Friday afternoon (21 March) I took Eilish and Breandan to Brickworks Markets, Thebarton. This Inner Western Adelaide institution is named after an old brick factory, the chimney of which is the location centrepiece. The place was new to me as I can hardly remember my last visit to Brickworks more than 20 years ago despite passing by the place thousands of times on the bus.

Besides many market stalls, including a Turkish bazaar-like area, the Brickworks Markets contain multiple eating areas and several old-style entertainment options.

Neither Breandan or Eilish were tall enough to ride the can-am cars (go-carts) so they begged me to go around the track for them (which I happily obliged).

Overall, the three of us enjoyed the day although Breandan was cranky by the end. The Brickworks is a fun alternative for a family day out.

Last week the longest ever heatwave for an Australian city in recorded history ended in Adelaide: 15 consecutive days above 35 degrees Celsius.

I didn’t mind the heat too much as:
(a) I have experienced 1 consecutive year of warm weather (in Turkey and then Australia), and
(b) I spent the hottest part of each day in an air-conditioned office.

On Sunday the 2nd of March I took my 9 year old niece Eilish and 7 year old nephew Breandan for a visit to the Adelaide Zoo. Located in the city’s parklands, entry for adults costs $20 (AUD) and $12 for children. I used an Entertainment Book voucher for a 25% discount.

It was many years since I visited Adelaide zoo and the place has changed substantially. Many of the traditional zoo fortress-like cages have been replaced with contoured landscapes, moats and clear sightlines to the animals, particularly in the South East Asian Rainforest Immersion area. These clear sightlines give both the illusion of being closer to the animals and a less artificial feel.

Although selected exhibits still seem cruel, the educational value of learning about the endangered species and what can be done to help save them more than makes up for it. I’m sure thousands of people, particularly children, have been inspired by a trip to the zoo to contribute towards saving the natural environment and the wild populations of the animals contained within. Adelaide Zoo’s partnership with Monarto Zoo and their native and exotic endangered species breeding projects and campaigns also point to the zoo serving higher level purposes the traditional zoo “freak show”. this is great contrast to the terrible Tarsus Zoo in Turkey.

My highlight of the day were the animals in the Nocturnal House including native rodents and bats.

Before catching the bus back home we walked to a cafe in the city to give the kids a babycino and spend time away from the heat. The above photo is of a reflection from the Mall’s Balls, a Rundle Mall landmark.

Eilish and Breandan were excited and full of energy in the morning but by the end of the hot day their crankiness and tiredness ruled supreme. Breandan steadfastly refused to sit down on the bus and when he did he was not a happy chappy. I love this no-look shot I took of him:

Overall it was a good day together and I look forward to taking the kids out more in the future.

The last time I had seen Ronnie Taheny in a formal concert setting was 2001. Now I’ve been lucky enough to witness her perform 3 times in 2008:

1) Ronnie’s traditional hometown gig in Edithburgh, Southern Yorke Peninsula 3 weeks ago

2) Her official DVD launch at The Governor Hindmarsh (“The Gov”), Adelaide on 2 February

3) A private concert last night

The Outhouse Orchestra played at all three while At Edithburgh and The Gov Ronnie was joined by Jarrad Payne (of Satan’s Cheerleaders and 1.1 Immermann) on drums and Michael Bahlij on piano.

The Outhouse Orchestra consists of Marie de Lint on flute, Cellist Amanda Goodfellow and Ronnie on keyboard. Together they add an alternative classical feel to many of Ronnie’s tunes. The Outhouse Orchestra is the perfect act to perform at classy weddings, corporate events and other functions.

I loved all 3 evenings for different reasons.

The Edithburgh gig held at the Football and Sports Club was billed as “Wallflowers”. I heard many new songs and interpretations of old songs for the first time. Seeing the spontaneous wit and energy of Ronnie again was a pleasure to behold. Toyland, and Would You Know If My Arse were amongst many highlights of Ronnie’s sets. The concert finale included a super Johnny Cash cover by Michael Bahlij. In between sets, Ronnie’s cousin, comedian Fiona O’Loughlin had the audience falling apart with personal stories, almost all of which hit the funny bone very hard.

In my opinion, The Gov was the best of the 3 gigs with Ronnie really warming up to the full house and giving her absolute most. I was with 5 friends, who also absolutely loved the concert despite not having heard Ronnie’s music before. The new songs premiered in Edithburgh were more refined and Jarrad, Michael, Marie and Amanda added a stellar sound, aided by The Gov’s superior facilities. The biggest crowd reaction was saved until the encore for the spoken word “Darcy“, all about the search for the perfect man and inspired by the character Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Ronnie’s new release “It’s All About Me (Ronnie and Her Bloody DVD” was officially launched this night. The DVD features footage from last year’s The Gov concert and a number of extra features that should not be missed.

Last night original rock group onedogonebone opened the private backyard concert in suburban Adelaide despite creating a heavier sound than The Outhouse Orchestra. Ronnie, Marie and Amanda performed very well in front of a demanding audience of friends and acquaintances. Despite the informal nature of the evening, requests to play Khe Sahn were steadfastly refused.

Very soon Ronnie Taheny will begin her 2008 European tour in Germany. All those in Australia who missed Ronnie perform will now have to either a) fly to Europe to see her there, b) wait until January/February 2009 when she returns to the land down under or c) hire The Outhouse Orchestra.

Personal disclaimer: Ronnie Taheny is my Auntie (our identical surname is not coincidental) and I was her roadie on the 1999 European tour.

Tuesday 15 January was the second day of 2008 Australian Open Tennis Tournament but my first visit to any professional tennis event. Enjoying tennis but not being a huge fan, I attended without any major expectations.

On a warm day I joined thousands of tennis fans from around the world at the only grand slam event held in the Asia/Pacific region. As a holder of a ground pass, I could access all tennis courts except for the main Rod Laver and Vodafone Arenas.

The first match I saw was in the women’s first round between Japan’s Akiko Morigami and Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands on Show Court 3. Morigami won convincingly 6-2 6-2.

I stayed at Show Court 3 to see 10th seed David Nalbandian from Argentina thrash Australian Robert Smeets 6-1 6-1 in the first two sets. (Later I discovered the third set was far tighter with Smeets forcing a tiebreaker but still losing 7-6).

This match provided my moment of the day. A Smeets shot was obviously going to land in the doubles lane before the ball hit the top of the net and spun 90 degrees to land in Nalbandian’s court and count as a winner!

After 4 one-sided sets I headed to Margaret Court Arena where Korean Hyung-Taik Lee and another Aussie Chris Guccione were entertaining a more vocal audience. Despite Guccione playing at home, Lee won in straight sets 7-6 6-3 6-4.

Outside the courts were the food vendors and sponsors’ tents. People waited 2-3 hours to enter “Garnier World” for a treatment and a goodie bag. I showed my MasterCard credit card at their tent to receive an FM radio. Aviva provided refreshing neck coolers to everybody completing their one question quiz forms.

All in all, a good day.

Watching tennis at the event provided a greater perspective than viewing the sport on television. Instead of just the tennis players, as shown on TV, in person I could observe the ballkids, line umpires, chair umpire, photographers and fellow spectators. The distances on and around the court were also more identifiable. These insights proved useful viewing the Australian Open final last night between Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

I spent a week in Melbourne and had a fabulous time with relatives and friends. I either stayed in or visited Northcote, Fitzroy, Camberwell, Broadmeadows, Albert Park, Port Melbourne, Melbourne Park, St Kilda, Prahran and the City.

The beauty with Melbourne is that so many of its attraction are both close to the city centre and easily accessible by its great public transport system.

Another aspect of Melbourne I loved was its ethnic diversity. I thought Adelaide was multicultural (and it is compared with most of the world) until I visited Melbourne.

Snooker playing, tenpin bowling, poker machining, art gallery visiting, eating out, pubbing, cappuccino drinking, sightseeing, Luna Parking and tennis viewing were just some of the activities I did.

I must wholeheartedly thank Libby, Alexei, Harriet and Rob; Peter, Jansin and Michael; Euge and Mitch; Ardent and her family; and Kate and Alex for their hospitality. The evening with Ardent and family was particularly rewarding seeing as we had not met previously!

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Yesterday, Thursday 10 January 2008, I flew from Adelaide to Melbourne on Tiger Airways’ first flight for this route.

Tiger Airways is a Singapore-based low-cost airline hoping to become Australia’s third full-scale domestic airline after QANTAS and Virgin Blue. Tiger also flies to many Asian cities from its Singapore hub.

Tiger Airways’ Australian hub is Melbourne Airport, Tullamarine. From Melbourne Airport’s very basic Terminal 4 (T4; see photo at bottom), Tiger flies to several primary and secondary Australian domestic destinations including Adelaide (of course), Alice Springs, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hobart, Launceston, Mackay, Newcastle, Perth, Rockhampton and Sunshine Coast. From Perth and Darwin, one can fly Tiger Airways onward to Singapore. Tiger does not yet fly to Australia’s busiest airport, Sydney’s Kingsford Smith International due to its high landing charges.

Tiger’s Adelaide destination was announced in November 2007. Upon hearing the news on the radio I turned on my laptop and checked their website, discovering fares to and from Melbourne for as low as AUD 9.95 inclusive of all taxes and fuel levies. I booked return flights for an almost unbelievable total of $22.90, including a $3.00 credit card fee.

Checking in at Adelaide Airport was very slow and it was obvious this was not only the airline’s also the check-in staff’s first flight. Beforehand, Tiger Airways had recommended passengers arrive to the airport 2 long hours prior to the scheduled departure time of 12:25.

My seat allocation was 7A, a window seat. I like window seats as I can watch the scenery outside.

After a departure delay caused by onboard computers malfunctioning due to 41 degree centigrade tarmac temperatures the flight eventually left. The inflight conditions were nothing special for people who have flown on low-cost carriers previously:
– Short seat pitch
– No free food and drinks
– No inflight entertainment except magazines to read

Overall, if a prospective passenger can find a flight cheap enough, Tiger Airways is worth flying with. People requiring greater service, later check-in times and more convenience are advised to take an alternative airline. For $22.90 return, I cannot complain.
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In 2007 Kev and Richie, the champion poker players from early morning New Years Day, developed a new search engine based on Google: Givle–the search engine that gives.

The Givle website (as displayed in the screenshot above) uses a black background to save energy.

Givle donates all the revenue it receives from Google Adsense to charity. The more people who use Givle, the greater it can give. Set Givle.com as your homepage and use it just as you would use Google. The search results are the same but with Givle you are helping a worthy cause.

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