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2013-06-19 07:22:41 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 53 +1s)

Great way to end the work day at Wotif. Look at that sky!

2013-06-18 14:30:15 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Fountain  - Place de la Concorde in Paris
via http://www.moreeuw.com/photographies/paris-photo.htm

2013-06-17 13:11:07 (3 comments, 10 reshares, 31 +1s)

2013-06-16 05:54:45 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson

What are your hopes? How do you stay positive through times of adversity?

2013-06-15 08:47:10 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Great Pillars at Edfu Temple.........
#pillars #edfuTemple #edfu #aswan #egypt #ancientEgypt #temples
http://www.incrediblesnaps.com/amazing-photographs-of-egypt

2013-06-14 14:05:52 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 28 +1s)

Delicious Dessert. Golden flakes, crunchy wafer, hazelnut praline, chocolate fudge... just magic!

What dessert did you eat this week?

2013-06-14 14:01:13 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Rump Steak Stack. Nice concept badly cooked. How would you cook a rump?

2013-06-13 09:24:55 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 30 +1s)

At the Trip Advisor Awards tonight, hosted at the beautiful Park Hyatt in Sydney, which overlooks the Opera House.

Wonderful colleagues Sarah & Donna pictured with me.

2013-06-13 03:44:57 (23 comments, 3 reshares, 25 +1s)

2013-06-12 13:52:25 (12 comments, 2 reshares, 9 +1s)

It's a hard lesson: the realisation that people stop caring about you when their interests are no longer served. Realising you were used, lied to and made to believe that friendship was important. Ignoring every instinct that told you time and time again that it would happen, leads to a feeling of regret.

Bitter truths are hard to swallow. But we live and learn. And regret remains the enemy long after its maker is gone.

2013-06-12 13:06:01 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

For some strange reason this photo I took on Sunday night bothers me immensely. I can't stand looking at it and don't know why. I become anxious almost. What's the go?!

2013-06-12 03:08:39 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 48 +1s)

Sweet temptation by the +lastminute.com.au team! Dedicated to the secret hotel deals!

Have you ever booked a secret/mystery hotel? It's basically a super discounted rate for a hotel that doesn't reveal it's name until after you book! You see star rating and approx. location :) Would you? Why or why not?

2013-06-11 13:19:17 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Just watched the Internship. Advanced screening for hundreds of Googlers and their friends in Sydney. Quite funny, even if you've never worked for Google you'd still enjoy it! Many of the exaggerated stereotypes are true :))

Rating:
- 5/10 for plot
- 9/10 for relatable humour (for Googlers/Xooglers) otherwise 8/10
- 10/10 for Owen Wilson & Vince Vaughn. Love those guys!

Favourite moment: when Vince is told all the food is free :D That's a special moment for new employees lol.

2013-06-10 08:43:22 (13 comments, 1 reshares, 56 +1s)

Vivid Light Show in Sydney drew crowds of over 200,000 people last night! Close to that of New Year's Eve. It was madness - it took  me hours to find parking and another couple of hours just to make it through the crowd to the main attractions. 

Interestingly, the highlight of the night was an act with no lights at all - a Spanish musical talent, Tom Ward, who strummed his guitar throughout the night, attracting crowds of all ages. Definitely my favourite street performer. Bought his CD - will share some of this music soon! Looking forward to next year's +Vivid Sydney 

2013-06-09 15:34:59 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 42 +1s)

Work Life Balance - do you have it? More importantly, do you want it? For some, work is life...

2013-06-07 09:20:30 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 25 +1s)

Happy Birthday Queen E (technically not your bday) but loving the subsequent long weekend anyway!

Flying home... what are you doing this weekend?

2013-06-06 14:12:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.
Epicurus

2013-06-05 12:45:50 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 38 +1s)

2013-06-04 14:05:59 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 14 +1s)

Vintage Cars 
So beautiful. Help me identify if you can, I came across this photo from an old album... think my brother snapped it in Cairo. Car enthusiasts - what are they! Loving the black one in the middle...

2013-06-03 13:54:30 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 26 +1s)

Vivid Light Festival is on this month at Circular Quay, Sydney. Magnificent displays of vibrant colour in the dark. The iconic Opera House sails flash an array of imagery and colour. The Harbour Bridge is pink one minute, blue the next. Even the surrounding buildings are lit up in celebration.

Will definitely go back this week with my camera - here are photos from my phone in the meantime!

2013-06-02 05:10:01 (41 comments, 1 reshares, 18 +1s)

Is Chivalry Dead?
Acts of gentlemanly behaviour such as opening a car door, pulling out a chair, holding the elevator while she enters and leaves, lending a jacket in the cold... are slowly disappearing. The emerging generation of young men don't seem very attentive to this. Why? Are they afraid of being labelled sexist? Is the evolution of social networks dissolving our real-life people skills? Do women even care or notice?

It's an interesting phenomenon, but one which I have found to be more common in the West. After living in Egypt for three years, I found a stark difference coming back to Australia. Men of all ages in the Mid East (and some parts of Europe) - even teens - will almost automatically jump into gentleman mode for a lady in many cases, especially for a lady in need. Even public services in Egypt will have segregated lines in their offices to ensure ladies are... more »

2013-06-01 09:38:15 (18 comments, 2 reshares, 63 +1s)

Steepest passenger railway in the World is located in the Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales, Australia, 81 km west of Sydney. The park covers 268,987 hectares. Despite the name 'mountains', the area is an uplifted plateau, dissected by a number of larger rivers.

You will also be able to visit the "Three Sisters" rock formation, which according to Aboriginal Legend, were once three beautiful women. They fell in love with men of another tribe, leading to a tribal war. They were turned to stone (for their protection), but the man who did so died during the battle, and no one else was able to turn them back. 

I have not been back to visit in over 6 years, after a terrible bushwalking experience with my sister and friends. They decided to take the "long way" down through the valley to enjoy the waterfalls. It was on the way up - 5 hours later... more »

2013-05-31 13:35:25 (5 comments, 5 reshares, 52 +1s)

Yes. I laugh at my own jokes!

2013-05-29 12:53:21 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 32 +1s)

Seagulls. Most places have them. My earliest memories of the beach involve these noisy scavengers, as they wait patiently (and quietly) for you to throw a morsel, only to fight and scwabble and flock faster than you can blink!

I loved throwing all sorts of scraps - hot chips (fries), chicken bones, bread, fish, pizza crust - everything and anything was devoured! In some places they can be quite scary, as they become too accustomed to people (like me... who feed them!) and go as far as to attack picnic baskets and table spreads! 

But at the end of the day, the seagull image is one that adds a much loved memory of my childhood - especially the moments when I chased them down (yes, even as an adult I will do that if no one is looking). 

Do you have seagulls where you live? Love or Hate?

2013-05-28 10:09:26 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

The Showbag Pavillion for Professionals
Attended the CeBIT conference in Sydney today. In a nutshell, focus was on cloud solutions for marketing and sales. Now if you have ever attended a conference, you'll know they include sessions on topics of interest, and an exhibition hall with sponsors and partners flogging their services... what I call the showbag pavillion for professionals, for the following reasons:

- pens. lots and lots of free pens. Some great in quality (not parker pens don't get excited) and others not so great. All have company logos on them but does anyone REALLY notice the logo? No. They don't.

- paper. lots and lots of paper; printed brochures, books, pamphlets, pamphlets with instructions on how to find the online pamphlet... and so on. In any other industry this would be semi acceptable (given that we are now a digital society), but at a... more »

2013-05-27 13:39:30 (6 comments, 33 reshares, 75 +1s)

Guilty as charged :D

2013-05-25 12:54:50 (19 comments, 2 reshares, 69 +1s)

The old Khan El-Khalili Bazaar in old Cairo is Egypt's most famous Souk. Dating back to 1382, Khan el-Khalili was built on the site of the much older and historically significant Za’afran Tomb, the burial place of the Fatimid Caliphs, founders of the City of Cairo.

Shop owners selling jewellery, spices, beautiful objects and souvenirs will call you to their shop for a free viewing of their goods over a cup of coffee. Many of them can speak up to 6 or 7 languages, so haggling skills are needed no matter where you are visiting from!

In addition to shops, there are several cafes, restaurants, and street food vendors distributed throughout the market. The coffee shops are generally small and quite traditional, serving Arabic coffee and shisha (water pipe). One of the most famous being a cafe called "Fishawi."

Also on site is the al-Hussein Mosque, builtin... more »

2013-05-25 02:18:15 (5 comments, 3 reshares, 34 +1s)

My cat used to watch me dress in the morning. Kinda creepy...

2013-05-25 01:50:57 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Choose Salmon!
Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon will help lower your cholesterol, repair heart damage and strengthen the heart muscles.

Salmon also helps lower your blood pressure and prevents hardening of arteries, which will lessen your chances of having a heart attack.

In conjunction with Vitamins A and D, amino acids and selenium also protect your nervous system from the deteriorating effects of aging. This makes salmon work as a natural anti depressant.

2013-05-24 08:39:58 (10 comments, 2 reshares, 15 +1s)

If toddlers used Facebook...

2013-05-19 11:34:05 (87 comments, 8 reshares, 137 +1s)

My first visit to Mecca (Makkah), the holiest city in Islam.
This is where the Masjid al-Haram (most sacred mosque in Islam) is located. The Mosque is built around the Kaaba (the black cube pictured here). 

* Ever wondered why Muslims face the same direction during prayer? Muslims are expected to face the Kaaba during prayers, no matter where they are. From any given point in the world, the direction facing the Kaaba is called the Qiblah.

* One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if able to do so. Multiple parts of the Hajj require pilgrims to walk seven times around the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise direction (as viewed from above). Hajj is performed at a specific time of year, and attracts approx. 6-7 million Muslims to Mecca.

* Umrah (the one I performed) is the minor/lesserpi... more »

2013-05-17 13:31:22 (15 comments, 1 reshares, 60 +1s)

My Favourite City on Earth is Florence, the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany with approx. 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area. A centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time, Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. 

Florence attracts millions of tourists each year, ranked as the world's 72nd most visited in 2009, with 1,685,000 visitors. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. 

The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace - I was lucky enough to visit Michelangelo's David - a magnificent work of art and NOT overrated by any means. I sat there for an hour just in awe. 

Florence is also an important city in Italianfas... more »

2013-05-17 11:43:45 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

I like the new features on G+. What I DON'T like is the double stream view, which I can't seem to get rid of on my profile view (only home view). ARG.

2013-05-16 14:00:36 (11 comments, 2 reshares, 26 +1s)

2013-05-15 03:20:58 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

I love street view. Helped me retrace my steps last night when looking for my car! Streets look different by day and I had no clue which way to go when coming back at night (yes... very bad sense of direction).

Maybe street view v155 can be night view? Add it as a layer? :D Just sayin...

#randomthought

2013-05-13 14:05:37 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

Ring of Fire

Yesterday, parts of Australia were treated to a spectacular "ring of fire" annular eclipse. Unfortunately for the Northern Hemisphere, you didn't get to see anything at all - so hopefully these amazing photographs will console you.

Image credits: 
Column 1: Coca-Cola Space Science Center/Columbus State University, AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, Kalani Pokipala, Ohsumi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Column2: Coca-Cola Space Science Center/Columbus State University, Jay Pasachoff/Williams College, Space Telescope Science Institute, Jay Pasachoff/Williams College

Column 3: Robert White, Getty Images, Slooh Space Camera
Coca-Cola Space Science Center/Columbus State University

Column 4: Coca-Cola Space Science Center/Columbus State University, Jay Pasachoff/Williams College, Geoff Sims, Sarah Smigal

( via +Neil... more »

2013-05-13 11:38:35 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

Oliver Brown
Great new cafe in Sydney CBD, serving hot belgium chocolate drinks and desserts. So new I couldn't find it on local...

What's the name of a great cafe where you live and why? Will add to my bucket list.

2013-05-11 13:44:05 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

#luxor #luxorTemple #egypt #ancientEgypt #temples #thePharaohs #pillars

2013-05-11 13:12:57 (15 comments, 5 reshares, 62 +1s)

Famous Fountains of Rome including Trevi pictured below, were a delight to visit. Album also includes the Spanish Steps which drew large crowds even on a rainy day.  I hope to return to Rome in the summer time. And since I threw a coin in the fountain, according to legend I will! All roads lead to Rome, right?

2013-05-10 14:49:00 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

I am calm tonight as I sit in meditative state, listening to verses from the Quran:

Those who believe and their hearts become calm and contented with the remembrance of Allah...know that it is the remembrance of Allah alone that brings rest to the hearts.
Qur'an, Surah Ar-R'ad; 28

What do you do to calm your mind and become more at peace?

2013-05-09 02:15:25 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 43 +1s)

I conquered Big Ben! Come to Martin Place in Sydney to get your photo taken and to enter a competition to win a trip to London, Paris or NYC!

More info here: www.travel.com.au/we-can-take-you-there

Thanks to the wonderful team at +travel.com.au !

2013-05-07 10:03:51 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Re-decorating my living room (large). Need an idea/ theme/concept and I am totally interior design challenged! I've checked 100 pics and sites and I am overwhelmed... where do I start? Help all you creative G plussers!

2013-05-07 05:33:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

It is time!

We've teamed up with Disney's landmark musical event The Lion King to give you the ultimate travel package.
 
Book event tickets, hotel and flight deals for Sydney this December here>>> http://bit.ly/10BgpaL

Will you be going to see it?
#TheLionKing   #Musicals   #holidaypackages   

2013-05-06 10:18:50 (13 comments, 4 reshares, 41 +1s)

How much would you get done without your internet connection? :D

2013-05-06 07:03:48 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Lost city is lost no more

It was called Thonis by ancient Egyptians, and Heracleion by ancient Greeks. An important port city to both cultures, it was mentioned in history books, but for centuries its whereabouts have been unknown - until now. The team of French marine archaeologist Dr. Frank Goddio recently discovered numerous ruins four miles off the Egyptian coast: Here's a picture of a massive statue being raised from the ocean floor.

- Read about it on the +Weather Channel: http://goo.gl/eYPVr

- What's marine archaeology? +BBC America has more: http://goo.gl/jpQ1k

(Photo: Christoph Gerigk)

2013-05-05 02:42:15 (25 comments, 0 reshares, 52 +1s)

Smallest State in the World - Vatican City in Rome is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. It has an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of just over 800, making it the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world by both area and population. The Pope is always also the Head of State and Government of the Vatican City State.

Although packed with tourists, I didn't see any other veiled women (apart from nuns of course). I highly recommend a visit by people of all cultures and religions, as there are also a multitude of great art works and historical structures to be seen inside the Vatican Museums. They display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries including some of the most renowned classical sculptures and most... more »

2013-05-04 03:48:11 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 37 +1s)

My visit to the Central Hub of Rome
The Piazza Venezia is a major square in which many thoroughfares intersect. It is located at the foot of Capitoline Hill and is dominated by the imposing Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, first king of Italy. The gate is manned by security, who don't allow food or drink. So I scoffed a sweet fried cannoli shell in 2 minutes flat (and was on a high!) 

In 2009, during excavations for the Rome C Metro Line, ancient remains of what has been identified as emperor Hadrian's Athenaeum were unearthed in the middle of the square. Palazzo Venezia was the former embassy of the city of the Republic of Venice to Rome.

My Venice album here: http://goo.gl/YWwDY
Roman Colosseum here: http://goo.gl/6M6za

2013-05-02 09:15:00 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 38 +1s)

My sister does all the complaint letters. Bad customer service? +Sherihan Mohamed takes care of it. Unfair trade practice or legal issues? She's the go to. So this meme is in her honour! Luv ya sis! xo

2013-05-01 13:59:55 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 36 +1s)

Privacy settings people!

2013-04-30 16:24:51 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.
Henry Ford

What opportunities have you had lately?