∞ and beyond

Singapore, Singapore!

2011-01-17T02:15:00.003+11:00

The country that is a city in itself. Full of Asian people, but not really Asian in its ways. It's really interesting, if you ask me. I spent 4 days there, and happily observed the consumerism that engulfed its people. I guess in those 4 days, I became one of them. Walking in and out of stores and just admiring the myriad of products that are available in such a small place!

Coming from Australia where fashion and signature brands are limited, and growing up in Manila where shopping is a day-to-day activity, I think it's safe to say that Singapore tops them both when it comes to the range of brands available! There are also just so many shopping centres!!! To illustrate:

Walking out of Bugis station, first big structure I see: a shopping centre.

Another shopping centre - Bugis Junction

More shopping on Orchard Road

Still on Orchard Road

My friend Mirei inside another shopping centre

The way to Ion Shopping Centre

Yes, I told you there are heaps of shopping centres in Singapore. At some point, I couldn't be bothered to remember each building's name. Ha ha.

This is Singapore on a rainy day. (view from the 18th floor on Selegie Rd)

The highlight of this trip was going to the newly opened Universal Studios! I absolutely love theme parks and despite Universal Studios Sinagpore being tiny, I still had mad fun! Credit goes to my friend Mirei for taking all the following photos!

Me at the iconic Universal Studios globe

First stop: MADAGASCAR!

Next stop: The Mummy! Yes, dear friends, this is Imothep. Haha

Far Far Away!!!

At the Met Steps.

With the lovely Beach Boys of Universal Studios Singapore

After such a long day at Universal, off we went to Prince of Wales in Little India. It's a small Australian Backpackers' Pub. As soon as we walked in, I felt at home straight away. We had burgers and chips and a couple of beers (at first. Ha ha)

The streets of Little India

Prince of Wales (PoW) has live bands playing on different nights, and we watched a local girl duo (although we still believe they're migrants from Manila) sing hits of the 90s. It was pretty good. The beers are mighty pricey ($13 a pop!) but it was worth it - there's nothing better than to cap a trip off with ice cold Aussie beers on tap.

Leftover New Zealand!

2011-01-17T01:19:00.004+11:00

Not keen to write about a trip I have done so long ago (to which I attribute to the excessive writing I've had to do over Spring semester), so here's a major photo dump of the rest of my New Zealand adventure!!!

Sumner Beach! ♥

I love how this photo turned out. Still at Sumner Beach, on the Cave Rock side

Warm Lamb Salad at Winnie Bagoes

Souvlaki/Kiwi Craving pizza at Winnie Bagoes

Mexi Lime Chicken/Marinara pizza at Winnie Bagoes

Christchurch Art Gallery - Te Puna O Waiwhetu

Cathedral Square

Me, being me, as per usual, on Worcester Boulevard

Penguins! Too bad they're not live ones.

The following photos are from our road trip to Akaroa, which is a small town that used to be a French colony. It lies on the edge of New Zealand, on the eastern side.

On the road to Akaroa!

At the hill top - our destination is where the water is!

Upon arrival, Akaroa Jetty :-)

Gorgeous flower in bloom, Akaroa War Memorial

Well, that's it for my little New Zealand adventure. Just a recap of everything I've seen in the 7 days that I was there:

Methven
Rakaia Gorge
Mt Hutt
Christchurch City
Akaroa

In summer, Methven is practically dead, so best to go there in winter for some skiing or snowboarding up in Mt Hutt. Rakaia Gorge, which is also in Methven is probably the only other place you can go visit in summer, where you can go rafting.

Christchurch City, though small and quaint, has a lot of great food and sights! Go to the markets on Worcester Blvd, or visit the Christchurch Art Gallery! Learn about Maori life in Christchurch Museum. Don't forget to grab a bite to eat at Winnie Bagoes. They have amazing gourmet pizza and a friendly, warm atmosphere. :-)

Next stop - Singapore!

Breathtaking Rakaia Gorge & skiing!

2010-08-29T14:49:00.003+10:00

Tired from the countless stacks that we made from snowboarding, we decided to go up the slopes in the arvo and spent the day at Rakaia Gorge. It's absolutely gorgeous. It's probably one of the most amazing places I have ever been to! Driving down these are the things that you'll see along the way:

Mt Hutt as your backdrop

And lots and lots and lots of sheep!

Believe me, I didn't know what to expect of Rakaia Gorge - I had no clue as to what it would've looked like. When we arrived at the lookout...

This is what we saw. BEAUTIFUL!

Honestly, I've never seen water as blue as this. It's just absolutely breathtaking!!! Hahaha I can't stop raving about it because it's just so calming and serene.

We didn't stay for too long as we were running late to catch the bus to Mt Hutt and so we decided that the next day we will go down and walk along the water.

In our proper clothing & gear, thanks to Jaces Ski Hutt :-) Jace is amazing and so is his team, better get your stuff there when you do go!

This time, we went skiing. I've never gone skiing before and Walter had to teach me. He was smart - he took me to the carpet hahaha wherein I totally made a fool of myself! I was so close to giving up because I was just in so much pain from snowboarding (did I mention he crashed into me and his board hit my spine?)... Thankfully he was an absolute gentleman and was patient enough to help me all throughout... :-)

YAY!

Since we were still so sore and tired, we didn't go up the slopes. We just hung back and spent the arvo drinking good coffee and playing on the snow :-)

Methven and around

2010-08-29T13:59:00.003+10:00

As far as trying to be updated with my blog... I believe I'm not trying hard enough. :-( Sad to say I can't keep up with my tasks and I'm not as organised as I think. Oh well, such is life. I was thinking about New Zealand today and how much I miss our short holiday, and I realised I haven't finished my series of blogs on how it went.

To recap, we arrived in Christchurch, had dinner with one of my friends, then drove to Methven. We got lost on the way, but it's all good :-) We were flat out tired so we slept really early just to have a good head start for the next day. We got up at 7, keen as anything to go up to the slopes, and then caught a bus to Mt Hutt.

Mishaps really never fail to catch up with me, so halfway up to the mountain I realised every person on the bus had their gear on, whereas the bf and I were in our jumpers and trackies...

Ha ha ha.

I started to freak out a little bit, then I started freaking him out by imparting my observation. We looked at our vouchers and we realised we had to pick up the gear somewhere in town. With that thought, we still managed to convince ourselves to actually think that maybe the ski shop was up the top. Ha!

Lucky the people at Mt Hutt were so nice and accommodating. They set us up - gear, clothes and all! We were so grateful to them for helping us out :-)

Everything got sorted for no extra cost! YAY. LOOOOVE the people in Mt Hutt :-)

We were ready to snowboard all day. I must say - I haven't snowboarded in 4 years and I was really really rusty. Rusty enough to forget that I should've brought Walter (who has never snowboarded before) to the carpet first and try to teach him with my very limited skills. You can guess what happened next.

We got up to the top, all happy, but failed to realise we'd be stacking it all the way down. SMART!

Walter exhausted from stacking it

Nonetheless we had an amazing day making fun of each other! We had millions of bruises, which wasn't fun at all - it was a pain to sleep!!! All's well that ends well though, we managed to get a lot of rest and went up to the slopes again the next day... for skiing!

New Zealand/Nueva Zelanda/Neuseeland

2010-07-06T15:10:00.005+10:00

A few months back I decided that I wanted to see New Zealand. I never really thought it would push through as I had so many troubles along the way. The embassy misspelled my name on my visa and so I had to wait another few weeks for them to return my passport with my visa printed on it, my travel agent really didn't do that great of a job, and so many other things.

However, it did turn out to be a surprisingly good trip.

We planned to go to so many places (which we did, but didn't fully cover our initial plan) and didn't expect to even cover as much as we did. New Zealand is absolutely stunning and is just beyond words.

On our first day it seemed pretty bad as it was raining and it was gloomy, but a lovely dinner with one of my old friends from the Philippines saved it all. We ate at Strawberry Fare and the food was just so filling and beautiful!

Chic menu!

Walter & I had a dish called Simply Salmon (Hot smoked warm Akaroa salmon, salad greens, ciabatta, caper & dill creme fraiche):

Perfection on a plate!

We then drove to Methven, to a place called Mt Hutt Bunkhouse. We had a lovely stay. It was detached from the internet (although they do provide access for a minimal fee), clean, cosy and homey. Giles (owner/manager) made sure we had everything we needed. It was so comfortable and at the same time very affordable. Would definitely stay there again when we do go back for another visit. :-)

Walter & I at Mt Hutt Bunkhouse

View from across our lodge at 8 in the morning the next day! :3

By the time we got there we were absolutely buggered and wanted to be up bright and early for our first day up the slopes. The 2 photos above were taken that morning before we caught the bus to go to Mt Hutt which was so amazingly nice, but that's for the next blog!

Adelaide's food secrets - Cocolat

2010-06-17T11:08:00.004+10:00

I can confidently say that Cocolat has been my BEST find in Adelaide. It's a dessert cafe down in Rundle Street.

We had cakes there, and unfortunately they've been gobbled up too quickly that I ended up only having a photo of their amazing tiramisu:

It was soooooooo good. The cake was encased in milk chocolate, topped with shaved white chocolate and served with fudge and cream. I was in heaven for 5 minutes.

I bought a box of their truffles (and thought that maybe they're not as great as the Chocolateria San Churro here in Sydney), but my, to my surprise... They were even better! The truffle menu can be found here (expect to drool).

My chocolate experience in Cocolat was absolutely amazing that I had to go back to buy another 2 boxes of chocolate and indulge myself in 2 massive scoops of their gelato!!! If I'm not mistaken they've been awarded chocolatier of the year and they truly deserve it!!!

Cocolat is unique to South Australia and nowhere else so I suggest that when you go there you make sure that it's one of your stops!

Adelaide's food secrets - Rundle Spices

2010-06-17T10:53:00.003+10:00

Before I moved to Australia I never really enjoyed Thai, mainly because I didn't know much about the cuisine. Out here people love it, and I've grown to love it too. Rundle Spices is another restaurant on Rundle Street in Adelaide's city centre.

We came in for dinner (a very late one at that) and they were just about to close shop. Their staff was so friendly that they still let us order despite them already prepping to close up! Suffice it to say the food came out from the kitchen so quickly like any other Thai restaurant.

There were five mouths to feed, and our table looked something like this (notice how the food's already been touched; we were that hungry!):

We had Red beef curry

Some pandan chicken

Some green chicken curry, and satay chicken.

The food was lovely, served very hot (as in hot hot and spicy hot, haha). It wasn't beautifully plated like you would in fine restaurants, but you really get good food for the price that you pay. What I loved about Rundle Spices was that their prices were very competitive. They're situated in the city centre, with many other restaurants that charge heaps for food. They managed to stay on the main street and still serve very affordable food. Entrees are between $5-8 and mains from $11-15.

The servings don't come tiny either. We were all stuffed by the end of our meal and still had some stuff left over. I'd have to say, Rundle Spices has really impressed me, because I've tried and tested so many eat in and takeaway Thai and they've lived up to the standard of serving fresh, delicious food for a cheap price in a beautiful setup.

Adelaide's food secrets - Brunelli

2010-06-17T10:37:00.004+10:00

I know, I know... this is 3 months too late... but hey, I'm officially on break which means I can actually squeeze out some substantially sensible blogs! Lol. Last time I said I'd be talking about wining and dining in Adelaide, and here we are. The whole 4/5 days that I spent there, I basically just ate out for most of the time. When I arrived, I had lunch with a couple of old mates from the Philippines. I had a wonderful time catching up, and definitely a wonderful time eating! We had lunch at Brunelli, an Italian café down in Rundle Street Mall which is practically Adelaide's city centre.

My friend had this gorgeous plate of Pollo Principessa if I remember that correctly! It's basically chicken breast, with ham and white wine sauce.

My other friend has a warm chicken salad, which was generously drizzled with honey mustard and candy balsamic.

Meanwhile, I had Garlic Prawns with white wine cream sauce, rice and vegetables. It was absolutely lovely. The prawns were perfectly cooked - meat falling off the shell (in this case, the tail haha), super soft and super juicy! I loved it.

Prices range from about $20-$30 for mains, which isn't too bad considering the servings are hefty. You can either eat inside the cafe, or outdoors (which is, on a beautiful sunny day, so good) where you can people watch!

2010-06-01T01:05:00.001+10:00

Happy 1st day of winter, Australia! ♥

South Australia

2010-03-16T22:51:00.003+11:00

I realised I have been MIA like anything, having 0 entries for February and just 1 for March! That's insane! I was hoping to blog more this year given that I thought that I would have more time on my hands but I guess not. Anyway. Just before summer holidays ended, I was given the chance to set foot on South Australia for the first time ever! Imagine the excitement in my bones when I got on the plane. It was a comfortable 1.5 hour flight, and was 30 minutes behind from AEST. Thank you, dear brother for the plane ticket and thank you JetStar for cheap flights (I'm becoming a loyal patron aren't I)

Much of my time was spent eating (as you all know it's my favourite thing to do) and resting. It was a very laid back holiday and I didn't do much running around to see sights like I would usually do. Admittedly there are too few photos from my stay in Adelaide. I did see a few gorgeous places though, and I think it would be terrible not to share.

Christies Beach, which is 30-45 minutes from the CBD.

Christies Beach shoreline, on the way to O'Sullivan Beach

Close to O'Sullivan Beach (if you look closely there are a lot of tractors and other construction equipment - new developments are coming to this area! Prime property I'd say)

Glenelg's Town Hall's classic architecture maintained. LOVE IT

More of the Glenelg Bay

Very nostalgic sunset at the jetty in Glenelg

Outside the South Australian Museum - I like the blending of the old and the new structures!

Outside the Art Gallery of SA - the collections aren't that impressive compared to the NGV but it's all right. Still worth a look.

Pigs lurking about in Rundle Street Mall.You know what's coming next, Adelaide wining & dining! Cyasssss!

HAPPY 1ST DAY OF AUTUMN!!!

2010-03-01T19:35:00.004+11:00

So long sweet summer.

(PS: Hiatus caused by moving out, work & travelling to South Australia. Expect new blogs soon! xo)

Australia Day 2010

2010-01-26T17:43:00.001+11:00

This year's Australia Day marked my 2nd year of living in Australia. We celebrated it locally having come from a long drive down the South Coast. Just hoping everyone had a wonderful Aussie Day too!

Fireworks at The Rooty Hill

In 2009

2010-01-01T02:22:00.002+11:00

So many things happened, and I can't believe it's (almost) over! I'm a big fan of lists, so here's one to tie the 2009 bag of craziness up!

Had my first New Year's eve outside of home
Moved to Australia
Learned to do house chores (or had to... lol)
Started my B Psych degree in UWS
Drove on the other side of the road
Learned Spanish
Spoke more German than I ever have
Went to Melbourne with friends (!)
TURNED 21! (Can't wait to go back to Vegas!)
Started paying my own bills
Learned to take public transport
Dated, dated, dated
Watched a play and 2 musicals
Got a job
Went to Queensland with a friend
Visited heaps of museums and art galleries
Travelled overseas by myself (back to Manila)
Applied and got accepted to move into my own place (though in uni) for 2010
Met a wonderful, wonderful boy <3

It has been a fun-f'in-tastic year with lots of ups and downs. I met heaps of different people, fell in love, got dumped, slept a lot, and spent much of my time by myself a lot. I can't say it was brilliant all throughout, but it has definitely been such a good way to finally grow up. Without further ado, I bid 2009 a big fat good bye and welcome 2010 (a new year and a new decade) with a big fat HUG!!! Cheers, prost, salud, what have you, just have a blast!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

¡Prospero Año Nuevo a todos!

Ein Glückliches neues Jahr zum Alles!!!

Going local

2010-01-01T01:29:00.004+11:00

Brisbane has been a great adventure for me, as the entire year has been. I thought that immersing myself in the local sights of Brissy was the best way to wrap things up. It's like taking myself back home, wherever that is in my heart of hearts.

The day before we left Brisbane, we went to the North Pine Dam just for some down time and some quality chit chat amongst friends. We were pretty lucky cos it was deserted that day, and it was sunny and bright.

Caloy the talented, trigger happy boy enjoying the lush greenery

The dam. Wonder if you can go for a swim here lol

Of course my blog wouldn't be complete without an old tree

We spent hours on end there, until we got hungry and got some Cold Rock ice cream at Chermside (our first choice was a Mexican fiesta at Montezuma's but it was closed, so, sad face). Then, we waited for Tippy to finish TAFE at 9 in the evening. We drove straight to Mt Coot-tha, which is Brisbane's best lookout! Going up there at night was mesmerising - we saw the entire city lit up.

Tippy took this beautiful photo :-)

Before she got all melancholic and dramatic. Jokes

After that, we randomly thought of going to Shorncliffe one last time. As I may have mentioned before, this is where some scenes in the movie Aquamarine were shot. :-) The first time I went to Shorncliffe was in Autumn 2008 at night time. Then we went on the first night of our Brisbane visit this year. We saw a shooting star then. It was magical and enchanting. Then for our last night, we hung out here again. It just brings everything together beautifully. I say Shorncliffe is some piece of magical land.

There's no better way to leave Brisbane than being at Shorncliffe.

The ebb & flow of the water, the orange lights and the cool breeze just leaves you clear-minded and ready for another adventure.

(edit: I know this has been already posted as a 2010 entry, but I meant for it as a year ender one. Sorry for the timezone change, I'm in the Philippines and it's only 11:30 here and I still have an hour 'til 2010. LOL)

Beached as, bro

2009-12-31T23:46:00.002+11:00

This is just a quick post on the beaches I visited when I went to Queensland.

First up, the Gold Coast, which is located at the south of Brisbane. A trip to Queensland is never complete if you don't go to Surfers Paradise. I swear, this place really is GOLD. I went in 08 for a night and I knew I had to go back. This year we just stayed for an entire day (a TOTAL MISTAKE!), as we had other places to cover.

Tourists and locals soaking up the Gold Coast's sun

Caloy and I with the Gold Coast as our backdrop

I had heaps of fun - a full day at the beach with good food and good company can't ever go wrong. The waves weren't as big as expected, so we spent a lot of time in the water. A lot of surfers and body boarders were about as well. If you're just out of school and about to turn 18 (or already are), this is the perfect time to go. I went just the day before schoolies, a well celebrated event for people who've just graduated from high school. Next year it starts on the 20th of November and runs for a week.

Mosaic art on the walk to Surfers, cool beans

The Gold Coast is a fantastic place to get wet and wild. That's all I have to say about it. You might need a week to fully experience it, which is what I'm planning to do next year.

However if you're with your family and wish to just have a laid back trip, I suggest you head on over to the Sunshine Coast, located to the north of Brisbane. Expect a lot of children running around and making sandcastles. We went to King's Beach and spent the whole day swimming and eating fish and chips.

The beach was pretty packed that day

Kings Beach is good for skimboarding

I enjoyed myself as I lounged about and chased the kids we had brought along with us. I'm all for lazy days and you can definitely have lots and lots of lazy days at the Sunshine Coast.

With that I leave you with the carefree (and for some, careless) spirit of summer and 2009. Surely there'll be better things to do and see in 2010. 'Til then, xoxo.

Glass House Mountains

2009-12-27T18:55:00.008+11:00

This is all about Queensland's Glass House Mountains.

Okay, maybe I'll throw in something a little bit more interesting (hint: pubs and alcy?), for those who're growing tired of my nature natured (haha) posts.

I came to Queensland with too little knowledge about Brisbane's outdoors. All I knew was that in Queensland you'll find the Gold Coast and The Great Barrier Reef (which I've yet to visit). Other than that, I pretty much have no idea what there is to see. After our city visit, I realised that there's much more to QLD than just boys washboard abs and girls head-turning curves.

Tippy decided that we should go up to visit the Glass House Mountains. I reckon this is QLD's version of NSW's Blue Mountains. It was named so by Capt. James Cook because the mountains reminded him of glass furnaces. Just like the 3 Sisters, the Glass House Mountains have their own story. They are supposedly, a family of 6 children plus a pair of twins.

Glass House Mountains information at the lookout

Mt Beerburrum?

The lookout that we went up to was Mt Tibrogargan (the "Father" in the legend) and it is 364m tall. Seeing this side of Queensland has made me realise that Australia is full of surprises. I really like the story behind the Glass House Mountains and thought it was way cooler than the Blue Mountains. :-P We went on a little walk down towards the foot of the mountains, but didn't end up at the finish line which is another lookout as we had little kids along with us as well as their nan.

A fallen tree along the Mt Tibrogargan walk

Our hiking buddies for the day!

Mt Coonorwin, my favourite one!

I really enjoyed the drive to the Glass House Mountains because it was a perfectly sunny day and of course we had our own little mishaps, such as that of making a wrong turn and ending up at Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. I reckon it would be a brilliant idea to go visit the zoo in the morning then go up to the Glass House Mountains in the afternoon as the sun sets. Too bad we didn't have enough time.

Steve Irwin Way!

We drove into the zoo's parking lot and had a photo by the zoo's shuttle bus to make missing the turn worthwhile. Haha

Queensland sunsets are very pretty.

The view from the drive. Trees make my heart very happy :-)

After absorbing the beauty of the scenery, we drove back to Tippy's but made a pit stop at Ettamogah Pub. Beside it are quaint little shops where you can buy local stuff, which reminded me much of Tasmania and Dubbo. We had a little bite to eat as well as a few beers at the pub, which was of course, enjoyable. The interior is definitely a must-see, with framed cartoon pieces that tells you about the pub's history as well as lots of wooden furniture that really takes you back to the country.

Me being touristy and foolish

Classic country style

Favourite part of all the signage in Ettamogah

Outside the pub just before leaving

The tiring but well spent day trip to the Glass House Mountains called for a big dinner and a few drinks with a couple of Tippy's mates. It was really fun, but I wish we could've explored more of the mountains. Maybe next year I'll do it again.

Last but not least... have a Barefoot Radler! It is :3

I realised I've gone past a thousand views, and wow thanks everyone!!! I never thought I would even go past a hundred in a year (sure went by quick didn't it?). It's all so overwhelming, haha, really. Thank you!!! :-) That said, I want YOUR input for next year's mishaps... I'm really looking for new places to see outside of Australia (hint: youngest country in the world). It would really mean a lot to me if you message me stuff that you want to read about, or places that may be interesting to the rest! :-) Leave a comment and I'll make sure to take note. Thanks very much for sticking it out with me & my lameness and for making my year! :-) xoxoxoxo

Welcome to Brisbane!

2009-12-24T18:56:00.003+11:00

When the spring semester ended, my friend Caloy and I decided to go on a 6-day adventure to Queensland. My best friend was kind enough to give us a roof to live under and good food to eat throughout the trip. It's funny how we're all from different cities. I live in Sydney, Caloy in Melbourne and Tippy in Brisbane. Because of this, we have had a lot of chances to compare Queensland to our places of residence. Of course Tippy has her own biases being a Queenslander.

Caloy and I took a plane up to Brisbane (Thank you, JetStar!) and after a hearty breakfast and a long early morning nap, we decided to first explore Brisbane's CBD. We took public transport which I may say is quite different from Sydney and Melbourne. The QR trains are one level as in Melbourne, but they're all pretty vintage. I actually liked it but I assume there might be a lack of seating capacity come rush hour. It comes out really cheap though, right about $5-6 for FIVE ZONES! Even much less if you have QLD concession.

Me enjoying the train ride.

In the city we went to see the Anzac Square. We had our photo taken at the Shrine of Remembrance. I think it's one of the places that are really worth seeing because it has a lot of history behind it.

Shrine of Remembrance with Caloy

Close by was the Central Station, but I wasn't able to go inside. Here's a photo from the outside:

Central Station is not their biggest station, but Roma Station

I must say their CBD is quite quaint and definitely much smaller than the Sydney one. It also isn't overflowing with people during lunch. What I like most about it is that everything is close to everything else. For examplem, The Cathedral of St Stephen's is merely a 5 minute walk from the shops where we had lunch.

This is the interior of the church where we said our prayers before going to Southbank.

Crisp white, classic structure. Notice that there are individual seats and not pews

At the dock you can see Story Bridge, which is something like the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is much smaller, and its main difference from the Sydney Harbour Bridge is that it is a cantilever bridge where as the latter is a steel arch bridge. I heard you can also climb the bridge just like you can in Harbour.

The Story Bridge

We tried to catch the CityCat to get to South Bank but failed miserably so we just caught the usual ferry. The CityCat is bigger and it just sounds so much cooler.

City view from the ferry :-)

At South Bank, we walked until our legs gave away. Lol jokes. We went around the South Bank Parklands and it's really pretty. Seems as though it's so easy to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life in Brisbane. It's like a 10 minute ferry ride!

This is what welcomes you to South Bank!

What's even more awesome about it is that there is a man-made beach called Streets Beach (click on link for 360º view). I find that such an insanely gooooood idea. In Sydney, you can easily hop on a bus to get to Bondi or other nearby beaches or get a ferry that can take you to Manly in half an hour. In Brisbane it takes like 10 minutes, and there aren't any sharks!!! Haha I'm so sold to this idea since I can't swim properly but love the beach anyway.

Super awesome, right?

As we continued walking towards the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) & Queensland Art Gallery (QAG), we passed by the tourist attraction Wheel of Brisbane. It is, of course, like other ferris wheels in other countries, a great (aerial) way to view the city.

Didn't want to try it cos I get insane dizzy spells!

Tippy & Caloy on the bridge to the Galleries. This provides such a good view of the city!

Our last stop for the day was the GoMA and QAG. Unfortunately, the GoMA was still in the process of being set up for the upcoming exhibits. The Queensland Art Gallery, however, had quite a selection of artists and artworks, ranging from indigenous Aussie art, Picasso, Warhol, to Queenslander art. I really enjoyed our visit there but maybe not as much as I had enjoyed the National Galleries Victoria in Melbourne. What I loved most of all about it though is the very modern look of the building!

I love the colours they used! So easy on the eye.

This may be rather weird but this is one of the highlights of our city trip ---

Ceiling decor made of paper & clips (!!!)

This simple decoration of the GoMA looks really really good in real life. The best part is that it's simple and anyone can do it. I swear, I'm considering putting the exact same thing up when I finally have a house (with a high ceiling to match)! :-)

For the lack of coherence I promise you better entries about the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and many more of Queensland's pride! Happy holidays, all! :-)

Just a teaser

2009-12-21T14:09:00.004+11:00

Shorncliffe Jetty at night, Brisbane

I'll be writing about my 6-day adventure to Brisbane soon. Sorry about the backlog, I've been maximising my 5-week holiday in the Philippines. See you all very soon with lots of picspam + stories from the Sunshine State! xx

I just realised how huge that watermark is. HAHAHA it's so funny. Sorry guiseee.

Sculpture by the Sea 2009

2009-12-04T02:35:00.005+11:00

When I went to my Aunt's workplace some couple of weeks back, one of her workmates told me about her plans to go to Sculpture by the Sea with her family. She told me that it was an annual public art exhibit on the coastal walk from Bondi to Tamarama. All of it sounded interesting and I obviously wanted to go, unfortunately, she knew for a fact that the day that they were coming to see the installations was the last day of the exhibit.

Disappointed, I went home trying to figure out how to get there on that same weekend. However there really wasn't time to go. I thought that I wouldn't be able to go this year, but when I searched for the website, it had been extended another weekend. I excitedly asked a friend if he had wanted to come. He wasn't the type to go to art exhibits and such but he willingly agreed to accompany me.

The following weekend we decided to catch the train to Bondi Junction and when we got off the train there were signs that led to the busses to Sculpture by the Sea. I liked the fact that it was well organised, especially for those who take public transport. When we got to Tamarama there were also shuttles/cars that brought people down to Bondi for free.

We took the Tamarama bus without knowing that it was the end of the walk, hence we kind of had to start at the last set of sculptures. I first noticed the beautiful rock formations along the area and I was really amazed by them.

See how I mean?

It was over a hundred although there were some that were missing. These are the ones from Tamarama:

A skull made out of plastic bottles

Huge timepiece made of wood & steel

The biggest diamond I've ever seen in my life! Haha

This is what I would call a good representation of living in technicolour

I honestly thought this was a real naked baby from a distance. Hahaha

Over life-sized soy sauce container. Took me awhile to realise this

Then we walked up the coast, until we reached a hill - I have already forgotten its name but it's the biggest place where the sculptures were installed and where most of the people were. A lot of the pieces were interactive and I really enjoyed this section the most. Here are some photos:

This oddly reminds me of the homunculi we drew in class

Literally, a sea of shoes! (Pun intended, hello, seaofshoes!)

In detail: these are actual shoes covered in sand

Such intricate woodwork!

One of the crowd (yes, not just the young ones) favourites - a playhouse!

In detail: lots of little toys stuck onto the house - can you name them all?

Such an interesting wood & steel piece. One of my faves.

Lacquered tree stumps

Reminds me of Mayans

Concrete underground sewage things painted neon (my arms were to short to stretch out to the diameter... many of the guys were able to, though...)

A massive domino effect

Flags marking the beginning of the way down to Bondi

After that, we moved along downhill, going closer to Bondi. We took a few photos of rest of the pieces there until my camera's batter gave away. Since it was scorching hot, we rushed down to the beach. Luckily, the water was really cold that day but the undercurrent was too strong and as everyone knows, I'm vertically challenged and easily wiped out by waves. Haha. Here are the rest:

Love this 3D piece of a human face

Another pretty rock formation!

Last but certainly not least, a giant straw in the ocean!

All in all, it was a 2.5 km walk full of creative, contemporary pieces on such a beautiful backdrop - the Sydney coast. I'm glad I was able to go to Sculpture by the Sea this year. It's one of the most fun, interactive art exhibits I've been able to visit ever and the best part is that on either ends of it are 2 awesome beaches that you can chill out at after enjoying the art made available to the public. I can't wait to go back next year because all the pieces will be different yet again, and that's something to really look forward to.

Summertime

2009-12-01T00:00:00.000+11:00

Just wishing you all lovely people a wonderful summer. I wish I had been in Sydney.

With all my love from the Philippines,

Ryc

Tongue Thaied!

2009-11-08T20:45:00.004+11:00

University has got me tied down, 100%. I seriously cannot wait to be on holidays - a friend and I are spending 6 days up in Brisbane! In other news, I've only been up to eating lately as compensation for not going out and such. Two weeks ago (?) we went to Marrickville to watch my cousin's band play at The Factory Theatre. We got there considerably early (& hungry) so we walked around to find food. My (good) eye saw this tiny place called Tongue Thaied. It was a little humble restaurant, and their little staff of two welcomed us well. I must say, I did not expect it to have great, or even good food, to say the least. I don't know why, but it just gave me that vibe (or maybe, I'm just highly biased cos I'm a huge fan of Deli's Thai in Glebe). The name was absolutely smart though, short, easy to remember and best of all, funny.

I decided to get out of my comfort zone and tried their Pad Kee Mao. It took me by surprise. It was a faaaaaaantastic dish, that's spicy and nutty and just bursting with flavour. I loved the flat rice noodles; they were cooked al dente. The basil and the chili really locked it all in.

I actually Googled Pad Kee Mao and in English it means Drunken noodles! The name makes it all the more awesome.

We also ordered a plate of money bags, which is our staple starter whenever we have thai.

Meanwhile my aunt got a plate of Pad Thai, which she thought was a safe choice, but turned out to be quite disappointing. I had half of it and I thought it was an all right dish, however, it was too sweet and I just didn't get the usual flavours I'd expect from a Pad Thai maybe because the sweetness overpowered it.

See the excitement on her face before she tasted it? Lol...

Overall, I'd give it a 3.5/5 for great taste, good price (it's about $15/dish) and good serving size. Maybe if I had other dishes to taste I would've been able to say something more, but, I'll leave that up to the next time that I come and get my Toungue Thaied ;-)

HELLO AUSTRALIA

2009-09-27T16:50:00.001+10:00

Metro Manila is in ruins, so let's pool together donations for the Storm Ondoy victims. We're accepting donations to be sent straight to organizations in Manila ASAP. For questions, inquiries, pledges, etc call Mio Paredes at 0424338472 or 98363494 or me at 0425218416 or 98328862. Thank you :-)

---

Hello everyone,

As you may know/have heard, the Philippines has just experienced a great natural disaster. There have been deaths, and a lot of damages that need rehabilitation. My parents have been directly affected in our Manila home. Some friends have lost their properties. All I ask is for all of you to please pray for their safety. Please pray that courage fill their hearts to know that we will all pull through this.

However, the Filipino masses are needing assistance, and sadly, it has been reported that the president has used up the emergency fund of PhP800,000,000 for her foreign trips (read all about it here: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=496123). The damage has been done, and this is what Manila looks like today:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=ondoy

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090927-227074/Too-much-rain-too-soon

Any help that could be forwarded would be deeply appreciated. Listed below are the drop off areas for donations in Manila.

Xavier School, Greenhills -

You may donate food (canned goods etc), bottled water, etc to the Xavier School Multi-Purpose Centre. Those who wish to volunteer, do come over and help collect and sort the goods. See you there. Please pass.

La Salle Greenhills -

Relief Operations Drop-Off Center has been set-up beginning 9am, Sunday, September 27, those who are living in the nearby areas may bring their donations to Gate 2 of La Salle Greenhills, along Ortigas avenue, Mandaluyong. Those interested may contact Louie Aguinaldo at 0917-5295706 or 216-8505.

De La Salle Health Sciences Institute -
For those in the Cavite area: De La Salle Health Sciences Institute (DLSHSI) is launching a relief drive, please drop off donations of food (ready to eat) canned goods, clothes, blankets at the lobby of the University Medical Center starting today.

Ateneo de Manila University -
Accepting donations preferably cooked/ready-to-eat food, clothes, medicine, blankets & water. Donations may be dropped off at MVP, University Dorm or Cervini Lobbies. Also in need of volunteers for relief operations today. Please bring boots, shovels, large vehicles/small watercraft. For donations & enquiries please contact 09088877166. Pls pass

Help through SMS donations (Philippines only) -
1.6 million Philippine Facebook users. Donate 100 pesos each and we'll raise 160 million for Red Cross rescue and relief. Red Cross donation through SMS: text RED to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart). Spread the word and help.

Mean Streets Manila blog -
The rest of the information for all other local & international methods to send help can be found here http://meanstreetsmanila.wordpress.com/

A million thanks again for all of your prayers and encouragement. Please forward this e-mail to get the help all around as soon as possible. God bless us all!

Sincerely,

Ryc Aquino

ryc.aquino@gmail.com

16602902@student.uws.edu.au

+61425218416

LIFE ON MARS

2009-09-23T08:46:00.003+10:00

23. September, 2009.

Australia has officially been relocated to Mars. F yeah, cool beans.

Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney

2009-09-21T17:54:00.004+10:00

I've finally found the time to go out! Last week my aunt and I went for a stroll along Circular Quay and when I saw the Museum of Contemporary Art, I realised I haven't been there ever, having lived in Australia for 8 months already!

So I told her that we should come and have a look since she's only been there once since she moved to Australia 21 years ago. I was pretty excited. It's free entry so there's nothing to worry about in terms of cost, but really, you have to use your eyes sharply as photos aren't allowed. I obviously took some photos because I didn't know about the rule until one of the MCA people stopped me. Sad that photos aren't allowed, really. I believe art should be shared. Hmm.

The photos I'm putting up here are the pieces that I found intriguing. There were heaps more of them but yeah since I got stopped I obviously have no record whatsoever of what they are.

Okay, first up. A helicopter made of crab shells. How novel is that idea? I would never have thought of it in this lifetime. How awesome! I reckon it should be his signature material/style. Way beyond cool.

Made by a Filipino artist named Alwin Reamillo, who works in Western Australia and in the Philippines. This installation is part of the Making it New: Focus on Contemporary Australian Artists exhibition. Article on his helicopter project here.

Details of how the project was made

(must've been real hard work! See all those helping hands? :D)

My favourite bit, which was probably ignored. A crab shell stuck on one of the walls with the Opera House painted on it! Cool beans.

A family looking at on of the installations, part of the Making it New: Focus on Contemporary Australian Artists exhibition. Some words say: England, Australia, Arvo (Aussie slang for afternoon), Kebabs (a personal fave, teehee), et cetera

Now, this one's one of my absolute favourites. It's such a simple concept. Pie is by spat+loogie with Willoh S Weiland and is part of the Primavera 2009 exhibit.

I'm actually planning to take another day trip out to when they have a performance at the museum where you get to interact with them, eat pie, or physically throw pie at them. I reckon it would be fun. :-) There are 3 more of the said events, 1 in October and 2 in November.

Certainly one of the more intriguing pieces in the Primavera 2009 exhibit,

Christine Eid's Your Place.

There you have it, some of what I've picked up from my short afternoon trip to the Museum of Contemporary Art. It's such a wonderful place to be in! Oh and the museum shop definitely boasts of a lot of interesting finds as well ;-) I'm obviously going back within the next couple of weeks!

Nepean River

2009-09-07T10:26:00.004+10:00

My cousin and I went for an afternoon walk at the Nepean River sometime last winter. It's a nice quiet place where you can go boating, fishing, or on a cruise on one of those classic ferry boats. I suggest if you're looking for a nice, quiet place to relax, have a picnic, take a walk or go for a run, you should come see this place. It's a great city getaway if you aren't a beach patron (it's about 60kms away from Sydney) and it doesn't take to long to get to.

(I'm still pretty much hung up on winter. More substantial blogs soon!)

For the lack of content

2009-09-06T15:00:00.003+10:00

which I am extremely sorry for (uni + tumblr + work + lack of $$$ has taken its toll on me), here is a photograph that I took when I went out to the Leura/Katoomba area in winter. It was about 7 in the morning when I took this photograph. :-)

I miss winter, don't you?

Running around town

2009-08-05T22:48:00.001+10:00

Been a busy bee lately, going to-and-fro the west & the city as I've acquired myself a job. The backlog of entries that I have to do is just overwhelming, and this is the beginning. I don't think I'll be able to catch up within the next couple of weeks as uni has just started as well, and my genetics & biological psychology classes aren't contributing much to my blogging goals. Haha. Anyway.

Not so long ago (okay maybe a month or so ago...), my friend Katharina & I chose to explore Parramatta, one of the western suburbs in New South Wales. I would never have picked up interest in visiting Parra until she suggested it; I've always just gone there to shop or go to the uni. When we met up I was starving (as per usual), and of course our first stop was for food. That day I picked City Extra, where I ordered myself some baked lamb shanks which were beautifully made:

Fall-off-the-bone meat, tangy tomato sauce, buttery mash & hot peas - absolutely delish!

City Extra is a 24-hour restaurant on Church Street, Parramatta

My favourite part: the menu! :-) Love the creativity.

After having my fill, Katharina showed me the places we were about to see. I didn't realise it's a town full of history. We visited the following on our little adventure:

Parramatta Park

Old Government House

St John's Cemetery

St John's Anglican Cathedral

Our Lady of Lebanon Catholic church

Elizabeth Farm

Parramatta Park is a few minutes walk just from the train station, and it's a huge place to see.

Parramatta Park entrance

It actually contains 2 of the oldest buildings in Australia, one of which is the Old Government House. We didn't get to see the Dairy Farm, and we didn't get a chance to go inside the Old Government House as we were a little bit pressed for time. What a shame. In general the park is really good for a walk or a picnic. The next time I go there I'd definitely stay longer, cos I feel like there's much more that needs to be said about it that I can't say at the moment.

I found a really beautiful old tree whilst walking.

The Old Government House

After visiting the park, we went over to St John's Cemetery which is the oldest cemetery in Australia. I never would have thought it's situated in Parramatta, and I reckon that's really cool, considering it's not so much a popular tourist spot (or so I think... I need clarification here folks, I'm assuming things. BAD!). We hung around for a little bit, looking at all the old graves. It may sound pretty odd &/or creepy, but having to be in such an old place really just sucks you in. I must admit it was quite an interesting experience.

Oldest Australian tombstones

Shortly after, we checked out St John's Anglican Cathedral. It was my first time inside an Anglican church, and it had a welcoming, homey effect that I actually liked. Maybe it was the lighting and the stillness of the place; I don't know. I did notice the lack of a crucifix:

Is that the main difference between Anglican & Catholic? Someone enlighten me!

Later in the afternoon, my friend and I headed to the other side of Parramatta. We first passed by Our Lady of Lebanon church, which has a very different architectural design compared to most Catholic churches I have ever seen.

My friend Katharina outside the church

I just absolutely love this photo and thought I'd share :-D

This side of Parra is where the exciting part is. Nope, I didn't mean 'exciting' as an equivalent word to 'clubbing', but I did mean it as the Elizabeth Farm Reserve.

Call me a dweeb, but it is such an awesome place to go to during the day. It is Australia'soldest European building where Elizabeth & John Macarthur established the wool industry. What's so beautiful about this place is it's an open museum, where you're free to touch everything inside as it's all a replica of the 1830s house.

This is what the homestead looks like from across the lawn.

The canvas rugs are my favourite things! These are hand painted with 15 coats of acrylic (if I remember right) on top, and 15 on the bottom. AWESOME CRAFTMANSHIP, yes?

Me, relaxing in the verandah.

At the end of the day, we were exhausted as anything. Our legs just went all jelly on us, and we ended up in Westfield - the place I thought everything Parramatta was made of. My bad, Parra's definitely worth a visit, with all its history and culture. I vow to never look at a suburb just as a plain shopping town again!

2009-07-02T20:04:00.001+10:00

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Sweet tooth

2009-07-01T13:24:00.006+10:00

The last couple of weeks I've been craving for nothing else but cupcakes from The Cupcake Bakery. I've been stopping myself (and had people stop me) from getting them because I know I haven't been the healthiest eater, but yesterday I made an exception!

I was shopping at the Myer store in Pitt Street Mall (MAKE THE MOST OF EOFYS IT'S WORTH EVERY DOLLAR!!!) then I just realised that I was going to walk past The Cupcake Bakery on my way to the train home. Excitement rushed through and I paid for my purchases and rushed out into the crowded streets!

Close to missing my train, I knew I had to hurry (cos I wanted to push my limit and do more shopping, lol). I darted across the great amount of people making their way to the trains, the bakery and the news agent (everyone wanted a chance to win the $90M Oz Lotto). Soon as I got there, I knew which ones I was getting!

Red Velvet, Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake, Carrot & Sticky Date

The red velvet ($3,50) cupcake is a classic! It's a red chocolate cupcake generously topped with cream icing and a sugar heart. I always end up getting it when I'm not sure which cupcake to get at an unfamiliar cupcake shop. I got this one because I just wanted to make sure it's at par (or possibly, even better than) with my favourite red velvet cupcake, from Sonja's in the Philippines. I wasn't disappointed. With a red velvet cupcake, the first bite says it all. It was moist & chocolatey. The icing was creamy and not too sugary which was perfect.

The strawberry swirl cheesecake ($4,50), is so good that it's unforgettable. It was recommended by my aunty the first time I went to The Cupcake Bakery and it's really worth it. It's got the perfect balance of strawberry and cheesecake. It feels silky in the mouth and it's so flavourful. The base is very interesting, as it's moist yet crumbly when eaten. It's so good!

The carrot ($3,50) cupcake is just as expected. Heavy on the carrot and heavy on the cream creese buttercream. I enjoyed it a lot! I like the fact that the icing was made of cream cheese buttercream - some cost-cutting bakeries just use sugar icing which defeats the purpose of even baking a carrot cupcake! Yummy as it is, the carrot cupcake is topped with a sugar carrot which I reckon is inviting. :3

Lastly, the sticky date ($3,50) cupcake is a pretty good substitute for sticky date pudding. It's the normal sticky date cake with a honeyed date on top and a dollop of caramel icing. I'd still pick sticky date pudding over the cupcake, but this one's really good for a cupcake. Definitely one that outshines lots of the sticky date cakes I've eaten before. :-)

These are just 4 of the many cupcakes that The Cupcake Bakery has to offer. So if you happen to be at QVB, George Street or Oxford Street, make sure you drop by and have a boxful of these little pieces of heaven! :-)

In search of palatable goods

2009-06-24T14:27:00.010+10:00

One of the things that I love most in life is eating. Anywhere I go, I try to find good food that also comes easy on the pocket. In Melbourne I was able to do just that - no matter how busy our trip went, and regardless of the amazing home-cooked meals my lovely aunt prepared for us during our stay.

My cousin recommended for me to go have lunch at least once in Pellegrini's Espresso Bar. It's an Italian restaurant on Bourke Street, and it's actually been there for decades. In fact, it is also in Lonely Planet's Melbourne Encounter book. The place makes you feel like you're in Italy:

Dining here doesn't come expensive, but it does come really good and in very generous amounts. Also, while waiting for your meal you get warm sourdough bread with butter. It comes well in handy if you choose not to get antipasti.

I obviously indulged on this one.

Anyway here's a rundown of what we had for lunch:

My aunty's seafood marinara: I like the fact that the noodles were cooked perfectly and the flavours left a nice aftertaste but the sauce was a little bit too watery, and the mussels tiny.

I wonder if they're the canned kind... Hmm.

My gnocchi: It was absolutely lovely. The presentation's obviously not the best, but once you bite into the gnocchi pieces, ah, it will just make you smile. The sauce was nice and thick and the flavours were just very well balanced. Apparently, Pellegrini's makes their own chewy-yet-melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi once every week.

My friend Nadine's risotto: one of the 2 things I wasn't able to taste but she sure looked happy (not to mention quiet - a sign of enjoyment, in my opinion) while she was eating this.

My friend Erick's bolognese: okay, honestly, who can go wrong with bolognese? It was divine. I'd have to say it had the best sauce among all our dishes and it was made to perfection. :-)

It's funny how I didn't even get the chance to photograph my friend Brenda's ravioli but she told me it was really good! For taste I'd give Pellegrini's a 4.5, 3 for presentation (we could all do with more appetising plating!) and 4.5 for price. All the mains we had cost only about $12-14. Not too bad for a generous amount of authentic Italian food!

Pellegrini's is open daily from 11am-11.30pm. Bookings aren't necessary.

As I have mentioned in my previous entry, The Tea Room in NGV is also an amazing place to have a nice, sit-down snack or just a cuppa, whichever you prefer. I didn't expect to find a food haven inside an art gallery, but I'm thankful I did!

The Tea Room is an extremely busy humble-sized cafe. I was able to take this photo just before my camera died on me and just after a large group of more than 10 left:

My friend Nadine & I each had a plate of Smoked Salmon, Cucumber, Dill, Crème Fraîche ($8):

One of the best sandwiches I've ever had in my entire life. The smoked salmon tasted just as I imagined, and the dill gave it such a nice flavour. The best part is that it was layered with crème fraîche! I can eat this all day - especially with the very light bread they used (I reckon it's light rye). Very very yummy! It was simply divine.

On the other hand, my friends Brenda & Cathy got Salmon Gravadlax, Vol Aux Vent, Cucumber Spaghetti, Dill Mayonnaise (termed simply: salmon marinated in herbs, cucumber spaghetti and dill mayo in really light but savoury puff pastry - $11):

I had a lot of Brenda's food because she didn't like it so much, but boy oh boy, did I enjoy myself! The salmon was fresh as anything! It's deceiving because at first it tastes bland but after quite some time, it bursts with flavour in your mouth. The herbs in the salmon & the butter in the pastry just mesh so well that I wish I'd order a whole thing for myself!

Last but not least, dessert! Nadine and I made a deal that we'd definitely get scones ($8) after our sandwiches. It was well worth it:

The scones were lightly dusted with caster sugar, and these things just melt in your mouth so beautifully. Especially with a dollop of cream and jam! Phenomenal stuff I must say, and it totally went well with my rich Italian hot chocolate (pictured below)

It came in a nice shiny cup :3

A drink worth trying though, is their chai tea latte ($5)! I'm absolutely raving about this one. It had the most amazing blend of cinnamon, cloves & ginger. If the chai tea latte I had in Badde Manors was good - this one will definitely blow you away. Honestly I've never had such a good brew of chai before.

And it comes in this quaint little tea pot!

The Tea Room feels so homey with its good food and drink and its wonderful staff. The African guy's definitely one of our favourites! Discovering this place was like finding sugar cubes, warmth and happiness all in a little jar.

Seeing sights pt. 3

2009-06-20T13:34:00.008+10:00

And on the third day, we rested. Not.

Having woken up late from the night before, we decided it was Southbank that we wanted to come see. I found it a totally different scene, more quiet and less stressful than any other part of the city that I have been to. Needless to say I had to come back into the busier streets by the end of the day (lol it rhymed), but there are quite a number of spots that are definitely worth the visit as well.

We found that the best way to get to the Southbank was to get off at Flinders Street Station and just walk over Princes Bridge to get there. However due to my not-so-street-smarts we ended up walking along the Southgate footbridge. (i.e., as a handy travel hint: learn how to read maps properly!!!)

We just kept walking southeast (as far as I know) and we ended up seeing these strange mural-esque structures:

Since Crown Casino was on the way we just decided to take a look inside (I hear the club's really good but we didn't get the chance to go at night! Boo) and use the toilets yet again haha. It's a simple building; I don't find it particularly interesting on the outside but the interior was rather nice. I especially liked the ceilings where they used steel casts (?) with warm yellow lighting. I'm a sucker for those.

Unimpressive exterior, in my opinion

Lovely ceiling decor

Soon afterwards we thought we'd take the parallel street to see Southbank from the opposite side. It was good because we were able to pass by Sandridge Brigde, which is actually the first steel bridge over the Yarra joining the city and Port Melbourne! On it are glass panels that list the different cultures that are present in Melbourne.

I ~~like~~ love the fact that they showed how multicultural Melbourne is

After which, the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) was our next destination. Just like the Melbourne Museum you need a lot of time to absorb the beauty that is in this gallery. By far, this is the biggest gallery i've been to and it's so enriching. It's located on St Kilda Road, and it's simply impossible to miss.

The side entrance

(yes, I walked across the bushes and things just to be as close as possible to the sign)

The front entrance, featuring Dalí :-)

I haven't got photos of the inside, and for that I deserve a beating!!! It will forever be etched on my memory how much I enjoyed this place. Too bad my (aunty's) camera died on me. Maybe next time. In this gallery, I can say I got lost and got found again. It's not as grandiose as the Louvre or the Hermitage museum (N.B. I haven't been to either) but as a mere spectator I can say I was more than impressed. This gallery is free for all to visit except the featured exhibits, in this case Dalí's Liquid Desire which I remember costs $18.

We had late lunch at The Tea Room, which is inside NGV as well and I'd have to say - it was an exquisite experience. :-) I'm one very satisfied customer, thank you very much. Save that for the next entry. Patience is a virtue, food lovers!

We spent so much time at the NGV that it closed up on us just before 5 in the afternoon, but we weren't done with Southbank just yet. The girls & I took a walk in the park just as the sun was going down. We went to Queen Victoria Gardens which is right across NGV, then walked all the way through King's Domain to the Government House and had a little peek at Alexandra Gardens as well.

We persuaded the nice Park Ranger Leilani (sp?) to try and pry the Government House open with our best efforts to no avail (lol) because it's only open to the public once a year. So, neither did we get into the government house nor find wombats on our way back although it was dark enough for them to come out and play. Tough luck, I'd say. But it's all good, it was a great day overall anyway.

That said, I'm finally done with Seeing Sights! Hooray! Next up, wining & dining Melbourne style! :-)

P.S.

Melbourne, I love you and I can't wait to come back.

Seeing sights pt. 2

2009-06-19T15:04:00.013+10:00

With limited time, my friends and I knew that we had to move fast, and we had to know where exactly we were going throughout the entire day. We hastily planned our trip but it still went great, thanks to Melbourne's great public transport system. We got the day pass which only costs $6.80 and it covers all train, tram & bus rides. Talk about extremely cheap means of travel (Sydney sucks at this!!!).

Based on that lesson learned, here's a handy travel hint: if you ever go on a weekend trip, plan it out couple of weeks beforehand and make sure you've got the maps & means of transportation together as well. Know exactly what you want to see, and make sure each person has a contribution to the list of places to visit - this makes it all the more fun because it involves a mixture of different interests!

Anyway - I always end up going on a tangent here - my apologies.

On our second day, we first headed to St Patrick's Cathedral, which is in East Melbourne. We took the train from our place, getting off at Parliament station. It is a beautiful early 19th century structure, still very gothic, I would say. Here are some photos I took -

Cathedral's entrance

Side view

Interior

I'd have to say, St Patrick's looks really beautiful both on the inside and out, and it is well maintained. We didn't hang around for the mass but we all said our little prayers then headed for other equally worthy spots.

Our next stop: the Parliament House of Victoria (right across St Patrick's). It was still closed when we arrived, so we just took photos outside. It's another one of those classic buildings which (I suppose) has Roman influences, there being the presence of columns and such.

Approaching the Parliament House

The part I love most about the Parliament House's exterior: Mosaic-like tiling!

My 15 seconds of fame with Australian media. & I don't even know what channel it is. Oops.

Our next stop definitely isn't in any travel guidebook. We made a (rather long) trip to the toilet in Sofitel Melbourne. It isn't your regular toilet, I promise you that. Situated on the 35th floor of Sofitel, it has a really great bird's eye view of the city, where you see the Yarra, and all the other things Melbourne has in store for its visitors.

The 35th floor toilet view of Melbourne

The Yarra in sight

Now, with that view, who would pass up a chance to go have a toilet break here?!

Sofitel's atrium - isn't it lovely? :-)

When everyone was done with their business, we knew we had to explore the rest of the landmarks in East Melbourne. The City Museum was in sight, and that had to be next. It's actually in the Old Treasury Building of Melbourne, right next to the Victorian Marriage Registry:

We actually witnessed someone get married that day - cheers to that!

What the Old Treasury Building looks like across the street

Me sizing up my height against the City Museum sign.

The City Museum is the perfect place to go if you really want to learn about the making of Melbourne. Artifacts in the permanent exhibit go as far back as 1835, from old dentist chairs to vintage bicycles, the governor's toilet & clothes back in the day. It also shows the life in the Old Treasury, specifically, its old caretaker John Maynard & his family. In the basement is another permanent exhibit is Built on Gold which shows visitors the story of Victorian gold in 8 interactive "vaults".

Being a group of 5 we were able to avail of the Family ticket which costs $18. I reckon it's worth it. We spent heaps of time there just learning about Melbourne and its rich history. Get ready for an information overload as well. To avoid that though, follow my mantra: "Take photos now, read later". Haha.

After lunch (which needs to be reserved for another entry), we decided it was perfect weather to go for a stroll. The closest one was the Carlton Gardens which led straight to the Royal Exhibition Building as well as the IMAX & Melbourne Museum.

Me & my friend Erick in the background. Lol

I find this to be astounding, what do ya reckon?

At the end of the path is the Royal Exhibition Building. It's one of the oldest remaining pavilions in the world.

Right around this building is the IMAX theatre & the Melbourne Museum. Both of which are post-modern structures.

My friends Erick, Brenda & Nadine walking towards the museum

Exhausted after trying to tour the whole place in an hour

Yup, we came around the museum too late. You need a good 2-3 hours to see everything in this building, maybe even more. The perk is that if you're a student, you get in for free so long as you're able to present your student card. :-)

This is how our 2nd day in Melbourne ended, getting closed up on by the Melbourne Museum. Feel free to try the same route on your next visit, but maybe spend less time walking and hop on more onto the buses & trams, especially if you've got the day pass anyway. Then again, walking, getting a tad bit lost and seeing everything is so much more exciting. :-)

Seeing sights

2009-06-17T21:53:00.014+10:00

Melbourne is such a beautiful city - full of art, life and history. I was blessed with another chance to come visit again this year, but this time I went along with some friends. It was a great experience and this time I got to know the city a lot more.

We flew in really early on the 4th of June (and I mean we took the 6.15 am flight). Melbourne was bound to have a beautiful day:

This is the aerial view of Melbourne just a little past 8am.

Right after breakfast we decided to visit Queen Victoria Markets which is comparable to Sydney's Paddy's Markets. It has everything, and I mean everything in it, from shoes to boomerangs to flowers and food. I reckon it is much, much larger than the Sydney one, though I can't be too certain. One thing I know that is worth heading to while in the QVM area is this mobile doughnut place:

I assure you fresh & hot doughnuts, for an affordable price (6 for $3.90). It's certainly a classic and nothing too complicated. You can pick from a plain sugar sprinkled one, and a jam-filled one. Both are good and it's even better if you have one after the other, alternately ;-)

The Queen Victoria Markets are open from Thursday-Sunday, with varying opening & closing hours.

Afterwards, my aunty gave us the idea of taking the City Circle Tram so that we'd get to see the entire place then just choose to hop on and off wherever we wanted to go after the ocular inspection. It seemed to be the most practical idea since we wanted to maximise our time to explore the entire city, so we did that. It's good because the City Cirle Tram is a free service that takes tourists (and locals just the same) to the different hotspots in the city. If you're the impatient type (like me) you will love this service because it comes around every 12 minutes, and it runs from Flinders Street to Spring Street and back. It's easy to find compared to the normal pay trams because it is small & very vintage-looking (and more importantly, labelled City Circle, lol).

I find that the best place to come back to after a long day of going around Melbourne would be Flinders Street as it has the train station for one huge landmark:

See what I mean when I say it's a landmark? It's one of my favourite spots in the city, as it is always busy and Flinders Street Station is just a lovely sight. Right across it is something extremely modern, the Ian Potter Centre:

If in any case you get lost this is the side that you have to go to because this is where the really big information centre is complete with all the train, tram & bus routes, events lists, tour booklets, maps & of course, friendly volunteers to help you find your way.

As for my friends & I on the first day- we hopped on and off everywhere (& sneaking cat naps on the tram), took a walk at the Docklands, ate at Flinders Lane (parallel to Flinders Street) & ended up doing some shopping at Bourke Street Mall where the biggest Myer is located. I'd have to say - it was a pretty long & exhausting day, especially if you hadn't slept at all.

Seems like a jetlag

2009-06-16T22:52:00.005+10:00

I haven't updated in so long that I feel guilty.

A lot has transpired within the last two weeks - uni exams, a weekend in Melbourne, and my 21st birthday. I haven't got any idea where to start off because I've had so many stuff lined up to blog about. I was hoping to write up on good shopping spots here, which I reckon would be extremely helpful for all the shopping aficionados. I also wanted to write a whole lot about Melbourne (my favourite Australian city by far, ever since I've first been in 2008!) but I reckon that might need an actual outline as I've seen so much this year compared to last! Also, my 21st has been quite eventful but the festivities aren't over yet so I'll have to save it for another time.

However, I really feel the need to put something up. I reckon I really just missed writing on here. Actually, there is something of interest to me now... This year, Darling Harbour celebrates its coming of age. The harbour has been there since the late 19th century, but it was only reopened to the public in 1988 after its redevelopment.

This year, different events have been organised to celebrate Darling Harbour's 21st. I've been to some of them, the first being Australia Day on the 26th of January this year. The only thing I was able to take part of was the fireworks:

Another event that I have witnessed (in passing) was Hoopla, where Darling Harbour turned into a circus playground for families to enjoy. At first my friends and I thought it was just something really random but I looked it up and it's actually done in conjuction with the Easter long weekend.

This is a really bad photo of it but the performances we've seen (mostly acrobatics and other street acts) were pretty cool! Or maybe I just haven't seen enough of circus acts when I was a kid... Who knows.

And of course, how can one say that one has fully celebrated one's birthday without having CAKE?! :-)

This is Darling Harbour's massive 21st birthday cake placed in the middle of Cockle Bay Wharf. I reckon it's an amazing cake and definitely spells P-A-R-T-Y!!! That said, wait for the blog spam coming your way within the next couple of days. I assure you it will be fun!!! :-)

Good morning

2009-06-02T10:55:00.001+10:00

I should've posted this yesterday, but I just wanted to say:

HELLO WINTER. :-)

Wine me, dine me.

2009-06-01T17:47:00.005+10:00

Last Friday, I went to out into the city to hang out with my aunty & cousin. I had no idea what we were doing that night; all I knew was that I was sure to be in for a new taste of the city.

When we all got together, we talked about whether we should get a drink or food first. Hah, not being alcos at all, we chose to go for a drink. They took me to Marble Bar - located in beautiful George Street, it's on the basement of the Hilton. It's such a classic place, as it was built in 1889. It was refurbished in 2005, still upholding that really dark, cozy & classy atmosphere. I feel terrible I haven't got any photos. :-( My new camera hasn't gotten into my hands yet, pardon me. Anyway, I had a Vesper Martini - very James Bond inspired. It was a pretty good drink, though I would say it lacked a little kick (salt maybe? But that would ruin it, I suppose). The Vesper costs $16, and most cocktails are, on average, from $16-18. Not too bad for that great an ambience.

After drinks we decided we were hungry. It was a tough decision to make, to be honest. We knew that we were having Asian for dinner, but the problem was where to get it. The consensus was to grab grub at DinTaiFung, as I've never eaten there before, and because it's supposed to be a really good place to get XiaoLongBao. It's at the top floor of World Square, that is also along George Street. We ordered heaps of stuff, and I mean heaps for 3 ladies. Hahaha. People stared at how much we had on our plates, and that is no exaggeration. Just a quick rundown of everything:

Steamed pork dumplings

Steamed crab meat & pork dumplings

Steamed shrimp & pork dumplings

Shrimp & pork shao-mai

Fried rice w/ eggs & shrimp

Green beans w/ mince

Obviously we didn't get that in just single orders... It's my secret to keep how much we really had. Hahaha. It was an AMAZING dinner, and definitely worth the (45-minute) wait (outside in

the rain). I was really, really, really pleased & for all of that we paid around $80-something. Not too bad. I can't wait to go there for dinner again :-) In my desperate attempt to show you guys how amazing the food there is, here's a photo from GrabYourFork (who happens to have amazing restaurant reviews, glad I discovered this site tonight!!! Subscription-worthy, people!):

DinTaiFung review by GrabYourFork here

After much catching up (and me thinking of where to head for dessert), we caught the bus from World Square to Glebe Point Road, which has got to be one of the streets I favour going to more often than usual. The food places on that street are just GOLD! That night we picked Badde Manors to indulge in mind-blowing dessert. We got 3 different cakes - carrot cake, Italian baked ricotta cake & sticky date pudding. To match, we got mokka, chai tea (the real deal guys not powdered stuff) & hot chocolate.

The carrot cake was good, it had a nice thick cream cheese icing and the actual cake wasn't too sweet. Definitely matched the fresh cream garnish and the good thing about it is that it had fruit & nut to taste. It does the job but it's not the best, maybe because it was a little bit dry. The Italian baked ricotta cake was fantastic. It's the first time I've ever tried it and it was good. It was powdered with cinnamon and confectioner's sugar and garnished with fresh cream. But these two don't compare to the sticky date pudding! It was a perfectly-sized one, topped with fresh cream and surrounded by a pool of mouth watering toffee sauce. Ah, it was heaven!

The drinks were pretty good too. The hot chocolate was not too thick and had the perfect amount of sweet & bitter fusing in every sip. The chai tea was brewed beautifully - there was a perfect amount of cinnamon & ginger in it and it's all about feeling warm all over ;-) As for the mokka I forgot to try it cos I was too busy with the sticky date. :-\ I'll try again next time. All that for about $35, I can't complain.

Badde Manors was the perfect place to end our girls' night out but my food adventure doesn't end there.

On Saturday night my aunty, uncle & I agreed on eating at Deli's Thai after church. It wasn't a first time for me, as we all personally love this humble restaurant down at Glebe Point Road. I told you, that road is gold. Lol. Our staple spring rolls & money bags were ordered for appetizer, and for mains we had the usual fried rice & pad thai, but this time I ordered chicken pad cashew nut sauce. Their spring rolls are always palatable, stuffed with vegetables and really thin noodles. The money bags are my favourite; basically they're deep fried minced chicken and dessicated coconut with beans and other good stuff. We devoured the fried rice in a flash and took some time to get to know the chicken pad cashew nut sauce. It's nicely seasoned, not too salty and not too spicy, and had lots of vegetables. I can't say I'd put it in the list of stuff I would re-order but it's definitely worth one try. :-) Deli's Thai offers amazing Thai food for a reasonable price. For all of that we paid around $35.

I may have gained good 5 pounds from this weekend, but it was definitely worth it! :-)

On autumn, and the promise of good days

2009-05-13T21:23:00.006+10:00

(Written on the train at 0700H, edited 2204H)

My past visits to Australia have always been from mid-April to mid-May, but I never needed to wake up at dawn. This semester, my Wednesdays start as early as 0530H and I found out that if it's foggy when I step out of the house, it's going to be a really nice, sunny day out.

At dawn, the fog is heavy as anything; it seems as though snow will fall any second but it doesn't. Half an hour into the fog, it just almost suddenly clears up, and you see the sun right before you telling you it's a new day - and it assures you it's bound to be good.

To be honest, I've never been more thankful for waking up everyday. That said, I can't wait for my first Australian winter! :-)

Touring the city

2009-05-12T15:30:00.016+10:00

Finally, after so long I have found the time to write. I've been meaning to share my first experience at touring someone new to Sydney with you guys the last couple of weeks but I have just been buried in assignments!

Now, we begin (I'm heaps excited)!

Every time I've been here (first when I was 6, then when I was 19, now that I'm almost 21 and living here), I've always been the one being toured. I always liked the idea of seeing new places, and seeing things so different from home. Things have changed ever since I moved here to Sydney. I've been going from the city to the suburbs on a weekly basis - not much of a touristy thing to do. I've been learning to know the ins and outs of the city by heart (and by foot!) and it feels like right now, this is home.

Anyway, I met a friend of a friend who came to Australia to work for a year. During her first few days I kept her company, because my friend was in Tasmania on a holiday. Cathy is Chilean, and when I asked her what she wanted to see - she immediately told me that she wanted to see the Opera House.

I thought, okay, cool, we can head off to the city and spend the day there. I also thought that maybe I should show her other parts of the city that were worth the visit. The night before, I set up our itinerary. It was an odd feeling, having to pick places to show someone who's new, considering I'm new here myself. Here is the list:

The Opera House

Darling Harbour

Royal Botanic Gardens

Queen Victoria Building (!)

Mrs Macquarie's Chair

Manly Beach

Circular Quay

At 8.30AM we took the train from Blacktown to the city - we both purchased DayHopper tickets, which cost $17. The DayTripper is really useful if you know you're going all over the place via public transport. It covers payments for the trains, ferries and buses. It's really worth it!

At Central we changed to catch the line that goes to Circular Quay. As soon as we stepped off, we already saw a place to take photos:

Me, trying to act touristy at the Circular Quay platform.

Me, again, on the other side. Lol

We then walked out of the station, and went straight for The Opera House. It was such a nice day, with the sun out and the cool breeze brushing past.

Approaching The Opera House for the nth time, I still needed a photo. LOL

This time, however, I actually paid attention to the tiny details of this magnificent structure. I had no idea that the roof, that was designed like a sail, was TILED. I always thought it was painted, or shingled, but I thought wrong. I became more impressed!

See how cool that detailing is? Wow. How could I have ever overlooked it!

After taking all of Cathy's photos, we decided to take an even longer walk towards the Royal Botanic Gardens. It's an amazing place to people-watch, as well as to have picnics. Lots of the people who live in the city do their morning runs here as well - I suppose it's a good location to just leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind even for a short while.

The Botanic Gardens have lots of trees.

Fishing is also an option here

I'm jealous of the lady just breathing in life, she seemed so relaxed.

I happen to love rocks/rock formations, and this is the big one leading to Mrs Mac Chair

This is the spot where Queen Elizabeth first landed on Australian soil!

I have a soft spot for old trees.

After that long exhausting morning, we took the bus back to QVB by midday.

We're pretty good at concealing exhaustion, aren't we? :-D

We had lunch with my aunty at De Costi Seafoods (if memory serves me right!), which is in the lower ground of The Galleries Victoria. Food there is fantastic! I didn't get the chance to take photos of what we ate because they were in take-away packs and they weren't too photogenic.

After which, we walked to Darling Harbour, which is a place that I usually frequent, for some strange reason. A lot of tourists hang out there and take water taxi rides or those jet boat things. They cost quite a fair amount, which is why I've never tried it. At the Darling Harbour, one can find a lot of food places and bars; I reckon it's best to go there at night ;-) However, look at this!

The spiral fountain fixture at Darling, which I love the most (compared to all the other fountains present - I tell you, there's heaps)!

Then we walked back to QVB to catch the bus to Circular Quay once again! It was at that time that we decided to take the ferry to Manly (More details on here). The ferry ride was windier than usual, but it felt so nice and calming! We took a stroll at the beach, where I found this particularly interesting:

Haha. I know it's common here, and I see them more often than not, but I thought it was just cute that they were huddling. We did some shopping in Manly, and by the time the clock struck 4.30PM, we were just beat. So we caught the ferry going back to the city, took the bus to the train station, and caught the earliest one home. I can now proudly say I know Sydney, and I really love being here. :-)

(Aussie flag along Pyrmont Bridge)

Not too bad for a 17-dollar worth day, isn't it? :-)

New traditions

2009-04-21T16:34:00.014+10:00

As I've said a million times over, moving to Australia would mean heaps of firsts. Well, recently I've celebrated my first Easter here and it was such a great experience. I had a long weekend packed with different things to do. On Maundy Thursday I attended the celebration of the washing of the feet (as I am Catholic) and on Good Friday attended the Good Friday mass.

Easter Saturday (or Black Saturday) was more exciting. I spent it with friends wandering around the city, and I found out that there are actually shows and some sort of a circus set up at Darling Harbour. It was cool how there were acrobats and different sorts of performers all over the Harbour because it made the walk so much more interesting than normal. I've got one really bad photo but I'll put it up anyhow:

Darling Harbour on Easter Saturday

Later on that night, we went salsa dancing as you may have read from my previous blog. Sunday was more relaxed. I spent time with my family and had my friend Brenda over with us the whole day. We also attended mass and had a simple dinner that we all put together.

We had Chicken Schnitzel, Cabbage & Pine Nut Salad, Fish Fillets in Ginger Sauce, Eggplant Omelette, Pork Chops and Lentil Salad.

My Easter weekend didn't end there. The next day, my girlfriends and I decided to go and see the Sydney Royal Easter Show which showcases the different farm animals, produce, and festival shows, among other things in Australia.

It is one of those events you wouldn't want to miss if you're in Australia during the Easter. Here are some photos from the Easter Show:

There are different rides that you could get on, such as this ferris wheel.

If you're not into that, there are farm animal shows like the Pet A Pig one. Others include Sheep Shearing and Cow Milking.

If you happen to enjoy food like I do, Wooly's has an exhibit of different fruits & vegetables!

There's heaps more to do in the Easter Show, like the Woodchop and the Equestrianism contests. There is also a dog show where you can see different breeds of dogs - I really enjoyed this one so much that I wasn't even able to take pictures! Also a fashion show featuring alcapa fur runs there.

The Sydney Royal Easter Show runs for 2 weeks each year and it is best to go on weekdays, where the place isn't too packed. It is located at the Sydney Olympic Park, and it is easily accessible by train as there is a station that stops directly there. The best part is that the ticket to the show comes in a package with the train ticket. University students pay $25, school children pay around $21 (these are rounded figures) and adults pay $32. I reckon there are packages for families but you may as well check out the website. I'm sure the rates would be different next year, but at least you have an idea.

To be honest this is the first Easter where I had more fun than I could ever have imagined! :-) Not only did I had heaps of fun, but I also gained so much more, in terms of things to be thankful about in life. Excuse the cheese, but I' m already looking forward to next year :-)

PS!

I've got a new profile photo up - besos y abrazos para mi amiga Tippy! She's an amazing Brisbane-based graphic designer, and I'll post the link to her online folio as soon as it gets set up :-)

Who knew

2009-04-19T21:08:00.006+10:00

that I would find a love for salsa dancing and everything Latino here in Australia? Ever since I've started hanging out with my friends from Chile, I've been learning everything there is about South America. I've been learning Spanish on my own as well. It's quite interesting how closely it relates to Tagalog, which is the language of the Filipino people.

Anyway - back to salsa. The first time I went was when our friend from Greece dragged me and my Swiss and Chilean girlfriends to a place called Vivaz. At first I was being very resistant to it because I really had no idea how to salsa or anything. Of course, my friends finally got me to dance with them and by the end of the night I really couldn't wait to get back!

Two weeks later, we headed out to Vivaz yet again! I was really happy that we went there to dance the night away. Entry to Vivaz costs $15 but if you're there for dinner there's usually a buffet that costs $44 including the entry to dancing after. There are salsa classes which you can take for $10 for an hour I reckon.

It's pretty good in there, as there is a mix of a DJ spinning different latino tunes as well as a live band. The best thing about it is that it is located at the Rocks! The Rocks is such a wonderful place to take walks before and after good dancing and drinks. Obviously, I can't wait to go again next week :-) Anyway here are a few photos:

My friends Brenda & Erick dancing with the crowd

Hidden in this photo are my German & Swiss girlfriends dancing salsa like they're actually latino. See how much fun everyone's having? :-)

In other news, I realised that I haven't blogged in a month and I should probably should do some catching up with all the writing I've got to do with regards to my (mis)adventures here Down Under ;-)

Get beached!

2009-03-30T01:37:00.010+11:00

It's probably not the perfect time to be blogging about beaches, but I thought I had to sometime. Since I can't sleep I will now. Hah.

The first two times I've been to Australia, the only beaches I've seen were 2 of the most popular ones, which are Bondi Beach and of course the Gold Coast. Below is my photograph of Bondi from 2009

And this was from 2008:

Bondi is such a nice place to go to as it is close to the shops and there are a lot of food options and of course, lots of girls and boys to watch all day. But if you actually want to absorb the scenery and feel the serene ebb and flow of the ocean waters, I reckon it would be best to go to Palm Beach. It is about an hour drive from the city, and it is not crowded at all. Here is a photo from when I went around last month:

(In photo: my friend Cecile taking photos! LOL)

My experience of Palm Beach was pretty good - it was quite a drive from where I live and upon getting there you can see that it really is a place to unwind. It's also close to Whale Beach, which, unfortunately, I haven't been to yet. We tried walking it through the cliffs but the rocks just got really sharp and the tide was getting high so we decided to walk back probably less than halfway to it.

Most recently, I've been to Manly Beach, which is probably my favourite one so far. It is crowded as there are lots of tourists that visit, and it's a pretty commercial area. It seems a little bit like Gold Coast, but it is smaller and it's a little bit more peaceful, I suppose. I reckon the most fun way to get to Manly is to take a ferry from the Circular Quay, which now costs $12.80 for a return ticket. The trip is about half an hour long and note that the gates close 2 minutes before it actually departs! I'm emphasising that because my friend and I got left behind just because we got chips&wedges 5minutes before the ferry's departure and had to wait another half an hour. Hahaha.

This is the walk towards the beach, where the shops and food places are at:

And this is the actual beach:

(In photo: my friends Brenda & Nadine getting splashed really hard by the waves)

We've discovered as well that there is a scenic walk in Manly, and a calmer (but deeper) beach called Cabbage Tree Bay Reserve (will have to double check that name). We went for a swim there as well and it was pretty good. The water was freezing but it was okay because there wasn't a strong current pulling us in. It looks like this:

There is also Bronte Beach that is about a half an hour drive from the city (if you know your way) but I haven't got any photo of it. It is nice because there are grounds for picnics and a barbeque. We went there last week, but we arrived late and so it was too dark to take actual beach photos.

So far those are the beaches I've been to this year (and when I say I've been to it means I stayed there for a day and not just drove by because I've seen most of the beaches along the coast but never actually got to stop and enjoy it), and all I can say is that I'm sure there's so much more to see and I can't wait for our next beach adventure! ;-)

What I learned in school today...

2009-02-26T08:52:00.002+11:00

1. AGE is no limit to education here in Australia. Much to my surprise older (and by older I mean 10+ years older than me) people are still just getting around to attending uni! I have heaps of classmates who are quite possibly, mums and dads and professionals-turned-students again! I find it to be awesome because I've never experienced being in a class with a wide age range. In my old school, I even used to be close to being the eldest.

2. BLENDED ADULT LEARNING is pretty cool. I was supposed to have 2 lectures every Monday, but, as it turns out, the course believes that blended learning optimises learning, and so all lectures for that class has been made into e-lectures. Story made short, no more face-to-face lectures for Intro. to Research Methods on Mondays. In addition, my Human Behaviour lecture isn't compulsory, either. The lectures are downloadable as PODCASTS! How cool is that. Lulz.

3. The WEIGHT of each course is so much different from what I'm used to. I remember having an early summer/Christmas break cos I didn't have final exams, but all my subjects have sit down, 3 hour exams. Plus there's heaps of research and papers to make, and it seems like I can't 'write' my way out of it. I'd usually just blab and reiterate important points on my papers (sans REFERENCING) but written works are taken so seriously here!

4. Speaking of REFERENCING, all universities here in Oz have this thing called Turnitin (turn-it-in) where you can (rather, highly encouraged) to submit your work before submitting it to check it against a MASSIVE database of all previous students' works, other published material etc. They're big on plagiarism here, and to emphasise, the database covers around 4 billion websites, 10 million past students' works, and journal articles. Yes, one has to be careful before handing in an assignment.

5. WiFi is ALL OVER the uni!!! It's so exciting. You can lay around on the grass and still be browsing the net. The government funded the uni $2.1 million for all UWS campuses to have it! I've activated mine on my laptop yesterday, and wow, the speed of the net considering the amount of users was really good!

6. Best of all, people are SO NICE! My campus isn't filled with Asians (AKA FILOS!) unlike the Parramatta one and I was at first really anxious about meeting friends and that. But hey, I've only been there 2 days, and what I noticed was that when I accidentally look at someone he/she just smiles at me. When I ask for something I missed during the lecture, they answer politely. My seat mates in lectures chat to me and are very friendly. I like the mix of the student population in my uni. Mostly there's Wogs (1. a non-Anglo-Celtic European, esp. from Southern or Eastern Europe (e.g. Greek, Italian, Balkan, Slavic, etc.) ; 2. an Asian, esp. a West Asian (e.g. Lebanese, Turkish, Armenian, Iranian, etc.), but now also inclusive of South Asians and Pacific Islanders*), then Australians, Blacks, Chinese, Korean and Japanese. So far, I've only spoken to the Wogs and Aussies, and they've made me feel as if I'm no different. I remember back in Manila, when you accidentally look at someone you don't know in school and try to smile at them, they pretend they don't see, or act like you're a freak.

7. And last, but most amusing, the university has a BAR. I haven't checked our one yet, but in Parramatta, they sell beer. Yes. Alcohol is available for purchase here in uni, but not cigarrettes! I guess they really believe that people who go to uni are adults and to be assumed responsible and treated as such. The one in Blacktown/Nirimba campus stopped selling because of the fights. I should check our one soon.

Yeah, so those are the things I learned in school this week. I am 7 points smarter. Lol.

LOST

2009-02-16T18:51:00.002+11:00

I swear, I thought I'd never get lost if I followed the CityRail timetable.

WELL GUESS WHAT.

This morning I got up at 6am so I could catch the 745am train at Rooty Hill. It's the latest train from our area that would let me arrive in Bankstown at 930am. Phil and I left the house at 730 as the station is only a 2-minute drive from our house. I got there and there was a long but moving queue and I knew I wasn't going to miss that train.

Few minutes after falling in line, the 734am train was announced delayed by 5 minutes. I thought it was great cos this one person took so long in purchasing his weekly ticket (EFTPOS NOT FTW IN THIS SITUATION!!!). Finally, I got my return ticket to Bankstown (which cost me $10 cos it was peak hour - what a fucking joke!) then I went to the platform to wait for the train.

I felt lucky to have been able to catch the 734am train because the timetable showed that it would stop at Lidcombe, where I needed to change trains to get to Bankstown. I immediately hopped in the train and stood next to the door knowing it was a fast train so stops are greatly limited. The ride was smooth and cool thanks to the rain and wind! By the time I got to Parramatta, I realised that I was so close to my stop. I stopped reading my book and waited for the train to arrive at Lidcombe. Much to my surprise... IT WENT PAST THE STATION. I was like, "holy fuck what do I do???"

I WAS LOST! But not really.

The best thing I could come up with at the time was to get off Strathfield - thank God it stopped there. I rang Phil and told him what happened. He just told me to not put my ticket through and just pass through one of the gates. I was able to do so effortlessly. I knew where the bus stop was to get to Uni from Strathfield, but little did I know that it would take so much time. I was standing there outside the train station and it was raining like it never has in days. I thought it was the worst day of my life.

2 buses went past me, telling me that the UWS one was coming soon. HOW SOON IS SOON??? My patience was really starting to run out and I was getting cutties. It arrived 840ish, and things started to get better. I got student discount which I'm not really supposed to (thank you to the Islander driver I love you!) and just enjoyed the drive from Strathfield to Bankstown.

That's my story. I got lost but I found my way. The funniest thing was, when I got to uni I really thought I was late... but it turns out I was the only one who showed up! LOL. Can't wait to go on another train adventure. Hahaha! :-D

Heatwaves are my thing

2009-02-09T17:44:00.002+11:00

but obviously not. I always thought the Philippines was H-O-T, but I thought wrong!

Temperatures here reach up to a frightening 45 degrees (west) and up to 40 in the city! I reckon it's much worse this year than any other year, as there's the Victorian Bushfire Crisis and my heart's broken for all those who ended up homeless and alone.

I haven't got a clue as to why arsonists do what they do and end up destroying thousands of homes and lives. Just this morning when I woke up the death toll has risen to 173. What's so good about Australia though is that they've all come together to help all the people out in VIC. And by that I mean a total of $15,182,395 in donations via the 1-800 number, a million dollars from all the major banks, and the relief funds from the government. Just now, the cricketers are raising money to donate as well!

However, in Queensland, there's a great flood at the moment making people lose their properties. It's great that the rains have stopped, and that's one less problem.

I hope things get better soon in Victoria, so people can start rebuilding their lives. I can't do much to help (as I am quite broke from traveling to uni last Friday) and it sucks but this is the number to call should anyone feel like pitching in to help out in this devastating event.

1-800-811-700.

Better, more positive/happy blogs to come soon - I'm getting there. Lol

x
Ryc

To the city and beyond

2009-02-03T21:11:00.015+11:00

I've been spending heaps of time in the city and I figured it would be nice to share how beautiful the place is. From where I'm staying, the city is around 15 minutes away by bus. I usually take the one called 440 and stop at Town Hall, which I reckon is the central area of the city. But I can't be too sure just yet. LOL.

Town Hall from across George street, at rush hour.

The bus stop right across Town Hall, where I wait to get home.

What I love about strolling around that area is its busyness and the designs of the buildings! Take for instance The Strand Arcade, a place where Australian designers are showcased. I reckon it's something like the Filo area at Greenbelt 5, but it doesn't look anything similar. Here's a photo.

See how they maintained the old building? This one is the only one left of Victorian Sydney, and it was opened in 1892. I find that really amazing. I should've taken photos of the interior but I was in a hurry as my mum was being her wild, shopaholic self.

I also had the chance to visit the Apple Store, and my was it massive. I like how they made it was made of glass panels:

Here's a photo from the outside, lol. Again, we were in a hurry to get to QVB. Will try and do a better job next time.

My favourite among all the places in the city is the Queen Victoria Building. It's been there since 1898, and I've loved it since I was 5! The place is just so quaint and pretty :3

QVB, top view (I took this when I was at Sydney Tower last week)

And the best part is the lifts!!! They're the old fashioned wooden-door-type ones. Such a shame that I've got no photo. But, the interior is just as amazing:

I adore the hallways!

The center of the building where the the clock is. What a beauty.

Me, by the staircase. Look at those antique tiles! They're treasures!!!

QVB is like the best place to find designer goods. It was perfect timing that I went yesterday cos so much stuff was on sale! I got a belt from Sportscraft, and I really wanted this hat:

The Rita Cloche in Berry
or in Black!

Ah... I feel like I'll be going back for that hat sometime by the end of the week, because it's too cute to lose. My mum says otherwise though. She thinks I should wait for the sale to come (it's currently selling for AU$69.95).

How do you feel about it?

Eighteen plus!

2009-02-02T11:24:00.004+11:00

I woke up early today so I could get my NSW photo card from the RTA in Five Dock. It's like a proof of age card, less the permission to drive. Haha.

Here's a photo of the thing -

Excuse me for looking so lame, I was shy and I just woke up. Personal details (i.e., my address) will not be disclosed of course. LAWL.

So yeah, the only thing I'm waiting for at the moment is my Tax File Number (TFN) then I'm all set. The process was really quick - only queuing took some time. I went up to the counter then the lady just entered all my details and made copies of my IDs. I then paid $43 (cheap as, the card's valid for 5 years!). I went back to my seat and 2 minutes later, another lady called my name out (MARIAAA!!!) then the deed was done.

So now, I'm back at home and I'll head out to Broadway for lunch in awhile. Cheers to having a 18+ card, I won't be mistaken for a 16-year-old anymore! :-D

x
Ryc

Can I tell you about...

2009-02-01T18:43:00.009+11:00

Sydney's Paddy's Markets. It's a place that people go to if they want fresh fruits, meat & vegetables at really low prices. And I mean low, in comparison to Coles, Wooly's and the rest.

So. I went there this morning after mass, and my was it packed. I was greeted by Lebbo guys screaming out "CHEEEPAAAAH" and enumerating their stocks. There was so much to choose from, and everything was massive.

Exhibit A - Cauliflowers. They may look tiny but they're not!

Just one of the price tags - they're a sight for sore eyes, especially for those looking to save on food expense!

The scenario when you shop at Paddy's Mkts

I love these big Valencia Oranges!

Large gingers, sweet potatoes, eggplants and capsicum. LAWL

Gross looking but extremely delish, FLOUNDERS!

Yup, I spent my morning at Paddy's, just adoring the freshness of the fruits and vegetables. Of course we bought supplies to last us the whole week, otherwise the trip to the market would've been useless.

What I noticed was that it looked (and by that I mean organised) exactly like the markets in Phils, as it is run by Asians, Indians & Middle Easterners. The noise and the hustle & bustle are exactly the same that I felt I was home. The difference was that it was cleaner and less stinky than the ones in Manila and the shoppers were either Chinese or backpackers from Europe.

One more thing that's different about it is that it also has stalls that sell clothing and shoes amongst others. It's something like what we'd call a 'tiangge' back home. So yeah, Paddy's is one of the places you should shop at when you visit Sydney because as we all know, New South Wales has the highest cost of living in all of Australia. Hahaha.

Sydney's Paddy's Markets is at Haymarket, Sydney (Click to view map).

RanDUMB conversations:

2009-01-30T22:59:00.003+11:00

1. While waiting for Phil to finish enrolment at TAFE:
Dane: I still haven't been paid for work yet.
Ryc: Yeh?
Dane: Uhuh, Maccas.
Ryc: How come?
Dane: I have no idea...
Ryc: Maybe you should call 'em and ask why you're not getting paid?
Dane: OH THAT'S RIGHT, I BETTER DO THAT NOW...

2. In the car:
Phil: Look at that Asian kid! He's sprinting!
Ryc: I wonder why.
Ryc: Oh look there's a kid chasing him!!!
Phil: *cheers boys on*
Ryc: OH maybe they stole something from the supermarket across the road!!!
Phil: What supermarket?
Ryc: That one, where it says Used Car Supermarket!!!
Phil: That's a used car shop...
Ryc: Yeah, but it still has the Used Car Supermarket!!!
Phil: HAHAHAHA
Ryc: OH OK I GET IT IT'S A SUPERMARKET FOR CARS!!!

3. At the TAFE office:
Phil: *signals me to come over*
Ryc: What's going on cuz
Phil: What's my car number?
Ryc: What do you mean?
Phil: The number of the plate of my car.
Ryc: Which car?
Phil: The green one
Ryc: Oh, the Lexus. No I dont. How am I supposed to know?
Phil: I dunno.
*Phil does the exact thing to Dane. Our mutual reaction: WTF WAS HE THINKING??? HAHAHA*

more ranDUMB conversations to come. For now, it's tie-break time for Nadal&Verdasco.

x
Ryc

Oh, goodness me.

2009-01-28T16:52:00.003+11:00

I've been here in Oz for a week already, and it was composed of many firsts too. I got my first bank account (Commonwealth Annandale FTW!), and I am currently waiting for my keycard (what would better be known in Phils as an ATM card haha). It was a smooth transaction, thank you to wonderful Ali who didn't really ask for so much details and gave me a good interest rate.

I also got my new phone, thanks to the very very accommodating Drew at Three right across the Myer food court in the city (sorry I didn't look at what it's called). I got a U990 that came free with my $29 cap and I reckon it is a great deal :-D At first I tried to get it from that loser (!!!) at Three in Broadway but he was being a dickhead lawl. Anyhow it's all good now. I've also had it set up to be able to call anywhere in the world & for the bill to be automatically debited to my CommBank account.

On to more interesting things, yesterday, I went to the Post Office where I attempted to send mail for the first time (!!!) and it was more or less a fail/success. First I created my own queue and had to be sent back to the far end of the real queue. LAWL. Then, when it was finally my turn, I was able to buy a stamp for $2.20 (my mail was being sent to my good friend EM in Mississauga, Ontario). That was a good one. After sticking the stamp to the envelope, I went outside Norton Plaza where the post boxes are. As soon as I got there, I saw 2 boxes, one red, one yellow. The red one had 2 slots and the yellow had one. I was sure not to chuck my mail in the yellow canister as it was the express one, meaning I would have had to pay more. The red one was the box of choice, but I didn't know which slot. To make the long story short, I reckon I chucked my 1 month late Christmas card in the local box. Hah. I'm sucha freshie.

Oh and the other day my mum and I took the 440 bus to Town Hall to meet my Aunty so we could head out to Rooty Hill together. I was sitting there, waiting for the closest stop to Town Hall and when I saw it I pressed the stop button. I thought of course that it would stop. BUT IT DIDN'T. So I went to the bus driver and said, "Hi, isn't this the stop to Town Hall?" He goes, "Well I can't really drop you off here cos it's not a stop." I was so embarrased cos the bus was fucking full. HAHAHAHA. But nothing to worry about, we were dropped off at Queen Victoria Building where I ended up combing through Coach, Ferragammo, Oroton and Marcs. LOL. However, tomorrow's a different story. I've got to get the stop right because I have to arrive early at Uni. Lol.

Today, of course I had another chance to embarrass myself and show everyone what a FOB I am... Haha. I went to Bankstown where my Uni's at (UWS Bankstown Campus) with my Mum & Uncle. As soon as we got off the train, we went to the bus stands. I knew we had to get either a 900 or a 922 bus to get to Uni. My uncle being the great person that he is, thought he saw a 922 bus and jumped right in saying "3 adults to UWS please". Turns out it was a 925 bus going to the East Hills. HAHAHA. Okay it was prolly my uncle who got embarrassed but I was the first one kicked out of the bus. LOL.

No worries, today's turning out to be pretty great. Went to George Street after a very filling Portuguese lunch at Nando's. I was able to get myself new thongs (i.e., flip-flops!), and a few tops for a total of $65. Thank God for End of Season sales!!! Technically I got everything for $45 cos I got a gift certificate of $20 to spend in February for spending over $50 :-D Haha. YAY ME.

So yeah. Tomorrow's another day for mishaps, and I'm sure there'll be good stories to tell as it will be my first time to travel alone to Rooty Hill. KEEP 'EM FINGERS CROSSED!!!

Aussie aussie aussie

2009-01-27T11:46:00.002+11:00

Oi oi oi!!!

Today I experienced Australia Day for the first time and it was great! I really felt the Oz spirit despite the terrible weather. I didn't really celebrate it the Aussie way (i.e., getting pissed drunk on the long weekend) but I did go places.

Saturday we went to the city for OzTrek in Centerpoint, and walked around the city the whole day (imagine, it was around 35-40 degrees celcius!!!). It was really hot and exhausting but come late afternoon, a storm came. We went to Watson's Bay but there was a sandstorm going on. It cooled down some more when we got to Bondi - 19 degrees!

It was perfect but the problem was the wind. We couldn't get out otherwise we'd be blind from the sand. Oh well. We went to Deli's Thai at Glebe later on for dinner and it was lovely, as always. I had Seafood Pad Thai & Money Bags!

Totally off topic, but I'm still trying to get oriented to the whole 8pm sunset thing. See, it's awkward to have dinner at 7 with the sun still mighty high. LAWL.

Early on Sunday, we headed out for Blue Mountains and it was a bit chilly. I was very pleased with the weather as it was the perfect kind of windy and it wasn't cloudy as well. There were so many people at the mountains and the tourists flocked the area, too. I went on the now made safer Scenic Railway which is the steepest ride in the world, being at an angle of 52 degrees! I first went on this one when I was 5 and if you fall you die. :O

We also went on the Sceniscender and did the Scenic Walk where we walked through the rainforest. Pretty awesome stuff!

Well today, we celebrated Australia Day by going to the city. The fireworks were amazing. It started at 840 and ended somewhere around 915 in the evening! It was fun although the weather was the gloomiest I've ever seen. Now, for the more exciting part: photos of everything I've been talking about!

The harbour bridge in all its 6pm beauty hahaha

Watsons Bay, just before the storm

Bondi beach, during the storm (photo from inside the car!)

Me, at Echo Point, Blue Mountains

REALLY COOL DIGIERIDOO MAN high 5ing a little girl. LAWL

Mad Scenic Railway!!!

The famous 3 sisters :D

Mad fireworks at the Darling Harbour

Well, that's it for now, I'm off to the post office! (PS- I fell asleep writing this blog last night, finished up today, 27. Januar 2009)

x
Ryç

I wish

2009-01-26T10:47:00.000+11:00

you all a HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY
More stories with photos (!) later! :-D

First class all the way

2009-01-24T11:20:00.000+11:00

But not really. Hah, I must say, I enjoyed flying business with Philippine Airlines, that’s all I can say. It was a smooth flight, and most importantly, I was pampered. I felt sick throughout the eight hours and got meds and 3 hot cups of tea. But of course it wasn’t the only perk. Hah, sorry I’m amazed. I’ve always flown coach as it is the practical choice. I’m not shy to say I’m ignoramus when it comes to flying business because I never have until my flight to Syd.

It was so enjoyable to eat really nice appetizers - tiny bread filled with some sort of paté, a 2-cheese & fruit & nut bowl (wine included!) and fresh fruit. The main course was delectable as well; we were served with either fish, pork or beef (i chose beef). I got a massive slice of beef tenderloin in glazed onions with steamed zucchini & carrots on the side. To top it all off, we were served watermelon & melon (lawl) alongside with a cup of mocha/chocolate mousse.

More than that, the seats were nice and spacious. :-D I was able to sleep nicely for half of the flight, and the rest of the time I just enjoyed the luxury of a smoother, less noisy ride. Overall, I can say I had a good flight to Oz, discounting the fact that we left late (due to airplane traffic, lol). We arrived on time anyhow.

Moving on.

I arrived on the 21st as well at around 8.15 in the evening, Oz time, and we went to Leichhardt straight away. I’m staying there at the moment as Phil’s (my habib haha) has Canadian occupants (our aunty&uncle!). It’s a quaint flat and there are 12 tenants. It’s also just about 15 minutes away from the city which is pretty good.

So yeah that was Sydney on the first day, and I was surprised by almost unbearable 35-degree heat. :c

x
Ryc

And so it begins!

2009-01-22T02:23:00.000+11:00

7.09am in sunny Manila and I am waiting for my 9.00am flight to heatwave Sydney. I'm at Philippine Airlines' Mabuhay Lounge and it smells of Chinese. I have no idea why but there's only old people here it's not even funny. UGH, what a way to start the morning. And you call it a lounge? Haha. I can't complain, there's free internet.

I didn't sleep the entire night obviously, due to excitement and an attempt to hold back all tears. Emotional as it sounds, I find that I will miss Manila - the traffic (but not really) and the hustlin' and bustlin' of everyday. I'm being contemplative and reminiscent of all the good things the Philippines has to offer while getting myself hyped for all the new experiences I'm about to have in Oz. Most of all, I'm thinking about the people I'm leaving behind and I'm sure as much as they're all sad about our parting ways they're as excited as I am. Meanwhile, my mother is busy getting her roaming service to work.

My eyes are starting to hurt from the sun and it sucks. I think I need sleep but I'll stay up until I get into the plane. Not to brag (this is really more like an exciting moment for me that I just want to share), but Mum and I got business class seats! :-D We didn't really purchase it (duh), but we just got it off our Miles thing. I'm so excited. Recaro reclinable almost bed seats and L'Occitane toiletries! :-D

In 8 hours (+3 due to timezone differences) I will be arriving at the Sydney airport. It's my 3rd time in Australia and this time I'm staying for the long haul. That is the basic reason why I'm starting this blog, just to keep everyone posted and stuff. It's all so exciting for me and I'm sure I'm gonna have such a mad time.

I'll finish uni there but for now ('til late Feb) I'll just be on holidays/bumming around. Being a bum has been my job for the last maybe 6 months and I'm used to it. In a week's time I should be able to get around the community on my own and head to the uni for some important, dorky, academic stuff.

LAWL.

Now, since I'm still pretty new (but a bit familiar) with Oz, I need to get used to the slang and find some things to get busy with. What do you guys suggest I do for the next month? Give me some ideas and I'll probably do them anyway, just as long as I won't die of some weird totally hilarious accident. God forbid.

Well I begin this blog in Manila, just as I'm about to depart to a new land of great opportunities and a wild ride. You'll hear from me as soon as I arrive Down Under. Should be fun aye? :-D

x
Ryc