Brisbane Is Home

More Buddha birthday - Tai Chi

Originally uploaded by Brisbane Is Home.

This photo is of the Tai Chi demonstration at the NAB stage which is near the ferris wheel near the Victoria Bridge end of Southbank. There are live bands and other performances here all afternoon including karaoke at 3.30pm. There are also free meditation sessions at 2 and 4pm at the Conservatorium of Griffith University which is next to Southbank - register at the festival info booth which is near the suncorp piazza.

Buddha birthday festival on at southbank

Originally uploaded by Brisbane Is Home.

This is a picture from the Suncorp Piazza at Southbank where the Buddha bathing ritual is happening right now, as part of the Buddha birthday celebrations. There will be events all day, including performances, a fun and food fair and fireworks at 7.30 pm. Info at www.buddhabirthdayfestival.com.au

I love meat, and I want to let you know about a vegetarian restaurant in Fortitude Valley that is well worth a look, even if you love meat as much as I do.

It’s the Kuan Yin Vegetarian Tea House, on Wickham St. It’s directly opposite the end of Chinatown Mall (Duncan St - click here to see a Google Map of the exact location).

You can see the meal I had last night in the picture. It’s 100% vegetarian, and it cost me only $16. That got me:

• Taiwanese Fried “Chicken” (at the back - mildly spiced) - $5.50.
• Vegetable and Cheese Pancake - at the front - $4.50.
• ‘Simmered Eggs’ - 3 strongly flavoured eggs that had been given a dark colour when they were simmered, in halves on a plate. (I’d already eaten one when I took the photo) - $2.50
• ‘Coconut Flirtatious’ drink - a sweet, coconut flavoured drink with pieces of coconut meat in the glass - $3.50.

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I’ve just discovered the Winnie Coopers this week, and I like them. They are selfstyled geeks from the Gold Coast, 90km down the road from Brisbane, and they are playing at Uber Nightclub, 100 Boundary St West End, on Saturday night, May 5 (click here for a Google Map showing where Uber is).

From the Winnie Coopers bio page on the website:

Remember those students at school who sat down the front, finished their homework and joined the school council? Taunted. Rejected. Disillusioned. They now seek revenge in the form of the Gold Coast hip hop crew The Winnie Coopers. The project started in 2002 with founding member and vocalist The Educator and various collaborating friends. Since then, The Winnie Coopers has evolved into the current five piece line up comprised of (left to right above) Big Bad (turntables and percussion), Young Tubs (bass and vocals), The Educator, Eloquence (vocals and guitar) and Fingers Malone (drums).

As well as the main Winnie Coopers website, there’s also a Winnie Coopers myspace page where you can listen to 4 of their tracks. My favourite would have to be Eating Disorder, which starts:

The Winnie Coopers and Dizz - Don’t lock up your daughters

But lock the fridge - ‘Cause we’re ready to order

I want whipped cream on steak - you can keep your water

I have a problem - an Eating Disorder

The myspace page has also got the video for ‘Geek Manifesto’. And yes, they are named after the character from The Wonder Years.

I can smell beer being made in Brisbane!

Originally uploaded by Brisbane Is Home.

It might be a blurry photo, but if you could smell the beautiful smell of barley being roasted for beer, you would not mind at all. I am just leaving work, which is right near the famous Milton Brewery, where XXXX beer is made. (Say Four-ex). When fantasy/humour author Terry Pratchett parodied Australia in his Discworld book “The Last Continent”, he named it “FourEcks” in honour. Just wanted to let you know about one of the great smells of the city. Keep reading to see four much clearer photos of the brewery.

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Thanks to the what it feels like for a boi blog, I found out last week about the Reelife short film festival, which is playing tonight at the Dendy Portside in Hamilton. (Click here to see the exact location).

Reelife is a showcase of 15 short films by young Australian filmmakers, and it’s only $14 general admission.

At 6pm there’s also the Best of British short film collection, and then at 8.00 pm the Reelife films begin.

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Happy May Day!

The Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe hosts this week’s Carnival of Cities.

Brisbane Is Home’s collection of articles on Anzac Day, Australia’s national war-memorial public holiday, is one of the big features of the Carnival.

There’re also stories about:

A telephone box war in Christchurch, New Zealand

A stroll along a Sicily street.

Another stroll, this time from Covent Garden to Westminster in London.

The head of the Oracle database company is selling his house in Atherton, San Francisco. Unfortunately for him, he’s had to drop the price to only $US 16 million. Make an appointment now, first to see will buy!

Also in the SF Bay Area, Kathryn gives us lessons in love and public transport, and there’s some gorgeous photos of Muir Beach in Marin County.

From Vancouver, in British Columbia, Canada, we have photos of ducks and the public market from Granville Island, and also a story of a nostalgic return.

Back to the USA, and we have photos from Seattle’s Wing Luke Asian Museum.

Finally, a sketch of Mt Pleasant, South Carolina, and words, pictures and video from the National Zoo in Washington, DC the Maryland/Baltimore Zoo.

So, strap on your armchair, and start travelling around the Carnival of Cities.

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