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Sunday, November 29, 2009

Dusty days


A white haze blanket has covered Sydney today and, while the sun still shone through in strength this morning, the sky appeared ominous and eery.

The Bureau of Meteorology explained the peculiar sky was caused by "raised dust" which had been carried from Central Australia.

The BOM said conditions were expected to lift in the afternoon, but the NSW Department of Environment discouraged people with breathing difficulties from going outside.

This dust situation was not so different from the dust storm that hit Sydney in mid-September, 2009.

As residents awoke in Sydney, they were confronted with fiery orange skies that resembled armageddon.

Below is an image I took on that morning of September 23.



What I found most interesting was how Sydney residents responded to such a scenario.

According to the ABC, the NSW Fire Service received over 500 calls which were false alarms, with many residents believing a bushfire had attacked Sydney city.

Talkback radio and television, as well as new media such as Facebook and Twitter, allowed individuals to discover for themselves what was going on, and to upload their own photos of their experiences in the dust storms.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

The vampire phenomenon


Photo courtesy of HBO.

It is apparent that vampires have well and truly superseded the Harry Potter series, as well as other tween sensations such as High School Musical and Hannah Montana, as the trend du jour. The vampire obsession comes in many forms: Twilight, True Blood, Lesbian Vampire Killers... and the list goes on, each series aimed at a slightly different audience.

New Moon -the latest film in the Twilight series- had phenomenal success in its opening weekend on Australian movie screens, raking in a record breaking $16 million. Similarly in the United States, the Twilight sequel brought in $US140.7 million on its opening weekend.

But to what does the success of vampire phenomenon owe itself? Admittedly I spend any second of spare time glued to the screen as I wait impatiently to see whether Sookie and vampire Bill will be safe at the end of Season 2 of True Blood. I have read all of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight novels, and have seen both movies. O.K... maybe I have a slight obsession. But what appeals to me about watching supernatural creatures suck the blood out of their human companions?

I honestly believe there is something downright sexy to the restraint both vampire Bill and Edward Cullen must employ in order to protect their human lovers. Sookie and Bella are so loved by their vampires that they can control any urges they may have.

Particularly in our 21st century lives, boys and restraint are two words that don't naturally gel. Any given Thursday or Saturday... o.k, even Tuesday night at uni one can find students passed out in their rooms, having sculled a bottle of vodka "just because". This is not to say that girls don't similarly show a lack of self-restraint, because they can be just as bad. However, self-restraint and self-control, of which both Bill and Edward are well-practiced, are qualities that are so rare nowadays, they are exceptionally compelling and valued when found.

Of course, I might be entirely wrong. Perhaps the self-restraint that makes the vampire protagonists so appealing contributes only minimally to their over-all attractiveness. Maybe the real attraction of the hundred-odd-year-old vampires strewn across our screens is the manners and old-fashioned charm they display.

The start of something new


Today I was doing some much-needed 'wallowing' in the beautiful turquoise water of Fairlight beach - having spent five hours shopping for Christmas presents in seriously sticky 35 degree Sydney weather - when it occurred to me that a blog could be a fabulous way to pen the crazy experiences that have become common-place in my life as a university student.

Given that I am studying Journalism (and am just about to enter my final year),it is necessary to fine-tune my own written 'voice' while recounting my observations of the world around me which, I can assure you, are never-ending.

I also have an i-phone which, if all goes to plan, I'll be using to capture photos from daily-life, to add a little something extra to the anecdotes i'll be writing about.

Can't wait for my blogging life to begin!