Ah this is old, dates back to 2005! Some of it I have already written but I would still write it as how I jotted in my diary back then!!!
23/04/2005:
Working on Dec 25th wasn't something I liked but would have hardly known that four months from then I would be in Sydney.
Yes, life takes unexpected turns and I would be doing myself injustice if I didn't jot down my experiences of Sydney.
Coming to Sydney via Singapore and reaching Goldsbrough apartment happened so soon that there was hardly anytime to think of anything else. Knowing that a team mate would already be there to receive and keep dinner ready was actually a great relief, for someone coming to an unknown place, Dear Lord has been very kind to me to provide two people for my company in journey and another one to receive me.
First impression in the road and on the airport was nothing extraordinary; it felt just like another city and being a sunday, the traffic was less. The cab driver was Chinese, spoke English very well and seemed to be well informed. He spoke about the problems in Australia, he also knew that the North Easterns in India were like the Chinese and so on.
As my colleague took me to the 7th floor, I noticed the building was made of wood, the floors were of wooden plank and my first thought went back to Shillong houses, so much similar. And after dinner, we went to the nearby Darling Harbour. The place made me feel so comfortable that Sydney will always remind me of this. The cool air gave me a soothing feel and reminded me of the walk around KR Puram lake in Bangalore.
The climate too gave me a feeling of Shillong; you never know when it starts raining! People always carry their umbrellas along as we did in Shillong.
Walking past the Darling Harbor is an everyday experience. We also went to Luna Park the other day and I loved the walk across the bridge!
And Friday nights are special; people celebrate weekends like a festival and the scene at Darling Harbor is worth cherishing. Men, women of all ages are seen in the best of their attires, dancing , singing and drinking.
Went to Paddy's market just like the precious Saturday to buy the weekly grocery. It is a Chinese market and gave a feeling of any vegetable market in India except that such markets in India are in the open. Paddy's market is mostly dominated by the Chinese and being a north-eastern I did not quite feel out of the place. I found the vegeetable 'squash' which I never saw in Delhi but back in Shillong it grows in every home.
24/04/2005:
Our plans for Canberra got cancelled, so have to wait for it to happen some other day.
In the very first week, we had gone to the Botanical gardens and had our lunch there. It was a green place and something again gave me the feel of home, of Shillong. We went to the Hyde park as well. The reason I find the similarity between Shillong and Sydney may not just be the climate but also the lifestyle. We grew up speaking English and living in a cosmopolitan town, this is what attracts me. No doubt I liked Bangalore too.
I have been in Delhi for 3 years now and even though there are people from everywhere in Delhi, the basic culture is Punjabi. And there is so much of artificiality in Delhi. However I would still prefer Delhi to Kokata any day because life is Kolkata is not cosmopolitan in some sense of the term.
We went to the Star City Casino with our boss' boss last week and we found that it was dominated by the Chinese again. I was told that people with lots of money and no worry frequent this place to spend their time.
Today we watched 'Aliens of the Deep' at the IMAX. It was a documentary but loved the 3-D effect.
25/04/2005:
Today is Anzac day, a public holiday in Australia. Anzac was a soldier but sadly I know nothing more. I don't think I ever studied Australian history.
Yesterday while browsing through books in a book store glanced upon 'Da Vinci code'; it's a best seller no doubt!
26/04/2005:
There are blisters in my feet and in everyone else's too. But walking is not a problem for me. Anyways I never knew how to take care of my feet or to take care of myself in the sense that girls do.
27/04/2005:
George Street. Pitt Street. Hunter Street....these are the names of the streets in Sydney and all the roads seem almost the same. We have memorised the route from our hotel to office and it will take few more days to get used to it. Anyways walking on the streets of Sydney seems safer than walking on Delhi streets. Of course there are drug addicts and drunkards who might come and ask for money, but there aren't many covetous eyes who try to look through you.
30/4/2005
My roomie S left for India yesterday and today being a Saturday me and my other roomie N went to Paddy's to get the weekly grocery. I wanted to have eggs so we got some eggs but perhaps left those at the payment counter. All the way to our hotel I was thinking that I had the eggs with me and might drop anytime because of the load we were carrying. But when we had almost reached our hotel, we were trying to rearrange and realized that the eggs were not there at all.
1/5/2005:
Went to ISKCON temple today. The temple here is comparatively smaller than that of Bangalore or Delhi and looks nothing like a temple, but I did feel good because this was the first time in last 3 weeks that I did pray properly. And we reached there at the right time of 'Aarti'. Satisfied.
4/5/2005:
Channel Seven broadcast a program today on the 'Secrets of the Da Vinci code'. This book is selling millions of copies everywhere.
8/5/2005:
It's slightly cold in the mornings and I can feel it as I wash my hands. There is a feeling of cool air as I stand on the balcony, but the sun is shining. This feeling is similar to that of Shillong whereas in Delhi it remains foggy in winters and the sun is hard to see.
15/05/2005:
We visited the Australian capital on 15th May, on a beautiful autumn morning. We went to quite a few places, it was a tour that we had taken. I clearly remember the Botany Bay, where Captain Cook had first landed.
Our first stop was a place called Berrima. Though nothing significant, the road was beautiful and we passed through trees with yellow and red leaves, the colours of autumn. The houses on the countryside looked cosy and again reminded me of Shillong.
We visited the Parliament house, the War Memorial and the Museum. Though we have much more historical places and sights in India the differentiator is the maintenance, the projections.
The best part of the trip was Ainstry hills from where we could see the whole of Canberra. Watching the sun-set there was one of the best experiences of the trip.
Canberra happens to be a well planned city and we did have an enjoyable trip.
5/6/2005:
Going to Paramatta in a ferry was really a good experience. It was as if I was visiting the Backwaters of Kerala which I had seen too often on TV.
Walking from Paramatta to Westmead was a task, my God, which I will remember for ever. We just didn't seem to get there but all the tiredness disappeared when we entered the Murugan temple.
11/06/2005
Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves
The Blue Mountains acquired the name because of the blue haze produced by the scattering of the sun's rays striking dust particles and droplets of moisture in the atmosphere. The blue haze effect is magnified by the droplets of oil produced by the extensive population of eucalypt forest within the area.
The Three Sisters - Meekni, Wimlah and Gunedoo once lived with the Gundungurra people in the Janison valley. Tribal war forced the clever man to turn the sisters into stones. There are some stories about this and I will have to read more to know more about it.
Jenolan Caves was an hour's drive from Katoomba, with underground rivers and outstanding limestone formation. Lucas caves was named after John Lucas.
12/06/2005:
One place that was advised by many and me not particularly interested was Bondi beach but after the visit I was glad that I did. The plan was sudden and it is true that unexpected events bring more joy.
Beautiful place, warm day sunny people and blue waters are what I will carry as remembrance. What I enjoyed most was to walk through the big boulders of stones, climb on them, cross and jump over them, taking careful steps and then getting to the bottom where the sea waves hit my naked feet. Blessing.
23/04/2005:
Working on Dec 25th wasn't something I liked but would have hardly known that four months from then I would be in Sydney.
Yes, life takes unexpected turns and I would be doing myself injustice if I didn't jot down my experiences of Sydney.
Coming to Sydney via Singapore and reaching Goldsbrough apartment happened so soon that there was hardly anytime to think of anything else. Knowing that a team mate would already be there to receive and keep dinner ready was actually a great relief, for someone coming to an unknown place, Dear Lord has been very kind to me to provide two people for my company in journey and another one to receive me.
First impression in the road and on the airport was nothing extraordinary; it felt just like another city and being a sunday, the traffic was less. The cab driver was Chinese, spoke English very well and seemed to be well informed. He spoke about the problems in Australia, he also knew that the North Easterns in India were like the Chinese and so on.
As my colleague took me to the 7th floor, I noticed the building was made of wood, the floors were of wooden plank and my first thought went back to Shillong houses, so much similar. And after dinner, we went to the nearby Darling Harbour. The place made me feel so comfortable that Sydney will always remind me of this. The cool air gave me a soothing feel and reminded me of the walk around KR Puram lake in Bangalore.
The climate too gave me a feeling of Shillong; you never know when it starts raining! People always carry their umbrellas along as we did in Shillong.
Walking past the Darling Harbor is an everyday experience. We also went to Luna Park the other day and I loved the walk across the bridge!
And Friday nights are special; people celebrate weekends like a festival and the scene at Darling Harbor is worth cherishing. Men, women of all ages are seen in the best of their attires, dancing , singing and drinking.
Went to Paddy's market just like the precious Saturday to buy the weekly grocery. It is a Chinese market and gave a feeling of any vegetable market in India except that such markets in India are in the open. Paddy's market is mostly dominated by the Chinese and being a north-eastern I did not quite feel out of the place. I found the vegeetable 'squash' which I never saw in Delhi but back in Shillong it grows in every home.
24/04/2005:
Our plans for Canberra got cancelled, so have to wait for it to happen some other day.
In the very first week, we had gone to the Botanical gardens and had our lunch there. It was a green place and something again gave me the feel of home, of Shillong. We went to the Hyde park as well. The reason I find the similarity between Shillong and Sydney may not just be the climate but also the lifestyle. We grew up speaking English and living in a cosmopolitan town, this is what attracts me. No doubt I liked Bangalore too.
I have been in Delhi for 3 years now and even though there are people from everywhere in Delhi, the basic culture is Punjabi. And there is so much of artificiality in Delhi. However I would still prefer Delhi to Kokata any day because life is Kolkata is not cosmopolitan in some sense of the term.
We went to the Star City Casino with our boss' boss last week and we found that it was dominated by the Chinese again. I was told that people with lots of money and no worry frequent this place to spend their time.
Today we watched 'Aliens of the Deep' at the IMAX. It was a documentary but loved the 3-D effect.
25/04/2005:
Today is Anzac day, a public holiday in Australia. Anzac was a soldier but sadly I know nothing more. I don't think I ever studied Australian history.
Yesterday while browsing through books in a book store glanced upon 'Da Vinci code'; it's a best seller no doubt!
26/04/2005:
There are blisters in my feet and in everyone else's too. But walking is not a problem for me. Anyways I never knew how to take care of my feet or to take care of myself in the sense that girls do.
27/04/2005:
George Street. Pitt Street. Hunter Street....these are the names of the streets in Sydney and all the roads seem almost the same. We have memorised the route from our hotel to office and it will take few more days to get used to it. Anyways walking on the streets of Sydney seems safer than walking on Delhi streets. Of course there are drug addicts and drunkards who might come and ask for money, but there aren't many covetous eyes who try to look through you.
30/4/2005
My roomie S left for India yesterday and today being a Saturday me and my other roomie N went to Paddy's to get the weekly grocery. I wanted to have eggs so we got some eggs but perhaps left those at the payment counter. All the way to our hotel I was thinking that I had the eggs with me and might drop anytime because of the load we were carrying. But when we had almost reached our hotel, we were trying to rearrange and realized that the eggs were not there at all.
1/5/2005:
Went to ISKCON temple today. The temple here is comparatively smaller than that of Bangalore or Delhi and looks nothing like a temple, but I did feel good because this was the first time in last 3 weeks that I did pray properly. And we reached there at the right time of 'Aarti'. Satisfied.
4/5/2005:
Channel Seven broadcast a program today on the 'Secrets of the Da Vinci code'. This book is selling millions of copies everywhere.
8/5/2005:
It's slightly cold in the mornings and I can feel it as I wash my hands. There is a feeling of cool air as I stand on the balcony, but the sun is shining. This feeling is similar to that of Shillong whereas in Delhi it remains foggy in winters and the sun is hard to see.
15/05/2005:
We visited the Australian capital on 15th May, on a beautiful autumn morning. We went to quite a few places, it was a tour that we had taken. I clearly remember the Botany Bay, where Captain Cook had first landed.
Our first stop was a place called Berrima. Though nothing significant, the road was beautiful and we passed through trees with yellow and red leaves, the colours of autumn. The houses on the countryside looked cosy and again reminded me of Shillong.
We visited the Parliament house, the War Memorial and the Museum. Though we have much more historical places and sights in India the differentiator is the maintenance, the projections.
The best part of the trip was Ainstry hills from where we could see the whole of Canberra. Watching the sun-set there was one of the best experiences of the trip.
Canberra happens to be a well planned city and we did have an enjoyable trip.
5/6/2005:
Going to Paramatta in a ferry was really a good experience. It was as if I was visiting the Backwaters of Kerala which I had seen too often on TV.
Walking from Paramatta to Westmead was a task, my God, which I will remember for ever. We just didn't seem to get there but all the tiredness disappeared when we entered the Murugan temple.
11/06/2005
Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves
The Blue Mountains acquired the name because of the blue haze produced by the scattering of the sun's rays striking dust particles and droplets of moisture in the atmosphere. The blue haze effect is magnified by the droplets of oil produced by the extensive population of eucalypt forest within the area.
The Three Sisters - Meekni, Wimlah and Gunedoo once lived with the Gundungurra people in the Janison valley. Tribal war forced the clever man to turn the sisters into stones. There are some stories about this and I will have to read more to know more about it.
Jenolan Caves was an hour's drive from Katoomba, with underground rivers and outstanding limestone formation. Lucas caves was named after John Lucas.
12/06/2005:
One place that was advised by many and me not particularly interested was Bondi beach but after the visit I was glad that I did. The plan was sudden and it is true that unexpected events bring more joy.
Beautiful place, warm day sunny people and blue waters are what I will carry as remembrance. What I enjoyed most was to walk through the big boulders of stones, climb on them, cross and jump over them, taking careful steps and then getting to the bottom where the sea waves hit my naked feet. Blessing.
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