Australia - daily updates on the Australian 'scene'

Monday 19 April - D-day (decision day) - I've made the decision not to continue with this 'blog'.
The research required to write it didn't equal the readership it drew. Many thanks to my loyal readers for their interest. Trish

Sunday 18 April - I'm taking a post travelling rest day today to catch up on some 'me' time....more from down under tomorrow.

Saturday 17 April - Up in smoke.... a further $6.50 rise in tobacco tax is being considered by the Rudd Government. This could drive smokers to the blackmarket. The Cancer Council of Australia said that tobacco price hikes were the single most effective way of getting people to quit smoking.
Weather watch .....our plucky RTW sailor, Jessica Watson, has encountered violent storms off the coast of Australia, delaying her arrival in Sydney by a week.

Friday 16 April

Back from New Zealand where Autumn is making itself felt in the early morning. Australia will take at least another month to catch up - one of the many joys of living in Sydney. I did enjoy the ultimate in NZ food treats though: the now in season, Bluff Oysters. They taste like no other oysters I've ever tasted. At $28 a dozen they're not cheap but are an investment in culinary gratification.

On a personal front - I arrived back in Australia to find the completed cover illustration for the children's book I have written, Tundra the Thrifty Elephant. After 18 months in the making it looks as if it will finally hit the publisher.

The last word on Singapore - proof positive that I read the apparently visually booming economy right....a 30% increase in Singapore's GDP for the last quarter
Asylum Seekers - there's no room left for them on Christmas Island, the temporary home for the majority of 'boat people' seeking refuge status in Australia. The leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott has pressed the Rudd Labour Government to ban asylum seekers arriving by boat from becoming permanent residents.

Nation-building infrastructure - developers of Australia' broadband network have been told it could be 20-30years before the national broadbank network gives them a satisfactory return on their investments.

Heart disease - younger Australians are dying from cardiovascular disease despite advances in treatment over the past 50 years. Why? because they are fatter and less active than previous generations.

. US retailer Costco will soon be setting up a store in Sydney

Saturday 10 April -

Just back and I'm leaving the country again, for a quick five day trip to New Zealand.

Meantime, more on the teen scene (it seems to be a universal 'problem'). A growing number of Australian parents are struggling to control their teenagers. Of particular concern are managing rude and aggressive behaviour,use of the internet, social networking and gaming, relationships with other teenagers, running away from home, and violence. What's the teen scene like where you live?

Friday 09 April
Teen scene - Noticed in Singapore - an influx of young people from mainland China who have brought with them a less formal, more funky lifestyle. No surprise then that 22 'swingers' have gone on trial in China charged with "group licentious behaviour". This case has highlighted the transformation in China's sexual attitude.
Big girls are beautiful ....the growth in Australian girths has fuelled a boom in everything from clothing and footwear, to models, now more representative of the "real woman".
Mixed blessing - Australia has the highest rate of mixed marriages in the world, and among the highest rates of social mobility, as measured by income and education levels. Sadly though, the gap between the rich and the poor is widening.


Thursday 08 April
Australian solo sailor, 16 year old Jessica Watson is on the home stretch of her round-ther-world journey. If she succeeds she will be the youngest person ever to have circumnavigated the world, solo.

Electricity prices are on the way up and are meeting fierce protests from consumers. Australia has a way to go yet though. In Singapore, where domestic air conditioning is essential for your comfort and your sanity electricity bills are very high.

The Sydney Fish Market, popular with local shoppers, is to undergo a $40m make-over. If you know of anyone visiting Sydney suggest the market to them as it's great place to eat inexpensive fish meals.


Wednesday 07 April
Hi all, I'm back from the accelerated buzz of a new, and rapidly developing Singapore. Back to autumn leaves, a less frenetic pace, and a much more agreeable temperature in Sydney. Singapore sapped my energy and left me with little desire to do anything but move at snail's pace. Still, I achieved a lot in a little and have some beautiful shots of both the 'old' and the 'new' Singapore , to prove it.
If anyone's looking for where to go and what to see in Singapore, ....I'm your person. New apartment blocks (built by imported labour) are replacing those twenty five year's or older; the food and the decor are fab; the dress style, introduced by the girls from mainland China, embraces the 'out there' and 'with it' style. There are funky areas that mimic the Tokyo scene; great art, and an overwhelming desire by Singaporean's to present a 'we've got it all' face to the world ...it works. A magic mix to be applauded and enjoyed.

Now on to the Sydney scene...
Trade Boom anticipated - the Reserve Bank has raised the Australian cash rate to 4.25 per cent. Economists expect trade increases of more than 20 per cent this year to be driven by the Chinese demand for bulk commodities such as coal and iron.
New migrants? - there's considerable debate as to the merits of and the negatives of accepting more migrants. Industry groups have urged against curbing population growth. Other factions want to slow down immigration to 'save' Australia from the negative results of 'over' populating.

Sunday 04 April
Coming to you from Singapore - a very Happy Easter greeting.
Australia daily updates will resume next week.

Saturday 20 March -
It's a temporary sign off from Australia for the next couple of weeks. Why? - I'm reverting to my singer (writer), not the song (photographer) role again next week. There's a one-off children's book, "Tundra the Thrifty Elephant, that has been too long in the pre-publishing stage and is in need of this author's energies. The following week I'll be in Singapore so you can expect to see an interesting portfolio of shots from this tiny piece of Asia. Meantime check out the 'Strike a Pose
Festival' photos; the devil is in the detail, so be sure to enlarge them. Happy snapping. Trish

Friday 19 March -

'Switched on' - Australians are among the most rapid adopters of new technology products in the world e.g. digital TV (we are sports crazy), video recorders (we spend so much time outdoors that we need to pick up the shows we miss), mobile phones (we're a talkative lot) and Amazon's Kindle e-reader (once again it's the amount of time spent outdoors that dictates when
and where we read - it's good to be portable)

Smoking ban - outdoor areas on public land (ie footpaths and parks) are being designated as smoke free areas in some suburbs. Soon there will be nowhere left for smokers to light up apart from the privacy of their own homes.

Cycling in the cities - cyclists are being targeted for riding on the footpath. They'd be more than happy to cycle on the roads but the roads are an accident waiting to happen - they haven't designed to be user friendly.

Top jobs - if you're thinking of looking for work in Australia aim for a health or social services job. These two sectors are ahead of retail as Australia's biggest employers.

NEWS FLASH - Lady GaGa breaks down tonight in the middle of one of her songs.

Thursday 18 March - and Lady GaGa is in town for three concerts. Billed as "a proper musical event, somewhere between genius and bonkers" Move over Madonna?

Top dog - a Hungarian vizsla, born and breed in Australia, beat 22,000 other entrants across 187 breeds to be 'Best in Show,'at Cruffs in England.

People posture - up to 1100 people a week are attending physiocise classes to learn the basics in good posture. It is believed about 90% of back,shoulder, and neck pain (all those hours spent at a computer) is caused by poor posture.

Dot-com turns 25 - twenty five years on there are now 84 million domain names in circulation.

Wednesday 17 March - St Patrick's Day - celebrated in Australia with great enthusiasm by Irish descendants, recent immigrants, and roaming Irish backpackers. Not to mention the locals who don't need too many excuses to enjoy a beer.

Academic excellence - Two Aboriginal students are the first to be awarded scholarships to Oxford University, England. There are 8,500 indigenous students at universities in Australia.

Housing - Stockland, a leading development group maintain that Australian's love affair with larger homes is unsustainable and their size needs to be reduced to make housing more affordable

One for the men - Italian researchers (who better to comment?) claim that men who feel their partners find them attractive are less prone to heart attack or stroke.
Those who don't are more likely to suffer these events as do smokers and the obese. The researchers claim that close relationships are essentil for human beings and that feeling loved has a physical as well as a psychological benefit.
Your comments.......?

Tuesday 16 March -
Dead in the water: - swimming's world record breaking polyurethane super suits. At this week's Australian Commonwealth Games trials competitors will have to wear textile-only suits. World records broken by those wearing the polurethane super suits will likely stand for some time.
Drunk drivers are to face tougher penalties in an effort to reduce the road toll.
Banks are installing more ATM machines to accommodate after hours bankers.
On an economy of scale: - a grim prediction from the Australian utilities ombudsman....soaring electricity prices will force more working families into "fuel poverty" where they simply can't afford to pay for power.
On working women: - bosses believe they can afford to pay women less no matter what their qualifications. New research found the disparity between male and female wages cost the economy $93 billion a year in lost output with women earning 17 per cent less than their male colleagues. A Federal Governmet commissioned study found that if this stigma was eliminated women would be paid an average of $65 more a week.

Monday 15 March -
Nicknamed 'Mr Shuffles' the elephant calf pronounced as dead in the womb is now five days old and reaching his development milestones right on time. Check out his photo gallery at www.smh.com.au.
- CT scans: the cancer connection - medical research has found that more than 400 new cases of cancer a year in Australia are attributable to diagnstic radiology. Despite this, the number of computerised tomography scans,which generate far more radiation than X-rays, is growing by about 12 per cent a year.
Minimum access requirements for public buildings have been announced by the federal government. Shops hotels and offices will soon be required to widen corridors, install ramps and renovate toilets to improve access for the elderly, families with prams and people with disabilities. This will open up access for up to 4 million Australians who cannot properly use
public buildings and facilities.
An aside - I was chatting to the 'postie' this morning and he told me that they are allowed to carry up to 16kg of mail in their backpacks. I'll stop complaining about having to carry my travelling suitcase up five flights of stairs next time I'm in Paris!

Sunday 14 March - 'Lights out' - Australians, along with 92 other countries are gearing up for EARTH HOUR on Saturday March 27 when the lights go out around the world for an hour. Make sure you join in and do your bit for our planet. Happening in Sydney today: The Annual Sydney Harbour Swim (before the water drops below 22C), and a Multicultural Food Festival.
A boast - Australians can jump higher and longer then anyone on the planet (must be the Kangaroo in them). At the World Indoor Athletic Championships Australia struck Gold in the Men's Pole Vault and the Men's Long Jump.
More things medical - Medical breakthrough -Australian, Dr Elizabeth Blackburn, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine 2009, for discovering how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and by the enzyma telomerase. Dr Blackburn has said that having shorter telomeres has now been associated with a number of serious diseases including cardio vascular disease, diabetes and dementia. Dr Blackburn has also found that people who live with chronic stress - those who are carers of dementia pateints or children with disabilities are much mor likely to have shorter telomeres.

Saturday 13 March -
A one off today... I've had an article accepted for a new Magazine, so all in my world is rosy.
On to more serious things, road rage...Sir Jack Brabham's son, Geoff Brabham, a driver-training expert, claims that Sydney drivers are under -skilled and over-aggressive. Mr Brabham says that most drivers are unprepared and undertrained and that governments should be doing more to help reduce aggression to lower the road toll. He ain't seen nothing yet - New Zealand drivers are the most inconsiderate I've ever encountered.

Friday 12 March -
'Bollywood and Beyond' - a festival of Indian films, starts in Sydney today.
'Pop-up' dinners at 'secret' locations are catching on. These allow chefs to be imaginative with their menus in a way restaurants can't. It's Art month in Sydney and 'Pop-up' art is taking on the challenge of exhibiting outside of the more formal gallery scene.
Australian women face a grossly inadequate financial retirement because of their low superannuation savings (pensions are means tested in Australia).

Thursday 11 March -
Yesterday I celebrated International Women's Day, attending a talk on the global impact of poverty on women. White , green and purple, the celebrated colours of the "Give Women the Vote" movement, were in evidence.
Another first from an Australian University...in a world first scientists from Murdoch University in Perth have extracted DNA from fossilised egg shells of extinct birds.
Miracles do happen - An Asian Elephant calf has been born at Sydney Zoo two days after it was declared "dead". Sydney zoo's senior veteriarian and the world's leading expert on elephant births, Dr Thomas Hildebrant believed that the elephant had not survived nine days of difficult labour. Imagine their surprise!
More on the job scene in Australia - A new study (2010 Insync Surveys Retention Review) has found that a mass shifting of workers from one job to another is expected this year because workers are stressed, poorly paid and fear they'll be sacked . Those factors have replaced job dissatisfaction as the top reasons employees resigned.
Gen Y is being locked out of the housing market in Australia over unpaid phone bills. Ignoring small bills such as mobile phones could lead to rejection when applying for a home loan.

Wednesday 10 March -
Australian censors are to decide/define the fine line that divides what's art and what's pornography in art (includes photography)
Looking into the Future - researchers at the University of South Australia have developed mobile phone software that can show what's on the other side of a building (good if you're lost in a big city). The technique, known as 'augmented reality' uses pictures and images that are already on Google Earth and Google Streetview.
Maths education in Australia is under crisis. The number of students enrolled in mathematics majors at Australian Universities is in steep decline.
The Australian jobs market is booming again, but interest rates are on the way up so people will need jobs to service their debt.
Tuesday 09 March - Hi all, I'm back. Suggest that you check out my latest photos which show where I've been, and what I found. Daily updates return to this page tomorrow. Meantime enjoy the 'Land of the Long White Cloud' it's very photogenic. The detail in the shots benefits from looking at the enlarged size.
Thursday 25 February - I'm off to New Zealand tomorrow; spending the weekend in Auckland for my Godson's wedding, before a relaxing week at Russell in the stunning Bay of Islands. Expect heaps of scenery shoots on my photo page.
Meanwhile it's all happening in Melbourne next month(March) There will be a Fashion Festival, a Food and Wine Festival, the International Comedy Festival, and of great importance to 'rev heads' the Australian Grand Prix.

Wednesday 24 February - 'Nudity in the name of Art' - American artist cum photographer, Spencer Tunicks will have Sydneysiders taking off their clothes next week for his nude installation, to be shot on the Opera House forecourt. Keep an eye out for the end result. Fortunately the temperature is still hovering around 26C. - Turkish Airlines have been granted rights to fly between Istanbul and Australia...great for Turkish tourism and welcomed with joy by those Turks now resident in Australia. - Of significance to Australia's mineral exporters - doomcasters are picking that the Chinese economy will decelerate in 2010 and could even crash. - Food for thought: Australian consumer group Choice reports that supermarkets here are stocking foods with ingredients that are likely to be derived from GM crops eg. soy, corn,and canola in products such as cereals, breads, sauces, cooking oils, margarine and snack foods. Choice is calling on people power to push for full disclosure on food labelling. - Alarming statistics: one woman in Australia dies from ovarian cancer, on average, every eleven hours and 60% die within five years of being diagnosed. (reference: Ovarian Cancer in Australia- an overview 2010)



Tuesday 23 February - Sydney has been host to a line-up of celebrities this month...Whitney Houston, George Michael, Paloma Picasso, Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Rihanna, and AC/DC. - There's a move by dietitians to have high sugar, high fat content foods removed from theatre snack bars or at least downsized(over sized containers of popcorn are on the list). - Word is that California is considering a tax on sweetened beverages after studies linked soft drink consumption with obesity in children and adults. - FIRSTS - Billy Kwong is NSW's first and so far only carbon - neutral restaurant (it's a start) - An Australian, Jason Connelly has become the first foreign leader of a Hindu monastic order, in Rajasthan, India. - 'Sanctum' now in production will be the first 3D film to be made in Australia. The plot is based on a disastrous diving experience and is being filmed on Queensland's Gold Coast and inside a water tank at Warner Bros studios.
Monday 22 February - To colour our world - Pantone LLC, the global authority on colour and colour standards has chosen their 12-5519 Turquoise as the Colour of the Year. As they explain turquoise evokes "soothing tropical waters and a languorous escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of well-being." I remember vividly the brilliant tourquoise colour of the sea on the drive from the airport to Palermo (Sicily).
Still on colour....fake tan salons are doing a roaring trade in preparation for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras....forthe record Virgin Blue is a sponsor! - Wine now comes in 375ml bottles - the perfect size for 2 to share.
- Top-end house prices in Australia, having stagnated for 18months, are on the move again.

Sunday 21 February - The Pope has given his blessing for Australia's first Canonisation... Mary Mackillop is to be known as St Mary of the Cross.
Street Artists are seeking legitimate exhibition spaces. Temporary tattoos (designed by Chanel) are the new "after five" fashion statement.

Saturday 20 February - A big increase in the number of 20+ year olds still living
or soon to return to live at home. An increase in the number of small intimate bars springing up over Sydney (what's happening to the "pub" dwellers?) Ground breaking: The first native land title compensation has been to the original owners of the land - the Australian Aborigines.

Friday 19 February -
www. the 'place' where like minded people with similar interests make NBF's.
Friends that they'll probably never meet..
Identity theft is on the rise.
Thursday 18 February -
. Italian style - an aesthetic blend of patterns and textures that compliment each
other
. On the increase - post emotional trauma stress syndrone
. Digital TV coming to Australia en masse from next month

The Food and Wine scene
. TV Cooking shows are 'hot'
. Shopping direct from food and farmers markets is considered a must for
economy conscious consumers
. Asian herbs are so 'in'
. Specialty meats are a 'must' for dinner parties
. For a healthy lifestyle and a healthy body include soluble fibres in your diet -
legumes (peas, and all types of beans), nuts, seeds, bananas and blueberries.
. Sauvignon Blanc is still the white wine of choice in Australia. Pinot Gris is
sneaking up the ladder. Italian Reds are the new "must try" buzz word.

. Cranberry red hair for women (eye catching) and an over use of Donald Trump
style orange hair dye for greying middle aged men(not a good look)
. A plea for earlier closing times for Pubs in an effort to stamp out drunken
behaviour
. A call for the Banks to re instate the branches they have closed
. In: tap water
. Out: Cafe owners that feel the need to "tout" at laneway cafes in Melbourne
. Cafe Bookstores - great conversation pits (see my photos)
. Cupcakes and Friands are taking a back seat. Chocolate and Almond Macaroons
are on the ascendancy
. Avatar is a must for those wanting to watch Sci-Fi that's bordering on the ridiculous
. What's hot? - Pop Up Bars and Cafes - here today, gone tomorrow
. In:Themed wedding invitations
. 4 wheel drive holidays in Central Otago (New Zealand)
. Outdoor movies (see my photographs)
. Heated debate on genetically modified foods
. A renewed sense of community (say G'day to your neighbour)
. Grafitti with a 'softer' less confronting edge
. Libraries as the new community centres for freelancers
. Photographers, artists and illustrators pedalling their wares on the web
. Two year olds going "out for coffee"
. Kids on scooters in heavy traffic areas of shopping centres (Gripe)
. On the way out....Gladiator inspired sandals