Sun Apr 06 01:39:49 2008
What I did for my Birthday
Also, a new Operating System
First of all, thank you all very much for my birthday greetings; they are very much appreciated. Sydney came through for me weather-wise, as in, it was 28C and sunny. So we went to the beach. This is me snorkelling. Noboby looks their best with a snorkel stuck in their mouth. More Persistent Snorkellers (or, possibly, those more resistant to freezing (all right, 22C) water) can see sharks but at least I spot giant cuttlefish.
Anyway, fun was had by all. Went out for a fantastic meal in the evening, at a Steak House in Darling Harbour. Finishing the meal with coffee meant that while waiting for the ferry home to depart we were awake enough to try out the new GorillaPod to take this night shot. Circular Quay at night from Wharf 4. Very successful, I thought.
Turned out that nocturnal seagulls decided the updrafts along the ferry were spiffing to play with. Naturally, no point trying out the GorillaPod as the seagulls inconsiderately won't stay in one place for long enough to fix it in place. I said "It'll never work", or words to that effect. The Owner Of The Top-Range Mobile With A 5 MP Camera would not be dissuaded so obviously I had to try as well, if only to show my camera can do better. It could. This shot was a complete fluke in the dark but turned out sharp and dynamic at the same time. Note the blurred background caused by the moving ferry (and the dark, and the long exposure, etc).
This morning, Nice People made me breakfast on the balcony. The plate had barely been set down when a lorikeet showed up. Even intense shoo-shoo noises from me wouldn't make it keep its distance. I said "H5N1" several times but it wouldn't budge for minutes. Long enough to take a shot anyway.
Did I mention that one of my birthday presents was an Operating System Upgrade to Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5)? The upgrade worked like a charm. I'm blogging this on the new OS. Neat.
