Videos

Sydney Festival. Everyone acknowledges that Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. However, not many have heard of the amazing Sydney Festival which really makes January the month to be nowhere else but Sydney! Actually, one should be here from Christmas.

The festival, which started in 1977, is one of the largest cultural festivals in Australia and runs for the whole of January. There is so much to do and to see. It is a celebration of the vitality of the city as well as a showcase of highly creative and innovative Australian Arts.

This short video is of just one evening going to see a marvellous performance which is such a superb blend of simple (but oh so clever) audio visual, dramatic music, acting and puppetry but not a single spoken word. It has a cast of only three led by music from their CD. Amazing stuff which unfortunately I cannot share with you. However, this video is of the venue and an exhibition that shares the same massive space.

No doubt we had a great evening – wish you were here too!

Sylvia Slykhuis Berjas was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. After undergoing the standard surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, Sylvia set off to China to enhance her recovery through Qigong. So impressed was she with the effectiveness of Qigong that she decided to raise awareness among fellow cancer sufferers.

To this end and to raise funds for the cancer cause, in 2008 Sylvia set off on a solo walk across China along the Great Wall. After covering 1,500km, she was forced to suspend the walk due to the tight security enforced for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

As a result of experience gained, Sylvia founded The Transparent Charity Inc (TTC), a charity organisation with the emphasis on "transparency". This organisation's unique philosophy stands it apart from most other charities – it ensures that donors know precisely where their money is going.

This video is of the lively launch of her new challenge to walk the 6,000km from the Gobi Desert to Beijing tracking the Great Wall of China. This amazing 66 year-old plans to complete the trek by November 2012.

The walk is dedicated to raise funds for The Transparent Charity, CanSur and Guolin Qigong organisations.

A tribute to Dad and Wiwik. (Wiwik calls my Dad "Ah Kong" – Hokkien term meaning grandad).

Class of 66 undertook the project of tiling the walls and pillars of the ground floor of one school block. The presentation to the Principal marked the completion of the tiling work.

I wasn't a contributor to the project but arrived from Sydney just in time for the event and met up with old school mates, many of whom I had not seen since December 1966. A meaningful and eye-opening day for me.

Dinner segment at the end happened 3 days later, before we parted company again.

Three frames in mid-section show students in the Bakery Class – a wonderful School initiative that has already help many over the past ten years on the pathway to the fast growing hospitality industry. These young students were undergoing their end-of-year exam under the scrutiny of an external chef. The calm enthusiasm of the class was most impressive. We later had a taste of their endeavours – professional quality!

Julianne's birthday falls just a few days before Christmas.

In this small family gathering (in Sydney) you will notice a number of cameras recording this very lively girl's birthday. In fact one among those filmed is a professional photographer. All these cameras capture different angles and so will the stories they tell from this one small occasion.

That's the beauty of short story telling.

In this clip, a number of additional work had to be done and the camera settings are set a little differently from the earlier two above. Find out more by clicking the "description" button.

The ending – the so-cool reaction of Julianne is simply priceless!