Pink Martini at the State Theatre

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Very excited… in fact very very excited that we’re going to see Pink Martini live again at the beautiful State Theatre Only this time the lovely D got us front row seats!! Yippie!

Pink Martini is one of our all time favourites. China Forbes is an amazing singer and her band is equally amazing! They draw inspiration from the romantic Hollywood musicals of the 1940s and 50s with a global perspective. Close your eyes and listen to Pink Martini and I promise China Forbes would truly take you away to a dreamland where everything is happy and just… their songs are very comforting and soulful. Their band being so diverse and multicultural it makes them very unique! I won’t be at peace till we are seated and watch them blow our minds away one more time. Bring on Friday arvo! :)

By my window

By my window
A window on Darling St, Balmain. I love the window and the textured wall with the paint peeling off. Oh this is texture heaven.

So many nights I sit by my window
Waiting for someone to sing me his song
So many dreams I kept deep inside me
Alone in the dark but now
You’ve come along…

You light up my life
You give me hope
To carry on
You light up my days
and fill my nights with song

– You Light Up My Life, Debbie Boone

Canon’s 50th Anniversary


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Over 50 years of past since Canon released its first SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera. The history of Canon Single Lens Reflex cameras is a history of contributions to photography culture, and of overcoming the challenges of new technologies. The history of Canon is the history of challenges of new technologies and the pursuit of reliability and ease of use. One after another Canon has released Cameras that mark the beginning of a new era.

50 years of excellence and innovation doesn’t come easy without total commitment and passion. Good on you Canon!

Ref: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOWJx2ts-JA

Canon 5D Mark II

My new camera has finally arrived! I’m very excited, much like a kid in a candy shop. The Canon 5D Mark II is truly a dream camera. Back when Suresh gave it to me for a trial run in November 2009 I remember how pleasing the photos were. After using it just for two days it was hard going back to the Canon EOS 40D. This isn’t to say that the Canon EOS 40D is bad, but to put it simply: the Canon EOS 5D MarkII is just — outstanding. If you appreciate good imagery and optics this will blow your mind away over and over again! Truly! There’s a very good reason why so many users rave about it. I’m a little late to the party but its good to be on board for sure.

Here are some photos from the first few days of shooting.

Way to work
Way to work, now you know why its often a s-l-o-w walk :)

A leafy outlook
A leafy outlook, green is the new black!

View from Cremorne Point
Not much fun when its overcast but still good to be out and about! View from Cremorne Point

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Twilight afterglow

The afterglow from the balcony
The afterglow from the balcony, Click to view a larger version of this image.

Sometimes a simple little observation can bring profound clarity. Here is a little afterglow from our balcony after sunset. And having mention that in a very Richard Bach style I had better leave you with one for the road, so here goes:

“If you will practice being fictional for a while, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats.”

Richard Bach

The Coat Hanger

That amazing Coat Hanger again. No matter how many times you photograph this Sydney icon there is more perspectives to be found that will allure your senses. This was shot from the wharf end at McMahons Point. What a gorgeous day!

Sydney Harbour Bridge
Click to view a larger version of this image.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Topaz Labs – Thank you

Wanted to say a quick Thank You to the great guys at Topaz Labs. They’ve included a photo of mine on their front page slideshow – which is a great honour to me. Topaz Labs make some amazing Photoshop plugins that I use for post processing my photos. It helps bring out the details and depth in photos.

topaz_labs.png
The Before/After is in the composite image. If you want to see it in action please head on over to the front page of Topaz Labs.

OzTV app for iPhone

Even though our trusted TiVo records all things we like to watch — it is still nice to have an option to be able to see whats currently being aired or about to come on… and wouldn’t it just be nice if you could set a little reminder when it came on so your iPhone would buzz letting you know its time to kick up your heels and drown yourself in all that idiot box glory. Ah-ha you say! Well OzTV lets you do just that!! :) How nice is that? And that too in a cool suave stye.

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Click on the images above for a larger view.

In that one little screen you get information about the current show, the elapsed time (the orange progress bar). It also has the official ratings so you know how unfriendly or socially embarrassing its going to be, a little reminder buttons to add to your ‘alarm’ just in case you were about to miss that ‘heart-racing’ episode of Amazing race! Voila! Sounds good so far? Wait there is more… you can SMS or email the show details at the touch of a button and look up the cast and history of the show and its relevant details on the web all in that one same window without flicking through anything else!

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Google’s Priority Inbox

Very simple but what a clever piece of idea? Why didn’t anyone think of this before? Priority mail helps you wade through tons of junk quickly and over time it knows what you want to keep aside as important over junk and promotions and those ‘read later’ emails.

If you already have a GMail account you’d probably see it in action soon you log in.

I still remember the time when GMail had launched and I was the first one who swore not to use it. It does take a little time to understand how GMail is a little different but when you know the difference and the power it bring to your Inbox you’d be silly not to.

Adopted and Adored

The message says it all.

BuckleyThis special issue seeks to raise awareness of responsible dog ownership and support the dedicated work of organisations re-homing lost and abandoned dogs.

Australia has one of the highest levels of dog ownership worldwide, with an estimated 40 per cent of Australian households having at least one dog. This means that there are around 4 million dogs nationwide. But while Australia enjoys a high level of dog ownership, a high number of dogs are admitted into shelters. During 2008-09, the RSPCA Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The RSPCA is a community based charity that works to prevent cruelty to animals by actively promoting their care and protection. alone recorded 69,383 admissions into its shelters across the country.

Each of the dogs featured in this stamp issue has been given a second chance. All five have spent time in a shelter before being adopted into adoring new families.

Photos: Petpack and Australia Post

puppies