Op-shopping in Melbourne

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I have been in Melbourne for over two weeks now, but only started to explore the northern suburbs today! My friends Sylvia and Basu took me to an Op Shop in Thornbury, warehouse looking store, but housed some seriously cheap and fabulous stuff! Here’s a random snap from there:

Cups and saucers in the Melbourne suburban op shop

Also, I think I have finally understood the concept of power shopping, in fact what I achieved today was beyond power shopping. Twenty minutes and five items – 1 pair of vintage shoes, one vintage bag, two summer tops, one denim jacket and wait for it – one winter jacket. Now I know what most people will think, buying winter jackets in summer, but hey, if it’s vintage, then what the heck!

Simply spectacular – Spit to Manly scenic coastal walk!

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Let’s go for a long walk, well how ‘long’ is actually classified as a long walk? I did a 15 kms walk. Too long? Heh. It was simply beautiful. See the walk route here

Walk review: 10/10

Time: 4.5 hours approximately

Essentials: Comfortable shoes, Water, Sunscreen, camera, snacks (sesame snaps recommended!) and a cap

Where: If you’re new to Sydney, you need to take bus 180 from the corner of  Wynyard Station and Carrington Street. Don’t panic if you think it’s taking too long! You’ll pass some of the affluent suburbs of Sydney. Posh is the word. Villas, villas and more villas, accompanied by marinas, bays and spectacular views! Once you’re past Mosman, get off at the Spit Road, and make your way to Clontarf reserve.

Walk: The walk begins soon after you cross a sandy patch of beach at the reserve. The walk is well guided with directions, all the way from the Spit to Manly.

Highlights: The first stop was the Clontarf reserve, it was a gorgeous sunny day and the beach and grass was filled with families barbecuing.

Sails and yachts making their way near Clontarf reserve

Wildlife: The walk goes through the Sydney Harbour National Park, simply amazing to see abundant amount of wildlife less than 10 kms radius from the central district! We had a few guests popping up so say hi every now and then:

Lizzie showing up every now and then

Besides the reptiles, there was a large number of birds. I frequently heard an electronic bird call, almost like a ‘boingg’ from a videogame! I tried very hard to spot the bird in the trees, so that I could get a description, but it was very swift, leaving me bewildered with its rather strange call.

Another strange call – a constant ‘moohahahahaha’, thank god is was daytime, other wise I’d be quite freaked out, and run in the opposite direction! Thanks to this amazing site www.birdsinbackyard.net I could search for a bird based on its call! And this one was – Laughing Kookaburra, success!

The walk was long, but saw amazing sights like these:

The last part of the walk was easier, but seemed never ending! This view of the North and South head together is hands down worth the effort! It definitely looks better in real life.

Sunset at Manly was simply an icing on the cake!

Return journey was as simple as it could get – ferry to Circular Quay from Manly wharf. I have been to Manly before a few times, but never experienced it a more beautiful way. The word on the street is – a 9 hour walk from city through national parks, that ends at Linfield station – hmmmm c’est possible?

Durban Climate Change Conference 2011, what’s innit?

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Copenhagen summit (2009) was nicknamed from being Hopengahen to Nopenhagen for its failure to reach significant resolutions on limiting carbon emissions. Next was Cacun, climate change conference in 2010, yet again the divide between the developed and developing countries resulted in failure to address the climate change concerns.

Now the ball is rolling in Durban as I write. The Kyoto protocol, which is the ONLY legally binding climate agreement expires at the end of 2012. What’s a Kyoto Protocol, read it here, but in short – a globally binding agreement signed in Kyoto at the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by 191 states (excluding the U.S). It basically outlined the need to reduce carbon emissions leading to climate change.

If an agreement is not reached over renewal of Kyoto protocol or framing a new proposal, then one can only imagine the consequences. It’s not to say the Kyoto protocol reduced the greenhouse gases drastically, but it was a legal document binding 191 nations.

The argument over emissions cut between developed and developing countries is never ending. China and India are the leading in carbon emissions, with growing populations and urbanisation, it is unlikely to change. Copenhagen failed miserably because of disagreement between these two factions. Is it fair to demand carbon emission cuts by the developed countries when they have been the primary contributors to emissions for decades? Now that the developing countries are growing industrially, they require more energy, which means more emissions, and let’s face it, it’s never eco-friendly.

The developed and developing worlds cannot live in isolation, the world has been connected even before the advent of technology.

And the truth is, no matter how much leaders, diplomats and delegations argue over this, climate change is universal. The recent floods in East Asia, hurricanes in United States, droughts in Africa are results of climate change. There will be a lot of diplomatic clap-trap going on in Durban, but I am hoping the NGOs, pressure groups, indigenous associations get the better out of it.

The focus must be on sustainability and renewable energy at the Durban climate change conference.

Thanks to Harvinder, it’s Slapsgiving in India

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Slaps giving is a popular event if you have seen ‘How I met your mother’, an American television sitcom. But it’s turned into reality in India today, thanks to Mr. Harvinder. In case you have missed the buzz on social media Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar got slapped in New Delhi by Mr. Harvinder. You can see it here.

Now who is this dude? No one knows, and probably know one cares. The public and the media has just found their new temporary hero. The 24/7 news channels can relax for a couple of days, since all they have to do is play the slapsgiving video on loop, accompanied with some tacky editing skills.

It’s a type of spectacle that we wait for every now and then, and when it happens, we rejoice, praise and soon forget about it. But of course there many others like Harvinder, the Iraqi journalist – Muntadar Al-Zaidi, who threw a shoe at Bush, unfortunately he was sentenced for three years of imprisonment.

So what’s the point? Some one slapped the minister, MPs condemn it, Anna Hazare first passes a cheeky comment about being just one slap, and then condemns it, and social media find something new to trend on. If Mr. Harvinder was true to his word, where he explains in a short interview after the slap, he is a pissed off man, who is upset with rising inflation and corruption in the government.

It’s not actually about Sharad Pawar is it? He is simply the face (punn intended) of one of many corrupted politicians in India.

Whatever the case maybe, he was successful in getting the attention, and achieving something that 99% of Indian want to do every single day of their life – slap a minister for pocketing their hard earned tax money.

It’s Thanksgiving in one part of the world, for us it’s Happy Slapsgiving!