Earth From Above: Photo Exhibit by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

At the outset, my apologies for the very poor (substandard) photo above. It does not do justice to the very excellent photos of Yann.

I went to this exhibition, as always managed to catch it before it closes. I am glad I did find the time to drive to the city and see the exhibit. My only regret was that the kiosk was closed, so I did not managed to buy or support Yann's cause.




The exhibition was an outdoor type as shown above. I am glad I did come late in the afternoon and early evening, for I believe this is the best time to see the exhibits. It's cooler too, being summer and all!

One of the pictures on the exhibit by Yann. This is from the Southern Philippines' fishing village.

I saw about three pictures of the Philippines and about four of Australia.


Bondi beach circa November 2007. Dark spots on the lower left hand side are just seaweeds and not garbage. My photographic record of Bondi in 2007, hope it stays beautiful for future generations!


Yann is a French photographer. According to an article in one of the many websites about the Earth From Above exhibits:

"Yann’s aim for the Earth from Above project was to create a record of the world’s environment as a benchmark for future generations. By presenting these 120 emotive images in a free public forum, Yann invites us on a journey to experience a unique view of the earth’s natural beauty, but also our assault on the environment. With these images, he encourages us all to consider the impact of our footprint on the earth’s surface, and the role we all have to play in the preserving the future of planet earth."

“The more conscious one is of the issues at stake, the more interest one takes in our planet, the greater the desire to actively engage in change for the better.”

- Yann Arthus-Bertrand

City in the Summer: Sydney

The Aussie flag at Darling Harbour with the Centre Point Tower in the background.

Well, this summer is not that bad. It is actually very good weather-wise. There are not a lot of really hot days, and therefore less bush fires around Sydney. Rained a bit as well and that is good for this drought stricken country.

Darling Harbour boat marina with the city skyline as background.

Another view of the Sydney City skyline from Darling Harbour, named after Sir Ralph Darling in 1826, the ninth governor of New South Wales.

Pre 1788, before the British colonization, the Cadigal people who are the original inhabitants of Sydney Cove called Darling Harbour "Tumbalong", which meant "a place where seafood is found".

In 1788, the white settlers call the harbour Long Cove, but the name of Cockle Bay was used by the locals in everyday use. The name is from the cockles, a type of shell fish found in and around the bay.

In 1811, this area which comprises part of Pyrmont is a very popular picnic area. The first wharf is built in Cockle Bay and became Australia's busiest seaport. It is used to ferry fresh produce from Parramatta and the north coast. The fish markets is still located in the area.

Sculpture by the Sea, Part 3

I promise this is the last of this series.

Unretouched, no filter used. Just old fashion photography and luck. Horizon is a bit off though.

More weathered stone art works. Above photo, I've cropped this one a bit.

Another rock formation that caught my attention.

Moss covered rock formations.

And, of course, no art exhibition is complete without any Australiana: The Kangaroo.

I'm Back....

Heheheeee.... after a long hiatus. I am back. I think I got lost on the way to where I am going.

I didn't actually stopped blogging, just blogging other subjects. Now I know why Senor Enrique is so successfull: he focuses on one blog and he is really good in the first place!

While I try to "compartamentalize" my blog sites... so many things around me I "forgot" to post on this one. While I have tons of materials and pictures, I'll start with what I've promised since last year.

My apologies to all. I promise to make up, that is if you're still out there reading this blog.

About the series of photos, not that spectacular (I mean the photos I took, not the art work) but I like the way these "Graffiti Artists" managed to blend in the Bondi Beach culture with graffiti style art. There are several genres, but I concentrated on these street style graffitis, with what looks like the artists' tags. They look more like art than graffitis.

Sculpture by the Sea, Part 2

The famous Bondi Icebergs Club building, shown with the salt water pool (lower left) that members go for a swim especially during winters (hence the name Icebergs! Crazy...). Splashed on the building, the "Sculpture by the Sea" event.

I can't help but publishing a part 2, all good things are serialised anyway. It's just such a waste not to publish these pictures of notable sculptures. I am sure I am not the only one taking pictures that day, but just to share it with those who were unfortunate not to see them in their grandeur settings.

Unfortunately I did not bought the guide to go with the tour (such a cheapskate am I not?). Hence, I can not relate to you the name of the artist and the title of their work (associated with number plates with the sculpture). But you can download here an audio commentary.

The first on the left hand side, instead of taking the photo with Bondi beach as background, I took it against the grey skies looming. I saturated the colours using a basic photo editing software to get that effect (if you can call it that.... Heheheee). While the one the right was taken with no flash, just available light. Obviously, putting a fill-in flash would inevitably destroy the depth and play of shadows. I seldom use one except for portrait pictures.

Part of the crowd of "art aficionados".

Background are the multi-million dollar flats and housing with water views of Bondi beach.

On the Way to the Seascapes

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Being a Sydneysider for the last three decades, one tend to take for granted things in Sydney and surrounding areas. One of them is the decade long annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition at Bondi beach. When I heard that it is going to be the last one due to funding problems, I said to myself I need to see at least one of these exhibits.

So at the very last day, which was yesterday; drove to Bondi beach and being summer and all, got stuck together with a throng of people. But it was well worth it! How can the combination of beach and sculpture go wrong?




While most of these sculptures caught my attention (those that didn't, I didn't bother to take pictures), the natural sandstone sculptures are as spectacular as well. Below are some noteworthy ones, and they are always on display.

My First Wedding

In between the wedding and the reception, which is basically on the way to the reception; I saw this tree beside the church where we parked the van we were sharing with two other couples.

The texture of this old tree, beside this old Catholic Church (see photo below) and just in front of adjoining convent: it looks weathered and the character. It must have witnessed quite a few weddings in its lifetime.

This is my first Australian-Filipino-Lebanese wedding. It was such a treat and an experience seeing a Filipino-Lebanese combination of traditions. On the Filipino side, there was the veil, cord and candle part of the ceremonies.

There is also the coin (Aras) ceremony, which we must inherited from our Spanish colonizers. I can see only the Puerto Ricans doing the same ceremony: which is usually a set of 13 coins carried by the ring bearer and blessed by the priest for good luck and prosperity and given to the bride by the groom.

On the Lebanese (Christian) side, they crown both bride and groom like a King and a Queen, to symbolize that they are King and Queen of their home.

The reception was different as well in terms of food (there's two entree's plus so many food in between courses!). We knew why because there's plenty of community; and to a greater extent, tribal dancing. The bride and groom and their parents are carried on some poor guys' shoulders amid sounds of drum and music. This is much like the Jewish tradition of the bride and groom carried onto chairs called the Hora!


In short, the Church wedding ceremony is as spectacular as the reception. One of the best weddings I've been to, except of course mine! Did you know that the Anglo-Saxon root word of wedding is literally mean to "gamble" or wager... :)


See link: http://www.incommunion.org/articles/essays/reflections-on-marriage