I arrived after dark last night, had a bite to eat with friends and checked into the hotel very late. So I didn’t really see Perth until I opened the curtains this morning and saw… this! Glamorous, eh?
A Meditation at 11,700 metres, 719km/h
I’m currently sitting in seat 30A of Virgin Blue’s 737-800 airliner, registrated as VH-VOK but nicknamed “Smoochy Maroochy”, sipping a moderately acceptable cabernet merlot which arrived in a little plastic bottle.
I’d chosen this seat for two reasons. Statistically this is the safest seat in the aircraft. But more importantly, it’s the first time I’ve crossed the Nullarbor, and I wanted a clear view of the desert uninterrupted by wings.
My plans have been thwarted. But I have been given an unexpected treat.
Portraits of photographers in the Puritan church
Last night ’Pong (pictured) and I went to the opening of In Your Face, an exhibition of photographs of photographers taken by other photographers showing until 4 November at Paddington Uniting Church.
This photo is not one of them, and ’Pong wasn’t one of the photographers. I just reckon this was a curious painting to hang in a church, and ’Pong liked it. So I took a photo with my pimple-cam.
Paddington Uniting Church intrigued me. Their motto is “Faith Inclusiveness Justice Creativity”, and out the front there’s a sign explaining their “progressive” mission.
Continue reading “Portraits of photographers in the Puritan church”
Stir crazy!
No wonder I’ve been feeling stir crazy lately. Or is it cabin fever? I just grabbed my travel bag to pack for my weekend in Perth, and saw that the previous airline tag was dated August 2006. It’s been more than a year since I’ve been out of Sydney! Eek.
Shirtless? Can’t buy a shirt, sorry
You’d think that Abercrombie and Fitch, who use imagery of the shirtless male throughout their marketing, would appreciate a few more shirtless men, right? Apparently not.
New York-based Improv Everywhere, who cause “scenes of chaos and joy in public places”, placed 115 shirtless men in A&F’s store on 5th Avenue.
After about 15 minutes… security employees started approaching all of our men and asking them to either put a shirt on or leave. They informed us that the model was a paid employee and his state of undress didn’t justify ours. So despite the fact that the store constantly bombards you with the image of the shirtless male, Abercrombie still maintains a “No Shirts; No Service†policy. Some agents protested that they were trying to buy a shirt, but the staff countered with the not-so-logical, “If you put on a shirt then you can buy a shirt 
Two agents were actually stopped while in the process of checking out! They were waiting in line for 10 minutes to buy some $45 shirts, only to be grabbed at the register. One of them was in the process of handing over his credit card as he was nabbed and informed he wasn’t allowed to make a purchase!
There’s plenty of photos and videos, some of which are quite, erm, scenic if you’re so inclined.
Australia bans another video game
Australia, apparently, is the only western nation which doesn’t have an R18+ classification for video games. Which means Soldier of Fortune: Pay Back is banned ‘cos it’s too violent for MA15+. Personally I don’t care one way or another about these shoot-em-ups, but some consistency would be nice. Thanks to Peter Black for the pointer.