I would like to wish each and every one of you, especially the Alviar and de Leon family, a wonderful and joyous Christmas this year!
To my family, I miss you all. Even without me, you should still make the most of what you have. Enjoy your time with each other.
To all my friends, thanks for all your Holiday greetings. Its good to know we haven't lost touch. Please stay in touch always and keep me updated with life back home.
Look forward to the year 2006. It is the year of the dog. Taken from a website, in the year of the dog "We will become more idealistic in our views, shedding some materialism by doing charitable acts or otherwise championing some worthy projects. It is a year in which we will shift away from the pursuit of the almighty dollar and become a little more reflective. A perfect time to reassess our sense of values, polish up our virtues and go on crusades against tyranny and oppression."
Be good in 2006. Here's a quote I'd like to share with everyone:
It is not the number of breaths you take in a moment that matters. Its the moments that take your breath away that counts.
Happy New Year!!!
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Engagement Party
Dear Michelle & Andrew,
Congratulations again on your engagement. I hope you enjoyed your engagement party with your closest friends and family. You picked a great Indian restaurant (Indian Palace in Balmain) and sorry the food was kindda late. I told the waiter we were starting to get wasted upstairs (we had the whole upstairs, front balcony for the engagement party) so better serve the food soon.
The best gift Natasha and I could give you was letting you eat the tiramisu/chocolate cake when technically, you're on a chocolate diet! But tonight was an exception and the next day since we had some leftover cake. We'll give you that one. Hehehhehe.
Cheers to both of you and I wish you all the best going forward!
Congratulations again on your engagement. I hope you enjoyed your engagement party with your closest friends and family. You picked a great Indian restaurant (Indian Palace in Balmain) and sorry the food was kindda late. I told the waiter we were starting to get wasted upstairs (we had the whole upstairs, front balcony for the engagement party) so better serve the food soon.
The best gift Natasha and I could give you was letting you eat the tiramisu/chocolate cake when technically, you're on a chocolate diet! But tonight was an exception and the next day since we had some leftover cake. We'll give you that one. Hehehhehe.
Cheers to both of you and I wish you all the best going forward!
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Xmas Carols at the Domain
I was asked, "do you have something like this in the US?" Not that I know of. It was 'bring-your-picnic-basket to the park' Xmas Carols in the Domain. Obviously, its too cold to have a picnic at night during winter back home.
We packed our picnic basket and met up with Natasha's parents and friends at the park. For about a couple of hours, singers from Australian Idol (the American Idol version) ie. Shannon Nolls, TV personalities, The Wiggles, and featuring the "Hoff"...as in David Hasselhoff (yes, he did sell a lot of albums and is apparently BIG in Germany), sang christmas carols all night. I can't believe I'm seeing Michael Knight/Mr Baywatch singing Xmas Carols in Sydney. And they had fireworks, too!!! Hopefully, we can make this a tradition every year.
The following day, my company had their second Xmas get together. This was just for the Sydney office. We had dinner at our Exec Mgr's home in Artarmon (pronounced Artaaamon) across the bridge (in the north side). This is one of the rich areas of Sydney and his home must have been at least $1M...maybe even $1.5M or more. The lamb was great and many more courtesy of Terry. Below is one of the recipes I got from Terry...its easy to prepare and I really liked it. I'm gonna try making it one of these days. Try it!
Bean & Pea medley with mint & almond pesto (Serves 12)
Ingredients
450g soya beans (edamame)
Note you can get these from Japanese grocery shops (frozen)
800g green beans, trimmed
4 cups shelled peas (or 1kg frozen peas)
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted in the oven at 180C for 5 minutes until golden
Torn mint leaves to garnish
Method
Squeeze the soya bean pods to remove the bright green beans.
Cook the green beans in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes.
Add the peas to the saucepan and cook for 2 minutes more, or until beans and peas are just tender, then add the podded soya beans and cook for 30 seconds more.
Drain well and toss in mint and almond pesto (recipe follows) while hot.
Scatter with toasted sliced almonds and torn mint leaves and serve immediately.
Mint & Almond Pesto
Ingredients
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup tightly packed mint leaves
½ cup toasted blanched almonds
½ cup almond oil or extra virgin olive oil, plus extra if necessary
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Place the garlic and mint in the bowl of a food processor and process to chop.
Add almonds and process again until coarsely ground.
With the motor running, drizzle the almond or olive oil through the feed tube and process until incorporated – adding more oil if necessary to bring the mixture to a smooth and flowing paste.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
We packed our picnic basket and met up with Natasha's parents and friends at the park. For about a couple of hours, singers from Australian Idol (the American Idol version) ie. Shannon Nolls, TV personalities, The Wiggles, and featuring the "Hoff"...as in David Hasselhoff (yes, he did sell a lot of albums and is apparently BIG in Germany), sang christmas carols all night. I can't believe I'm seeing Michael Knight/Mr Baywatch singing Xmas Carols in Sydney. And they had fireworks, too!!! Hopefully, we can make this a tradition every year.
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The following day, my company had their second Xmas get together. This was just for the Sydney office. We had dinner at our Exec Mgr's home in Artarmon (pronounced Artaaamon) across the bridge (in the north side). This is one of the rich areas of Sydney and his home must have been at least $1M...maybe even $1.5M or more. The lamb was great and many more courtesy of Terry. Below is one of the recipes I got from Terry...its easy to prepare and I really liked it. I'm gonna try making it one of these days. Try it!
Bean & Pea medley with mint & almond pesto (Serves 12)
Ingredients
450g soya beans (edamame)
Note you can get these from Japanese grocery shops (frozen)
800g green beans, trimmed
4 cups shelled peas (or 1kg frozen peas)
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted in the oven at 180C for 5 minutes until golden
Torn mint leaves to garnish
Method
Squeeze the soya bean pods to remove the bright green beans.
Cook the green beans in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes.
Add the peas to the saucepan and cook for 2 minutes more, or until beans and peas are just tender, then add the podded soya beans and cook for 30 seconds more.
Drain well and toss in mint and almond pesto (recipe follows) while hot.
Scatter with toasted sliced almonds and torn mint leaves and serve immediately.
Mint & Almond Pesto
Ingredients
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup tightly packed mint leaves
½ cup toasted blanched almonds
½ cup almond oil or extra virgin olive oil, plus extra if necessary
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Place the garlic and mint in the bowl of a food processor and process to chop.
Add almonds and process again until coarsely ground.
With the motor running, drizzle the almond or olive oil through the feed tube and process until incorporated – adding more oil if necessary to bring the mixture to a smooth and flowing paste.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Company Xmas Party - Verisign
The day before our company Xmas party, the finance dept (including me) stayed up until 12:30am reconciling and closing for the Nov month end. My first month end closing (if you're an acct, you would understand what month end closing is all about). Since we stayed up all night working, we get to have a choice of dinner. And of course, you know how I love sushi so much, we ordered japanese food from downstairs (Masuyas at O'Connell St). The restaurant downstairs is supposed to be good. But I was disappointed. Asian food here is not as good as back home. The unagi I ordered was just ok. Ray's sushi in Hayward is still better.
Anyway, the following day was our Xmas party. But before we could go, we had to finalize everything for month end closing. I get to the office and the controller tells me that the master file we saved last night was corrupted. This is the MASTER file with all the reconciliations, data, everything (my boss calls it his "whole life"). Its a big OH NO!!! And not right before our Xmas party...our boat leaves at exactly 1pm from the harbor. But thank goodness, after talking to the IT people, we were able to retrieve 99% of the file about an hour before the boat leaves. Thank you!!! Oh, and by the way, it just so happens that the day of our Xmas party has been the hottest day of the summer (39 degrees celsius - that's about 102 F degrees...yikes!!!). See our boat below.
After 4.5hrs on the boat eating, drinking, and others swimming, we docked in Darling Harbour and headed to Bungalow 8 for a couple more hours of drinking. It was still scorching hot everyone was sweating like a pig. Finally, we headed to a Spanish restaurant (Capitan Torres) at the Spanish Quarters for dinner...with AC. Whew! We needed that. Here's the roasted pig we ate to finish off the night:
Anyway, the following day was our Xmas party. But before we could go, we had to finalize everything for month end closing. I get to the office and the controller tells me that the master file we saved last night was corrupted. This is the MASTER file with all the reconciliations, data, everything (my boss calls it his "whole life"). Its a big OH NO!!! And not right before our Xmas party...our boat leaves at exactly 1pm from the harbor. But thank goodness, after talking to the IT people, we were able to retrieve 99% of the file about an hour before the boat leaves. Thank you!!! Oh, and by the way, it just so happens that the day of our Xmas party has been the hottest day of the summer (39 degrees celsius - that's about 102 F degrees...yikes!!!). See our boat below.
After 4.5hrs on the boat eating, drinking, and others swimming, we docked in Darling Harbour and headed to Bungalow 8 for a couple more hours of drinking. It was still scorching hot everyone was sweating like a pig. Finally, we headed to a Spanish restaurant (Capitan Torres) at the Spanish Quarters for dinner...with AC. Whew! We needed that. Here's the roasted pig we ate to finish off the night:
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Driver's License
Make way for Celestine!!! She is now allowed to drive on the other side of the road without even having to take any written or actual driving test (isn't that scary). But they really made me work hard for it. The first time I went, I didn't have a proof of address. The second time I went, the issue date on my California DL was only 11 months old. In order to get the full driver's license without having to take any exams, I would have to prove I've been driving for at least 3yrs. So I got my mom to send me my old DL's (keep your old ones just in case). Thanks, mama!
So I finally went the third time. And they still gave me a hard time. My signature on my passport did not match my other signatures. To make the long story short, the clerk asked her manager, came back, and told me that next time, I should sign everything the same (coz my name is so long and I have different versions of it...Maria, Celestine, Maria Celestine, etc.). Take note of this. Then finally, I got my picture taken. Within an hour including all my waiting time, I got my Australian Driver's license. WOOOHOOOO!!!! (not that I have a car to drive anyway...but just in case).
Watch out for Celestine on the road !
So I finally went the third time. And they still gave me a hard time. My signature on my passport did not match my other signatures. To make the long story short, the clerk asked her manager, came back, and told me that next time, I should sign everything the same (coz my name is so long and I have different versions of it...Maria, Celestine, Maria Celestine, etc.). Take note of this. Then finally, I got my picture taken. Within an hour including all my waiting time, I got my Australian Driver's license. WOOOHOOOO!!!! (not that I have a car to drive anyway...but just in case).
Watch out for Celestine on the road !
3rd friend in Sydney
I was so happy when I got an email from Tina Lou letting me know she's back in Sydney for work with Oracle. My 3rd friend from back home within two months. Now I'm beginning to think, I'm gonna have a dry spell for soo many months that nobody will be visiting me anytime soon. I'm gonna enjoy it while it lasts. So I freed up my weekend to spend time with her.
After a long working day on Friday (its my first month end closing with my company), I met up with Tina on Saturday at her Intercontinental hotel (on Bridge and Phillip St near Circular Quay...for my future reference when Tina comes back...if you decide to stay at the Intercon again and hopefully, upgrade to the Executive Suite so we can get the free VIP dinner on top of the hotel... OR, Hilton Hotel is pretty good, too). From her hotel, overlooking the Domain/Botanical Gardens, we walked through the gardens towards the farm cove.
From there, we took the bus to QVB (Queen Victoria Bldg), did some shopping (Tina did...I did window shopping - remind me to check out that blouse you liked at 'Jigsaw'. Clothes are soo expensive over here and sizes are bigger...really makes you feel fat), came out of the building and started our long, I mean loooooooooooong walks. We started looking for this restaurant, couldn't find it, walked a few more blocks (basically going around in a circle), then decided we're done walking and taking a taxi cab instead to Darling Harbour for lunch. Ahhh, relaxing lunch! From there, we took another cab to King's Cross, the red light district of Sydney. It wasn't a happening place...since it was daylight but I'm sure there's lots going on once the sun sets. So we walked some more, and more, until we reached Pott's Point where we had a nice coffee break. The waiter said there were some really nice cafes, bars, and restaurants in King's Cross. That was what we were looking for in the beginning but didn't see any...I guess it was off the main road. So we gave it another try. And that means, more walking back to King's Cross. Ay yay yay!!! Here's a couple of pictures on King's Cross:
So we finally got out of King's Cross and went to the Circular Quay to meet Tina's friend, Jonathan. But first, we went to the Contemporary Art Museum (for free, of course). It was almost closing time so we were able to see some of the exhibits. We did get on the top floor where they were setting up a dinner party and got a good view of the opera house and the harbour bridge. I don't think I can ever get tired of the view.
We met up with Jonathan and we had a couple of drinks at "The Cruise" by the cruise ship docking area. See harbour bridge picture above where you will see the tables with white shades (bottom right corner). We then had dinner at "The Italian Village" nearby then went for some more drinks at "The Bridge" bar (see opera house picture above...it is the bridge between the two buildings next to the opera house) - don't worry. I didn't get drunk...I know my limits. After viewing the Harbour Bridge at night from "The Bridge" bar, we went to the "Summit" / Orbit by Australia Square. This is the revolving restaurant in Sydney which takes about an hour to rotate all around. I just had coffee this time. Really great views from this restaurant/bar. I'll take any of you there next time. Just a note. They won't serve just coffee (since its a bar) unless at least 50% of the drinks ordered are alcohol. We were like, "whatever!". Next time Tina comes back, we'll go have drinks at the Shangri-La hotel. She's been wanting to go there all day but Jonathan was just not in the proper dress code.
And that was the end of our night...lots of walking though.
Sunday, the three of us met up again at Paddy's in Chinatown. Jonathan and Tina showed me this good Taiwanese restaurant...it was good! Tina was actually more of a tour guide to me than I was to her. She's been here three times for work and she's checked out a lot of places.
After lunch, we took the ferry to Manly beach where we spent the afternoon checking out the people and just soaking in the water. We ended our Sunday with dinner at a japanese restaurant on Liverpool St and after drinks at the new Hilton Hotel (really nice hotel). By the way, I've observed that asian food here is not as good as asian food in the bay area. I've tried a good (by their standards) japanese restaurant near my work (Masuya) and even their sushi is not as good as back home.
'Til next time. Hope to see you back here in Sydney, Tina! I enjoyed hanging out with you.
After a long working day on Friday (its my first month end closing with my company), I met up with Tina on Saturday at her Intercontinental hotel (on Bridge and Phillip St near Circular Quay...for my future reference when Tina comes back...if you decide to stay at the Intercon again and hopefully, upgrade to the Executive Suite so we can get the free VIP dinner on top of the hotel... OR, Hilton Hotel is pretty good, too). From her hotel, overlooking the Domain/Botanical Gardens, we walked through the gardens towards the farm cove.
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From there, we took the bus to QVB (Queen Victoria Bldg), did some shopping (Tina did...I did window shopping - remind me to check out that blouse you liked at 'Jigsaw'. Clothes are soo expensive over here and sizes are bigger...really makes you feel fat), came out of the building and started our long, I mean loooooooooooong walks. We started looking for this restaurant, couldn't find it, walked a few more blocks (basically going around in a circle), then decided we're done walking and taking a taxi cab instead to Darling Harbour for lunch. Ahhh, relaxing lunch! From there, we took another cab to King's Cross, the red light district of Sydney. It wasn't a happening place...since it was daylight but I'm sure there's lots going on once the sun sets. So we walked some more, and more, until we reached Pott's Point where we had a nice coffee break. The waiter said there were some really nice cafes, bars, and restaurants in King's Cross. That was what we were looking for in the beginning but didn't see any...I guess it was off the main road. So we gave it another try. And that means, more walking back to King's Cross. Ay yay yay!!! Here's a couple of pictures on King's Cross:
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So we finally got out of King's Cross and went to the Circular Quay to meet Tina's friend, Jonathan. But first, we went to the Contemporary Art Museum (for free, of course). It was almost closing time so we were able to see some of the exhibits. We did get on the top floor where they were setting up a dinner party and got a good view of the opera house and the harbour bridge. I don't think I can ever get tired of the view.
 |  |
We met up with Jonathan and we had a couple of drinks at "The Cruise" by the cruise ship docking area. See harbour bridge picture above where you will see the tables with white shades (bottom right corner). We then had dinner at "The Italian Village" nearby then went for some more drinks at "The Bridge" bar (see opera house picture above...it is the bridge between the two buildings next to the opera house) - don't worry. I didn't get drunk...I know my limits. After viewing the Harbour Bridge at night from "The Bridge" bar, we went to the "Summit" / Orbit by Australia Square. This is the revolving restaurant in Sydney which takes about an hour to rotate all around. I just had coffee this time. Really great views from this restaurant/bar. I'll take any of you there next time. Just a note. They won't serve just coffee (since its a bar) unless at least 50% of the drinks ordered are alcohol. We were like, "whatever!". Next time Tina comes back, we'll go have drinks at the Shangri-La hotel. She's been wanting to go there all day but Jonathan was just not in the proper dress code.
And that was the end of our night...lots of walking though.
Sunday, the three of us met up again at Paddy's in Chinatown. Jonathan and Tina showed me this good Taiwanese restaurant...it was good! Tina was actually more of a tour guide to me than I was to her. She's been here three times for work and she's checked out a lot of places.
After lunch, we took the ferry to Manly beach where we spent the afternoon checking out the people and just soaking in the water. We ended our Sunday with dinner at a japanese restaurant on Liverpool St and after drinks at the new Hilton Hotel (really nice hotel). By the way, I've observed that asian food here is not as good as asian food in the bay area. I've tried a good (by their standards) japanese restaurant near my work (Masuya) and even their sushi is not as good as back home.
'Til next time. Hope to see you back here in Sydney, Tina! I enjoyed hanging out with you.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
My cousin is getting married
A wedding in Sydney, Australia. Congratulations to my cousin Michelle and Andrew. I can't wait for the DDAY! I'm really honored to be your maid of honor and I promise to help you at each step of the way. As long as I don't have to make a speech. Hehehhee. You said its really not a tradition in Australia for the maid of honor to make speeches. Very good! I'll stick to that tradition.
Always a bridesmaid, never the bride!
Always a bridesmaid, never the bride!
Saturday, November 26, 2005
My 2nd Visitor
About a couple of weeks ago, I got a call from my friend, Geoffrey. He left me a message to say hi and to ask how I was doing. So I thought he was just calling from back in the bay area. A couple of days later, I got another message from him leaving me a call back number. Well, what'd you know? I have my second visitor here in Sydney within two months (I hope you guys keep coming so I don't feel lonely). Geoffrey and his mom are staying over with relatives in Ingleburn...about 40 minutes train ride to our place. During the week, him and his niece (Diane) went to the city to meet me and Michelle for lunch at Wynyard Station. Its really nice to see a familiar face! I can't believe Geoffrey is here. Geoff, hopefully your cousin/niece will get married next year so you can visit me again.
Next day (Thursday), I went to RTA (Roads and Traffic Authority) similar to our DMV to apply for my driver's license. From what I read, I can just tranfer over my CA license and get a full driver's license here if I've been driving for at least three years (only in certain countries such as US, UK, Canada, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Spain, France, Germany, etc). Otherwise, you have to go through a series of tests and will take a few years before you get a full DL. First timers get a RED 'P' placard to be displayed in their car (lots of teenager driving accidents here that's why its good to know who the drivers are around you). After 1 to 2 years, you take another test. If you do pass that test, then RTA will replace your RED 'P' placard to a GREEN 'P' placard...not that it looks any better. After a couple more years, then they issue you your fill DL. So I'm glad I don't have to go through all that. I don't think I even need to take any written or actual driving test. Just the regular eye test and photo op and you get your DL card in 5 minutes. You just need to turn in your old DL and they'll punch a hole on it. For tourists, you can use your existing DL for 3 months to use.
I actually didn't get my license yet. I forgot to bring my proof of address to RTA. So I went back the next day with my coworker who's been here for a year and a half and still hasn't gone to get his DL. So next day, my coworker got his within probably 30 minutes including waiting time. Again, I couldn't get my license issued because my issue date on the DL is this year (I got it renewed this year)...so I cannot vouch for myself driving for at least 3 years already. Arghhhhh!!!! I'll have to wait for mama to send my old DL with an issue date of at least 3yrs old.
Thursday, Mitch and I went to Martin Place to see the Xmas tree lighting. Of course, Santa Clause was there, too, and the mayor of Sydney. And they had fireworks!!! See pictures below. Doesn't the clock tower look just like the one on Embarcadero? More similarities between Sydney and San Francisco. Ahhh, I just thought of what the Sydney Opera House could be an equivalent of in SF...possibly the Palace of Fine Arts??? Ayaw patalo, eh!
Friday, Geoff and his relatives (Diane, Christine, and George) came over to the house. We had dinner at Bar Italia (thanks for dinner, Geoff!!!) just around the corner from the house and took them around Norton St.
On Saturday, I went to the city at the intersection of Pitt/Hunter/O'Connell St (I work nearby on O'Connell). They were filming a scene of the new Superman movie. It is set on the streets of New York with yellow taxi cabs and police officers on the set (I don't understand why they have to film in Sydney for a scene that takes place in New York). No actors/actresses around. They were just shooting a scene where everyone was running around...I guess I'll see it in the theatres if it made the cutting room floor.
That night, one of Michelle's friends from church came over to show his slideshow of his pictures from the US. He brought his own projector and screen and showed us his pictures (including the twin towers of NY and scenes from SF) of when he lived back in the East Coast.
Notes:
This weekend, I saw a woman walking around the city carrying her surfboard...only in Australia!
Next day (Thursday), I went to RTA (Roads and Traffic Authority) similar to our DMV to apply for my driver's license. From what I read, I can just tranfer over my CA license and get a full driver's license here if I've been driving for at least three years (only in certain countries such as US, UK, Canada, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Spain, France, Germany, etc). Otherwise, you have to go through a series of tests and will take a few years before you get a full DL. First timers get a RED 'P' placard to be displayed in their car (lots of teenager driving accidents here that's why its good to know who the drivers are around you). After 1 to 2 years, you take another test. If you do pass that test, then RTA will replace your RED 'P' placard to a GREEN 'P' placard...not that it looks any better. After a couple more years, then they issue you your fill DL. So I'm glad I don't have to go through all that. I don't think I even need to take any written or actual driving test. Just the regular eye test and photo op and you get your DL card in 5 minutes. You just need to turn in your old DL and they'll punch a hole on it. For tourists, you can use your existing DL for 3 months to use.
I actually didn't get my license yet. I forgot to bring my proof of address to RTA. So I went back the next day with my coworker who's been here for a year and a half and still hasn't gone to get his DL. So next day, my coworker got his within probably 30 minutes including waiting time. Again, I couldn't get my license issued because my issue date on the DL is this year (I got it renewed this year)...so I cannot vouch for myself driving for at least 3 years already. Arghhhhh!!!! I'll have to wait for mama to send my old DL with an issue date of at least 3yrs old.
Thursday, Mitch and I went to Martin Place to see the Xmas tree lighting. Of course, Santa Clause was there, too, and the mayor of Sydney. And they had fireworks!!! See pictures below. Doesn't the clock tower look just like the one on Embarcadero? More similarities between Sydney and San Francisco. Ahhh, I just thought of what the Sydney Opera House could be an equivalent of in SF...possibly the Palace of Fine Arts??? Ayaw patalo, eh!
 |  |  |
Friday, Geoff and his relatives (Diane, Christine, and George) came over to the house. We had dinner at Bar Italia (thanks for dinner, Geoff!!!) just around the corner from the house and took them around Norton St.
On Saturday, I went to the city at the intersection of Pitt/Hunter/O'Connell St (I work nearby on O'Connell). They were filming a scene of the new Superman movie. It is set on the streets of New York with yellow taxi cabs and police officers on the set (I don't understand why they have to film in Sydney for a scene that takes place in New York). No actors/actresses around. They were just shooting a scene where everyone was running around...I guess I'll see it in the theatres if it made the cutting room floor.
That night, one of Michelle's friends from church came over to show his slideshow of his pictures from the US. He brought his own projector and screen and showed us his pictures (including the twin towers of NY and scenes from SF) of when he lived back in the East Coast.
Notes:
This weekend, I saw a woman walking around the city carrying her surfboard...only in Australia!
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Nothing Much
Things have been pretty quiet and back to normal these past few days. But we're trying to keep ourselves busy especially on weekends.
On Friday, we met up at the World Square in the city after work for dinner. World Square is a very conspicuous center in that the main building is named Ernst & Young...yes, one of the big 4 accounting firms... and its the building that took about 14 yrs??? to finish due to several building issues (don't think its related to EY). Its a business complex with shopping and dining area. I've noticed that companies here are really proud of naming their buildings with their huge and bright logos seen even from across the water (but then again, the water is not as wide or as far as the SF bay). Among the Big 4, I've seen two EY buildings, one PWC and one KPMG. I know they have Deloitte here but I don't see them among the skyscrapers. From Balmain Wharf (north west and overlooking the city), to your left would be North Sydney (I hope I'm getting my directions right) where you'll see buildings such as Cisco, IBM, Sun Microsystems, Hitachi, Optus...I call it the Silicon Valley of Sydney. To the left of the Harbour bridge, you'll see the bright lights of Luna Park with its ferries wheel, rollercoasters and other rides...reminds me of Santa Cruz beach boardwalk. And yes, its by the water, too. Apparently, this was based on Coney Island of New York. Nearby is Fort Denison...a small island with a prison cell. Yup, you guessed it. Just like Alcatraz. And of course, the Sydney Harbour Bridge equals our Golden Gate Bridge. I have yet to think what the Sydney Opera House would relate to. Hmmm??? Let me know if you have any ideas.
I digress. We went to the World Square to check out the jazz bar at the Avillion Hotel. Not bad...something relaxing and to unwind myself after a long second week of training for me. Too much information overload.
Saturday, I went to Kim's 23rd bday party (Tita Terry's daughter) at Crunella beach (my 3rd beach...but I haven't swam yet...I need to take swimming lessons first by the pool). We played beach cricket...similar to baseball...but I still think baseball is more exciting than cricket (sorry if I offend anyone). Now I'm beginning to understand cricket a little bit. I gotta go to an actual game and get the Aussie feel (but nothing like hanging out with my RHI coworkers when we used to watch the A's (and Giants) baseball games back in the bay area. I hope you guys take me back to our baseball club when I come back).
On Sunday, I went to check out the Xmas tree at Martin Place. They are now setting it up for the official Xmas tree lighting this coming Thursday. We will be there!!! About the same time last year, every Friday after Turkey day, I went to see the Xmas tree lighting at Union Square in SF. It was beautiful. You should check it out this year...and maybe get star struck to see some celebrities. Its a great idea for a date!
On Friday, we met up at the World Square in the city after work for dinner. World Square is a very conspicuous center in that the main building is named Ernst & Young...yes, one of the big 4 accounting firms... and its the building that took about 14 yrs??? to finish due to several building issues (don't think its related to EY). Its a business complex with shopping and dining area. I've noticed that companies here are really proud of naming their buildings with their huge and bright logos seen even from across the water (but then again, the water is not as wide or as far as the SF bay). Among the Big 4, I've seen two EY buildings, one PWC and one KPMG. I know they have Deloitte here but I don't see them among the skyscrapers. From Balmain Wharf (north west and overlooking the city), to your left would be North Sydney (I hope I'm getting my directions right) where you'll see buildings such as Cisco, IBM, Sun Microsystems, Hitachi, Optus...I call it the Silicon Valley of Sydney. To the left of the Harbour bridge, you'll see the bright lights of Luna Park with its ferries wheel, rollercoasters and other rides...reminds me of Santa Cruz beach boardwalk. And yes, its by the water, too. Apparently, this was based on Coney Island of New York. Nearby is Fort Denison...a small island with a prison cell. Yup, you guessed it. Just like Alcatraz. And of course, the Sydney Harbour Bridge equals our Golden Gate Bridge. I have yet to think what the Sydney Opera House would relate to. Hmmm??? Let me know if you have any ideas.
I digress. We went to the World Square to check out the jazz bar at the Avillion Hotel. Not bad...something relaxing and to unwind myself after a long second week of training for me. Too much information overload.
Saturday, I went to Kim's 23rd bday party (Tita Terry's daughter) at Crunella beach (my 3rd beach...but I haven't swam yet...I need to take swimming lessons first by the pool). We played beach cricket...similar to baseball...but I still think baseball is more exciting than cricket (sorry if I offend anyone). Now I'm beginning to understand cricket a little bit. I gotta go to an actual game and get the Aussie feel (but nothing like hanging out with my RHI coworkers when we used to watch the A's (and Giants) baseball games back in the bay area. I hope you guys take me back to our baseball club when I come back).
On Sunday, I went to check out the Xmas tree at Martin Place. They are now setting it up for the official Xmas tree lighting this coming Thursday. We will be there!!! About the same time last year, every Friday after Turkey day, I went to see the Xmas tree lighting at Union Square in SF. It was beautiful. You should check it out this year...and maybe get star struck to see some celebrities. Its a great idea for a date!
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Mommy Lourding
Please pray for my grandma..."Mommy" Lourding. She passed away on Sunday, Nov 13th. I'm sure she is happy to see my grandpa "Pop" and papa in heaven. May she rest in peace!
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Pet Peeves
Pet Peeves - Sydney
1. No paper toilet seat covers in public places or anywhere else
2. Too many flies. For some reason, there is an explosion of flies every spring/summer. Wherever you go, they seem to swarm and get fixated with you even if you try to shoo them away or walk away. They just seem to follow you around and stick to you. And its just not you. It’s everybody. You will notice other people trying to shoo away the flies with those hand gestures infront of their faces. A fly that followed you in downtown, 30 minutes away from home, could end up at your home. The flies! The flies!
3. Too many smokers
4. Cockroaches
1. No paper toilet seat covers in public places or anywhere else
2. Too many flies. For some reason, there is an explosion of flies every spring/summer. Wherever you go, they seem to swarm and get fixated with you even if you try to shoo them away or walk away. They just seem to follow you around and stick to you. And its just not you. It’s everybody. You will notice other people trying to shoo away the flies with those hand gestures infront of their faces. A fly that followed you in downtown, 30 minutes away from home, could end up at your home. The flies! The flies!
3. Too many smokers
4. Cockroaches
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Back to Reality
Life was sweet for about 6 weeks from the time I left my firm at Hood&Strong, a week in Hawaii, and some free time to roam around Sydney. But eventually, things had to come back to normal (that's why I haven't updated my blog for a week). I started my new job at Verisign - Australia on Monday, Nov 7th.
So what did I do to celebrate the remaining days of my so-called- life- is- sweet- I've- got- too- much- time- on- my- hands free days? Nothing really! I was supposed to go to Brisbane with my friend, Amin, but of course, I had to stay for that fateful 2nd interview with Verisign that got me the job. Friday night, Andrew had some friends visiting from Germany. They came over to the house and we all had dinner at a Thai restaurant just around the corner.
Saturday was more of a laid back day. Just resting before the big day on Monday while Natasha was preparing for her trek in Nepal at Machupuchre.
Sunday, Michelle and I took the train to Milson's Point and walked back across the Harbor Bridge to the Rocks.
Monday is the big day. I arrived in the office even before the controller came in. Pretty much the whole day I was trying to memorize everyone's name (I finally got it by the end of the week!), doing some admin paperworks, and started training. Not bad at all. Knowing what the company does, there's lots of room for growth and success in this company... especially working for the AsiaPacific division (ie. China). My office is less than a block away from cousin Michelle's office. So this week, I've met up with her twice for lunch already. One day was 'Welcome, Celestine' lunch...but they forgot me on the email invitation. Another thing I like about this job is the business casual dress code and Friday jeans are ok. No suits...and my boss doesn't want me to wear suits anyway.
Tuesday, Amin was back from his trip to Brisbane. Had dinner along Circular Quay and walked along the harbor and at the Rocks. Wednesday night, the whole gang (Me, Michelle, Andrew, Natasha and Amin) went to Balmain to celebrate Amin's last night in Aussieland. Thanks for dinner, Amin! After dinner, we checked out the wharf at Balmain overlooking Sydney Harbor bridge and the city. Great view...especially living in those million dollar homes!!!
Thursday, another dinner out...I guess this seems pretty normal because we used to eat out alot back home (except that they don't have In-N-Out burger over here!!!). But on Thursday, we went to a $5 steak restaurant called the "Slip Inn" along Sussex St and King St. This restaurant is a special one because back in 2000 during the Sydney Olympics, the Crown Prince of Denmark (Prince Fredrick) met his wife-to-be, Mary, a commoner. She is now a princess! Maybe I should hang out there more often and maybe I'll find my prince charming. The food was great and its cheap. What makes it cheap is the beer they sell all night. Well, we were there for the food...not the beer. We're in for any cheap deals! So lugi sila sa amin.
Saturday, we went bowling at Randwick. Not one of us got even close to making 100 points...well, its been years since we all played bowling. Oh well. Warm up for a bowling get together we're planning for next time. After that, we went to Coogee beach, another nice beach you will find in Sydney.
Andrew bought a badminton set for our backyard. After the beach, we set it up at the backyard. You think its pretty easy but it could be a good work out especially running after the birdie (called the "shuttlecock") and always having to pick it up if you're on the loosing side of the net.
So what did I do to celebrate the remaining days of my so-called- life- is- sweet- I've- got- too- much- time- on- my- hands free days? Nothing really! I was supposed to go to Brisbane with my friend, Amin, but of course, I had to stay for that fateful 2nd interview with Verisign that got me the job. Friday night, Andrew had some friends visiting from Germany. They came over to the house and we all had dinner at a Thai restaurant just around the corner.
Saturday was more of a laid back day. Just resting before the big day on Monday while Natasha was preparing for her trek in Nepal at Machupuchre.
Sunday, Michelle and I took the train to Milson's Point and walked back across the Harbor Bridge to the Rocks.
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Monday is the big day. I arrived in the office even before the controller came in. Pretty much the whole day I was trying to memorize everyone's name (I finally got it by the end of the week!), doing some admin paperworks, and started training. Not bad at all. Knowing what the company does, there's lots of room for growth and success in this company... especially working for the AsiaPacific division (ie. China). My office is less than a block away from cousin Michelle's office. So this week, I've met up with her twice for lunch already. One day was 'Welcome, Celestine' lunch...but they forgot me on the email invitation. Another thing I like about this job is the business casual dress code and Friday jeans are ok. No suits...and my boss doesn't want me to wear suits anyway.
Tuesday, Amin was back from his trip to Brisbane. Had dinner along Circular Quay and walked along the harbor and at the Rocks. Wednesday night, the whole gang (Me, Michelle, Andrew, Natasha and Amin) went to Balmain to celebrate Amin's last night in Aussieland. Thanks for dinner, Amin! After dinner, we checked out the wharf at Balmain overlooking Sydney Harbor bridge and the city. Great view...especially living in those million dollar homes!!!
Thursday, another dinner out...I guess this seems pretty normal because we used to eat out alot back home (except that they don't have In-N-Out burger over here!!!). But on Thursday, we went to a $5 steak restaurant called the "Slip Inn" along Sussex St and King St. This restaurant is a special one because back in 2000 during the Sydney Olympics, the Crown Prince of Denmark (Prince Fredrick) met his wife-to-be, Mary, a commoner. She is now a princess! Maybe I should hang out there more often and maybe I'll find my prince charming. The food was great and its cheap. What makes it cheap is the beer they sell all night. Well, we were there for the food...not the beer. We're in for any cheap deals! So lugi sila sa amin.
Saturday, we went bowling at Randwick. Not one of us got even close to making 100 points...well, its been years since we all played bowling. Oh well. Warm up for a bowling get together we're planning for next time. After that, we went to Coogee beach, another nice beach you will find in Sydney.
Andrew bought a badminton set for our backyard. After the beach, we set it up at the backyard. You think its pretty easy but it could be a good work out especially running after the birdie (called the "shuttlecock") and always having to pick it up if you're on the loosing side of the net.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
I got a job
After my first interview with Verisign on Monday, they asked me to come in on Wednesday to meet with the HR Manager. Michelle and I went to the city together and she bid me good luck and hoped that I get the job because her office would just be a block away. The interview went well. By that afternoon, they offered me the Sr Financial Analyst position reporting directly to the Controller of Verisign – AsiaPacific division. Verisign is a really good company and their parent company is located in Mountain View back home in the SF bay area. Overall, I liked the company, the people, and the job. So I accepted the offer and will start working on November 7, 2005.
Yes, finally. A job. At first I was hoping to get an extra week off. But then again, I don’t know what I’ll be doing for the rest of that week. I hope if they ever do anymore business trips in SF, that they bring me along. That would be cool so I can get a free flight back home.
Next day, I went to Bondi Beach, most famous beach in Australia. Check out my pictures below:
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Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Melbourne Cup
So since most companies are half day on Nov 1st, I did not have any interviews scheduled. I went down to a local pub around Norton St appropriately called “Nortons on Norton” – very original! The favorite horse this year is Makybe Diva (pronounced Makaibe Diva). For the past two years, the horse has won the most prestigious cup. A three-peat has never been done before. The main race starts at three and a couple of the guys in the pub told me to bet on a horse. So I did. I made a bet on another horse (Railings) that has had a good record from its last four races (I believe 2111 – 1st place in its last three races and 2nd place on its 4th race). I betted $2 for Win and $2 for Place/Show (I’ve been to the race tracks in Bay Meadows in San Mateo with my brother Michael and cousin Francis at one point. Funny story. All day we were betting on the horse races. Overall, I lost $2. On the way home, I had a lottery ticket that I needed to get checked. Guess what? I won some money…$2!!! I broke even at the end of the day. Cool!). FYI: “Place” is 2nd place and “Show” is 3rd place. Obviously, “Win” is 1st place.
Unfortunately, my horse did not win…not even on the top three. Makybe Diva set the record for winning three Melbourne Cup back to back to back.
It was a great experience. My first Melbourne Cup. Maybe next year, I’ll get half a day off from work. This year it didn’t matter. I was unemployed anyway.
One other thing, Australia doesn't really celebrate Halloween. It is slowly coming here so I'll miss it for a few years. But anyway, a few teenagers rang our doorbell for some treats. Of course, we didn't really have anything to offer (I said, how about some unagi...that was our dinner that night). But since Michelle and Natasha are on a chocolate-nuts-sweets diet, we had a box of chocolate sitting in the cupboard and we gave it out (I wouldn't really miss it too much. Besides, I had some Tim Tams from Verisign that day).
Monday, October 31, 2005
My first visitor in Sydney
I’ve only been here for two and a half weeks and I already have to tour my first visitor around Sydney. My former coworker and co-unemployed from Hood & Strong, Amin Namakian, decided to do his last leg of his tour from Japan to China to Australia before heading back to the bay area…and because he gets a free stay at our house!
The same day he arrived, I got my Medicare number. That means I can go to a primary doctor, do physical checkups, go to the emergency room all for free! Whew!!! I didn’t have insurance for almost a month since leaving Hood & Strong. So I’m glad I didn’t get sick. That’s the nice thing about their Medicare here. They’re very generous. Although if you need to get an eye check up or go to the dentist, you will need to purchase your own insurance (companies don’t usually provide insurance to their employees so most people buy their own insurance). But Medicare will pay a portion of your cost for going to these doctors. Nice!
Anywho, so I took Amin to Darling Harbour (I’ve never been there myself), took the ferry towards Circular Quay, walked to the Sydney Opera House then went home. We walked around Norton St (the street just around the corner from our house) and checked out the night life. Amin liked the area.
Next day, we went to the Blue Mountains to see the 3 Sisters. I would associate the Blue Mountains to our Grand Canyon in Arizona. The place is just amazing. The theory was there used to be water below the mountains and the 3 sisters used to be 5 spikes. Overtime, they crumbled and broke off. In a few years, one will fall off. Then another. Then there will be none. The tale of how the 3 Sisters came about was that these three sisters were turned into stone by a witchdoctor because they were not allowed to marry the men they were to marry. Unfortunately, the witchdoctor eventually died and so the sisters never came back to life. That sucks! After the blue mountains, we went to the small town of Leura while waiting for Natasha who went bushwalking at the Valley of the Waters. I’d like to go hiking one of these days back at the blue mountains to see more of it and to see the beautiful waterfalls. One of these days.
We got back to Leichhardt (by the way, we learned that Leichhardt is not only the Italian Community here but I guess its also were the lesbians live….yikes! Not that there’s anything wrong with that). We all had dinner at the Universal Hotel (hotel really means a bar and restaurant around here) for less than $10 steaks. I got the rump steak…I didn’t know that meant an ‘ass’ of something. But it was good! I’m not really a steak person anyway…mama, did you guys use up the Ruth’s Chris Steak house giftcard? Better use it now and get a taste of what celebrities eat. Avoid chicken for now because of the bird flu.
After dinner, Amin and I went to check out Newtown where they have lots of cafes, bars and restaurants, too. (FYI for me next time: take the bus on Norton St and get off at the corner of Norton and Paramatta. R on Paramatta, L of Railway St and find the Petersham train station ahead. Take the train towards the city and get off on Newtown station). We went to Kelly’s Sports bar to watch a soccer game then went to Zanzibar for some drinks. This was a nice one. Inside the bar, there were a couple of women wearing ‘3 minute angels’ T-shirt who were giving massages to anyone. We found out that these women are all over the city giving 10-15minute massages and collecting a charge to whatever the customer felt the service was worth. Amin got one. Overall, Newtown is a nice hang out place. More people are dressed down in this area compared to Norton St (maybe because they’re Italians???).
Next day, Amin and I went to check out the Powerhouse Museum (another place I haven’t been to). Since it was raining that day, we couldn’t really go to the zoo or the beach. Then we went to Chinatown to look at some cheap stuff. I didn’t buy anything…still on a budget. I saw Easy Way (the boba place) but I resisted myself…still on a budget. That was about it for the day coz it was raining all day.
The following day, I had a few interviews with a couple of recruiters and a company called Verisign (I’m sure you are well aware of this company. When you make payments online or log on to some secured websites, Verisign is the one that authenticates and provides the security). For some reason, the interviewer and I got to talk about sports in the bay area. Coz he’s been to the bay area (including Silicon Valley as I assume that’s where Verisign is). I mentioned to him that the Niners and the Raiders had won their respective football games and that I am rooting for any bay area teams. He says, “did you say ‘rooting’? How long have you been here?” I said two and a half weeks. It took him about 30 seconds to explain to me that ‘rooting’ is a slang word that means having sex. We had a good laugh about it. Cool guy. Good company and that job seems interesting. I just hope they offer it to me…only after I approve that the chocolate candies (Tim Tams) he offered me are good. Apparently, a candidate accepted a job because he liked the free Tim Tams around the office…I’m sure he was just kidding.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Free Day in the City
If you haven't got a job yet, you find ways to tour the city for free. So on Monday, Oct 24th, I spent the whole day without having to pay anything including my lunch (well, technically, I paid for it but they were leftovers from the other night).
Here are some sights that were free:
1. Hyde Park
2. St Mary's Cathedral
3. Other sites along the way (Queen Victoria, Centerpointe, Art Gallery Rd, Didjeridoos)
4. Art Gallery of New South Wales (NSW)
5. The Domain and Royal Botanical Gardens - the botanical gardens is huge and I was getting tired so I only covered probably 1/4th of the area. Will have to explore some other time...
6. Museum of Contemporary Arts (too bad I can't take any pictures inside)
The end.
Here are some sights that were free:
1. Hyde Park
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2. St Mary's Cathedral
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3. Other sites along the way (Queen Victoria, Centerpointe, Art Gallery Rd, Didjeridoos)
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4. Art Gallery of New South Wales (NSW)
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5. The Domain and Royal Botanical Gardens - the botanical gardens is huge and I was getting tired so I only covered probably 1/4th of the area. Will have to explore some other time...
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6. Museum of Contemporary Arts (too bad I can't take any pictures inside)
The end.
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