XVIII Commonwealth Games

No money, no tickets. But that didn't stop a bunch of us from cramming along with the over packed, sardine-like crowd spilling onto the sides of the yarra river to participate in this long awaited for event. And the results? WORTH IT. No kidding.
Being part of the crowd for the games I could feel the energy of the uplifting sporting spirit that is so typically Australian. It also brought back memories of the 1998 Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur, where my family and I did the same thing - hang around for the opening even though we didn't have tickets to go into the stadium. I distinctively remember talking to a competitor from the Cayman Islands, where I was presented with a little collar pin. Eight years later, while standing within the crowd in Melbourne, I secretly hoped that my family was there to share that moment with me. Without noticing, my hand had already picked up my mobile and searched through the phonebook for 'home.'
Here are a few photographs from last night, and although photographs are merely still images and cannot capture everything, it is the best I can do to share my experience of this significant event.
That's it! As usual, took me quite a while to upload these pics so I hope the precious time spent uploading is well worth it! ^^