The Art of Fireworks 2013

ScreenHunter_01 Jan. 01 00.17

We have fireworks in Sydney – did you see them – if not – check out this link – FIREWORKS.

Sydney is blessed with an wide deep still harbour, protected from the ocean waves and wild winds, and graced with big iron bridge and of course the opera house. Everyone’s seen it already. The whole world of cameras must have taken billions of photographs of it.

But camera’s are a minor frame looking at it all when the fireworks go off.  You find cameramen scrambling from close up to wide angle to tele tele telephoto in order to at least capture most of it.  Impossible !!

Yes the only way to see the new year with a light and a bang is on Sydney harbour when the fireworks go up !

Happy New 2013

Advertisement

I’m Alarmed about using Calendars

I’ve got a couple of days left till 21st December, but the date on the modern calendar may become irrelevant when the earth as we know it may end on 21st, like the last day.  But I am so used to missing whole days, crossing date lines and travelling across time zones, as usual, I will be in the air at 38,000 feet watching movies while all this happens.

What exactly will happen ? Mayans and Sumerians seem not too consistent about the potential impact.  A rogue planet, meteor ? What’s it to be ?… If it is on one astronomical timer, then who set the timer ? God doesn’t fool around with calendars and who works in eternal timers and so it really is indeterminate when it is going to happen.  We just don’t know.

Speaking of timers, I stopped using alarms, I’m always changing them.  Instead I progressed to using timers.  Yes..  I’ve found a 5 1/2 hour timer is the most useful device.  Most things that you have to remember to do, happen in around 5 and half hours time from when you think of them.  The 5 1/2 hour timer is just perfect for sleep and other things. Independent of time zone and hotel room wake up call calculations, just set a timer to say how much sleep you should get.  If you wake up early, and see 1 hour to go, you don’t feel so bad. If you get to bed early, you wake up early.  It’s a great advance using a timer [readily available on an iPhone] than an alarm in an uncertain time zone.

So the Mayan calendar did not have any alarm written at the end of it, so I’m not alarmed about it wrapping it’s long number around on Saturday 22.  Saturday 22nd is our 33 anniversary !!  A special moment when I married my girl, who although she keeps calendars, doesn’t mind living with a guy on relative time.

I strolled down…

I strolled down the bund in Shanghai
Arm in arm with a girl one mile high
I asked for a kiss…
And then I just missed..
My flight to the Burj in Dubai

A short limerick composed for fun at Christmastime Dec 2012.

This limerick shouldn’t need a lot of explanation

All characters including myself, totally fictional !

Tall buildings in Shanghai and Dubai a reality…

Making Christmas

Making Christmas

Christmas Tree – Abu Dhabi Rotana Beach Lobby – Dec 2012

 

It takes time to make a Christmas tree.  Last weekend it took me a day or two, from cutting down the top of a Laurel tree in my front yard, to trimming, making it stand ok, and then decorating it.  Here in Abu Dhabi today the people worked 3 dog shifts overnight to make this fabulous one.  There is somewhat of a contrast here, where all of the decor of the hotel is distinctly Arabic and yet right in the centre of the lobby is a beautiful reminder of Christmas.  Of course it’s hot outside and what better place to be than in a cool quiet lobby contemplating Christmas far from home.