melbournesnapshots

Happy Father's Day

A beautiful crisp, still, bright and sunny day in Melbourne today. I awoke early, and decided to take my bicycle for a well-earned ride along the foreshore - as a Father's Day present to myself. What a great idea that was - today was a perfect day for a bike ride, sun shining, no wind, and after about an hour of riding to St Kilda and back, I met Kylie and Tina at the Sandown Street "dog" beach. Then it was off to Mum's for brunch and a bowl of Mum's very lovingly made vegetable and barley soup - mmm, beautiful. Received some very nice and thoughtful presents today from Kylie (on behalf of our "daughter" Tina ) - Thank you Kylie - I loved the presents and your loving caring wishes!!
After vsisting Mum's, kylie and I went house-hunting and saw an amazing  architectural icon in Seymour road Elsternwick -  For more details, see my next post that will become a regular feature...

House of the Week - MELBOURNE..

Quitting Smoking - The unintended consequences

Walked today for 40 minutes fr0om 8:30pm to 9:15pm - Very windy -

I quit smoking a few months ago - arond about the start of May (I think) - so now it has been 4 months and I need to now create a routine to shed the additional kilos that I have accumulated since giving up the fags. 

The Age - Too much "Bolt"

Is the Age journo Paul Carter becoming too obsessed with rival journo/Editor Andrew BOLT from the Herald Sun ?? I would love to see how the young 7 reporter managed to "secret" a set of BOLT cutters into her handbag!!

For John and family

On Friday in Newcastle at 9:30 was the funeral of the younger brother of my colleague John - just to let you know John that our thoughts are with you.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all my Chinese friends - May the year of the "Rooster" be a happy, healthy time for all. I ended being up being "stuck" in Sydney last night - my meeting in the afternoon went WAY past my booked flight time to Melbourne of 4pm - Qantas seemed to get "slammed" - their 5pm flight to Melbourne was cancelled and it seemed that every flight after that to Melbourne was taking passengers from the 5pm flight. By the time I could get to re-booking, the only flights left were an International at 9:20 and the final direct at 10:20pm - so decided to stay in Sydney. Again, at the Avillion Hotel - corner of Liverpool and Pitt Street Sydney - very reasonable rates, great breakfast! I'm off to catch the 11am or 12am to melbourne so that's all folks for now! Alan Singer

Kids - Hopes and Dreams

Received this in an email from my cousin Phil in Queensland this evening. Thanks Phil... This was very clever

To all those who have kids, this is what you'll look forward to. K

A mother passing by her daughter's bedroom was
astonished to see   the bed was nicely made and
everything was picked up.
Then she saw   an envelope propped up prominently on
the center of the bed.  It   was addressed, Mom."
With the worst premonition, she opened the  envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:

Dear Mom,   It is with great regret and sorrow that
I'm writing you. I had to   elope with my new
boyfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with  Dad and you.
I've been finding real passion with John and he is so
  nice, even with all his piercing, tattoos, beard, and his motorcycle clothes But it's not only the passion mom, I'm pregnant and John said  that we will be very happy.  He already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter.
He wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too.
John taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and we'll be growing it for us and trading it with his friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want. In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a  cure for AIDS so John can get better; he sure deserves it!
  Don't worry Mom, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Some day I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grandchildren.

  Your daughter,
   Judith

PS: Mom, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbor's  house.  I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life  than my report card that's in my desk center drawer.
I love you! Call when it is safe for me to come home.

Pier 35 Boat Sales Gala Boat Launch

A very, very big "Thank You" and Congratulations to Des Jackson and his trusty crew from Pier 35 Boat Sales for an amazing "Night to Remember" (and not one boat was sunk!) <oblique attempted humorous pun-like allusion to the film "A Night to Remember" which was about the Titanic>. A special Congratulations to Sarah Mackie who organised and co-ordinated the invitations and RSVP's for the evening. Sarah was an excellent hostess and made us all feel very welcome and comfortable.

Kylie and I were invited to attend the Pier 35 Boat Sales launch of the new Riviera M360 sports cruiser which was held at new Quay Docklands. The evening commenced at 6:30 pm sharp at the "Blue Fire" restaurant with pre-dinner drinks and mingling with other guests all dressed in "sophisticated chic" attire as suggested by the invitation. After meeting up with some great people and swapping some boat stories, we were invited to board our transport for the next destination for the evening. A fleet of brand new BMWs were on hand to transport us in absolute luxury to Victoria Dock. The BMs, supplied by Bib Stilwell BMW for the evening <very clever synergistic marketing> were some of the most impressive and opulent vehicles I have seen. Kylie and I were fortunate enough to be invited to step into a really big silver shiney one (about $300k on the road) and it looked and felt just as good inside as it did from the outside. It boasted a proximity detection system with both visual display and audible alerts as well as an almost totally silent propulsion system - to simply call it a motor or engine would not do the vehicle justice. One minute the car is stationary, the next we are moving - no sound - just silence - very smooth, very extravagant and very comfortable.

Upon arrival at Victoria Dock, we were dragged from the BM (kicking and screaming) and usherd up the gang-plank <or is it gang-way> of the Rivers Restaurant boat - more drinks, canapes, walking around the upper deck of the boat and more very pleasant mingling and then a very warm welcome by Des Jackson to all guests.  Then it was down-stairs to the restaurant floor and 80 - 100 guests sat down to an excellent 3 course meal. The meal was sensational - almost impossible to believe that all those meals were prepared in a boat's galley. Whilst we enjoyed our meal and great company, the boat cruised up the river - past the still broken down old wharves of Victoria Harbour, past the orange commercial shipping tug-boats, past the harbour control tower and Pier 35, under the Westgate and down the river towards the bay entrance and Williamstown. Upon our return to new Quay, the climax of the evening occurred - All of a sudden, someone started doing a countdown from 20 to zero and then it started - fireworks, green laser lights, spotlights and brand new very shiny white Riviera sports cruisers performing and prancing in the river at the side of our restaurant boat, showing off their sleek lines to all the guests at the launch.
Thank you Pier 35 (Des, Ian, Kyle, Sarah and the gang) and Riviera - we had a great night - it was like the best New Year's eve party that you always wish for but very rarely experience. By the way, I have a brilliant idea! why don't you give me a M360 or even an M400; I promise I would use it EVERY weekend and I would write about it at least 3 times a week and I am sure that this passionate publicity would sell enough extra boats to pay for the one you give me... what's that ... you don't think so - have a think about it. Kylie Warner Kylie Warner

Gone to Sydney!

Flew into Sydney tonight on the 6:00pm Qantas flight out of Melbourne. Great flight - we landed 7 minutes early - pity the "travel lift" to the gate lounge was broken and we had to wait for about 25 minutes before we could leave the plane. Staying at a very functional and most pleasant hotel in Sydney - the Avilion - my colleague booked it - I had never heard of it but it is very very pleasant - located centrally in Pitt Street.
My phone, my trusty Nokia 9210i is well and truly BUSTED. I need another one - If anyone out there has one to sell (after all they are so big and ugly, why would anyone want one - when I walk down the street I hear young children saying to their parents "Mummy, why is that man talikg to his remote control!").
That's it for me and blogging tonight - it is better than nothing and I need to get some sleep - very big day tomorrow.

'Av a larf!!

This was email'd to me tonight (thanks Pete) and I did have a very hearty "larf"

> Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions
> to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate
> meanings for common words.
>
> And the winners are:
>
> 1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.
> 2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
> 3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
> 4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
> 5. Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.
> 6. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly
> answer the door in your nightgown.
> 7. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
> 8. Gargoyle (n.), olive-flavored mouthwash.
> 9. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are
> run over by a steamroller.
> 10. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
> 11. Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.
> 12. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by
> proctologists.
> 13. Pokemon (n), a Rastafarian proctologist.
> 14. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with
> Yiddishisms.
> 15. Frisbeetarianism (n.), The belief that, when you die, your Soul
> flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
> 16. Circumvent (n.), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by
> Jewish men.

On Being Julian Lennon

Found this interesting and very personal insight into the feelings and perspective of Julian Lennon. To give a glimpse of what Julian has to say about his Dad, John Lennon, on his web-site.

"Life is difficult enough. Trying to find one's own identity makes it even harder, especially when you're not allowed to be you. How are you supposed to define your own character when all people want from you are answers about someone else's life, a life that you don't have answers for! I am not John Lennon, I never will be! I have never lived his life and never will do! Yet a lot of people believe I have all the answers! Well - I don't! I feel sorry for all the lost souls out there who have to look outside themselves for the truth. Everything comes from within, it's just a question of being able to touch it. You learn from without but you know from within.

Julian's statement is very honest, heart-felt and very illuminating. I have often wondered about the things that Julian has written about here - this really did answer a lot of questions for me.