shame.

There are no lights on the runway so planes find it difficult, if not impossible, to land or take off. We've already been warned that our scheduled flight may be in danger - I've no idea what happens if that's the case (we may go to two-hours-away Mackay instead), but I'm not in any rush to carry on with my holiday so I'm not too worried.

Back On Airlie Beach

So we're back after spending two nights on a boat and I have to admit that as much fun as we had I'm glad to be back on dry land. It was the weather more than anything else that has totally knackered me out so the timing is perfect.

I've made loads of contacts and friend during the trip, and I'll definitely try to keep in touch with some of them.

Oh and you can check out some pictures from the trip here.

Whitehaven Beach

Today was mainly spent exploring Whitsunday Island and, in particular, Whitehaven Beach. Now many of you must have seen this in pictures or on the telly, but it really was amazing to see.

The 99.5% pure silicon sand was fine and clear and put even the Gold Coast to shame. It also had the magical property of never getting hot, and so is a pleasure to walk through barefooted. We all ended up playing Stuck in the Mud and British Bulldog (and variations of). It was pure childlike fun and a proper bonding session for all of us.

After we were done on the beach, we sailed for a bit longer and had our final snorkelling session off Border Island. After my experience yesterday I was reluctant to go in, but I did anyway thinking that it was my last time. And I'm glad that I did: I had finally gotten the hang of the damn thing and was able to get some pretty good views for minutes at a time (the trick is, of course, to remain calm and relaxed while breathing through the tube).

So day two is almost to an end and I'm still having a brilliant time. Still, a part of me is looking forward to disembarking tomorrow morning...

Broken Flush

The SV Whitehaven has a very strange toilet, or at least a very strange two-part flushing mechanism.

You start off by pulling a lever connected to a pump (I think); each pull empties the bowl a bit and it takes three pulls to empty it completely. You then press a button to refill the bowl. This has to be done three times to leave the place clean for the next user. Sounds simple right?

Well it had to break for someone, and that someone had to be me. And yes, you've guessed it, it was after I had gone for a dump. I was, of course, terribly embarrassed, when explaining to the crew how pulling the lever seemed to be regurgitating crap (literally) rather than sucking it all away.

But it seemed to have been by design; luckily for me it was fixed straight away. Phew.