These pictures are from when I visited California earlier this year. I went with my school for a vocal ensemble tour, and these were taken on my first day there, in Hollywood. It was incredible- there were extravagant displays in every shop, and people who looked as if they just stepped out of movies, not at all like Sydney! 

I chose these shots rather than a tourist snap of the Hollywood sign, because they make me feel like I’m walking along Hollywood Boulevard again. There are people dressed up as film characters scattered along the walk of fame, eager to give you a photo with them in exchange for money. For example, in the second photo you can see a man dressed as the Joker conversing with a couple of people off the street, taking a break from his day job. I am not really sure why this intrigued me so much, but maybe it is because it depicts not only the two different sides of Hollywood, but people as well.

While he is the Joker, a symbol of the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle, he is also a regular person. I don’t know where he lives, or what his family is like, or if he is happy or sad with his life, but he most likely not similar to the character he acts on the street. What I get from this is we often forget that what we are presented with is rarely the truth. Maybe I’m reading too far into it- but it’s a good message, don’t you think?

These photos are from my holiday to Pulau Tiga, which is a small island off the west coast of Sabah (Borneo) in Malaysia. We visited a near by island known as ‘Snake Island’ which is inhabited by Yellow-lipped Sea Krait, which have enough poison to kill an adult in less than five minutes if bitten. However they were surprisingly friendly, and did not threaten to bite us even when handled. Our tour guide told us that they are only active during the night, and even then, their small mouths make it hard to pierce the skin. 

Afterwards we snorkelled a distance from the island, which was beautiful because the water was so clear and there were so many fish and other marine life. A lot of the coral was dead though, which made me upset because through climate change and ocean acidification, we are the main contributor to their deaths. 

On a more positive note though, the holiday was amazing and I wouldn’t mind living on Pulau Tiga if I could.