Latest news with #Lex
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Sky News AU
American mum living in Brisbane causes online controversy after revealing bizarre list of things she hates about Australia
An American expat residing in Brisbane has sparked a lively online debate after listing her top grievances about Australia, including difficult shopping trolleys and a puzzling highway system. Lex, a social media content creator whose account provides an American perspective on integrating into Australian culture, posted the video to TikTok and listed her five top issues with her adopted homeland. Number one on the list was that Australian shops close their doors far earlier than those in America, with the former Houston-based mum admitting 'it was a little strange at first'. 'The shops close early here, I'm used to it, I've been here nine months, but it was a little strange at first, but I understand it, because there can be a duality with things like that'. An American expat residing in Australia has sparked a lively online debate after listing her top grievances about life down under. Picture: NewsWire /John Appleyard. The popular user then claimed in the US 'supermarkets are pretty much open all of the time'. However one user questioned, 'the shops close early where you are? Come to Victoria, the shops are open very late here'. The Brisbane mum's second bugbear was that Australian shopping trolleys are 'challenging to steer'. 'Shockingly 90 per cent of Aussies are in agreement with me on this," wrote Lex, adding she was "challenged with this nine months in'. The Brisbane mum was more confidant about her second bugbear, that being the unruly nature of Australian shopping trolleys. Picture: Bev Lacey/NCA. She conceded, 'you really have to put you body into it', with a raft of Australians taking to the comment section to encourage Coles and Woolworths to apply a generous portion of WD-40 to the aging fleet. 'You don't push a trolly here, you manage it' one person said. However another user claimed US trollies were far worse, writing "I HATE American trollys I go to Costco and it's infuriating." However, a more contentious compliant from the women was that 'Mexican food is pretty bad here' and was far inferior to that served in Texas. 'The Mexican food is not great, and I don't expect it to be great, it's just hard because in Texas the Tex-Mex is so good, I crave it'. One person said, 'the Mexican thing is true, but we're about as far from Mexico as you can get', whilst another disgruntled user asked, 'do you have a Guzman y Gomez in Brissie because that's pretty good?' "In Melbourne we have fabulous Mexican restaurants," shot back another commenter. However, a more contentious compliant from the women was that 'Mexican food is pretty bad here'. Picture: Guzman y Gomez via NCA NewsWire. The expat also unloaded on Australian motorways, and that they were almost impossible to understand. Picture: Nigel Hallett/NCA/ The expat also unloaded on Australian motorways, claiming they are almost impossible to navigate as opposed to the gigantic American interstate highway system. 'The highways here are a bit of a challenge, and I don't exactly know why, we turn around easily and take the wrong exit, and I can't figure out if it's the signage, the signage is different for sure,' the women said. 'The name of the highways aren't as prominent as Houston, the name of the highways are blatantly big in Texas and so that took me a minute. I had to get used to searching for the name of the highway which is what I was used to'. One user pointed out that 'the moment you use a tunnel in Brisbane [Google] maps no longer works', with another bemoaning that 'if you get off on the wrong exit, so often you can't just get back on! You're stuck!' Whilst admitting her last irk was 'so petty' the women was shocked that Australian restaurants and cafes make customers pay for condiments and sauces and stated this was the biggest culture shock of all. 'You have to pay for condiments here, in the states if you want 50 sauces then that's that, it goes to the other direction where it's wasteful, but yeah you have to pay for condiments here so that was an adjustment." However one follower fired back: "Surely you now need to expose how GREAT our sauce packets are? Squeeze to dispense - no ripping a packet - use again later in the meal - the best!"
Independent Singapore
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Independent Singapore
Stage set for Mediacorp 987 STAR grand finale: Who will take the mic?
Courtesy of press release SINGAPORE: After weeks of high-pressure challenges and non-stop hustle, just four talents are left standing in the race to become the next Mediacorp 987 STAR. Georgina, Lex, Nicolette and Shaniah have earned their place in the spotlight—and now, it all comes down to the live grand finale at the Ultimate Showdown. Only one will take the crown. Star power Since the beginning, the challenges have not been easy. The top 10 contestants sat through two high-pressure challenges that put their creativity, grit and star power to the test earlier this week. Contestants were given complete control over the scripting, filming, and editing of their video for the first challenge, 'Messy Is The Message,' provided that it advertised the competition finale. Striking and memorable It all came down to originality, inventiveness, and digital production skills in order to produce the most visually striking and memorable film for the judges, influencers Faris Samri and Avi Dixit, and Mediacorp 987's Germaine Tan. The next challenge, 'Going Viral', contestants have to step into the spotlight through a TikTok Live session where they entertain viewers in real-time with their energy and charisma. They then went into the radio booth to co-host with the personalities of Mediacorp 987 for 30 minutes. Without breaking a beat, they managed to spin tunes, interact with listeners, and provide traffic and weather updates while live on air. Zhu Zeliang of Mediacorp YES 933, Nity Baizura of RIA 897, and Gerald Koh of 987 were the judges of this real test of multi-platform wizardry. Final four Georgina, Lex, Nicolette, and Shaniah stepped up to the task, passing every exam and earning their places in the final four despite the extreme difficulties. They will now go to the last round, The Ultimate Showdown, which will take place live at 313@somerset on Saturday, May 31 at 5 p.m. The last four will compete in an exciting series of challenges unlike any other challenge before, in front of an enthusiastic live audience. They will be put to the test on their stage presence, originality, and vocal skills while interacting with the audience. What's at stake? Imagine this: you could be the next Mediacorp 987 STAR! That means landing an awesome gig with 987, plus you'd walk away with a cool $5,000 in cash. In addition to witnessing all the action live, viewers can expect exclusive performances from local singer WhyLucas and singer-songwriter Shazza, as well as the opportunity to interact with their favourite Mediacorp 987 characters. The contestants have reached the final stretch! It sounds like it's been a real adventure getting here. Who will take over the microphone? Attend the launch of the next Mediacorp 987 STAR! Tune in to watch the full episodes now on Mediacorp Entertainment on YouTube and mewatch , and enjoy exciting highlights on Mediacorp 987's TikTok .
The Irish Sun
23-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
I went to the exotic holiday islands that feature in Disney's new movie – with dinosaur tours and turtle beaches
'ISN'T this where the dinosaurs come and eat us?' I joke. We're ten minutes into our hiking tour of O'ahu — one of the eight main islands in the US state of Hawaii — when our buggy tyre goes flat. 7 The stunning Waikiki landscape with its golden beaches Credit: Supplied 7 When temperatures soared past 30C, I headed to the famous Waikiki Beach to cool off in the waters Credit: Getty 7 Dubbed the surfing capital of the world, the North Shore felt like I'd stepped back in time, with its laid-back community Credit: Getty Thankfully, despite Jurassic Park being filmed here, no dinosaurs ever roamed in Hawaii. After all, the islands were created a mere five million years ago, and the dinosaurs became extinct 60 million years before that. That doesn't stop me heading straight to Kualoa Ranch after our hike, for an e-bike tour of the exact spot where the famous movies were shot. Or so I thought. My guide crushes my excitement by declaring that just 96 seconds of Hawaii actually featured in the first film. READ MORE ON BEACH HOLIDAYS Remember when Alan, Lex and Tim are hiding behind the tree trunk from the Gallimimus? Yeah, those 96 seconds. But my dismay ends quickly — the landscape is breathtaking. The ride takes me around the overwhelmingly beautiful hills, so green they didn't look real against the cloudless blue sky. I'd never been so glad to have the support of an electric bike. One particularly treacherous incline left me drenched in sweat, even with the additional pedal power . Most read in Travel But as stunning as Hawaii is on land, it's the ocean (or in Hawaiian, moana — yes, really) where it truly comes to life. Turtles basking When temperatures soared past 30C, I headed to the famous Waikiki Beach to cool off in the waters. Four things to do on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu Known as the birthplace of modern surfing, it's also where shows such as Hawaii Five-O and Magnum P.I. were filmed. It has recently been the location of another major blockbuster, Disney's new live version of Lilo & Stitch. Dubbed the surfing capital of the world, the North Shore felt like I'd stepped back in time, with its laid-back community. The pristine stretch of sand was taken up by eager sunseekers as well as brightly patterned surfboards dotted around the beach. On the other end of the island is the quaint town of Haleiwa, which also features in the Disney movie. Dubbed the surfing capital of the world, the North Shore felt like I'd stepped back in time, with its laid-back community. I spent hours exploring the multicoloured wooden shops with barely any crowds, filling my bag with local art prints and jewellery. A must-visit is Matsumoto's, one of the region's oldest shaved ice stores (I recommend the guava and pickled mango combination). But a trip to the state of Hawaii shouldn't just stop at one island. Nearby Hawai'i — another island in this collection — offers a different kind of beach, the famous black-sand Punalu'u. 7 Most turtles only head to land to lay eggs, whereas the chill Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles are there to laze Credit: Getty 7 Needing a more relaxed afternoon, I spent one of my final days exploring another retro town, with Hilo's Art Deco streets looking more like Miami Credit: Supplied It is also one of the few places in the world where you can see Most only head to land to lay eggs, whereas the chill Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles are there to laze. Y ou have to stay a certain distance from them, but the nonplussed one we spotted gave us a relaxed 'wave' of the fin. Apparently that wasn't close enough for the cheeky creatures, however, as I found myself surrounded during a quick dip. Despite my attempts to move away, it was almost like they didn't know I was there, nudging me in the stomach while blissfully gliding beneath me. I thought this would be the highlight of my bucket-list trip. Boy was I wrong. Just behind the Outrigger Kona Resort were more majestic sea critters ready to greet us, and these ones are best seen at night. I geared up with a life jacket and oar, eagerly paddling out in the dark with my jocular guide. The magic happens when we turn on the lights, attracting plankton. It takes a few minutes before a manta ray comes right up to us for a midnight snack. Having slid into the water — again trying not to touch them — gripping the boat wearing snorkels we watch as they gracefully catapult below. In the following days, I walk the length of an active volcano, which has started to erupt for the first time in months. One manta ray turns into two, then five, before we realise there are at least ten below us. My laughs become slightly terrified screams as they graze me, mere centimetres away. Even my guide is impressed, saying the average number to see is barely three per night. Thrills are at every corner of these stunning islands. In the following days, I walk the length of an active volcano, which has started to erupt for the first time in months. Then I drive up 13,000ft to some of the world's largest observatories, spotting Saturn from the top of Mauna Kea. No wonder I have such an appetite every evening. 'Food is the love language of Hawaii,' a local server said. I could see that — the 7 The American-sized portions kept me well fed, with towering piles of rice and kalua pork Credit: Supplied 7 The Sun's Kara tucks in to Matsumoto's shaved ice Credit: Supplied And with fantastic coffee and chocolate (both grown on the island) it was enough to keep me going. Needing a more relaxed afternoon, I spent one of my final days exploring another retro town, with Hilo's Art Deco streets looking more like Miami. One of the more popular shops is owned by shirt designer Sig Zane, who explained how the scenery is often the inspiration for his patterns. 'We're living in heaven,' he said. Leaving the shop to see the bright- blue sea right in front of me, I was inclined to agree. GO: HAWAII GETTING THERE/STAYING THERE: A seven-night twin-centre stay with four nights in O'ahu and three on the island of Hawai'i is from £2,449pp including hotels, return UK flights, inter-island flights and car hire. See OUT & ABOUT: North shore Eco Tours hiking from £84pp, northshoreecotours. com. Kualoa Ranch e-bike tour from £84, Anelakai Adventures swimming with manta rays from £137, Mauna Kea Summit Adventures tour from £214, MORE INFO: See
Sunday Post
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday Post
Glasgow Garden Festival brought back to life in new walking tour
Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up I'm standing in a park in Govan talking to a stranger about 1988. 'It was brilliant,' says the man in his 70s, looking around for signs of a past hidden in the bushes, and the years. 'I remember taking the weans here. We went on the trams and went up the tower. You could see right down the river. It's a shame they knocked it all down, it was great for the place.' His nostalgia is for one of the most significant moments in the modern history of Glasgow, an event which lasted just 152 days but drew four million people and has endured in the memory of every one of them. And now, thanks to a new self-guided tour, they can bring some of those memories back to life, by retracing their footsteps along the south bank of the Clyde, and all the way down memory lane to the Glasgow Garden Festival of 1988. © Andrew Cawley The botanical jamboree, which transformed the former graving docks in Govan into a colourful cosmopolitan fiesta, is considered by many to be the starting point in a cultural renaissance for post-industrial Glasgow after the demise of the heavy industry on the Clyde. For one summer, Govan housed rollercoasters, art installations, fountains, exotic plants and internationally-themed gardens. Although it barely exists now, some touchstones lurk on the riverbank. I joined Lex Lamb, co-founder of the After The Garden Festival heritage project, to find them on a trip back through the years. Lex has produced a walking tour, available to download online, detailing the remaining focal points from Glasgow's summer of '88. We meet off the back of Govan Road, under a towering brick-rendered version of the iconic bouquet logo, designed by Glasgow artist Shona Maciver, and head towards the east entrance, now the site of a multiplex cinema. © Alamy Stock Photo 'The designers based elements of the site on the Disneyland models,' Lex tells me. 'Funnelling people along a stem into a central flower rendezvous.' We head west on the manicured Mavisbank Gardens where riverside flats now occupy the site that Charles and Diana once trundled through in a vintage tram on the festival's opening day, and where I convince myself the screams from the Coca-Cola rollercoaster – the best remembered of all the attractions – can almost still be heard. 'It's maybe hard to locate the exact site of the rollercoaster now,' says Lex, as we look up at the flats towering to the coaster's height. 'But for anyone who wants to come to the exact spot, it's all there in the tour.' My memories of the festival are vivid. Celtic were celebrating their centenary, and as the only fan of the club in Kilmacolm Primary School in those days, it was a major victory to get my P7 mates to pose with me in front of the giant floral logo of the club's new crest on our school trip. © Supplied There were later trips up the Clydesdale Bank tower with my folks, a run on the rollercoaster with my cousin, rides on the trams and a front page of a newspaper designed with the splash: Paul English signs for Celtic! I even saw Andy Walker, the team's star striker at the time, crossing the specially-designed Bell's Bridge. If this was the Scottish Office's idea of a marketing job on the city, then I was sold. As well as these heady thrills, I also remember the first stirrings of a burgeoning interest in public art. Why was there a giant floating head in the river? Are people allowed to make sculptures of a giant naked lady? Why are those old dock bollards painted in black and white stripes like St Mirren strips? I waited 36 years to find out on my walk with Lex. 'These are my favourite relics,' he says. 'The garden festival had a cutting edge contemporary art programme. These were by French artist Daniel Buren who has gone on to tremendous success with stuff outside the Louvre and French parliament. It was a comment on the garden festival taking on an industrial important site and tarting it up.' © Alamy Stock Photo We continue along past STV and BBC as the Finnieston Cran and north and south Rotunda buildings stand guard silently holding their stories from the decades when this river had so many craft on it, it might just have been possible to walk from one side to the other. Lex's trip – stirring memories of fountains, art installations and boat trips on the river that summer – only serves to highlight the paucity of creative engagement with this city centre waterway. The upper Clyde is silent, the city chiefs seemingly clueless as to how to utilise it. © News UK Ltd/Shutterstock Our tour continues past the Science Centre and Glasgow Tower, both of which had nominal predecessors on the same site. A few weeks ago, I visited the remains of the Clydesdale Bank Tower, (where local lore holds that Princess Diana experienced a bout of sickness), now a crumbling beacon on the seafront at Rhyl, Wales. Lex's fascination with the Glasgow Garden Festival has led to the curation of a substantial inventory of items and their whereabouts. From the mini steam train in Japan to fibreglass statues in Kaye Adams' living room, he has pieced together the festival bit by bit, following the site's dismantling in 1989. © Alamy Stock Photo But not all of the items are being well cared for. By sheer coincidence, days after joining Lex on his trail, I stumble across the festival's giant Royal Bank of Scotland Children of Glasgow Fountain, now dumped under rubble in a Council yard. Lex's tour concludes in Festival Park, the part of the GGF which bears the closest resemblance to its original incarnation. This is the site of two contemporary archaeological digs, peeling back the years to reveal elements of infrastructure around the festival's railway line, planting patterns and coins flipped into the lochan for good luck by passengers on the train. The trees here, now mature, are living relics of the festival, presumably too the iris growing out of what is now a dry recreation of a rocky highland burn. At the top of the burn's bed are the steps of a waterfall, now almost completely overgrown. Lex's group has just installed information boards, offering a then-and-now perspective to passers by. © Andrew Cawley As we pause at the foot of the waterfall, two men stop to read the board. I ask them if they remember the festival. 'I was born that year, mate,' one says with a smile. 'Don't remember too much about it.' I tell them how this place was once where people came for rollercoaster thrills and skybound towers, to ride old trams and be surrounded by art and music in what felt like an endlessly sunny summer.'I hope this gives people who remember visiting this park, and the festival, the chance to refresh those memories,' says Lex. 'But just as importantly, people who didn't know it even happened at all will have it pointed out to them. That's part of our mission, to bring to light the detail of this event. It changed the way Glasgow sees itself, and the way Glasgow is seen by the rest of the world.' To take the tour visit:
Toronto Sun
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
SUNshine Girl Lex
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Full Screen is not supported on this browser version. You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen. SUNshine Girl Lex loves watching football and doing poll dancing. The 5-foot-5, hazel-eyed Virgo, who posed for us in September 2019, is a maternal health worker and self-professed workaholic who'd like to drive a Range Rover. (STAN BEHAL/Toronto Sun) This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
