Sydney is for sure gearing up for the biggest lunar New Year celebration outside China. From what I’ve seen so far, the Sydney CNY celebrations are actually way over the top than those in many areas of China.

20 January 2017 was the traditional Chinese Little New Year which fell about one week before the lunar New Year. Just check out the grandeur and popularity of the Chinese Lantern festival held at Sydney Darling Harbour from 20 -22 January, you’ll see what I mean.

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Sydney CNY celebration

20 years ago when I first arrived in Sydney, the lunar new year was spent hardly noticeable. Nowadays the Chinese New Year celebrations in Sydney would last for at least 3 weeks. The whole Sydney is turning into a Chinese town, #obviously. Ok, I’m not complaining. One should never complain about more food and entertainment.

 

My start of Summer this year was welcomed by a beautiful Ballet – Coppelia at the Sydney Opera House.

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What about a drink and a bite to eat at the Opera Bar with friends beforehand in this glorious weather? Who could have said no. The story of Coppelia itself is quite simple yet very charming. I really loved those spectacular dance, amazing footwork and luscious costumes. Though the audience was not allowed to take any photos inside the theater, there are plenty of photos on the internet, giving a glimpse of this brilliant performance.

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During the interval, I stepped out of for a little break and caught a gorgeous sunset at the Opera House. This filled my heart with joy. So look forward to this holiday season!

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Ballet photos: Jeff Busby

As a seafood fanatic, I’m delighted to be invited to the Seafood Spectacular again this year.

The Seafood Spectacular is organised by Pyrmont Ultimo Chamber of Commerce offering great creative seafood canapés by 11 local Sydney TAFE apprentice chefs to enhance the 2016 ‘Where the Locals Go’ Guide by the Pyrmont Chamber of Commerce.

I love the venue where The Seafood Spectacular has been always held – the prestigious Sydney Seafood School at the Sydney Fish Market. Love the spacious cooking stations and the chalkboard walls full of pictures of different fishes, recipes and seafood preparing tips.

This year’s seafood canapés were superbly delightful, even exceeding my expectations. I’m glad I had my extra light Fuji camera and a borrowed Fuji 23mm f/2.0Lens with me to capture a few of my favourite dishes in very low light condition while keeping my mouth full.

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Oktoberfest-Munich

Oktoberfest-MunichEach year, special events are held all around the world. Some of these events focus on culture, some focus on sporting, and other focus just on the fun. If you are planning a trip but you aren’t sure where to go, you should find a place where you can go somewhere amazing. There are many events around the world that you should try to attend at least once in your life.

Australia’s Million Dollar Fish

If you love fishing and are going to be in Australia, attend million dollar fish. The purpose of this event is to bring visitors to the Northern Territory by showing that it is the best place to fish. This boosts tourism, which in turn brings in money. Before the event, 76 barramundis are tagged and then released in the top end. One of these fish will have a $1 million tag. The remaining 75 have $10,000 tags on them. Last year, 10 fish with $10,000 tags were caught. This year, the remaining fish are still there, with the additional fish waiting to be tagged and released.

Venice, Italy’s Carnevale

Since the 13th century, people in Venice, Italy have been celebrating Carnevale or Carnival. It is a celebration where people from all over the world come to celebrate. People wear masks and they visit street side shops, they attend fancy falls, and even board party cruises. It is one of the biggest annual events in the entire world.

Mardi Gras- New Orleans

Every year, on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras is held in New Orleans. It is the one time of the year that people come from all over the world for a huge party in the streets. There are parades, there is drinking, and you may even see women flashing their breasts to earn Mardi Gras beads from people on the street. It is a party like no other.

Oktoberfest-Munich, Germany

Oktoberfest is the world’s largest beer festival. All over the world, there are smaller Oktoberfest festivals, however, it is the one in Munich, Germany, that is the original and the largest. To help you understand exactly how big this celebration is, in 2014, $96,178,668 worth of beer was served each day during the festival. If you are planning to be in Germany during the last weeks of September into the first weekend of October, you should consider visiting Oktoberfest. You will never see anything like it.

 

The Running of the Bulls- Pamplona, Spain

For centuries, the Running of the Bulls celebration has been held in Pamplona, Spain. It happens between July 6th and July 14th. You can take part in the festival and run with the bulls. You should understand, however, that this can be dangerous. You can also go to the festival just to watch. Either way, it is an experience of a lifetime.

The Lantern Festival- Pingxi, Taiwan

If you are going to visit Taiwan in February, you should visit one of the world’s largest lantern festivals. During the event, thousands of lanterns are released into the clear night sky. You can even release your own. Tradition says that when you let go of your lantern and let it fly up into the sky, you are also letting go of your troubles and things that hurt you. Not only is it beautiful, it is also cathartic.

In some areas of the world, there is always something going on. If you want to attend a festival that is like no other, consider visiting one of the events listed above. Each is an experience like no other.

I used to have VIP events anxiety. To be exact, it was pre-VIP events anxiety… because a lot of times I decided not to go. Why? – I consider myself just a P, not a VIP. The thought of being around a roomful of “very important people” I’ve never met before made me nervous.

But now I’m slowly growing out of it. As overtime I’ve realised that most people in those kind of events are just friendly, normal people like us. And in most cases, if you don’t know anyone, there will always be some nice people coming to talk you. Last Thursday I was lucky enough to be invited to the Sydney night Noodle markets VIP opening night at the The Signleton Whisky & Sugar Bar in Sydney Hyde Park.

If you are a Sydneysider, have you been to the Sydney Night Noodles Markets during the SMH Good Food month? Do you know it’s been around since 1998? Well, if you ask me the same questions, my answers would be no and no. I know that Sydney night noodle markets have been around for quite a while and I did get numerous invites in the last couple of years but never really went. However this year, things are a little different and I decided to go and check it out.

This year’s Sydney night noodle markets is the biggest ever, with a new add-on. Acclaimed New York chef Christina Tosi is teamed up with Singleton Whisky  for The Singleton Whisky & Sugur Bar. Christina is the founder, owner and chef of Momofuku’s dessert wing, Milk Bar based in New York. She made a batch of whisky-infused cookies just for this occasion. Are you intrigued?

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I was impressed with the set up of Singleton Whicky and Sugar bar. The bar itself is compact, but thoughtfully decorated. The feature walls on both sides of the bar are particularly lovely.

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Warm Din Tai Fung pork buns were served to my surprise but it make the event even better! Those buns are so close to the ones my mum makes and they are one of my all time favorite:).

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There were plenty of drinks all night long. Though I could only consume one glass of alcohol (1+ will make me super dizzy), it was fun to watch the cocktail making process.

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Shortly after the buns, those gigantic meat kebabs appeared:

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They were the best things ever – tasty, juicy and extremely popular. I don’t really know if these kebabs are served in any restaurants, and if they are, I’ll be following them and recommend all my friends to go.

Then I started to wonder where Christina was, and whether we got to try those special cookies that took a few weeks to make. Not because of the hunger for cookies, but I was that curious! Curious about whether Whisky and cookies will be a good mix as I’m not a Whisky drinker. But got to try it, regardless.

Of course she was just around the corner. The Master Chef judge was holding her cookies and and cup of Whisky, as you guessed it:). Being a photographer who doesn’t know how to take selfies, I took a rather blurry photo of us using my phone. This was the second attempt:

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Ok, here’s a proper photo of Christina Tosi taken with my proper camera.

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And those were the famous cookies:

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I took a bite. They were buttery and sweet, with a slight hint of Whisky aroma. It was perfect, just as it should be.

P.S. The Singleton Whisky & Sugar Bar will appear at the Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park Sydney until October 25th.

David Jones A/W 15 Fashion Show

Those are my favorite outfits of David Jones A/W 15 Fashion Show on 3rd Feb. Love the beautiful combination of colors, the dramatic hair pieces and shoes.

David Jones A/W 15 Fashion Show

The red carpet arrival before David Jones A/W 15 Fashion Show started in the evening.

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The former David Jones ambassador Megan Gale (left) and current ambassador Jessica Gomes (right).

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The cat walk

 David Jones A/W 15 Fashion Show

Selection of David Jones A/W 15 Fashion starred by Jessica Gomes

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Jessica Gomes David Jones A/W 15 Fashion Show

Which outfit do you like the most?

Drawing is relaxing. If I have all time in the world, I’d sit and draw and paint.

I took some photos of Star Trek Crew red carpet arrival in Sydney with my Fuji X-E1 camera last year. Later I picked up a sketch book from an art shop that was about to close down and started to randomly draw on it with a pencil.

Here’s a picture of Karl Urban being interviewed on the red carpet. Left I drew with a pencil, right I took with Fuji X-E1. Since he looked so serious, I call it Karl Urban Deep In Thought.

Karl Urban

Are you a Game Of Thrones fan? John the club. There are so many of them all over the world.

Ever since my friends from UK introduced me to the show in 2012, I’ve been hooked (though it’s a big commitment to finish watching the whole show because the writer is still writing the rest of the story!).

Needless to say, I was excited to have the opportunity to meet and shoot Kit Harington (Jon Snow fro Game of Thrones) in person at the Australian premiere of Pompeill as a photographer.

I didn’t know that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister, Game Of Thrones) also appeared on the red carpet. What a nice surprise:).

This is a photo taken by Nikolaj with my Canon 5D Mark iii. Isn’t he good at taking photos?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau with Yvonne-01

 

Enjoy the rest of the photos from the events, taken by me:).
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Vampire Academy cast members Sarah Hyland (Modern family), Zoey Deutch and Lucy Fry walked the pink carpet among other VIP guests at Vampire Academy Australian premiere in Sydney on Thursday, 20th February.

It was night of pink:). Hot pink carpet, pink background and hot girls in different shades of pink.

About the movie:         Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, half-human and half-vampire, training to be a guardian of the Moroi, peaceful, mortal vampires living discretely within our world. Her legacy is to protect the Moroi from bloodthirsty, immortal vampires, the Strigoi.  Along with her best friend, Princess Vasilisa Dragomir, a Moroi and the last of her family line with whom she has a nigh unbreakable bond, Rose must run away from her school St Vladimir’s in order to protect Lissa from those who wish to harm the princess and use her for their own means.

Cast:                            Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, Danila Kozlovsky, Sarah Hyland, and Dominic Sherwood.

VAMPIRE ACADEMY IS IN CINEMAS FROM 6 MARCH 2014

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Jackie Weaver looked lovely in here short sleeved red lace dress on the red carpet of the AACTA awards Luncheon.
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What bag? Chanel 2.55 bag:).

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When Jackie arrived at AACTA Awards ceremony 2 days later after the Luncheon, I thought she was wearing the same dress. But of course they were not the same dress!

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This one is a long sleeved evening gown with a petit bow belt.

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Jackie took a silver sequin clutch to the AACTA Awards ceremony to complete her evening glam look.

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Looks like Jackie loves wearing her red lace dresses to formal events. What a good choice given the fact that those AACTA awards boards behind the stars are black.  So many people blended in the background wearing black frocks. But red frocks stood out. Go Jackie!

 

Love shooting people, with a camera. Love it even more when people feel comfortable and pose naturally in front of me.

So when I was invited to THE DALLAS BUYERS CLUB premiere & party to be the photographer of the event, the answer was yes:).

Dallas Buyers Club Australian Premiere – 24 Janurary 2014

The event was held at St. George Open Air Sydney, next to Mrs. Mcquarie’s Chair. Despite of the rain, it was a huge success. Many happy celebrities and guests posed in front of my camera. Don’t you love their genuine laughs and the dramatic sky behind them?

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Some atmosphere shots of the night:

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A snap shot of the fabulous people from Pinnacle Film who brought such a brilliant film to Australia and organized such a fun night:dallas buyers club australia premiere-007
The Movie:

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Matthew McConaughey will star in THE DALLAS BUYER’S CLUB, the real-life drama from Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallee. The film centers on Ron Woodroof, a Texas electrician diagnosed with AIDS who began smuggling alternative drugs into the U.S. to help himself and other AIDS patients. His actions put him on a collision course with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which was bent on keeping the drugs out of the country.

More details:

Release Date: Thursday, 13 February 2014

Genre: Drama

Run Time: 117 minutes

Director: Jean-Marc Vallee

Writers: Melisa Wallack, Craig Borten

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto

The movie is the winner of 2 Golden Globe awards & will be released on Thursday, 13 February 2014.

Utopia, a new, epic film on Australia by John Pilger, had its Australian premiere at the Block in Redfern, Sydney on yesterday -Friday, 17 January.

It was a heart felt movie premiere without the usual glamor and screaming associated with red carpet appearances. Many family came with a picnic blanket and set themselves up comfortably on the grass.

Utopia premiere in redfern

Since there were not many other media photographers at present, I got the luxury to be up and close and photograph John Pilger, the most famous Journalist I admire. John has this genuine smile that you’ll remember.

John Pilger

john pilger full body

When serious, he looks 100% the big name movie director.

john pilger the serious look

John pilger the cool look

The movie:

Utopia, from the BAFTA and Emmy Award winning director John Pilger, draws on his long association with the first people of his homeland Australia. The film is both an epic portrayal of the oldest continuous human culture, and an investigation into a suppressed colonial past and rapacious present. One of the world’s best kept secrets is revealed against a background of the greatest boom in mineral wealth. Has the ‘lucky country’ inherited South African apartheid?

Genre: Documentary

john pilger at Utopia premiere

John Pilger Signing Autographs and posing with local family.

John pilger at utopia premiere

St.George OpenAir Cinema’s Opening Night Party in partnership with Tourism Australia attracted a host of VIPs alongside the film stars last night at the exclusive TRACKS Sydney premiere.

Mia Wasikowska and author Robyn Davidson walked the red carpet for Tracks premiere with stunning Sydney harbour as the backdrop and posed with camels.

The movie: An epic adventure, set amid the wild and breathtaking environment of
the Australian desert, TRACKS tells the true story of Robyn Davidson,
who in her mid-twenties undertook an unprecedented 2700km solo trek
from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean.

Director: John Curran (The Painted Veil, Praise),

Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Adam Driver (HBO’s Girls), Jessica Tovey (Wonderland) and Rolley Mintuma.

Photo props: Sydney Harbour, Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and camels.

camels hereThe Photos:
Camels did poo poo one after another, as they do. After everything was cleaned up, here came the stars…

Australian actor Michael Caton at Tracks Sydney Premiere

Australian actor Michael Caton at Tracks Sydney Premiere

Lizzy Lovette at Sydney Tracks premiere.

Australian radio and TV personality Lizzy Lovette at Sydney Tracks premiere.

Australian chef Lyndey Milan at Sydney Tracks premiere.

Australian chef Lyndey Milan at Sydney Tracks premiere

Tracks actor Jessica Tovey

Tracks actor Jessica Tovey

Tracks actor Jessica Tovey

Tracks actor Jessica Tovey

Tracks leading actor Mia Wasikowska

Tracks leading actor Mia Wasikowska

Tracks leading actor Mia Wasikowska

Tracks leading actor Mia Wasikowska

Tracks leading actor Mia Wasikowska

Tracks leading actor Mia Wasikowska

Tracks actor Mia Wasikowska and author Robyn Davidson.

Tracks actor Mia Wasikowska and author Robyn Davidson

Tracks actor Mia Wasikowska and author Robyn Davidson.

Tracks actor Mia Wasikowska and author Robyn Davidson

From left to right: Robyn Davidson, Jessica Tovey, Mia Wasikowska, Emile Sherman (Producer of Tracks) & wife Carolyn Sherman.

From left to right: Robyn Davidson, Jessica Tovey, Mia Wasikowska, Emile Sherman (Producer of Tracks) & wife Carolyn Sherman.

Tracks leading actor Mia Wasikowska

Tracks leading actor Mia Wasikowsk

 

The Book Thief Summary

the book thief summary Geoffery and Markus

Geoffrey Rush (right) and Author Markus Zusak (left)

“The Book Thief is a novel by Australian author Markus Zusak.Narrated by Death, the book is set in Nazi Germany, a place and time when the narrator notes he was extremely busy. It describes a young girl’s relationship with her foster parents, the other residents of their neighborhood, and a young Jewish man who hides in her home during the escalation of World War II. First published in 2005, the book has won numerous awards and was listed on theThe New York Times Best Seller list for over 230 weeks.[2]



Liesel is on the train, on her way to be fostered when her brother dies. At his funeral, she picks up a book and keeps it to remind her of him. However, she can’t read. When she arrives at her foster home, her papa (Hans Hubermann) teaches her how. At a Nazi book burning ceremony, an officer gives a speech about the importance of cleansing of the German society from “immoral” and “indecent” thoughts through burning books, which provokes Liesel. After the book burning ceremony, Liesel hides a book that survived the fire and takes it home. She is seen by Ilsa Hermann, the mayor’s wife and mama’s (Rosa Hubermann) customer. When Liesel is at the mayor’s to drop the laundry, Ilsa shares her magnificent library and its books with her. The mayor eventually discharges Liesel. This forces her to start “borrowing” books from Ilsa’s library, hence earning the nickname “The Book Thief”.

But things get dicey when they, along with hot tempered Rosa Hubermann, begin to hide a Jew named Max in the basement. As a security measure and to save his life, Max is not allowed to leave the basement. Max and Liesel start bonding as they read and share stories together. But he is forced to leave after an incident in which Hans defends a Jewish prisoner against a Nazi officer.” – From wikipedia

The book Thief movie Synopsis:

Based on the beloved international bestselling novel, written by Australian author, Markus Zusak, The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel, an extraordinary and courageous young girl sent to live with a foster family in World War II Germany. She learns to read with encouragement from her new family and Max, a Jewish refugee who they are hiding under the stairs. For Liesel and Max, the power of words and imagination become the only escape from the tumultuous events happening around them. The Book Thief is a life-affirming story of survival and of the resilience of the human spirit.



The Genre: Drama

Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Sophie Nelisse, Emily Watson

The red carpet special screening of The Book Thief was held today at Sydney Randwick Ritz Cinema. Academy award winner Geoffrey Rush and Author Markus Zusak talked to media and signed autographs for fans at a special red carpet screening at Sydney Randwick Ritz Cinema.

I was quite excited to receive this media call as Geoffrery Rush is such a talented actor. Have you seen the move Shine? It was totally awesome to meet Geoffrey in person and shoot this special event.

Photos from The Book Thief Summary
The Book Thief Summary geoffery rush at the book thief screening

Geoffrey Rush at Sydney The Book Thief red carpet screening

The Book Thief Summary geoffery rush at the book thief

Geoffrey Rush at Sydney The Book Thief red carpet screening

The Book Thief Summary geoffery rush the book thief

The Book Thief Summary geoffery rush at the book thief screening

Geoffrey Rush at Sydney The Book Thief red carpet screening

the book thief summary Author Markus Zusak

The Book Thief Author Markus Zusak

The Book Thief Summary Geoffrey Rush and Author Markus Zusak

Geoffrey Rush and Author Markus Zusak at Sydney The Book Thief red carpet screening

THE BOOK THIEF IS IN CINEMAS ON JANUARY 9.

Protesters and media gathered in front of Sydney Town Hall for a ‘Save Our Medicare’ rally against Tony Abbott’s government proposals for new fees and cuts to Australia Medicare.

save our medicare rally - Greens Senator Richard Di Natale

Greens Senator Richard Di Natale interviewed by media

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Linda Scott, Labor Councillor for Sydney spoke at Save Our Medicare Rally

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Greens Senator Richard Di Natale spoke at “Save Our Medicare Rally”

save our medicare rally save our medicare rally home made signs save our medicare rally mach signs save our medicare rally march save our medicare rally people save our medicare rally sign save our medicare rally signs save our medicare rally speakers save our medicare rally save our medicare really greens