#there's no shopping centre (mall for americans) and maybe 3 parks (one of which is up a hill on the far side of town)

[welcometogrouchland]

I am gripping you by the shoulders and begging you to listen when I tell you teens want to be outside so bad. We want to be outside so fucking bad you have no idea

[sharikasman]

Best Stuff of 2017

What a year! Another one filled with many highlights. I can’t remember all the things, but I remember some of them. I made a list of thirteen of the highest highlights. It’s a list in no particular order. 

1. Doorbell: I taught many people how to use my doorbell. I did this by sticking a piece of tape to the door with the words “this is the doorbell” followed by an arrow pointing towards the doorbell. It made getting packages very easy. I’d done that in previous years, but have never left the tape on the door for so long — a tactic which was very effective.

2. White squirrels: I went searching for the white squirrel when the weather was nice and made maps to help find them. These maps really came in handy. Look, I found a white squirrel!

3. Parking lots: I learned a lot about parking and parking lots (fascinating stuff!) then led a group of folks on a Jane’s Walk in and around Galleria Mall’s parking lot. It was most exciting when an extra-large limousine drove through the lot. 

4. Music: The Steve Reich concert was a definite highlight with the performance of the 60-minute piece, “Music for 18 Musicians.” Hauschka’s show at St. Anne’s Church was also great. Spotify says the songs I listened to most were tunes from Deerhoof, Tweedy, The Dandy Warhols, Spoon, Flaming Lips, Beck, and Thee Oh Sees. Spotify doesn’t know which records I listened to, though. For example, Spotify doesn’t know how many times I listened to Brian Eno’s Another Green World this year. 

5. Ira Glass: I met him and when he asked what I do, I mentioned a project about a shopping mall and this other project about facts and his reaction of “What!? Who ARE you?” was pretty hilarious. But I never got an email saying anything like: do you want to make radio stories for me? Oh, and his show at Massey Hall was a good one.  

6. Mexico: I spent almost 2 months there, mostly in Oaxaca (a little on the coast, then in the city), then in Mexico City. My month in Oaxaca City was especially interesting and full of adventures that I should write down someday and share with you. I like adventures and especially like adventures in foreign places. One great adventure this year was the hours-long search for a notable Oaxacan ceramicist, Maestro Claudio, in a small town outside of Oaxaca. 

7. Podcasts: The ones I enjoyed most this year were Reply All, WTF w/ Marc Maron, Heavyweight, and This American Life, and also Missing Richard Simmons and S-Town. In terms of episodes that stand out? I don’t know. It’s hard to remember. S-Town was pretty incredible.

8. Art: I loved seeing all the Francisco Toledo work in Oaxaca. The art in Oaxaca was amazing, in general. I made to the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City this time (I didn’t get there a couple years ago) but I went to the gallery too close to closing time (I didn’t know it closed at 6 pm) so didn’t get to see much of the permanent collection. Also in Mexico City, galleries I enjoyed include the Soumaya Museum where the building was more exciting to me than the contents, and the Jumex Museum that had a great exhibit on Ulises Carrión.

9. Sandwiches: I ate some great sandwiches this year. One of the best sandwiches was the roasted cauliflower on naan sandwich at Royale’s Luncheonette. It wasn’t exactly a sandwich, actually, but it was listed under sandwiches so I’m including it as a sandwich. I had a very sloppy and tasty eggplant sandwich at a new place, Sugo — a rival to the nearby eggplant sandwich place, Nonna’s, which is maybe overlooked because it isn’t new and fancy schmancy like Sugo.

10. Food experiments: Another year of food experiments! I had successful batches of kombucha that were very fizzy and explosive. And I fermented many veggies. Some pickles were more successful than others. And then there were sprouts. 

11. John Mulaney: The show at the Sony Centre was most hilarious show of the year. 

12. Swimming: It was another great year for swimming. My favourite thing about summer in Toronto is swimming outside so I did that as much as possible, although it got chilly in August and I was sometimes one of just a few people in the pool. 

13. Seeing people I like on purpose and by accident: This year I was glad to see and talk to people I like on streets, sidewalks, and laneways, in the liquor store, and beer store, on beaches, in bars, houses, apartments, music venues, concert halls, event spaces, art galleries, theatres, parks, bookstores, record stores, thrift stores, other stores, buses, subways, streetcars, swimming pools, libraries, coffee shops, breweries, movie theatres, post offices, hotels, and of course at Galleria Mall and Dufferin Mall.  _____

I hope 2018 is full of more fun stuff and weird stuff and crazy adventures and nice people and good times and lots of making things, without any sickness in Mexico, experiments with stand-up comedy, bad dates and related stupid bullshit, or tripping and falling and landing on my face. 

Happy New Year! 

[apexart-journal]

Day 19, Sunday July 21, 2019

It is Kiran in Washington D.C. day! I have never thought of travelling to D.C. nor have I ever been curious, but I feel excited about getting on the famous greyhound bus and making my way to a different city. I departed early morning and reached around 3:00 pm in the afternoon. The city was awfully quiet - the shops were closed, barely saw one or two people walking on the streets, as I make my way to the Architect Hotel, established in 1902, two blocks away from the White House. 

I quickly settled in, unpacked, freshened up and stepped out to walk on The National Mall en route to the Kennedy Centre, where my next activity was scheduled. As I walked, I noticed many tourists in large crowds making their way to the White House, I am not someone who keeps track of the political situation in my own country, let alone the politics of another. I noticed vans on the road as I walked towards the White House, with messages regrading the Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, statements that were highlighting, “Pakistan’s Human Rights Abuses in Balochistan”, “End Forced Disappearance in Pakistan”, I guess this was also the case, as Pakistan Prime Minister was in Washington D.C., to meet with the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump. 

As I continued to walk, I noticed the city plan, the sanitised streets of D.C., it was a shift from New York and could not help but draw parallels. I also hate to say it, but I felt a racist vibe, maybe because I was brown, or Pakistani - I understood at the point that D.C. was fairly conservative, and not as inclusive or welcoming, unlike New York. It made me a little uncomfortable, I noticed people noticing me, how my presence made them a little uneasy, the racial division and discrimination was evident and I was not apologetic. I walked passed the White House, crossed the absolutely stunning National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Museum is a significant national monument and a part of the Smithsonian Institution of Museums, it opened to public in 2016, and the building is designed by David Adjaye. I walked towards the Washington Monument, that was completed in 1884, and built in the honour of George Washington, the United States’ first president. The 555 foot marble obelisk towers over Washington, D.C. reminding the people of Washington’s life and legacy, including the capital that bears his name. It has about 896 steps, about 36,000 stones, weighs about 81,000 tons, 150 feet up the stones change colour because they came from different quarries during the two construction periods. Further down was the WWII Memorial and Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. The reflecting pool was surrounded by the Constitution Gardens, where the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial was found. The Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, is designed by the famous architect, Maya Lin, it lists all the names of U.S. soldiers killed in the Vietnam War. 

The last stop along The National Mall was the Lincoln Memorial, which was incorporated by the Congress, the construction did not begin until February 12, 1914. Daniel Chester French designed the statue; the Piccirilli Brothers of New York carved it. It is 19 feet tall and 19 feet wide and made from 28 marble blocks. The murals, painted by Jules Guerin depict principles evident in Lincoln’s life. If you sat on the steps facing outward, right across you will find the Washington Memorial in the distance.

My last stop for today was The Kenedy Center, where I was meant to watch the Lakou Mizik, a multigenerational collective of Haitian Musicians formed in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake. The concert was meant was from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm and it was already half past six, the walk was approximately another 20 mins. I thought to myself, even if I caught a few minutes, it would be worth it and it not, I could explore the center either way. By the time I got there, the concert was already over, I had already anticipated this as I was walking the distance. However, I sat around and walked through spaces that were open to public. The Kenedy Center houses six theaters, the Millennium Stage (which features free daily performances), the Center is also dedicated to providing arts and management education on national and local levels for teachers and students of all ages.

The day had come to an end and I was exhausted, the day was terribly hot and I had been walking for the last couple of hours non-stop. On my way back I felt the scorching sun slowing disappearing, and grey clouds were moving in, and then suddenly there was rain, and I was not prepared. I walked under the trees, made my way back through the park, with soothing rain drops that made their way through the trees, falling down on me - it was terribly peaceful and the sound of the breeze passing and moving the leaves, with birds chirping and crickets (i think they were crickets of some kind of similar insects) buzzing in loud sounds, I could see willows trees in the distance - everything suddenly felt very magical, as if I were walking through heaps of poetry.

[suzie81blog]

Note: all of the images featured in this post are my own and are set as galleries – click on the images to see the full size.

The Bloke and I have just been to NYC for a week. We have visited once before on our honeymoon in November last year, but as we were there for just over four days we wanted to go back and attempt to see as much as possible that we had missed last time. We chose to go at the beginning of September – arriving on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend – with the hope that the city would be slightly quieter and the following week was back to school. 

We wanted to experience both the tourist and non-tourist places, so I spent several weeks before reading blogs and watching vlogs about everything to see and do, mapping out our activities according to each day. This wasn’t set in stone and would allow us to change each daily plan around according to the weather. 

We stayed at the Wyndham New Yorker and for the first time ever we received an upgrade to a room on the 40th floor, without even asking. The views were amazing – I didn’t mind the construction work going on as it was fascinating to watch the building development at such a height – and the sunsets were fabulous!

The New Yorker

The view from the side window

The view from the main window

Day One

(Note: this was really day 2 as we arrived at 5.00pm the day before but were so tired we went for a meal and had a short wander around before going to sleep).

Pancakes for breakfast with bacon and maple syrup from the Tik Tock Diner next to the hotel.

Subway pass – 7-Day Metro card for $32. This is perfect for a longer stay as it allows for unlimited subway and bus travel until midnight each day. 

Dana’s apartment used in the first Ghostbusters film.

Natural History Museum – dinosaurs, great exhibitions and The Bloke met Dum Dum.

Lunch at Uno Pizzeria and Grill on Columbus Avenue (at the back of the museum). Our server, Parrish, heard our accents and immediately put the football on the TV – I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I wasn’t really a football fan but we had a lovely chat with him. Great food, great service, definitely worth a visit.

Central Park – I had a Bach Partita performed for me by a cellist from Belgium, saw an erhu being played, we walked down to Bow Bridge and Bethesda Terrace and I was delighted to see that the Acapella Soul singers were performing. I first saw these guys in Washington Square in 2010 and have followed their YouTube videos ever since. They’re still amazing. We walked past the Bandshell and down The Mall to the Plaza and the Plaza food court. I ate a beautiful macaron from here. 

6 1/2 Avenue – a ‘secret’ street used by locals to cut through the city.

Dana’s apartment

Natural History Museum

Grr. Arg.

The Bloke met Dum Dum

Bow Bridge

On Bow Bridge

Bethesda Terrace

The Bandshell

6 1/2 Avenue

Day Two

Roosevelt Island as the weather was glorious. We got the Roosevelt Island Tramway (which the subway pass can be used on) next to the Queensboro Bridge, which took just a few minutes (there is a subway and bus option too). It was a great decision – there was almost nobody around and we took our time, taking in the amazing views of Manhattan. We walked down to Southport Park where we saw the ruins of the former Smallpox Hospital, and then to the Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park. Stunning. 

Serendipity 3 cafe. I ate an amazing buttermilk chicken sandwich and drank an enormous pink lemonade, but they are more famous for their Frrrozen Hot Chocolate and desserts. 

Dylan’s Candy Bar. I bought a marshmallow treat, just because.

Roosevelt Island Tramway

Roosevelt Island Tramway

View of Manhattan

Roosevelt Island

Smallpox Hospital

Smallpox Hospital

Buttermilk chicken from Serendipity 3

Pink lemonade from Serendipity 3

Day Three

The Met Museum. I was a little disappointed at the rooftop bar was closed, but we saw incredible art works that had been on my Bucket List for a long time. 

The Guggenheim. More art, and although I generally prefer modern art over most periods, I found some of it to be a little too much. In one section a video was featured that consisted of a man rolling around on the floor. I’m sure that it means something significant to others, but I didn’t get it. 

Paley Park – a small hidden park with a waterfall.

The Met

The Met

The Met

The Guggenheim

The Guggengeim

Paley Park waterfall

Day Four

The Dominique Ansel Bakery for a Cronut. I’ve been wanting to try one of these for a while, and from the reviews I had read I was expecting a massive queue. We were lucky though – it was almost empty, and I managed to eat my Cronut next to their garden.

Washington Square – a beautiful spot to sit and people watch, with the famous arch and a large fountain.

The Stonewall Monument.

Brunch at Buvette, a small French bistro on Grove Street. I ate waffles with gouda, bacon and syrup and drank freshly squeezed orange juice. I was unsure whether that sort of combination would work, but it totally did. 

An ‘American Glob’ ice-cream from the Big Gay Ice-Cream Shop, also on Grove Street. I almost had a ‘Salty Pimp’ instead, which isn’t a sentence that I’m used to writing. 

Friends Building, also on Grove Street.

Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment in Sex and the City, on Perry Street. 

After returning to the hotel for an afternoon siesta, we went up to Mood Fabrics (featured in Project Runway). I met Swatch, the store mascot. Swatch had obviously had enough of life that day. 

Bill’s Bar and Burgers next to the Rockefeller Centre. 

The Lego Store. The Bloke was in his own personal heaven.

A cronut!!

Dominique Ansel Bakery

Washington Square

Stonewall Monument

Buvette

Big Gay Ice Cream Shop

Carrie Bradshaw’s House on Perry Street

Shadows on the street

Bill’s Bar and Burger

Day Five

Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn Park. It was a sweltering 30+ degrees, so The Bloke and I tried to shelter in the shade as much as we possibly could while taking in the breathtaking views. The Bloke found the classic shot of the groynes and so spent some time taking his own shots, while I took the opportunity to sit in the breeze.

Walked across Brooklyn Bridge. It was far busier than the last time we did this in November the year before, but it was rather amusing to watch the insane poses being carried out by the Instagrammers.

Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge

The groynes

Lego Bloke had a wonderful time

Walking Brooklyn Bridge

The Bridge

Day Six

Water Taxi down the Hudson. It was much cooler and we got to see the architecture of the lower west side of Manhattan. We exited at Battery Park.

From there we walked to Bowling Green Park, the Charging Bull and Fearless Girl Statues and then to Wall Street.

Ghostbusters Firehouse – we took a short subway ride up to see the iconic building as the last time we visited it was undergoing renovations and almost completely hidden by scaffolding. As I was stood opposite a tourist couple walked down the street and the man suddenly recognised what it was – he obviously didn’t realise it was there at first and I laughed at the sheer expression of awe on his face. I think his bubble was somewhat burst when he had to explain the significance of it to his girlfriend, but still…

Titanic Memorial – a small lighthouse and plaque down by the Southstreet Seaport piers.

Water Taxi from South Pier. It stopped at Brooklyn Bridge and then took a leisurely pace over to the Statue of Liberty. However, as we were traveling back up the Hudson towards Midtown it turned into a speedboat, and i laughed myself silly as The Bloke and I had to desperately cling on to the chairs and our cameras.

Kinky Boots on Broadway. Absolutely incredible – we’re a huge fan of the film and it was one of the best shows I have ever seen, to the point where I had to try and calm myself down and stop crying as I found myself becoming completely overwhelmed during the final song. Amazing.

The Water Taxi

The Charging Bull

Ahem…

Fearless Girl Statue

Stock Exchange

Ghostbusters Firehouse

Titanic Memorial Lighthouse

Statue of Liberty

Kinky Boots on Broadway

Day Seven

Sephora, just because. I have make-up, but that’s not the point.

Lincoln Center, where we saw totally naked people being made into art works with body paint. 

The Juilliard School – when I was training as a violinist it was one of my personal dreams to go here, and I finally did. Ok, maybe not as a student, but I made a point of taking a picture just so I could send it to my mother and say ‘I went to the Juilliard, Mum!’

For the final part, we walked over to W 58th Street 6th Avenue to find the corner crossing from Midnight Cowboy. Dustin Hoffman almost gets hit by a taxi and yells ‘Hey! I’m walking here!’ This was an unscripted scene that happened because the studio couldn’t get permission to close down the street for filming, and so had to film via a hidden camera in a van driving up and down the street. The taxi that almost hit him was a real one that had run a red light, and Hoffman improvised the now iconic line that was kept in the final cut.

Lincoln Center

The Juilliard

Hey! I’m walking here!

What an incredible week… and there’s still so much more that we could have seen!

How to Spend 4 1/2 Days in New York

The Honeymoon: NYC 2017

  What about you guys? What are your favourite places in NYC?

You can also find me on Twitter and Tumblr @suzie81blog and you can also find me on my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/suzie81speaks, my Pinterest page http://www.pinterest.com/suzie81speaks and my instagram page http://www.instagram.com/suzie81speaks

A Week in New York Note: all of the images featured in this post are my own and are set as galleries - click on the images to see the full size.

[lisandyworldadventure]

Marvelous Melbourne

No rest for the wicked on Christmas Eve Saturday as we are up to drop off the car before the deadline once again. Having the car the next morning however was pretty good in the end as it allowed Andy to take part in one of Melbourne's park runs that morning at 8am. An organised 5km which tracks your timing. Park run is a friendly and easy way for anyone to get out there and do some exercise on the weekend and as Andy has taken part in a few back home, he didn't want to let the opportunity pass to run it in Melbourne on Christmas Eve, santa hat included. Though not registering the best of times after running in the pouring rain and with plimpsoles, Andy was happy to even complete the run itself after not having done much exercise in the past few months. It was then another run (in a panic this time) to ensure the car was dropped off on time. Arriving back to our hostel and keen to see as much of Melbourne as we could we joined the free walking tour which started not far from our accommodation at the Victoria state library. Melbourne town centre is easily walkable with plenty of interesting spots to explore including small alleyways, historical buildings such as the old parliament building or the old prison and plenty of cafes, restaurants and famous rooftop bars to dabble in and out of. Our tour took us first to the old prison where we learnt about Australia's notoriously famous 'Robin Hood' type criminal Ned Kelly, who was executed at the young age of 25. His crimes included burning the mortgage papers of several farms, taking part in armed robberies and killing 3 policeman in the final stand off that lead to his arrest. Not far from the old prison was the '888' golden plated pillar which commemorates the fact that Melbourne was the first place to gain the rights for 8 hours of work, 8 hours of play and 8 hours of rest. Staying in the northern part of the city we soon walked into Carlton Gardens, hugely popular for picnics, barbecues and gatherings between friends during the spring and summer seasons. It is also home to Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building, a grand victorian style building built for the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880-81. The guide is quick to point out that the building gained heritage status before the Sydney Opera House but also that it is in fact one of his least favourite buildings in the city as this is where Melbourne University host their exams. Heading into downtown Melbourne we were taken into an area with a whole cluster of important buildings built during the era known as 'Marvelous Melbourne', such as the Princess theatre and the old parliament building. Marvelous Melbourne is a period in the mid to late 1800s when the city boomed thanks to one of the biggest gold rushes ever to be seen anywhere. So much so that the population went from just 70,000 to around half a million in the space of just 7 years. As we headed towards Chinatown, we learnt a little more about the foundation of the city. Named after the British Prime Minister of the time, William Lamb, 2nd viscount Melbourne, the city was built in a grid type formation with every other street having it's 'little' equivalent running parallel to it. For example Liverpool Street is then followed by Little Liverpool Street, a clever yet slightly unimaginative way of naming the streets. Not far from the old town, we soon entered Melbourne's Chinatown, one of the western world's oldest Chinatowns. From here we headed to the shopping part of town, Bourke Street mall, from which many querky arcades (some of which with distinct classic architecture) venture off. After walking through some small alleyways with some creative street art we soon arrived at what seemed like the epicentre of Melbourne, Federation Square, full of commuters and tourists alike. The square has many interestingly shaped buildings surrounding it which are mainly art galleries and museums and is the gathering place for many live screenings of concerts and sporting events. Flinder's Street, one of Melbourne's main train stations, sits adjacent to the square and the entrance has 4 iconic clocks above it. In 1983 these clocks were meant to have been replaced with new digital ones but after one day, public outcry was such that they returned back to the conventional clocks, I guess Melburnians love a bit of old school. Our tour was finished off by walking over the Yarra river which flows through the city and divides the CBD and the southern and more residential part of town. From the other side we stopped and contemplated the city's skyline, an interesting mixture of both classic and modern buildings (more of the latter of course). Finishing our tour around midday and as it was Christmas eve with none of us having got each other any presents, we headed up to Bourke Street Mall for a quick look around. We gave ourselves a small budget and an even smaller time frame (1 hour) to find the perfect gifts. Though not as crazy as I can imagine it being back home on Christmas eve, on reflection, leaving it this late is not something we wish to repeat. In the evening we wanted to get a little more into the spirit of Christmas but not much was happening at our hostel. And also not much happening in Melbourne aside from the live screening of a Christmas concert down by Federation Square, and even that came abruptly to an end at 11pm when the screen just turned off despite the concert still running, a shame as we were starting to get a little more festive with a hot chocolate in hand. Christmas day itself was slighly unconventional, mixed in with a few traditions of course. We woke up and did presents (conventional) during breakfast on the outdoor terrace of the hostel in 30 degree heat (not so conventional). Then we met up with Mark at our hostel for a couple of drinks and eventually sat down for a conventionally unconventional Christmas lunch. Yes there was meat, potatoes and gravy but also sweet potato and most interestingly lettuce! Maybe the aussies should let us do what we do best and not mess around with it. We guess the items we missed the most were roast parsnips, stuffing and of course pigs in blankets. You can never fully say its Christmas until you've had one of those bad boys. Anyway back to the subject in hand, after our interesting Christmas dinner we headed to the nearby Carlton Gardens to have a few drinks with some of Mark's friends who also seemed to be away from home for Christmas, mainly a few Americans and also another British couple. Again an unconventional way of spending Xmas day but at least we got to pull christmas crackers and a had a few drinks. Oh and the strangest thing of all? Spending Christmas day in almost 40 degree heat, Andy even had to go into an ice container fridge to keep cool. In the evening there was no mince pies or sitting lazily round the sofa with a cheeseboard watching specials on TV. For us it was more drinks, this time by the Yarra river and with an old uni friend, Alina and her fiance. By chance they had ended up in Melbourne after their plans to head to the Philippines had been scuppered due to a hurricane. It was nice to catch up with them and exchange stories as they too have had a similar few months to us, starting off in South America and then planned on heading to Asia. For boxing day we had planned to head to St Kilda beach in southern Melbourne, however the weather had changed in a flash from the Christmas day heat to boxing day rain and colder temperatures. We instead decided to have a lazy day around town and make the use of the hostel's facilities including the rooftop jacuzzi and the cinema. Whilst walking around town we met with another old uni friend Shaleen, I guess everyone just wants to live in Australia these days. In the evening it was yet another friendly encounter with some girls that Andy had met on a work trip a couple of years ago. Not intentionally, our meeting ended up being the second time within a few days that we won a pub quiz, mainly thanks to the girls. Staying behind to drink our prize ($100 bar tab) however didn't feature in our original plans as we had wanted to go to St Kilda to try and catch the penguins just off the pier. Unfortunately however it was too late so we headed back to the hostel for some dreaded packing for our flight to Sydney the next day. Not wanting to miss St Kilda beach however, the next day we took the tram down to the beach for a walk on the pier and along the promenade. As the closest beach to Melbourne's city centre and with a chilled out vibe, we could imagine just how popular the beach gets during their summer heatwaves. Closeby to the beach, we also took some pictures standing outside Luna Park, an icon of St Kilda and Melbourne itself with the colorful 'Mr Moon' entrance being the shape of a moon with a sun's crest on its head. From the southern part of the city to the northern bohemian neighbourhoods of Melbourne for one last stop. We had been told they were worth a visit as they are full of querky little shops, restaurants and even vegetarian and vegan cafes. Though we found most places closed due to the holiday period, we still enjoyed walking around and having a drink in our first ever vegan cafe which was interesting to say the least. Heading back to our hostel to be picked up for our transfer to the airport, our time in Melbourne had now come to an end. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here, seeing friends, exploring the beautiful city and of course spending the festive season here. However we were eager to get over to its neighbour and rival Sydney for its stunning beaches, iconic buildings and of course a celebration like no other in the final few minutes of the year, the Sydney fireworks.