Lockdown at APECville
Can I just say, man, how nuts has the security been this week! If like me you work in the city, specifically in the Quay area, you’ll probably be nodding in agreement too.
On Monday, I walked to work alongside the 3m high fence. It gave me the chills – I couldn’t tell if I was locked in or out. There were clumps of security guards at Wynyard Station, and posses (or posies) of police around the Opera House. Apparently there are important people visiting.
All of this, I kind of took into stride until today. Today redefined the term “security”, for me. Tomorrow will highlight it in big texta, and by Friday, hopefully I’ll be saying, Meh! Either that, or it’ll grow so extreme that we will find ourselves being escorted everytime someone needs to so much as go to the toilets.
Security = Two checkpoints, a bag scan, a mysterious something-or-other-booth body-scanning death-ray-zapping secret-photo-snapping type of machine.. oh and not to mention the guard dogs, ambulances, fire engines and police vans the size of buses (I wonder where the water cannon is??). In the afternoon, the army dropped by our kitchen for a spot check. A couple of them look worriedly at the pilot lights on my stove. “Are these pilot lights meant to be on?” someone asked. “Yes, they are pilot lights. That’s what they tend to do”, was my reply. Well, almost.
By 5pm, we were hurrying to leave because the corridor was going to be in lockdown. There are important people visiting, y’know. I made it through the corridor, but when I got to the exit gate in the fence, the gate was now in lockdown. We stood there in groups, shaking our heads, trying to look highly inconvenienced but understanding. I wiled away the time taking photos of the security guards. Finally the angry mosquitoes in the sky got louder, and suddenly, a cavalcade (including an ambulance) rode through the main entrance. Apparently it’s someone important visiting.
Vladimir Putin is meant to arrive in Sydney at 7:20am tomorrow. I’m going to have to try to beat him to work.
Ed said,
September 6, 2007 @ 8:37 pm
Very glad I’m not in Sydney right now. it all seems like some Ridley Scott nightmare.
mir said,
September 8, 2007 @ 3:30 pm
On the other hand, traffic’s been an absolute breeze with everyone abandoning the city.
Movie tomorrow arvo?
Y said,
September 8, 2007 @ 6:31 pm
Actually, having never experienced anything like this before, I was very fascinated. With all this increased security, have also never felt so safe walking in a rather empty city, late at night or very early in the morning.
min said,
September 16, 2007 @ 2:11 pm
LOL,
found the link to your blog while checking through old email.
you sure you won’t get arrested for posting this??? ;-P
Y said,
September 16, 2007 @ 4:00 pm
Nah, it’s not like I dressed up as Osama and tried to go down Macquarie St in a motorcade or anything! 😛
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/06/1188783378804.html?from=top5