And I missed it.
For the first time in 26 years, I missed the main event. Instead, we were confined to the crew quarters of a super yacht eating turkey sandwiches and drinking moet for breakfast...
They did however skype me in...
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Christmas on Skype
It's an event in itself. The family Christmas. You know the drill...we suck it up for the big day, ignore our Christmas Eve hangovers, ignore the principles of "I'm not talking to you right now" for that one day, and endure the six hours of family, turkey and tradition.
And I missed it.
For the first time in 26 years, I missed the main event. Instead, we were confined to the crew quarters of a super yacht eating turkey sandwiches and drinking moet for breakfast...
They did however skype me in...
And I missed it.
For the first time in 26 years, I missed the main event. Instead, we were confined to the crew quarters of a super yacht eating turkey sandwiches and drinking moet for breakfast...
They did however skype me in...
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
BRANDARA: The Spinoff Series
Alright. So the whole point of this BRANDARA caper is to map the journey into becoming the person I was always going to be. SO, in order to complete this challenge, one must set up little goals along the way...
Inspired by my Camino friend Brian, the new BRANDARA: Life List has been created for your viewing pleasure...
http://brandaralist.blogspot.com/
Inspired by my Camino friend Brian, the new BRANDARA: Life List has been created for your viewing pleasure...
http://brandaralist.blogspot.com/
Sunday, December 6, 2009
A world of Difference.
This KILLS it in the BEFORE and AFTER stakes.
It's the harsh and very candid reality of Dara BC (Before Camino) and Dara AC (After Camino). These two photo's cleanly capture the divide between the two Dara's. And only six months apart...
May 2009: London, day before heading to Spain
November 2009: Spain, a summer day with Chel by the beach
That's what a bit of world travel will do for you...
Nano said "But Dara, you look so...so...free..."
It's the harsh and very candid reality of Dara BC (Before Camino) and Dara AC (After Camino). These two photo's cleanly capture the divide between the two Dara's. And only six months apart...
May 2009: London, day before heading to Spain
November 2009: Spain, a summer day with Chel by the beach
That's what a bit of world travel will do for you...
Nano said "But Dara, you look so...so...free..."
When I was a Brand Strategist...
In my old life, this is what I did. Create big ideas for big companies. This one was an engineering firm.
They never even knew it was a Take That song...
The idea is that for a global company to work, every person as well as every structure that is built by the company needs to come together. Every One Counts.
They never even knew it was a Take That song...
The idea is that for a global company to work, every person as well as every structure that is built by the company needs to come together. Every One Counts.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
What about Dara?
My Family is:
(a) Competitive
(b) Dramatic
(c) A collection of over-achievers
(d) All of the above.
My brother recently turned 21. In an undercover, secret operation, I flew home to premier the movie that I had made for him for his birthday.
To understand the full story, one must watch the intro (it was a Vegas party, hence the outfit):
Followed by the EPIC and completely Dara-ised movie, created just for my brother. I think it's safe to say that I WON. Naturally.
You'll probably have to log onto facebook but
click here to WATCH in HD.
(a) Competitive
(b) Dramatic
(c) A collection of over-achievers
(d) All of the above.
My brother recently turned 21. In an undercover, secret operation, I flew home to premier the movie that I had made for him for his birthday.
To understand the full story, one must watch the intro (it was a Vegas party, hence the outfit):
Followed by the EPIC and completely Dara-ised movie, created just for my brother. I think it's safe to say that I WON. Naturally.
You'll probably have to log onto facebook but
click here to WATCH in HD.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Top 3 things learnt while traveling.
1. FACT: The difference between a cake and a biscuit is that a cake will go hard when left out, a biscuit will go soft. FASCINATING.
2. FACT: When you paint a car it can weigh up to 7kg more than it did without paint. WOW.
3. FACT: Germans (and other Nationalities for that matter) have a different way from Australians of signing the number "three"...how is this cultural difference even possible?!
2. FACT: When you paint a car it can weigh up to 7kg more than it did without paint. WOW.
3. FACT: Germans (and other Nationalities for that matter) have a different way from Australians of signing the number "three"...how is this cultural difference even possible?!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Just about the coolest thing.
A Lego Kitchen.
"
The Girl thinks "it's colourful, bright, superstitious and it just makes me want to pull it apart. I don't really like it actually."
This is why I am the creative one in the family...
"
The Girl thinks "it's colourful, bright, superstitious and it just makes me want to pull it apart. I don't really like it actually."
This is why I am the creative one in the family...
Monday, October 19, 2009
No more.
Australian Backpackers.
Pretending to be a dumb tourist.
Bribing Transport Officers.
Losing friends and finding new ones.
Dodgy kebabs for dinner.
Running out of Euro's.
Snorers/Earplugs.
Skype calls to Chel.
Showers with automatic 7-second cut-offs.
Six-hour train rides.
Playing guitar by campfires with randoms.
Not caring that it's raining.
Sim cards for new countries.
Internet hitchiking.
Sleeping bags.
Red T-shirt, shorts and hiking socks.
Walking shoes.
Check-out by 10am.
Hangovers (well, maybe).
Bottom Bunks.
Top Bunks.
Washing clothes in the bathroom sink.
Washing clothes with shampoo.
Paid-by-the-minute internet.
Tours. Free or otherwise.
Train stations.
New Cities.
New People.
Maps.
90c beer in Slovakia.
Rotating two t-shirts for five months.
Paying for sheets.
Midnight medieval walks.
Concentration camps.
Stealing from the breakfast buffet for lunch.
Postcards home.
BYO Toilet Paper.
Medieval/Zombie festivals.
Walking for six hours a day.
Fare Evasion.
Showering wearing crocs.
16-bed dorms.
Digging around in a backpack.
Having to perfect my backpack tetris/re-packing skills.
Walking in torrential rain.
Daily adventures.
Hoping it never ends.
For now...
Pretending to be a dumb tourist.
Bribing Transport Officers.
Losing friends and finding new ones.
Dodgy kebabs for dinner.
Running out of Euro's.
Snorers/Earplugs.
Skype calls to Chel.
Showers with automatic 7-second cut-offs.
Six-hour train rides.
Playing guitar by campfires with randoms.
Not caring that it's raining.
Sim cards for new countries.
Internet hitchiking.
Sleeping bags.
Red T-shirt, shorts and hiking socks.
Walking shoes.
Check-out by 10am.
Hangovers (well, maybe).
Bottom Bunks.
Top Bunks.
Washing clothes in the bathroom sink.
Washing clothes with shampoo.
Paid-by-the-minute internet.
Tours. Free or otherwise.
Train stations.
New Cities.
New People.
Maps.
90c beer in Slovakia.
Rotating two t-shirts for five months.
Paying for sheets.
Midnight medieval walks.
Concentration camps.
Stealing from the breakfast buffet for lunch.
Postcards home.
BYO Toilet Paper.
Medieval/Zombie festivals.
Walking for six hours a day.
Fare Evasion.
Showering wearing crocs.
16-bed dorms.
Digging around in a backpack.
Having to perfect my backpack tetris/re-packing skills.
Walking in torrential rain.
Daily adventures.
Hoping it never ends.
For now...
Toilet Paper Origami.
Life is full of challenges. Toilet Paper Origami is just one of those unexpected ones.
What a relief that my creative skills are still being put to great use...!
What a relief that my creative skills are still being put to great use...!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
We've lost a brother, and I've lost my wing man.
There are few television vigils that I have kept over the years. The funeral of Princess Diana and the Stuart Diver Thredbo rescue making the top two. It should come as no surprise that I, the massive boyband advocate this side of Terrey Hills should be glued to the TV for the funeral of Stephen Gately, of Boyzone fame.
The boyband hall of shame that I have kept since my first East 17 album certainly included those pretty Boyzone boys. What can I say - singing and dancing boys just hit that happy place for me.
So it was with tearful reflection that I sat in front of the TV and listened to Ronan Keating sing at the funeral of his bandmate, and I completely lost the plot when he said "we have lost a husband, a son, a brother and my wing man."
A pioneer in the gay community, he was the first boyband member to openly admit he was gay and he enjoyed seven years of partnership with his husband Andy. Boyzone were also the first boyband to picture a gay couple in their music video.
As a lover of all things boyband, I am totally gutted, but hope that Stephen's open personality, pioneering leadership and talent will give a little cred to those boyband enthusiasts such as myself.
Love thy boyband people!
The boyband hall of shame that I have kept since my first East 17 album certainly included those pretty Boyzone boys. What can I say - singing and dancing boys just hit that happy place for me.
So it was with tearful reflection that I sat in front of the TV and listened to Ronan Keating sing at the funeral of his bandmate, and I completely lost the plot when he said "we have lost a husband, a son, a brother and my wing man."
A pioneer in the gay community, he was the first boyband member to openly admit he was gay and he enjoyed seven years of partnership with his husband Andy. Boyzone were also the first boyband to picture a gay couple in their music video.
As a lover of all things boyband, I am totally gutted, but hope that Stephen's open personality, pioneering leadership and talent will give a little cred to those boyband enthusiasts such as myself.
Love thy boyband people!
It's not every day you see a Zombie.
It was supposed to be a quiet weekend at a little Spanish seaside town. Turns out we rocked up in the middle of the annual zombie convention. Ahhh, Spain...how I keep turning up for these things, I'll never know...
No more backpack. A new life.
About to walk over the threshold of my new life.
No more backpack.
No more hostels.
Transformation, complete.
Now, I'm ON A BOAT!
Me and one million Spaniards.
Another random stumble. Turns out, that the weekend I flew into Barcelona was the final of the Red Bull Air Race.
Hectic planes flying dangerously close to the shore, doing ridiculous air stunts, trying to complete a course in the quickest time. Brilliant.
CON-tiki.
It became incredibly clear to me why I am NOT CONTIKI. The structured itinerary, the overwhelming amount of AUSTRALIANS and the unbelievable amount of drinking required is not suited my 26 year-old ways...
Didn't stop me from getting a drunk photo in front of the bus though...
Didn't stop me from getting a drunk photo in front of the bus though...
Face the Wall.
To complete the history lesson, the Berlin Wall needed to be crossed off the list. After being introduced to the whole East vs. West Berlin story via the musical (of course) Hedwig and the Angry Inch, I was pretty keen on seeing this thing for myself.
What remains is a 1.2km stretch of the original wall, painted with political and heartfelt murals, reflecting the 28 years of its existence.
What remains is a 1.2km stretch of the original wall, painted with political and heartfelt murals, reflecting the 28 years of its existence.
Internet Hitchiking.
My self-imposed budget of 20€ per inter-city trip has led me to a very useful German website which basically lets you pre-organise hitchiking.
So the leg between Berlin and Prague was all about the randomness of electronic car-sharing (once deciphering the German-only website).
"Milan" answered my plea. He spoke English, there were two other people he was going to transport it seemed all good. I asked him what his car looked like so I could spot it. "It looks like a Zebra" he said.
I promised to sms Lucy the numberplate of the car in case this all turned into an Ivan Milat situation. I met the other two people our guy was taking to Prague - a Spanish performance artist and a French Model.
The car pulled up.
Harmless.
Transported back to 1960, I was put on the back seat, which wasn't really a back seat at all - just a whole heap of cushions. With Bob Marley on the tape player and tie-dye car-seat covers, we cruised the four hours to Prague, no problem.
Milan even took us by this hectic bar once we got to Prague (made entirely out of old car parts), and bought us all a beer. He then offered his services and help to all of us and made sure we were delivered safely to our respective hostels.
The goodness of the world was shining through that day.
So the leg between Berlin and Prague was all about the randomness of electronic car-sharing (once deciphering the German-only website).
"Milan" answered my plea. He spoke English, there were two other people he was going to transport it seemed all good. I asked him what his car looked like so I could spot it. "It looks like a Zebra" he said.
I promised to sms Lucy the numberplate of the car in case this all turned into an Ivan Milat situation. I met the other two people our guy was taking to Prague - a Spanish performance artist and a French Model.
The car pulled up.
Harmless.
Transported back to 1960, I was put on the back seat, which wasn't really a back seat at all - just a whole heap of cushions. With Bob Marley on the tape player and tie-dye car-seat covers, we cruised the four hours to Prague, no problem.
Milan even took us by this hectic bar once we got to Prague (made entirely out of old car parts), and bought us all a beer. He then offered his services and help to all of us and made sure we were delivered safely to our respective hostels.
The goodness of the world was shining through that day.
I've got a bone to pick with you.
What do you do when you run out of space in the cemetery? You grab the left-over bones and you construct internal church furniture! Of course! Those ingenious Czechs...
My favourite was the chandelier made of every bone in the human body. Delightful really.
My favourite was the chandelier made of every bone in the human body. Delightful really.
Is it working?!
Lucy and I had one of the most hysterical moments together. After dodging the urine stains and week-old cheeseburgers that were in this Berlin street photo booth, we put in our 2 Euro and waited for something to happen...
We were convinced that we had just donated our money.
*FLASH*
Stunned, we thought to ourselves "is it working?!"
*FLASH*
Surprised and stunned, we still thought to ourselves "is it working?!"
*FLASH*
"Lucy" I said, "Do you think it's working?!"
*FLASH*
Blondes...
We were convinced that we had just donated our money.
*FLASH*
Stunned, we thought to ourselves "is it working?!"
*FLASH*
Surprised and stunned, we still thought to ourselves "is it working?!"
*FLASH*
"Lucy" I said, "Do you think it's working?!"
*FLASH*
Blondes...
The Monk School Recital.
When one says casually and very randomly over breakfast in Prague "You know I have always wanted to study with the Shaolin Monks" and then we walk outside to be confronted with a poster that says "Shaolin Monks, TONIGHT", one tends to see these things as a sign. You know, one of those universal moments.
So we went. Completely impressed by the last minute cheap tickets.
On reflection, we can only assume that at the bottom of the poster (it was in Czech) were the words AMATEUR/TRIAL PRODUCTION...
In short, we felt like we were watching the school recital of the Shaolin Monks...Divine Intervention FAIL...
So we went. Completely impressed by the last minute cheap tickets.
On reflection, we can only assume that at the bottom of the poster (it was in Czech) were the words AMATEUR/TRIAL PRODUCTION...
In short, we felt like we were watching the school recital of the Shaolin Monks...Divine Intervention FAIL...
Genius.
These street artists have VISION.
The artist of this mural managed to stage a hoax art event, hiring security guards and cranes in the bid to make this very illegal piece of artwork seem as legit as possible. The cops thought it was legal, everyone faked that it was.
The GENIUS is in the execution.
Across the road is a car dealership. Every night, they turn on the flood lights to the dealership, with the shadows being cast all over the street.
At about 7pm, the shadow of the FLAGS from across the road perfectly line up on this building and into the hand of our dear astronaut.
Genius.
The artist of this mural managed to stage a hoax art event, hiring security guards and cranes in the bid to make this very illegal piece of artwork seem as legit as possible. The cops thought it was legal, everyone faked that it was.
The GENIUS is in the execution.
Across the road is a car dealership. Every night, they turn on the flood lights to the dealership, with the shadows being cast all over the street.
At about 7pm, the shadow of the FLAGS from across the road perfectly line up on this building and into the hand of our dear astronaut.
Genius.
Look closely.
Just another street art mural brought to you by the talented freaks of Berlin. This optical illusion is a PAINTING. Just done, for FUN.
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