... The Journey Begins

The Bridge Climb started off in excitement -- after getting all geared up with professional looking radios stuck to our backs, we are ready for the climb. We walked right through residential area and onto the very first horizontal beam of the harbour bridge. No more pictures taken from here forth, due to security reasons.

We got lined in via the round disc at our safety harness unto the static line that ran right through the bridge. So, all climbers are very much attached and not have free reign while up on the bridge. All are stucked to this static line.. well, all, except for the climb leader. They do have detachable discs that allow them to move away from the static line and move around the bridge to keep all climbers in check.

I was sandwiched between kath and nick, with peter leading the pack, and after him was Will. It was a great climb. We manage to climb a vertical, 90 degree ladders for 4 sections. These actually lead up to 80% up to the top of the arc. These 2 sections consisted of about 4 little portions of ladder. The first section had about the length of 200m vertical climb, and the second section felt about the same.... It was tedious job to climb that way.. not as to having the stamina for it, but rather, one has to climb in such a way not to hit their shins into the steel steps. Try doing that for all 4 sections in 1 vertical climb. Could be exhilirating... but no doubt, fun.. its quite tempting to let go and feel how a plunge feels.. but then again, one's sealed to the static line remember ?

Once up the vertical ladders, we are on our way to the very top -- there's a long length of steps to take before we reach the very top. that wasnt that bad -- it was a nice gradual walk.... plenty of steps... there's a lot of "Hand-eye-Feet" coordination involved. Just like how the guide leaflet have put it. It was silly at the point we read it, but when we were up there --- IT is true. hahhahaha..

We took this picture half way true. Mind you, we have to pay for them, since we can't take our OWN cameras up.. it would have been lovely to do that. The view was fantastic... We took a total of 3.5 hours for the entire process. Getting suited up, walking up the bridge, down the bridge.

It was lovely. Thanks guys -- it was a lovely team building session. And the pizzas we had after that was awesome. Cute ones.. the doggie bagged ones made lovely dinner too. hahhaha... As to cold pizzas vs hot pizzas... I'll leave you guys to fight it out. I still prefer hot to cold though... and, coke to beer when it comes to that too..

Cheers ! It has been a wonderful time and i will certainly miss all of them when i'm back home.

The Harbour Bridge

The Harbour Bridge. It always gives me a feeling of wonder, and amazement...especially when you travel on it. I look out of my office window everyday, and get to see it in full view, always busy with cars, trams, trains passing through the over a 300 tonnes of weight. Its got 600 over thousand over hot iron rivets (Aussie-made) hammered into by workman in the 1920s. And, guess what -- there are over 10 million over rivets in the sea bed below the Harbour Bridge. The noise of the work site went all the way to Manly beach, and could be heard clean over Bondi. WOW! That's loud! -- And for that, the man who built the Harbour Bridge -- whateverhisnameis - gave the Luna Park as a gift to the residents of Sydney, as a token of appreciation, for the 8year patience that was extended while the bridge was in the making.

I know, its the definately not the finest architecture compared to the many huge bridges in the world, for instance, the London Bridge facing the English Channel, or the hanging bridge of San Frans But, I can't deny that Sydney's Harbour Bridge is lovely.

For the past months, I've been crossing it, once, or twice, took a ferry and went by it. Spied on it from both sides of the bridge, but never been on it.. From 134 meters below at ground level, I look up and spot little groups of ant-like people climbing the massive structure of steel and structure. It looks fun to be that high up there, perching precariously and cat-walking over 100meters above the ground. Its like walking along the ledge of a 44- storey building. Cool! I know I'm a girl that love heights. Never a doubt -- and I might enjoy one of those climbs, standing on top of Sydney! However, upon checking its 178 bucks to do one climb like that. No way!

Anyway, we had a team outing yesterday. In the email, it stated that its

Objectives : Team session to review current status, bring comfortable gear we are going outside,
sportshoes as we will be walking lots

Location : To be Advised

I picture the team sitting in a round circle in the park, maybe the nearby Hyde Park or The 200 year old Royal Botanic Gardens behind our office. Oh well, its just one of those team sessions that we are having. I didn't really think much about it really.

Then, the surprise came, at around 11:30 -- where my boss rounded the team into the conference room up at the front of the office, and fed us with yummy sandwiches... And, he grinned at me and showed me a copy of the colorfully printed Sydney Harbour BridgeClimb phamplets. I was like.. gasp! you mean we are going for this?! COOL! REALLY???!!.... I mean, you really mean that??

WHOOPIE!!! I was pretty excited, and I was like you guys all knew about it? Awww.. they're so sweet... they knew I wanted to do the Bridge Climb, but just didn't find enough justification to spend that type of money. So, they brought me up there.. courtesy of the company. Thank you Vxxx -- that's my company.. not revealing much about who I'm working for. *winkz*

The whole process of the Bridge Climb took about 3 1/2 hours. From the part of sitting in the 1st Room to the Simulation Climbing portion. I feel like I'm a product being whizzed through an assembly line. But, I am very very impress at how well organise it was, and never once did I feel helpless with the strange looking safety gadgets that we will be using. Even the familiar karabiners are not in sight... we get some sophisticated looking "thing" at the end of our safety line. Cool! Instructions were kept simple, and short, easy understanding. Its fantastic. They provide everything -- from jump suits.. which made all of us look like Yogi Bears when we go without our safety belt around the waist... It was hilarious.

Room 1 -- Introduction Room

We can herded into this comfortable room, going through the basic run down on safety. That is ..

1) Breath Test --- Nope, no drinking prior to Bridge Climb .. we get a breatherliser.. not exactly the ones we see that the Traffic Police uses.

2) Disclaimer Forms -- Those that require us to sign away our lives just in case we trip and find ourselves plunging down the bridge. Oh by the way, it takes 5.14 sec to drop from the top of the arc to the sea below...

Looking at the brighter side of things, at least there wouldn't be that much of a mess for the cleaners below. *wince*

3) Surrending any medication of any kind. If one's asmathic, diabetic.. or whatever that may cause you to black out, fall over, and cause alot of security issues to the BridgeClimb.

4) Shoe check -- Only sneakers are allowed.

Room 2 -- Assessment of Gear Size to fit Each one

1) We went one round introducing one another -- a total of 10 of us in the team. Reason for doing that -- at least, you know what name to shout for rather then just a generic "Help" or "Look Out!"

2) We get assessed what size gear we are to wear. I have to say that the lady doing it wasn't that accurate in doing it -- Peter got one that is probably 2 sizes too big for him-- and mine you, his not a small man. His over 6foot tall. Mine.. it fits pretty well.. for once. *grinz*

Room 3 -- Lets dawn on Gear and strip off our baggage.

1) We're not allowed to carry objects up -- hair clips, watches, necklaces, large earrings, huge rings, just in case it falls out, and hit someone below. Ouch! Deadly little earring... Headlines read "Motorist killed by falling Earrings from the Harbour Bridge." It is possible... it might fall out, jab that poor fella in the eye, and he could just loose control and a) Drive off the bridge because he can't see a thing, b) Drive into a carful of lanes and hence, getting knocked by the train/tram/truck or any other forms of fast moving vehicle.

2) We get into our jump suits and back all our jackets and other nicknaks in the lockers provided.

Room 4 -- More Gear!!!

1) We get herded to 3 bars -- having safety harnesses attached to them. No pictures cz we can't take anything out -- just ourselves, and our jump suits. In no time, we got the harnesses on very quickly.. nice... we DO look very professional right now... (",)

2) To make us look even more of a professional climber -- we get served with a wide array of accessories that we can put on while on our climb. There were Beanies and caps to choose from, little hankies with little rubber strips hooked around your wrist, to wipe down anything you need. They even provide scrungies for the ladies who comes in free-falling-hence-turn-murder-prone hairclips... And, of course, all these comes in little attachables to be attached to the jumpsuit -- just in case any one of the objects comes off and tries to end some motorist's life down below the bridge.

3) All geared up! whew! -- time for simulation climb.. oh yes -- despite the many efforts to try to stop any thing free falling down 134 m, they've really forgotten to warn people not to spit. Or maybe, they just didn't want to remind climbers that they CAN actually do that.. tsk-tsk-tsk *evil*

Room 5 -- Climb Simulation

1) Next, the Simulator -- its kinda scary because, its in full view of everyone, and the whole structure's made up of steel. Yes, just like the Harbour Bridge, all steel.. that's why its called a simulator. Doh! We are taught some basic Dos and Don'ts over here, and just have a feel of how climbing a ladder feels like. Its kinda strange, having to test your ability in climbing a ladder... Does anyone NOT know how to climb one? Hmmm.... Anyway, off we go! it was fun.

Room 6 -- The Radio Room

1) in this area, we are told to stand in a roll, and place each tiny little radio kit of the person in front of us. Its really for us to listen to our Climb Leader, narrating on the lovely sydney we see below.. yes, very tourisy..... It made us look like cool espionage agents. Nice!

Out of Rooms and onto the Bridge

We make our way from the suit up area to the bottom of the Harbour Bridge.. amazingly, this is built right smack in the middle of residential areas, and we have to walk through it, passing strangers.. but it wasn't so bad.. its not a monkey suit that we are in... (",)

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With very cold hands -- that might be due to the fact that its really cold out there... we started our walk out onto the Bridge.. Narrow little steel mash -- even at the bottom, we are a few feet above the ground.. the wind was blowing at about 40knots (I think), and it was a pleasant stroll... just that the space was too durn small.. its just enough for a person to walk through -- there are areas in which you have to crouch low, and bend your knees to get over, lower your heads, just in case you smack right into a low, steel horizontal beam...

Our journey begins...

Machines walking the green mile

Dead man walking... Dead man walking on the green mile...

Poor machines -- they are being carted off right in front of my eyes. Stacked up, passing through the aisle in our office. Their last walk before they get write off the Asset List. Sob... Its like a funeral procession.. If printers have feelings -- I wonder how they feel. After they have served their purpose faithfully. In return, they simply get.... well... written off from existance.

Lets bow our heads in silence...

Amen.

The Great Sale Rampage....

Don't you feel happy when you get your hands on real sale items ? i manage to get a few good bargains over the weekends. (",) pleasant experience... along pitt street itself's a maze and a hide out for shops that sells geniune leather bags, and prices are slashed at 50% to 70% as they are trying to get the winter stocks out, and the new springs ones in. (note : its not winter as the rest of the world experiences, its the other part, where christmas is summertime.)

Anyway, back to where I was... yes, bags... the colors of display. It ranged from orange, pink, yellow, red, meganta, turquiose, baby blue, all shades of nude, brown and blacks.. its really lovely to just stand amongst those little sacks of joy. Oh the happiness and excitement bags gives me. (",) No words can express that excitement, that contentment. Its a feeling that one feels, like a kid in a candy store, or a surfer in the best surf of waves, or the florist, catching the first wiff of spring flower smells. ( be it for the money or the interest... gawd knows...) Well, yes, I had that same experience. Its transcendental, to find that calming, perpectual rapture effect, in the mist of brilliant colors and hypnotising smell of leather... the fast adrenaline rushing in the midst of such beauties and the calling out -- "BUY ME!!" Simply too irresistable. I have to keep check of myself ... making sure I remain clear headed in the eye of the "hurrican", and that i don't go into a frenzy picking up EVERY brightly colored bag that i can find use for. ( that covers about everything.. and when it comes to bags... i don't have to be that creative to come up with anything or anywhere to use it for.) So, I did manage to grab from Australia's economy 5 bags - 1) a lilac clutch bag, 2) an ash black clutch bag, 3) a red leather suede handbag, 4) chic dark brown handbag, 5) turquiose colored handbag. I do love the last one -- its a lovely turquoise.. brilliantly colored. Lovely. :) I had just to stop myself, after buying 3 bags from one store before, and a fourth, which was quite a splurge. But i did like that fourth very much... brown, shoulder strap, simple, nicely shaped. Chic for casuals, and afternoon tea or shopping in the streets of singapore for instance....... OHHHH - how i miss shopping in Singapore. Where i can get clothes that are MY size.. shoes that are MY size... awwwwww... its such an anticlimax when you see that lovely pair of shoes on sale, and the smallest size that its made in is 2 sizes too big... TWO.. TWO!!!?? can you believe that?? damn!

But, talking about shoes, i did manage to get a lovely pair of heels. :) its pink, leather.. 2 1/2'', and absoluately gorgeous. I'll try to put a pic up -- it seems lovely to put pics in blogs.. i just never got round to doing that... trusting that i do such things for a living, i'm not too keen to do anything fancy other then typing away in my blog.. i'll see if i get around to doing that. :)

Oh yes... and guess what - i manage to get a pair of rashies for a good $20.. cool eh! And its lovely... Its been one that i've been eyeing even when i was back home early this year. Just jumped onto it when I saw that it was going for 29.95... but, to my utter surprise, when it was at the cashiers, there was further reductions to a swell $19.95. I love australian sales!!! Way to go Aussie shops! You do the Math, it is great to shop here... even after the exchange rate, which is 1.28 right now. (",) Though, I've just checked, its 1.30 now!!! thank goodness i changed it for 1.28.. phew! its those little stuff that i sting on - those pennies i save -- goes to the bag rampages.. heheh.. Would love to show you all the loot that I've got.. (",) we'll see how the mood goes for adding photos in later.

YUM!

981 Steps & A Broken Flask

Durn! I just broke the metal flask that my mum gave me. Argh. I don't believe it... The top portiong of the screw top came off, and it just doesn't seem to be put back together again. Gasp! I am so dead.

Talking about being broken... there was a fire drill in my building today -- and guess which level my office is in. A good 42nd storey. The building's only about 43 storeys high. And, we have to walk down 42 flight of stairs. The fire drills was due at 10am, and there were some people who went down a couple of minutes earlier to avoid walking down the stairs. Well, I would have if I could. Take a leisure walk to the life, press a couple of buttons, enjoy the lovely hot coffee at the coffee bar in the opposite side of the street, kick back, relax and watch the show unfold. Yes, i decided to take those 981 steps down. Together with a few dilligent colleagues. I was there because I wanted to support Nat and Mich, our Floor Warden and Stairs Warden. Way to go Nat, Mich! It was lovely to see those yellow and red fireman hats in your hands -- it would have been better if you guys wore them.. You'll look perfectly professional. Though Nat will probably be charred leaving only his yellow hat behind.... We will observe a min of silence for the yellow hat! *silence*



To tell the truth.. the walk down wasn't that bad... my legs just started to feel like jello when it reached the 18th floor... I was so going to fall forward on my face in the heels i was wearing. I'm beginning to regret for not taking note of the email that yellow hat sent out last week. I did vaguely recall that there was a fire drill going on, but that mental note I made for 7th Sep didn't seem to be in any part of my memory when I dress up for the day's work, which, evidently, I wasn't preparing for a long 42-storey walk down. But it was an achievement, to walk down 42 storeys... IN HEELS... amazing isn't it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the effects wouldn't
kick in tomorrow and i wouldn't feel... ... broken.....