Dubbo Observatory

This is exactly what we saw at the Dubbo Observatory - I thought they had glued a picture of Saturn on the telescope.

And of course, we had a look at the moon and Alpha Centauri, the closest star to our Solar System.

Wellington Caves

The largest stalagmite found in the Southern Hemisphere is located at the Wellington Caves.

Next to these caves we went to was a phosphate mine. I didn't know phosphate was made out of bat poo!

Ready Steady Cook

I was able to get tickets for a TV show on Channel 10...a cooking competition show, similar to the Iron Chef. My first time being in a studio audience (we almost got into the David Letterman show in New York one time).

We were at the audience for about 3hrs for a 30min show to be aired like 6 months later. The double takes and bloopers are what made it take that long. And the audience participation with the applause, oohs and ahhhs when they zoom in on a food. It was soo funny! Anyway, if you get a chance in your hometowns to be part of a studio audience, its an interesting behind-the-scenes experience. Try it!

Meteorite Crater

Do you see that mountain range behind us? That's actually a meteorite crater. Where we are used to be flat. Where we're standing is on top of a hill (among lots of hills) that was formed from that hit.

And without those glasses, that's Doogie Howser on the right (with the red T shirt)

Kings Canyon

I was more impressed with Kings Canyon than Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Its so grand...like the Grand Canyon in Arizona (not that I've been there). We did a 3hr, 6km walk, climb, and walk some more all around Kings Canyon under a heat of about 30 degrees!!! Whew!!!

They say the Grand Canyon is not really a canyon. Its a gorge. The difference between a canyon and a gorge is this: 1) a canyon starts off with a crack and widens for water to flow through; 2) a gorge starts of with water flowing then widens the gap. Kings canyon started off with a crack while the Grand Canyon had water first. So it should have been called the "Grand Gorge."

During our 3hr drive back to Alice Springs on dirt road, it actually rained a bit, which is pretty unusual. We had rainbows along the way. Wild horses, kangaroos, and donkeys. Then we stopped over at this little town where they sell the best coffee in Australia (what a marketing ploy by our tour guide. I bet she gets a free drink out of this place every time she brings her group). I tried it anyway. It taste just like any other coffee.

Ayers Rock

Sunset

It took us approximately 4hrs to drive from Alice Springs to the town of Yulara to see the most famous of them all. The huge monolith, centered in Australia, that is Uluru!

Uluru was turned over to the aboriginals back in 1985 with the Australian government leasing the place for 99 years. As it is with the Olgas, this place remains sacred to the aboriginals. Through our walk around this one piece of rock, we see aboriginal camps, waterholes, and paintings. It is advised not to climb up the rock. Although if you'd like to, you better get there before 8am. After 8am and when temperatures are predicted to go up to 36 degrees, they close it down for climbers.

Some stories say that if you take a piece of the rock, weird things suddenly happen to you. So some people have actually couriered what they have stolen back to Uluru. Beware!

This place was unbelievable! One huge rock in the middle of the continent. Amazing!

Sunrise!

Kata Tjuta (the Olgas)

I remember we had a competition at work and one of the groups called themselves, "Kata Tjutas", and here I am seeing this place.

Compared to Uluru, the Olgas is a bunch of massive rocks (actually, composed of rocks and pebbles), higher than Uluru, but similarly formed from tectonic plates pushing the ground up. It is still a sacred place to the aboriginals (they still come to this place to perform rituals) and so they advice people not to climb it (how would you feel if other people start climbing your church???).

The temperature must have been in the 30 or 40 degrees. One of the girls in our group didn't even walk with us and by the time we got to our campgrounds that night, she had to be brought to the hospital...for dehydration. The tour guide recommends bringing at least 1.2 liters of water to the walk. Otherwise, they won't let you go.

Camel Farm

Did you know that Australia has about 1 million camels? Even middle eastern countries import camels from Australia. John Stuart (in which the Stuart Highway was named after), used camels to carry his things while he explored Australia. Camels can last about 3 weeks without water and if you've been to the outback, you'll know why camels would last better than horses.

From Alice Springs to Uluru, we passed by a camel farm. I've never tried riding on a camel so for $5 bucks, I went around the track. At the farm, they also sell camel burgers. I wanted to try it but I was already too full that morning.

How's this concept - what if I buy a camel burger and feed it to the camel???

And the hump? That's all fat!!!

Alice Springs

My first impression of Alice Springs was this: small town consisting of hotels, motels, tents, campgrounds, and swimming pools. Wrong!
Alice Springs is situated in the middle of the continent in the Northern Territory. Population: 30,000. This place is pretty much a stopping point for tourists heading to Uluru, Kata Tjuta, and Kings Canyon. But they do have a few sites to see which I checked out during my 2 day stopover.

1. Mbantua Gallery and Museum - exhibits paintings (prices ranging from $3,000 to $14,000 AUD) by the aboriginals mostly from the north (a place called Utopia). I was amazed at how many aboriginals from that place were so talented. Painting must be a part of their culture. One of the most famous artists is Albert Namatjira.

2. Anzac Hill - the only hill you can climb up in Alice Springs. All others are sacred. You can see a view of Alice Springs from the top point.

3. Todd Mall - I didn't think they would have a mall!!! Lots of shops and restaurants.

4. Reptile Museum - you wanna see some fossils, Terry, the crocodile, live snakes, lizards

I recommend going to Alice Springs from April to August. It was probably 36 degrees when I was there. The heat was just a turn off!!!

Toilet Seat Covers

I was a bit disappointed when I came here to Australia and found that public toilets do not include the toilet seat paper covers...I mean, not even in five star hotels!!!

The first time I saw one was actually on the plane...c/o Virgin Blue Airlines. Thank you, Richard!

And today, I was at the Westin Hotel and had to use their restroom. I was surprised when I went inside the stall and found it fully equipped with toilet paper seat covers.

Now I know where to use public toilets when I'm in the city. Shh, don't share it to anyone!!!

Harbour Bridge Pylons

Two days after I climbed the Harbour Bridge, I went for more and climbed up the bridge's Pylons. Boy were my baby cows (my calves) were hurting after that.

The Pylons of the bridge were not part of the original design. They serve no structural purpose. They are just there for aesthetics and they don't even touch the bridge except at road level.

Bridge Climb

I'm on top of the Harbour Bridge! Whew!

Peruvian Restaurant

I went to the best Peruvian restaurant (ever!!!) that I'd like to share with everyone...and please try the place. This place was recommended by a Peruvian so it must be really good.


If you're a meat lover, you'd love this place.

La Parrillada
470 Parramatta Rd
Petersham, Australia
02-9560-0943

Enjoy!!!

Mardi Gras Parade

The Mardi Gras Parade is one of the most celebrated Gay and Lesbian events in Australia. As you may already know, San Francisco is the #1 gay capital in the world and Sydney comes in as #2. And so there is no doubt that this would be such a big event that even its "sister-city", San Francisco, had a float represented from Castro.

It was crazy as expected!!! Here's just a few pictures to share

Spanish Class

Que pasa, muchachos? Estoy aprendiendo Espanol. Yo hablo ingles y tagalog muy bien pero hablo espanol un poco.

Me llamo Celestine. Yo soy Filipina. Yo soy de La Union. La Union es una ciudad de Filipinas. O yo soy de San Francisco de Estados Unidos. O yo soy de Sydney de Australia. Bien bien! Hehe!

Los estudiantes en mi clase son Tim de Nueva Zealandria, Joyce de China, Kelly de Inglatera, Monique de Australia y Alex de Frances. Nuestro profesor es Maria Paula de Colombia.

Que pasada!!!

I remember taking Spanish class when I was a freshman in high school. On our last day of class, our teacher asked us to write a letter to ourselves and he would mail it out in a few years. I got the letter a few years later and I was amazed how good my spanish was at the time. So I want to continue my spanish. Below is a podcast you can listen to for free.

Free Spanish podcast: http://www.notesinspanish.com/

Balls Head Reserve

I went to a wedding at Balls Head Reserve over in the North Shore overlooking the Sydney Skyline. The bride and groom stood on top of this huge rock during the ceremony. After it was over, I asked the bride and groom individually why they chose this place. And both said this: before they were even going out, he or she would come to this place, on this rock, on their own, to pray to God. And they didn't know that long after they've been going out. What a perfect place to get married. That is fate!

Fat Tuesday Party!

Have you been to a Fat Tuesday Party? Fat Tuesday (which is also Mardi Gras) is the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. During Lent, you are supposed to fast or sacrifice something you really like for 40 days and 40 nights.

We invited a few people to come to the house and eat up on Fat Tuesday (hence, the name 'fat'). We had so much leftover from a party during the weekend that we had to get rid of most of them. Hey, eat lots now. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for 40 days! Thank goodness my birthday is before Lent.

January 28

I now share my birthday with two other friends - Victoria and Patricia. What's the probability of that?

My friends took me to Newport Beach on my birthday, which happens to be Australia Day (and we all had a day off)! It was supposed to be just four people going and it ended up 11 people showed up. Thanks, guys! Lunch at Newport Arms Hotel and swimming at Palm Beach - and I did get on the water...for like 15 min =) and I got dark! Need more whitening cream - can I have that for my birthday gift?

After Palm Beach, we went to visit one of our friend's elderly friend (we call her Lola Fey). Its so nice to see an elderly woman with that big smile when she sees five young kids (that's us, by the way) give her all the attention. I bet the other elderly residents were so jealous coz they probably don't get visits from kids like us. And that's what these old people like - to have someone talking and listening to them and give them the time of their day. And to do this on my birthday is a plus for me.

After the visit, we got so hungry we ended up at Dee Why beach. It was like a mini Manly beach to me with the palm trees and the boardwalk. Gosh, they have so many beaches here! If it wasn't a "school" night, we probably have gone swimming but its been a long day!!!!!!!

Til next year! (Will I still be here in Sydney for my next birthday??? I think so! Maybe not in Sydney but hoping to be in Melbourne for the Australian Tennis Open. That's the plan.)

Five Ways, Paddington

One night, my friend and I got lost driving around the city and ended up on this corner where five streets meet (just like the Trevi). It was a cute little area lit up by shops and restaurants around. I thought I'd have to come back here again and check it out! A few months later, another friend of mine asked if I've been to this place, described the place to me, and I remembered this was the spot we drove past by while we were lost.

So we found our way back to Five Ways at Paddington and ate lunch at "Gusto". I ordered this lovely vegetarian couscous. It was so good that we ended up figuring out the recipe, bought the ingredients that same day, and made it for dinner (and my lunch and dinner for the next three days).

Here's the recipe for you. Its an easy one:

Roasted sweet potato
Cherry tomatoes
Spanish onion
Sweet corn
Raisins
Shredded carrots
Shallots
Orange
Celery
Pepito seeds (pumpkin seeds)
Almonds (shredded)
Herbs - cilantro/coriander, parsley, dill
Garlic
Salt & Pepper
Couscous (add olive oil)

Enjoy!!!

New Year 2008

My 3rd New Year in Australia. After watching my first fireworks at the Sydney Harbour, I told myself that next time, I should get on a boat and watch the fireworks. 2008 was it! We knew someone who works for the Sydney Ferries so we were able to get tickets to get on. Unfortunately, we all thought the ferry would be in the middle of the harbour. It was actually just stationed at Circular Quay. The great thing about it was we were away from all the crowd and was able to enjoy the huge space on the ferry with a great vantage point for the fireworks.

Beware - I bought a bag of Doritos chips that night at Circular Quay and it cost me $9 bucks! It usually costs only $2.

Merry Xmas to you, too!

I received a blue Xmas card today, posted in Australia, but forgot (or intentionally) to sign their name. They didn't even have a return address! The handwriting looks very familiar but it is not registering.

You know who you are. If you're reading this, please leave me a message. If you're not him/her, don't pretend you are him/her and leaving me a fake message =)

Thanks for the card and hope you have a wonderful Xmas and a safe New Year!!!

How do you spend $120 in 2 seconds?

Try me!

I locked the car keys inside the car on Xmas Eve! I called a few auto specialists and the first quote I got was $180. Why that expensive? Well, everyone was going home early from work for the holidays and I really didn't have a choice as I needed the car during the Xmas weekend. The second quote I got was $120 but they won't be able to do it in the next couple of hours. We even called the police near where we were at the Rocks and they turned us down!!! The next quote I got was $160 then I told him, another company was giving it to me for $120. So he gave it to me and he came in 15 minutes. He took out his metal spleen, pushed it down the car window, and in two seconds...wala! The door opened! I said, "I'm paying you $120 for a two second job? Can you give me more discount? You must make a lot of money." He says, "Sorry, I already gave you a big discount, its the holidays, and no, I don't make a lot of money. My boss does!" What a racket!!!

There you go! How to spend $120 bucks in two seconds. Can you beat that? Let me know if you do!

Government House

Day after my harbour jet cruise, I checked out the Government House at the Botanical Gardens. Another site I haven't checked out since I've been here for 2yrs and 2 months (has it been that long)? Again, I pretended to be a tourist. They asked me where I was from and I answered, "San Francisco!" Hehe! I know, they hate Americans.

The house is located on top of a hill at the Botanical Gardens, overlooking the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. It was situated there to give the appearance to onlookers arriving at Sydney Harbour that someone important lives in this house. The house serves as the Governor's residence (hence, the name). Since 1996, under the direction of the Premier, the house is no longer used as a residence. It was used during the Sep 2007 APEC summit as one of the key meeting venues and still remains as the Governor's official reception space especially for her weekly meetings.

Harbour Jet Cruise

I tried one of those jet boats that goes 75km/h along the Sydney Harbour one Saturday. Its just one of those things that I haven't done as a tourist here in Oz. It was a warm day in Sydney and it was just perfect to get wet. Indeed, I got wet, probably soaked if I didn't wear some protective gear.

You know for sure you're gonna get wet during the ride so the guy next to me had to wear gloves and protect one of his inflamed fingers. During the ride, the poor guy got stung by a bee on his other hand - how did that bee get on the boat that's running at 75km/h? The boat was doing nose dives (to get the people infront wet), doing 280 degree turns (to get me wet who's sitting on the side of the boat), and sudden stops. Now I know what Sydney Harbour water taste like.

Sydney Opera House

Its been a while since I've seen a show at the Opera House. In a span of one week, I went to see three shows. When it rains, it pours!

1. John Williams Movie Soundtracks by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra - compositions for the movies such as Indiana Jones, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Psycho, ET, Schindler's List, Harry Potter, Superman, Close Encounters, LA Olympics theme, and half of the show dedicated to the sounds of the six Star Wars movies.

2. Schubert's Great Symphony - boring!!!!!!!!

3. The Nutcracker - at the opera house forecourt. I've always heard or seen ads about this show but I never knew the story.

Sometimes when you've got nothing else to do, Plan B = Opera House

15 Blue St, North Sydney

Its sad to say, we had to move office from 15 Blue St (Fujitsu Bldg on top of the North Sydney station) to 201 Miller St. Here are some reasons why I oppose of the move:

1. I now have to walk about 4 blocks from the train station compared to not even less than a block from the old office. But I can look at it as an exercise for me.
2. When it rains (and its been raining a lot these days - its summer, by the way), I get about two blocks of uncovered walkway...compared to zero to the old office.
3. We can see fireworks from our office during New Year's eve. Our view these days is a black and grey parking lot!
4. And the main reason why:

Halloween Party

They don't really celebrate Halloween in Australia. If they did, its just another excuse to have a drinking party. I thought it'd be a good idea to get people dressed up on Halloween. I was afraid people won't participate but I'd say, it was a pretty good turnout that people actually dressed up. Some would call me to make sure they weren't the only ones dressed up. Some hired costumes at a party shop. I dressed up as an angel. We had a couple of fairies, batman, two draculas, three witches, robin hood, gypsy, pirate, an 80s girl, one of those mormon men in blacks, and a lot more. But the best part for me was when a few of us went out on the streets to buy some beer...with Borat. The lady behind the counter was talking on the phone and told the person on the other line that Borat was at the shop. Borat took the phone and started talking with the perfect accent!

The life of the party? I have to give it to BORAT!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

Too many birthdays this October...on my calendar, I have 14 people listed. The cousins in Australia celebrated mama's big 60th bday...at mama's expense! Yippeee!!!

One other party celebrated was at Hard Rock Cafe this past Sunday, Oct 21st, for Vinnie!!! We didn't know it but it also happens to be the Cafe's last day before they close down...til they get another location somewhere at Darling Harbour.

Did you know that in a group of about 30 people, there is a big probability that two people will have the same birthday? We tested this theory back in my college days. We went around the whole class and indeed, we found two people with the same birthday. At one of my old jobs, in our department of about 25 - 30 people, there was me and Miss V who had the same birthday. And at the Hard Rock Cafe party, there were only six of us but I found out that I have the same birthday as Patricia! Are we gonna have a big party next year or what!

Happy birthday to Mama, Lola, Analie, Terence, Keiko, Oliver, Natasha, Michael, JC, Vinnie, Melinda, Kim, Michelle, and Alma!!!

Belly Dancer

I didn't know they had male belly dancers!!! And I didn't know I was gonna get to dance with one!!!

We went to a Lebanese restaurant called Zenobia, the self proclaimed Queen of Egypt who was from Syria. We wanted to see some belly dancers on Saturday night and to our surprise, they introduced a male dancer. We pointed one of our guy friends to get pulled up to dance and when asked, "are you gay?" he didn't really understand the male dancer and nodded, "Yes!" But he wasn't.

Here they are!!!

Labor Day Weekend

Its Labor day weekend in NSW and ACT. No other states were celebrating it except for us. What did I do?

I rented a car for the weekend which I usually take to go out of town. But this weekend, it didn't go that far. I was teaching two people how to drive on Sat and Sun. One day, we drove all around Wilson St doing some parallel parking and roundabouts (which I don't like very much) and the next day, we drove around busier streets (and almost got into an accident!!!). Shhh!!! I wasn't supposed to let these "L" license plate holders to drive the rental car anyway (coz "L" are for losers!!). We did squeeze in a little bit of joy riding to Watson's Bay and one more place I got to check off my list of places to see - Vaucluse House. Can I just add on to here that the cross street from Vaucluse House is called "Oolala St". Oooh La La!!! Not that there's anything fascinating on that street.

Ironically, on Labor day itself, I had to go to work!

7th Ritmo Brazilian Festival

Perfect time to take the Brazilian couple I just met to this festival held at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour this past Sunday. Little did we know, there was a Chinese and Korean festival going on at the same time in the area. So we tried a variety of food all day...that's all you do at these festivals. Eat, eat, and eat some more!!!

There was a samba dance number on stage and I saw my salsa dance instructor choreographing the whole thing. And I noticed that he had shaved his mohawk!!! The following day, I went to my salsa class and I shook my head when I saw the mohawk. There was only one way to find. Nestor, the instructor (wow, it rhymes!), happened to dance with me so I asked him if he had a twin brother. And that was it! Fooled me!

I got to try some of these ACAI (pronounced ah-sah-hee) - a Brazilian berry only found on top of palm trees in the Amazon rainforest. Take note: its got lots of vitamins (B1, B2, B3, C, E), iron, potassium, calcium, protein, high in fiber, lowers your cholesterol, has more than double the antioxidant content of blueberries, and is 30x more anthocyanins than a glass of red wine. So how come I've never heard of this before? I have to find this in stores somehow.

At the end of it all, I didn't even get a chance to meet up with the Brazilian couple. We were both moving targets. We'd be walking back to the Brazilian festival to look for them and they would be walking to the Korean festival where we just came from to look for us. Sigh!

Piety Stall

LJ and I went to help Mitch & Andrew with their piety stall last Sunday after mass. We took over in doing the selling. Needless to say, that was the best day they ever had. Naks! I ended up buying a children's book about Saints. I'll try to be that kid who was so knowledgeable about Saints in the movie, "Millions". That was a good movie, by the way. Go rent it!

Australian Hotel

You wanna try some crocodile, emu, and kangaroo pizza? Check out the Australian Hotel at 100 Cumberland St, at the Rocks.

My boss in San Francisco from almost 10yrs ago contacted me and told me his colleagues are moving to Sydney. So I met up with this Brazilian couple and took them to the Australian Hotel so they can try some authentic food (as in the toppings, not the pizza). Unfortunately, Vinny was vegetarian and Patricia was not too interested in exotic foods. Oh well...I still ordered the crocodile, emu, and kangaroo pizza.

Thredbo - Snowy Mountains

Australia's highest peaks are located in the Snowy Mountains. Not surprisingly, they are known for its ski resorts. During this APEC weekend, we drove down south for a ski trip. The last time I went skiing was about 10yrs ago in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. This time around, I wanted to try snowboarding.

We had an early start on Friday morning leaving Sydney, a quick drive around Canberra, one stop shop at Jindabyne for our ski gears and snow tires, and off to Thredbo. We stayed in the little town of Thredbo which was pretty cute, narrow streets, cabins and lodges by the side of the mountain overlooking the ski resort and the snowy mountains. Our house was just next to the resort and my room, waking up in the morning with a view of the snowy mountains.

Saturday was all-day snowboarding!!! I joined a group of people for the lessons and when the instructor asked, "who here is from Sydney trying to get away from the APEC weekend?" Everybody pretty much raised their hands. Yep, everyone I talked to was from Sydney.

First run down the slope was scary. But the second, third, fourth, and fifth was exhilarating. I was liking it more and more, better than skiing! The thing I hated the most was getting on the lift. The first one I got on, I couldn't get on the seat properly and fell. I quickly fell flat on the snow to avoid the lift hitting my head and they had to stop the whole thing to get me up. When I finally got on and got to the top of the slopes, I prepared myself getting off my seat. With my luck, I fell again and had to duck my head to avoid getting hit. Good god!

Sunday, we drove back to Sydney and passed by the Pauline Fathers Monastery (Hanging Rocks) at Penrose for lunch at the park. The monastery had chapels representing different countries and little chapels for different saints. If we only had more time, I could have gotten a 'Saints 101' education from these chapels. We were hurrying back to return the car by 6pm and we just made it on time.

Walking back home, we passed by Kings Cross and entered a pub to watch the Women's finals of the US Tennis Open.

...I'm tired!!!

APEC Summit

21 Leaders coming to Sydney for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. Thanks to President Bush (or the 'Shrub'), we get a holiday on Friday, Sep 7th. Yipeeee!!! Sydney was a ghost town. Of course, I had my alternatives. We planned a ski trip to the Snowy Mountains (the highest peak in Australia) by Thredbo.

Its been the buzz all year, the city preparing for a big event since the 2000 Olympics. Presidents such as Bush, Putin, and Hu (China) were all coming down under. For security reasons, during the week of APEC, there were road closures, public transport timetable changes, additional cameras installed, and fences all around the city. I had a chance to see all this when I took the train around Circular Quay passing by the Intercontinental Hotel where Bush was staying (and possibly the 699 people he brought along with him). Fences and security guards everywhere! Notwithstanding, pranksters from the TV show 'Crashers', pretended to form a motorcade and got through security at the hotel with police escorts. And coming out of the car was no other than Osama Bin Laden. Of course, that was the whole joke! But it wasn't funny to the police. They could have shot someone!

One of the highlights of APEC meetings is the traditional group photo of the leaders wearing the host country's national costume. Australia doesn't really have a national costume and we were all guessing as to what it would be: speedos, bushman outfit (as in Steve Irwin), cowboy outfit (Crocodile Dundee). But it ended up with those lame Driza-bone coats. I don't even know what it is. It looks to me like an ordinary raincoat. That's Australia???

And you can't end APEC without a Bush blunder. Here goes: Pres Bush thanking John Howard, our Prime Minister:

"Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit."

I wish we had more of these APEC meetings in Sydney. Til 21 years from now, I guess!

Salsa Class

I've missed my last four salsa classes due to my US holidays. So this week, I made up two of those. Luckily, the dance instructor for these two classes is no other than the World Champion of Salsa - Oliver Pineda. I got to dance with him and he said I was good and I dance smooth...nice!

He owns the Salsa Latin Motion class that I've been going to. Its also the same teaching school that was featured on "Dancing with the Stars" - Aussie version.

Look him up on Youtube!

Star City Casino

We went to Star City Casino for some free lessons. In all of the month of August, you can get free lessons in BlackJack, Baccarat, and Roulette. I sat at the BlackJack table as it was the only available seat. $100 worth of funny money to start off...and my money never went up! Just another confirmation why I'm not much of a gambler coz I know I'll so regret losing my money when I'd rather spend it on the food! Anyway, it felt like the dealer was telling us tricks on how to lose your $$. I'm so risk averse so I like to play safe...and I should have followed my instincts. Thank goodness it was fake money!

After I lost all of my money, I let the next person sit. And guess what, he wins $300 bucks! Gad damnit!!! To give myself some "consolation", I think I was the lucky charm...o, ano? di ba? loko lang!!!

"Live Free or Die Hard"

Whew!!! What an action-packed movie. The best action movie I've seen in a long time. You can't go wrong with Bruce Willis (at age 52), aka John McClane.

The fourth Die Hard movie comes out 12yrs after the last one (Die Hard with a Vengeance) and its so much better than his Planet Hollywood co-owner's sequels (Arnold Schwarzenegger's "T3" and Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky Balboa").

This is a must see!!!

Celestine Coming to America

9 days after Posh's coming to America, it was my turn. July 21st, the day "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" arrived...9:01am in Sydney. My departure time was 11:45am and had to be at the airport at least 3hrs beforehand. I got to the airport at about 9am, checked-in, and the first thing I did was look for a newsagent and buy the last of the 7-series book. Thank goodness, I found one. I would have ended up reading the so-far boring Bram Stoker's "Dracula" while on the plane.

I got to the terminal and started reading the book. Next time I looked up, I saw people around me reading Harry Potter. I arrived in New Zealand for my stopover, looked around the terminal and people were reading Harry Potter. I arrive in LAX and kids were walking around holding the Harry Potter book. What a phenomenom! Of the 16hour flight from Sydney to California, I was only half way through the book. My cousin finished it in 20 hours over the weekend.

Shhh...don't tell me how the story ends.

So what now? What now after HP? There's nothing else to look forward to. Any books you'd recommend?

7-7-07

Did you realize that each year for twelve years, starting from 2001 up to 2012, we will be having a triple same number date (or however you call it?)

1/1/2001
2/2/2002
3/3/2003
4/4/2004
5/5/2005
6/6/2006
7/7/2007
8/8/2008
9/9/2009
10/10/2010
11/11/2011
12/12/2012

Each year seem to represent something:

6/6/06 - the antichrist was supposed to come (did it?)
7/7/07 - supposed to be a very good wedding date (goodluck to Eva Longoria and Tony Parker!)

Live Earth - 07.07.07

Live Earth - the concert to bring awareness about global warming and encouraging people to be "greener" due partly to Al Gore's involvement (he also said he invented the internet???).

It is a 24 hour concert event spanning 7 countries all over the world starting in Sydney (I WAS THERE!!!), Tokyo, Shanghai, London, Hamburg, New York, Johannesburg, and Rio (not in that order - I don't know time zones. And yes, that was 8 countries, not 7. And maybe Washington, DC participated, too. Oops! I actually meant, 7 continents). Rio was almost cancelled (think Mardi Gras craziness!!!).

This must have been the longest concert I've been to, if not BFD4 ("Big Freaking Deal 4" sponsored by Live 105 in the bay area). The Sydney lineup included:

Blue King Brown
Toni Collette & the Finish
Sneaky Sound System
Ghostwriters
Paul Kelly
Eskimo Joe
Missy Higgins
The John Butler Trio
Wolfmother
Jack Johnson
Crowded House

The lineup wasn't too bad. Although I think the best lineup would be at Wembley Stadium in London (from Snow Patrol, Keane, Duran Duran, Beastie Boys, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Genesis, James Blunt, Foo Fighters, John Legend, Black Eyed Peas, etc...and how can you forget the Pussycat Dolls!!!)

WYD08 - Cross & Icon

Back in 2005, before I moved to Australia, I found out that the next World Youth Day will be happening in Sydney in 2008. And I thought, I have to partake in this momentous and religious event of the Catholic Church.

The World Youth Day was started in 1984 with Pope John Paul II. On the cross, it says:

My dear young people, at the conclusion of the Holy Year, I entrust to you the sign of this Jubilee Year: the Cross of Christ! Carry it throughout the world as a symbol of Christ's love for humanity, and announce to everyone that only in the death and resurrection of Christ can we find salvation and redemption. (His Holiness Pope John Paul II, Rome, 22 April 1984).

The icon was then added in 2003 as a second symbol of faith. Both the cross and icon has travelled and carried by various groups of people all over the world. Last week, I had the honor to carry the cross and the icon on its journey through Australia.

Pinoy Mass

I attended, for the first time in Australia, a filipino mass all the way in Blacktown (St Michael's which holds a filipino mass every 4th Sunday of the month). Its the second biggest gathering of filipinos I've seen since the Manny Paquiao boxing match back in November. Most of the mass was told in Tagalog and made me realize that growing up, I rarely went to Filipino masses. That's why I could hardly respond in Tagalog during the mass.

After the mass, we went to a Filipino buffet restaurant where they served pancit, tinola, adobo, we had some crispy pata on the side...as usual, the food was greasy!!! And they served some fries (pinoy??? more of a filler). To supplement that, we bought some puto and pandesal (all for just $4 - cheap, huh?). I don't know when I'll be back in Blacktown but I always end up buying some cheap filipino food over there.

Rock Climbing

To do on a rainy day.

Big a** view!

Anyone want to be a social climber? (joke only, ha!)

Lake Macquarie

Don't ask me or LJ how to get to Lake Macquarie next time. We got lost for about 1hr getting there. Haha! Its all part of the adventure, huh, LJ?

One sunday morning, I showed up at the rental car shop, asked them if they had a rental car available, got one, picked up LJ, and drove off to Lake Macquarie. It was Mother's day and everyone was out by the lake. LJ and I did some kayaking (oi! iitim na naman ako!!!) at Warners Bay, cruising around to see some big houses, a stroll on Blacksmiths beach overlooking another beach (which was called Nine Mile Beach!?!?!?!?). LJ has decided he wants to have a place overlooking the lake.

This blog is boring! No great pictures either. I'm out!

Harry's Cafe De Wheels

Something I used to do back home - latenight drives to 'In & Out Burger' for their yummy burgers and fries.

In Sydney, latenight drive to Woolloomooloo for some hotdogs and hot pies at the original, iconic Harry's Cafe. Celebrities from Frank Sinatra to Brooke Shields have visited the place. Russell Crowe lives by the wharf where this caravan cafe now stands.

I had a rental car this weekend so I made that trip Sunday night and sat by the wharf possibly overlooking Russell Crowe's digs eating my hotdog!!!

Read more about Harry's

Luna Park Pool

I tried practicing my hopeless swimming skills at Luna Park this weekend. Needless to say I wasn't any good at it but also the view from Luna Park's swimming pool was distracting.

Try swimming next to a view that is the Sydney skyline, Harbour Bridge, Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour on a nice sunny day.

Salsa - Coldplay Style

Did you ever think you could salsa a Coldplay tune? "Clocks" in particular? Go on! Pull out that Coldplay CD of yours or search it on your iTunes collection. Listen and see if you could imagine yourself doing salsa with it.

I've taken up salsa dancing the past couple of weeks and will go on for another five weeks. I haven't given up on swing! I'll give that a rest for now. But I'm not guaranteeing I'll be doing any of these dances on any weddings any time soon (hint, hint).

I'd be really surprised next week if they started playing Keane's "This is the Last Time" for salsa.

Sydney Royal Easter Show

Its the must see and do over the Easter weekend - the Royal Easter Show at the Olympic Park. My adventures in Oz land continues.

On the website, it says its the largest annual event staged in Australia. It highlights the country's rural heritage featuring livestock and domestic animals you can pet (sheep, cows, goats, pigs), clydesdale horses, woodchopping competitions, floral arts, alpaca competitions, cooking demonstrations to carnival rides, live music, motorcross action, female cannonball, daredevil aquatic divers, to the all time favorite - showbags (I had three Twix showbags - full of chocolates).

Let me tell you, I think I'm getting too old for these rides. After a rollercoaster, we had to tame it down to the classic ferry's wheel. We gambled a little bit on carnival games but we all ended up empty handed. We did have some privileges at the member's lounge...cheap food!

It was all good fun! Reminds me of those fiestas and carnivals we had in the Philippines when we were little kids. But as they say, once you've done the Easter Show, you've done the Easter Show. That's all folks!!!