After All, I Am the New Me.

Saturday was the annual Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras. It seems that people from all the outlying suburbs of Sydney & people from all over the World flock here every March to join in the festivities.

I am a person who feels that Christmas comes around far too often. It's not that I'm a 'Bah Humbug' type, but I think it would be far better for Christmas to be celebrated every five years. Every year around early October I go on 'Xmas Alert', where I look for signs of the impending celebration in Malls. When I find say, a packet of tinsel  or a Santa Scented Candle for sale, I inwardly groan. Here we go again, I mutter to myself, but not at all in a Scrooge-like way. There's Nothing Scroogie about me.

I feel the same way about the Mardi Gras. If only it could happen even every three years. But that's Never Going to Be. People are just desperate to  regularly get all joosched up in tiny little sparkly shorts & march down Oxford Street twirling a Rainbow Flag. And then go to the party afterwards & turn themselves into Total Trashbags.

This year I decided to take a Slightly Different Approach. Instead of feeling & behaving in the Usual Way, why not Embrace It, I asked myself.

After all, I Am The  New Me. 

So, around five on saturday, I trudged into the city where all the tinsel clad Parade Participants were assembling &  started taking photos. 

Hyde Park was awash with Wigs & Wings. And no one cared about having their photo taken. In fact, they Expected It.  No one gave me dirty looks or  accused me of Image Theft or Invading their Privacy, or threatened to break my camera.  So, I was kind of In Heaven.

 I just love taking photos of people in the street. But candid photos, not posing. I like for people to look a bit silly, but nothing humiliating, like snapping them when they're picking their nose.

 As I type, the thought  just struck me that I could be a Voyeur. And I would like that to be said with a strong French accent, like the word starts with a 'W' & not a 'V'. 

Back to the Parade.

I ended up taking 209 photos. And I found myself getting so into the swing of things that I had my photo taken with a couple of exceedingly large Drag Queens dressed up in shiny jump suits made of the Australian Flag.  By that stage I was feeling rather sad that it was impossible for me to Jump Ship & become a Lesbian . Even though one of my favourite sayings to my students is, 'Fake it Till U Make It', I really don't think I could do it. 

Oh, but now I really want a Giant Pair of White Wings just like a Swan. I would wear them everywhere, even to school & to the supermarket.