Sydney is play. The city is engaged in a continuous game that takes many forms of expression.

Sport is one of them. Who could imagine Sydney without the hundreds of joggers who flood Royal Botanic Gardens at lunchtime, or without the regular Sunday congregations that fill the local pubs to watch a game of footy? Sport is more than a means of releasing sweat and stress. It is a ritual for getting in touch with water and air, those elements that are so intrinsic to the Australian way of life.

But the game doesn't stop there. It finds its extension in a different context: nightlife. Some may claim that Sydney is smug, self-centered and superficial, and that the city has been hijacked by a tiny band of chattering party people. Hairdressers, soap actresses and glossy magazine editors bedazzle the Australian hinterland with their overwhelming trendiness. Does it really matter? Most Sydneysiders are just the audience in this game and couldn't care less - they just remain mildly amused.

So what's the latest 'in' party? I'll text you, babe.

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