Christmas '09

Alcohol. Fun times. Magic Sing. Fun times. Barbie. Fun times. Jenolan cave. Fun times.

Been drinking a lot this season, but tell it to the Aussie way of celebrating Christmas. Even my housemates have been staying up late. Waking up late. Same hangover. All for the yuletide season.

Well, no matter how you look at it - Christmas wont be the same if you're not spending it with your family. It feels empty even if you have so many friends. Even if you drown yourself with different booze.

This year has been different, really. No present received. Not much presents given. No familiar carols I hear on nearby streets. No colorful houses. The Christmas breeze...

But still I am thankful for the warmth celebration we had with my good ol' Eastwood buddies. Being with them is enough, priceless. So I celebrate my first Sydney Christmas. Not bad.

Happy Christmas everyone.

How do you really treat Koondis?

This word came up the other day when I was watching Friends.

Remember Ross' Koondis, its indescribable thing on Ross' tushy. Funny how all medical people started to gather up just to see something unexplainable and phenomenal (?). It was cured eventually when Ross decided to go to a witch doctor named Guru Saj.

And what is the magic spell that cast away the bad Koondis? ----Love.

I'm afraid mine won't be cured soon. And I'm afraid I will hafta celebrate the holidays with my Koondis.

The Tale of the Struggling Me

Emotionally. Financially.

The downturn began exactly last year. And it has been hard to recover since then. I was praying for a better life. Each pieces that was shattered have now been cleaned up, meticulously been placed in the bin. And now, I am recreating a new life ahead.

The struggle definitely continues. Each heartache and dismay resounds to defensiveness that I can never find another person. But life gives us maturity. We keep on learning for us to be stronger in facing the different facets in life. Each small achievements I gain, I learned to count the blessings. I learned to appreciate simple joys in life. The struggles I am facing gives me a sense of optimism that its going to be a better year for me in 2010. I feel that the economy is picking up, much as my life is regaining its momentum.

Its not all about money. Its not all about wealth and career progressions. Its about how you face each day and how your disposition and realisations will be. Its about how you make it a better place and feel that life is indeed - beautiful.

Simple joys, less expectations. Greater joys in small rewards.

That's my tale of the struggling me. Or should I dare say, the tale of the aspiring visionary.

The Ghost still haunts me

Living all these years alone I have longed for company. Having dealt with a massive blow last year has made me furious. But seems life is sweet that it heals unfathomable wound even if it hurts so deep. I learned how to be fair. I learned to be understanding. But seems I have been traveling in a limitless thoughtfulness. Keeps me wondering where is the gray thin line that separates fairness and abusiveness.



That is right. The ghost still haunts me. And I have to hide and hibernate.

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spiders and cockroaches

too hot today after cherry picking in the morning and picnic on the afternoon. i decided to get a cold shower. only to see couple of spiders in the bathroom.

i immediately exterminated them. i was too freaked out. then soon as i finish - a flying cockroach went straight at me. as if attacking me cos of the spider crime i committed.

i just hate all of 'em... of course my flip flops were the ultimate weapon for extermination.

Outlook

I am recreating the pieces. Living life slowly yet painstakingly focusing on not committing the same mistakes again. Sure, I've learned my lessons and this time around-I know better what to do. I am hoping to see a clearer pathway to betterment. Self-evolved and away from the wretchedness of what had been years living in nonsense egotistical outlook that I've beset myself early on. Destiny should be seen as bridge towards the one you love. And I shall find that bridge and conquer this seemingly unchartered territory to the zestful life that beckons before me.

My long list of grievances

So it starts...

Like a pee that is about to burst for a long one hour wait and you can't do a thing cos your in a travel bus. It's has been a long time since I've pass upon the burden of bad bad thoughts to my blog. It's about time I unleash it.

The struggling accountant
I know I shouldn't complain but I really should. I feel I am worth some good fortune but I'm working as an accountant for a dodgy company. Talk about interrelated entities that is owned by a common middle eastern mafia. I'm cleaning up the mess the previous account... err bookkeeper has done.

The problem with being a former external auditor is that you'll fussed about the accounting process. Every bit of aspect lacks controls. And you seem to be too much overwhelmed with what's on your plate though you have been itching to correct every single thing that is wrong with the company.

To give a bit of details on the work of the struggling accountant, here are my duties:
- Hocus pocus of BAS. Think Excel's 'Goal Seek' to derive the tax payable to ATO.
- Investigate where have all the PCF has gone to. It's like seven grand in the books but no real money in the Director's box!
- Solving the labyrinth of intercompany accounts. OMG! This has been the worst ever. A pays for B's goods but B records his own sale. A never records A's transaction with B. Then A records gazillion transaction with customers but never gets paid cos C gets all the money, where C never books A-C transaction and claims it on his own. And here comes D charging every bit of sales that was supplied by A to cash wherein there is no cash account for D plus the physical money goes to A anyway.
- Data encoder. Tons of invoices gets dumped on my desk but good if it comes as the sale is earned. but it goes to my desk only during +10 after month-end! Just when I have closed my books!
- Suppliers' fury catcher. Ohh... the purchases side. Well, this one is pointless. I have piles of invoices processed but remains unpaid. Suppliers get mad all the time and has threaten not to supply us. Where has all the money gone? Why can't we pay.
- BAS. Payroll tax. Super. Payroll run. This is all fun but then again, where is the money? I have been piling up months and months worth of unpaid taxes.
- E, F and G bookkeeping. More companies! This is nice. They gave me more company to account for.
- And many little details that I can't even fathom why I ever accepted this job.

But come to think of it, I did learn a lot. I have a lot of duties to fulfill particularly cleaning up this mess. Putting up suggestions for better internal controls. And finally stepping up as management accountant as I know this company needs a good financial analysis of where it is going.

The poor rat
Who can ever imagine? that I've been working really hard but won't get paid. How frustrating is that?! The company doesn't have money to pay its employees. Far out! I'm living with every little cents I've got. I was really pitying myself awhile ago cos I just nibbled cheese cos my tummy's getting mad. I'm living in a shared accommodation and got no flights booked for the holidays. I missed on loan repayments and credit cards. Got no money on my accounts and maxed out credit cards. Shesh! Too excited to be Friday and I will sing 'I will survive'!

Ungrateful "friends"
My Eastwood buddies have been dodging my calls for unknown reasons. How fucking hard can it be to let me know what the problem is? They could have called me. Tell me directly what's wrong.

My weekday blah blah

What's up with me?

Blogless this past few days. I was kept busy with my new work. Familiarising myself with the process? Done. Now I am establishing controls for the month-end process. It's not easy, I tell you. The only consolation is Reese treat and badminton weekends with my friends.

Lately my other friends at Ryde seems to be preoccupied with their US trip. I wonder what they are doing? I miss them... I hope we could undo the present and bring back the good ol' times.

My other friend came all the way from the other end of Australia to relocate in Sydney. Whole new world awaits him. I just hope that he'll find work soon. And I can move to a better place and split the rent with him. Though the place am staying now is lovely but am still not that 100% comfortable living with other people.

Tomorrow at work, I shall do my best. I will deliver promised consolidation by Friday. It means if I have to work late tomorrow - then so be it. Friday will be a day of celebration then. Finally, its pay time. I got fifty bucks accrued for my shopping. I promise to give myself performance bonus if I meet my deliverables. My budget is not that big but I could find simple happiness from that amount. I reckon we should eat at a nice place.

Hyperactive Saturday and Lazy Sunday

Achieved a lot this weekend and I'm alcohol free. For one, all activities were done on Saturday like there was no tomorrow. Sunday was a bit relaxed while I try to be domesticated good bloke and clean up my room.

Saturday
Morning's rush, I reckon. Coffee to start the day right. Badminton match for two straight hours. We won! Then decided to walk from Five Dock Leisure Centre to Ghie's place at Russell Lea. T'was followed by afternoon heavy barbeque at Sid's place. Really nice ribs with Jack Danielle's sauce. More and more food was flowing. Movie marathon, endless munching of food (incl. Reese chox), green tea, nice back massage (c/o Sid's seat massager). Like it was half past six but we never gave up on cycling. I dunno where we got the energy but we had two laps at Bay Run. Exhausting but all worth it. I think I lost calories I gained from the heavy lunch.

Sunday was a bit weird cos I lost all the adrenalin I had yesterday. Or maybe because it was drizzling. I just decided to go to the city cos I'm craving for nice lunch. I had this stir fry chicken with cashew. But because of the rail track work. I decided not to meet Emie to get my laundry. I went back home carrying this huge clothes airer. I decided I will clean my room. Do my laundry. And just relax.

3 weeks notice

Consider this as my three weeks notice. Nah! I'm not resigning (just yet) from my current employment. I love it, really! I believe I still have coupla missions to accomplish before I resign. Plus I have to buildup my continuing education, remember?

This is more of a notice that my blog will be privitised soon. Effective 1 December 2009 0001H my site will be accessible only by invites. Hence, if you want to continue following me and my journey, feel free to send me an email.

My email: rondz.tk@hotmail.com

Gambling with cards

Getting the right strategy in a card game should mean you know how to choose the best combination. Sometimes you think that you have the best one. Only to realise that it doesn't go well with how the game flows. Hence, there is an urgent reorganisation. Throw away cards that doesn't go well with your current bet. Pick new ones that can add value to you. And with a bit of luck you'll get the ace. And win the race.



Life sometimes can be compared to card gambling. You can win some. It can just be a tricky game. Quick impulsive decisions should be made or else you lose everything.

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My Halloween Cat and Sangria Friday Night

I've been talking to my stuffed animal! He is weird but quite photogenic. He loves watching TV. Used to sleep on top of Niko's TV but now that I have my own room at FL. He keeps staring outside the window? Quite weird. I just had a photo shoot for our Halloween comics (see below). He cooperates well. Hmm.. I wonder what to call him? Poo? Yes, he's name is Poo without an 'H'. Just plain black poo. haha



****
Yesterday was a great Friday night. I got a chance to hangout with my work buddies. We ate in a fine Spanish resto. Too bad we weren't able to see Flamingo dancing. Sangria for three hours is just impossible. I realised that working on this new environment is great as I have new colleagues to hangout with on a Friday night. Plus they're really nice and even offered a ride home.

Thursday is the new Monday

I just have more like an hour to straighten up my outlook. In blogging terms.

What's up with the new banner? Right, it's all about showing you the good side of me. It shall be a fresh start for me at looking at different chapters of life with a more enthusiastic approach. Friendlier and more compassionate, that is.

Like New Year's and Monday's, it gives us chance to have a new beginnings. And I reckon I needed that in my life. So starting tomorrow, I will lessen rants and you would hear more of life's good 'ol fashion values, on which we used to rely. Sounds familiar? (Hint: Family Guy).

May tomorrow be a perfect day, may you find love and laughter along the way! (Hint: RX 93.1).

Disclaimer. This will be cheesier than normal, I swear.

Indian Curry makes me MAD!

A code name I shall use for now.

He is such a scum bag! Scatterbrain if you would. I hate his guts. His smell. His face - a plain disgust. He always goes to my desk to pester me with his annoying questions. Can you believe this guy brags about his "Masters in Professional Accounting" (with Air Quote) but doesn't know anything about debits and credits? I hate to think he's lying but I think he is. Is it possible for someone to have a good theoretical background on accounting and worse practical knowledge? He doesn't even know what fortnight means!!

My colleague and I are arguing whether he is:
a. An illegal immigrant;
b. A terrorist sent from Middle East; or
c. Just plain stupid.

I've been pissed so many times. I told him not to expect to much from me, cos good training comes from personal initiative to learn. I don't spoon feed. I terrorise and I can eat someone alive.

For a start, I did give him some filing to do. He can't even follow simple instructions. I promise I would be very strict with him. He has to learn. And my iron hands and mean persona will unleash Rondzter.

Beware. It starts on Monday.

The Ex-Auditor

I'm glad to be finished with E&Y.

Don't get me wrong but I did enjoy working for the firm for more than five years. I did gain a lot. And one thing I learned is often times it can be rewarding. And on the other hand it can be a curse.

Not being at E&Y, I discovered a lot of things I've been missing. There's more to life than work, definitely. Stressing out for your career. Been there. But once they had let me go - its like a new era had just began. I guess, career isn't everything.

Can you imagine that E&Y called me up this morning? Offering my job back. And listen to this. They are reconsidering me for another 3 months. Talk about reusable disposable auditor.

But I have just printed a big 'NO' using a permanent indelible marker that I'm an ex-auditor. Never returning on that route again.

Indian Curry for the Soul

It's an everyday struggle at work. I know I shouldn't be complaining. I'm just a 4-day employee but my assistant's aroma is so mesmerizing.



I am bewildered and bothered working with him cos every so often he would lean towards me. (Hint : Axe's commercial). I gave him lotsa filing to do expecting he would stay away but still he asks damn questions..



Aaargh... My tortured soul on a Monday morning.

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vultures and vampires

where are you?

-FRIENDS DVD
-iDog
-Multifunctional Printer

I've searched Eastwood and my boxes in Russell Lea. Can't find it... Only one place left unsearched.

What's up with that? Can they just simply borrow it from me? I feel like the vultures have feasted on my things while i am away.

**
I was agonising what I saw last night (my first night at forest lodge). it seems like there were vampires living in this place. blood spilled near the bin.

did their momma ever teach them proper hygiene?

f*cking dismayed. not good to start my first day here. not good to start a Monday.

Thanks Eastwood buddies!

After 3 months of living in Eastwood it's time to say goodbye.

I have to say that I enjoyed living with Niko and PJ.

Though there were couple of times that my life was in chaos - they were there to offer shelter and cope with my problematic life. Having shared your home means so much to me. I will surely miss Niko's lovely adobo and PJ's fantastic kare-kare. But most of all I will miss moments when I'm with you guys.

Hope you visit me in Forest Lodge soon. Don't forget to bring baker's delight.

Cheers mates!

xoxo
Rondz

crap can i survive?

demotion is just too painful. from first class working environment down to a rundown office site. i reckon its going to be a tough time adjusting to this kind of work. don't get me wrong? i don't totally dislike it. i just can't help but compare what I was getting at E&Y before. basic things and let me enumerate

1. no induction? where's my oh&s? where's my contract? no id? no own space? no email? no windows log-in... honestly i was in a state of culture shock. but i pulled myself together. telling myself that its better than nothing.

2. i miss pantry full of fruits, free coffee / tea, biscuits, TV when I get bored. Darling Harbour view.

3. i don't even have my own supplies. fortunately, i brought my notebook and pen.

4. i called help desk like ten times today. just because the software we are using is a bit crappy. lots of bugs. plus i cant install a printer.

5. i miss starbucks, gloria jeans and world square just around the corner when u feel like escaping. but here, my escape is the busy parramatta rd.

but on the other hand, i believe that it all starts with hard work and perseverance. since i'm doing overall finance functions, i will definitely gain experience needed to climb the commerce ladder eventually. then i will be able to finally complete my CA. and take a better job in few years time. let me think of it as my part time job to sustain myself whilst focusing on my postgraduate studies.

Finally... how i spent my last unemployed day!

Finally...
Last Monday, I got an interview with one of my friends' boss. She referred me and even though the salary range is way below my E&Y salary. I grabbed the opportunity of meeting with him. I woke up at 7am. Unusual for me cos I normally wake up way past 10 in the morning.

The interview was brief. Although I prepared for it learning about Australian taxation. But still it doesn't hurt to do bit of research and be ready. The five minute interview was an indication that they are interested with me. The only thing left to talk about is the tenure of my employment. I agreed to stay longer given that the Company is stable and growth is apparent. Only thing I need to know is if they will shoulder my Postgraduate program. The interview ended with salary negotiation. And he promised to give me a call with an offer.

The offer was made after an hour. I received a call and it is within my expectation. I took it without thinking twice. On the back of my head, I have an option of returning to E&Y but this has not yet been 100% confirmed. But still. I needed a job. I want further studies.

This 3-month ordeal has opened my eyes to things that I should attain. I have reassessed my goals. I realised that CA is important tool to demand higher position and get job security. On another account, commercial experience is also vital. And it shuns Big 4 experience even if its local experience.

how i spent my last unemployed day!
A hectic day for me cos my new employer wants me to start immediately. Meaning two days after I got the offer. Fair enough. The initial thought was to get aligned with the work time clock. I woke up 7am. Cooked my brekkie. Visited the unit cos I'm looking for shared accommodation. Uni tour. USYD seems to be a fine university and I have already enquired with admissions. Had a bit of shopping. Got a Diesel bag that I'm going to use tomorrow. Lunch at Nando's. Ribs, I just loved every bit of it. Movie cos its Tuesday! Surrogates. It's bizarre but I enjoyed it. Then off to the Rocks for my Guylian Dark Hot Chox. Was home by 3ish and took my power nap. Ended the day with cheap $5 pizza with Pee.

Now I'm ready to sleep and looking forward to a sunnier day ahead.

Blog Action Day: The Planet Earth

Blog action day focuses mainly on climate change and its adverse impact on our environment. There are a lot of ways for us to help protect our planet. In our everyday lives most of us never realise how little things can help make our world greener and a better place to live in.

I have recently been watching the TV series 'The Planet Earth'. I was astonished with the vast diversity of our planet's species. The first episode was entitled 'From Pole to Pole' and it shows a journey around the globe as it reveals the gradual effect of climatic change as season change. It explains why there are sand storms, severe storms, etc. Not being conscious and well-informed on how we can control carbon emissions and save energy, we won't be able to achieve the common goal of saving our planet.

I was particularly amazed by the animals, their habitat and how they interact / survive across different seasons. Our planet is rich with natural resources and so many beautiful things we never have appreciated because we are too busy with our daily lives. If all of us would be able to see the episodes of 'The Planet Earth', then I am more than sure that we will do something to save our planet.

Not all countries in the world are that committed to make proper laws to regulate climate change and impart awareness to everyone. In Sydney, I am proud that there are measures that NSW government is doing to ensure we do our own share to the changing times.
- If we purchase appliances (i.e., washing machine, fridge or dryer), it would indicate how much energy we save. The more stars the better. And they often provide cash rebates if you purchase the energy efficient ones.
- If you book a flight, you can have the option to pay certain amount for carbon emission.
- Energy Australia (my electricity provider) gives out free installation of energy efficient bulbs. I also opted to pay premium to contribute for carbon emissions and some research.

Energy efficiency and water conservation tips:
- change light bulbs to energy efficient white light
- instead of using dryer, use the natural ways of drying things like *under the sun* method
- make most of natural sunny light rather than opening your lights in the afternoon.
- use of appliances efficiently (full loads of washing clothes or washing dishes)
- report leaking faucet and avoid wasting water

Quoting Barrack Obama:
"All across the world, in every kind of environment and region known to man, increasingly dangerous weather patterns and devastating storms are abruptly putting an end to the long-running debate over whether or not climate change is real. Not only is it real, it's here, and its effects are giving rise to a frighteningly new global phenomenon: the man-made natural disaster."

Dust Storm. Tsunami. Earthquake. Storms. Flooding. Drought.

Nuff said. We need to act. And we hafta do it soon.

On losing hope

Last night I can't sleep at all. I am honestly bothered that I don't have a job yet. Six months of being without a job is actually revolting. I honestly don't know what's wrong with my CV? I know for a fact that my local experience is not enough to get the jobs that I wanted. But I tried to negotiate with my agents that I am willing to cut my salary expectation to 15%. But still no word. Now, I am willing to cut it even further down by 32%. It's getting tiring, frustrating and devastating. I know I don't have CA qualifications. But my Big 4 experience is not enough? I am thoroughly reviewing my career path and I can't believe that I have been one of the top performers before but where I am now?

The mere thought of what my lifestyle had been for the past months is just awful. The fresh start that I am anticipating has long been overdue. I cried. I really can't take it anymore. I know that I have to keep the faith. But is there something I can do to speed up the process? Get any job. Start from the bottom. Rebuild my career once again.

The Story of the Annoying One

To give you a background of that annoying person:

She talks about herself nonstop.

She sings even if she doesn't know the song. Yes the hums are killing me.

Makes fun of people's age like its a big deal.

Shows her collection of gift cards. Duh? I don't give a tiny rats' ass.

Comments on her life story on every place she sees.

She talks about her boy-toys all the time. Like she's hot. I'm awfully squeezed at the back of the car.

Talks about buying house at practically all places that comes to her mind. I can't take it anymore I even asked her 'Did you win the lottery?' I wanted to add 'or are you dreaming?' but might be offensive.

And finally what I hate the most is that I can't stop to notice all her irritating ways and it was just nerve wracking!

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Addendum

Oh... I just realised that my blog counts (eeek! seems like blood count) are getting lower. Last month's statistics I got fewer hits cos I only posted like four entries.

Well, what can we do? My days are empty, no shit-load of stuff to tell. No work. No life. Not much of things I get interested in and my self-esteem is at its all time low. The only thing I mastered is the art of bumming around. It sucks, I tell ya. And hell yeah, I am now in desperate need of a job to keep me sane. If there is a 101 on 'Getting-yourself-employed' book. I won't think twice in buying it.

Still I say that it's not about the money. Not to brag but I got shit loads of it to survive another season. But somehow I need to be useful to the society. And damn, I couldn't justify any vacation if I can't find myself a job. So please... If you're reading this and if you're from NSW. Please, please hire me. I am talented, smart and gorgeous.

The Idiot and the Bad Country Weather

I dunno. I just have to blog this. Call it stupid but I am stupid and plain dumb. I got stucked in the apartment's hallway without a key. It's middle of the night and the last thing I wanted to do is wake up my housemates. It's Niko's bday for crying out loud. I just walked out of the unit to take some calls. Went out since I don't want to disturb my sleeping housemates. I left the door open but the freakin' wind has somehow blew from inside (through windows) and the door slammed and I got stucked.

The agony of sheer coldness led me to worry if I can sleep outside. Being so desperate to contact them, I rang their mobile phones and even landline for so many times. Guilt has slowly crawled its way. Luckily, Pee woke up and opened the door after a 15-minute panic that seemed like forever.

Lesson learned. Don't be fucking stupid.

--------
I hafta talk about my rainy long weekend and the unfortunate thing happened. As you might have heard we had a long vacation here in Sydney cos its labour day. But to me, its another pathetic excuse to get out of Sydney and forget about my job dilemma. For one weather's not cooperating. It was raining all throughout the long weekend. We cancelled horseback riding cos it can be dangerous. But funny I got an ankle sprain because I pretended to know how to play chinese garter and fell hard on my left foot, which until now still aches. But is generally fine (about 95% healed). My sprain became better or it might be my adrenalin to participate in outdoor fun activities that pushed me to get better.

We bushed walk for lotsa kilometers around Kangaroo Valley and beyond to see coupla falls. Which ended up not so fantastic since fog is all that you see. Highlight of the event (not mentioning the fantastic marshmallow melting) was the kayaking. I was really good at it and I am one of the two brave souls who doesn't know how to swim but still managed to get a solo.

Thanks to my mates who have organised it, brought some food and made our weather-sucking country vacation a fabulous treat. Special mention to Sheng of course. Thanks for the ride, great team leader and for always being amazingly cool.

The Poo Accident and my bitchy mood

Poo Accident

Just when my spirits where up 'cos of :
- three job prospectives that contacted me,
- had my hurricane pork ribs,
- donated for Ondoy victims benefit, and
- sunny and summer-like weather

I accidentally sat on a dog poop. Good thing I brought my hoodie to wrap around my waist to conceal the poo incident. Luckily it's just few minutes of torture under the poo spell. I saw General Pants and instantly bought a Stussy shorts. Now I can enjoy the beach. Baywatching and finish my overdue book.

Bitchy Mood ii

After the dusty storm that swept Sydney last week, now we are rewarded with a good sunny day. That's why I went to the beach not thinking twice. But the power of technology has once again made the lovely weather into a pit of darkness. Through 24/7 internet connection I have been aware of any developments/news on social networking.

As a result I've been shrewd. Only because you provoked me to it. Generally I'm a friendly and nice guy but I have my limitations you see.. I can be really bitchy when not treated properly. I just have this dreadful angst that would mystify many. Its just the way of telling someone to fuck-off and mind your own business. Grow up and be mature. Act like a man and tell me directly if something's bothering you.

2 cents.

disclaimer: not in anyway angry at you. this is just a way to vent out.

been around...

lately i know i'm blogless. but twitterful. and cheerful.

just a week prior to my birthday, roi visited me here in sydney and i have the honour of showing him around. then the day before my birthday, jeff came for an 18-day holiday in australia. i was too busy touring as well. forgot about job hunting and all those routinary stuff that i do that kills me from boredom. good thing that i still have enough funds to sustain me and i've been around NSW.

will insert picture links soon...

now im back to the normal bit i used to do. but this time, i've got enough books and dvds to entertain me until the job search finally concludes. *cf*

its tuesday, its movie day. this time emie would join me and hoping that funny people would indeed stand by its name. otherwise that's another ten bucks i wont see again.

My Springfield

Walking past the trees after my interview, I began to notice the branches of most trees. On the tip there were leaves which were beginning to sprout. I am reminded that spring is finally here. I just love spring the most. Its vibrant colors. The coolness yet fair weather. A visit and stroll to the beach. Always is a perfect day. Seeing nature's apparent beauty. I am just lucky that my birthday falls on this season.

It always gives me an inspiration to live by my motto. New beginning. Just last night when I celebrated mass at St. Mary's Cathedral, the sermon was about encouragement through this tough times. A new beginning not only in the midst of our personal life but also in our communion with God. Likewise, spring gives me enormous hope that there is a clearer road ahead.

Again million thanks to my friends for sharing some time on my birthday. Though a bit wounded financially, its worth it despite the minor unchivalry of some. I tend to diagnose it with holistic approach rather than spoiling the night and turning it into a bleak event.

May I find the perfect place for solitude. Simpson's call it their Springfield. I want my own. Shouldn't be long, I reckon.

turning 27

thoughts on turning 27? Well, not much really. Its not an age that would create a big fuzz but i am always reminded that just in a few years time I will be turning 30. and it will be a big deal! whether i have my dream job. whether i have attained what i wanted in life.

thanks for my friends, its something that i will always cherish. at the lowest point in my life, who else will support me. just minutes away til we have pre-celebration dinner at hurricanes. and hours away til the countdown for my birthday. what more can i wish but having friends with me. enjoying few drinks with good music.

Analyse Me / Triathlon Tuesday

Analyse Me
I feel lost. emotional. bothered.

I guess its because i'm alone most of the time. And memories are rushing back in unexpected ways like walking in shops, going to familiar places or just by reading a book. Looking back the way it were is just too painful. its hard to explain. I just couldn't explain thoroughly the intricacies of these predicaments.

I have accepted each downfall. But no matter what realisations I make, my subconscious would always linger on the past. And one strand of memory brings back the pain. It shadows any gleam of hope that might shine for just a split second.

Practically speaking, I am well. sane. and is a strong willed person. I know i can always survive. I am independent and smart. Ironic that i'm writing the first few with a sense of surrender. But this is mainly to pour out the negativity inside me. To keep me young and fresh. And one day i will indeed be totally refreshed. 'A new beginning' as i often say.

Triathlon Tuesday
No! It's not Swimming, Cycling and Running. It's Movies, Cycling and Reading. Those are my sports for today. Yes, I consider all of them as sports. Watching movies and reading a book are both a sport to me. Mental and spiritual sport since it both exercises your brain and soul. Even your appreciation of art and literature. And how you would react on certain issues. The jolt of excitement it brings.

Movies I've seen are District 9. Inglorious Basterd. Public Enemy. Forget the last one, I dozed off anyway. District 9 is really weird for me at first as I am not a fan of Sci Fi that much. But the unrivaled acting of the leading character plus how it was conceptualised are just focking awesome *saying it with the accent*. Inglorious Basterd is really disturbing at first. Its gory and very very violent. But then I was carried away by the movie. For one, I adore the French and German language. I love reading subtitles while both languages are music to my ears. Its witty dialogue and outrageous plot kept me entertained all-throughout. Plus Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz are both splendid on this movie.

Duo Cycling, Chinese Mafia and MC's

Duo Cycling Day
Had an amazing afternoon with Ghie. This time its duo cycling day. Been to a lot of places in the span of two hours. I was able to read my book under the sun whilst eating an apple. So Aussie, I know. But I enjoyed it. Bicentennial Park is really lovely. So many families go for a bike ride on a Sunday afternoon. And that explains why Ghie couldn't find a parking space. Got myself a coffee while waiting for her. Its tiring as hell cos I set my base on Rhodes. I did go back and forth thrice.

Chinese Mafia Wars
This evening after mass I was able to witness a crazy brawl between the chinese community. Don't ask me the reason for the brawl as they were shouting and screaming in chinese. I watched. Call me usosero but it was hilarious. I wasn't afraid. Suspicion crept in and I have to watch. I have to laugh deep inside so as not to attract attention. Its basically Mr. Noodle Waiter and some crew vs. early 40s Chinese woman with her family. It was noisy and disturbing. Yet for me its simply an entertainment.

I Want To Know What Love Is
The MC rendition of the foreigner's classic song has been redefined. And as always it seems that it aligned with my current personal disposition.


I gotta take a little time

A little time to think things over

I better read between the lines

In case I need it when Im older



Now this mountain I must climb

Feels like a world upon my shoulders

I through the clouds I see love shine

It keeps me warm as life grows colder



In my life theres been heartache and pain

I dont know if I can face it again

Cant stop now, Ive traveled so far

To change this lonely life



I wanna know what love is

I want you to show me

I wanna feel what love is
I
know you can show me


solo cycling day

I dunno what has bitten me during that 10+ hours sleep. But all of a sudden I was craving for an outdoor activity. Immediately ate my late meal. Gathered my essentials. And off I went to Rhodes.

It was a nice day, maybe that was the reason. I have to recommend the Olympic Park as the best cycling place! I began my little scenic journey (not knowing where to go) by quickly examining the maps posted in the park. *There were so many of 'em. You wont get lost*.

The Route
I went to Field Studies Centre. Followed by Brickpit (where the Ring Walk was situated). I thought I could run and finish the whole lap but I just couldn't. But was able to accomplish 3 laps. then went straight to the Sydney Showground. Never realised how big it was. So much recreational activities. I'm thinking of getting some rollerblades and go to the Skate Park. I had a coffee break at the ANZ Stadium. On the way back I went around Badu Mangroves. It was magnificent. Its creepy yet awesome. Then I went around Rhodes going through the lookout points. Never had the time to stay long cos I wanted to reach Meadowbanks and pass through the river during sunset (always been my dream to do this). Finally when its about to get dark, I went back to Ikea and had satisfied another craving. Swedish Meatballs with Raspberry, Gravy and Mashed Potato.

Some Pics.

Ring Walk at Brickpit


CB at ANZ Stadium


Badu Mangroves


River @ Field Studies Centre


View at Rhodes Lookout


Passing Meadowbank's Bridge


My reward. Swedish Meatballs.

Reference.
If you wanna know more about this. Just click on Getting to Sydney Olympic Park by Bicycle.

rollercoaster maze

I call it a rollercoaster maze this week. For couple of reasons...

One - being crazy as hell with my health. Blame it to the weather, I guess. It has been raining, then hot. cool. freezing. Aaargh. Bottom line, I got sick for couple of days.

Two - ain't no job for me. Am I overly qualified? that the only jobs around are for accountants. Will I even consider it just to be busy. Money's not really a problem at this point. But keeping me sane with something to do. I know I still have my fair share of reading materials, movies to watch and activities to do outdoors (biking, bush-walking, beach stroll). But working is just something that makes my mind and skills intact.

Three - meeting friends. socialising. fb games. these fucking vices. *&#@!! its just too much and I reckon I need to know my limit. Bum life just takes me away. I don't want to fall into the pit and begin whining.

I've already drawn up some plans on how I want to lead my life but the universe is not yet conspiring with me. Maybe not the right time yet. but when? What sorta job would be waiting for me. that event shall dictate what happens next.

Anxiously and desperately waiting...

beachy mood

call it bitchy or beachy. both are correct. the previous blog is just too good to be true. exactly. i called the lease agent of that unit and found out that it is under police investigation. so the idea to move out for now is out of the question.

nice day today. 12-20 degrees. fair enough. sunny. nice to go the beach and have brunch. might go. i need to detoxify myself from last night's alcohol. i just need to breathe the gentle breeze of the beach. have a nice brunch. read my book.

btw, mqd stock is an all time low. i will definitely dispose of it. not worth investing for.

Untitled

too good to be true. $150 per week in the city. fully furnished and within george street. with all amenities like gym and pool. i have my own room. i already lodged my application for this shared accommodation. as long as i have my own room. this is a 'yes'. i would know by Monday if I will get this. On Monday I would know if i got the job at NSW audit.

life seems so good. i did buy a new Murakami book and it was soo good. Seems like the theme is the same as the full house I'm watching but on a deeper and mystifying level. really amazing. cant wait to know the climax of the story. i'm on chapter 3 and will finish the whole book this weekend. I did go to Bondi just to read this book. I walked all the way from Bondi Junction. Walked 3kms. Not to bad. This time I was able to arrive at my destination before sunset.

I cherish this days when I'm carefree without any problems at all. Happiness comes from simple things. reflection. time alone.

spenders realisation (take two) and what lies ahead

i know its pointless to mention all this renewed view about how i should be living my life. i know that its a struggle now compared to the very first time i was here in sydney.

but all has changed due to the unplanned approval of my credit facility. all the realisation i previously thought about completely vanished. its all because i was bitten by this hungry spender in me. the thirst has been quenched. swipe after swipe. i indulged into the depths of melbourne's mystifying shoppers' lair. its too late to stop myself as i spent thousands in just a few days.

now that im back here in sydney. its time to stick to one ultimate goal. look for work. tomorrow, i would be going to an interview with the audit office of nsw government. i just hope that i would finally get a job to normalise my life once again.

Untitled

An insinuation has set into my inner core. I realised all misfortunes that has beset my burdened soul. I surmise that this has something to do with how I live my life for the past few years living in splendor. It now occurred to me that I have to rethink my priorities in life. Not all can happen with just a click of a button or snap of my fingers. Nor can it be solved by a drink or dance to shoo away the troubles. Even not by going for a vacation in a pathetic excuse of inner searching and self-reflection. It all happens with a solid plan. A step by step solutions on how to deal with each problems. Focusing at one point at a time.

Each journey has some stops that would enable us to reflect what we have done wrong and figure out a way to solve our problems. I therefore would start drawing my map. Meticulously draft my way to a path that I want to take. Route that I want to travel in.

This predicament will definitely make me stronger. Facing trials I encounter would give me strength to battle through life again as I untangle and fix the fragments of my life. God is always patient and kind. He will not give us trials that we cannot face.

And I ponder.

It starts with a 'will'. and followed by the present tense of actually crystallising it.

Shopping at Macquarie

I'm so dumb. I forgot to bring my wallet. I left it and took off. I have some change for the bus and never realised that I haven't brought my wallet with me. I discovered it when I was about to pay RTA for the replacement of my Photo Card. Good thing there was an ANZ branch in the shopping centre. I got 100 bucks. and did my shopping.

Bought a shirt. Coin pouch. Bluetooth Handsfree. Nokia 2630.

Now we are going to Oxland with friends for friday night drinks. Life can't get any better than this.

-------
On the upside, Hays recruiter called me and will look at my resume. Seems positive but still crossing my fingers. The job is something to do with government audit. The whopping consideration is the maximum 40 per week work. No heavy overtimes with the job that I like. The only question now - Will it meet my salary expectation? (and will they consider me!)

feeling at home -

though i'm miles away from my home, i just feel the warmth here in Eastwood. thanks to my buddies!

gambling at star city. eating at chinese resto whilst suffering from runny nose. mahjong nights. nice dinner steak and wine at cq. guylian cafe. darling harbour. poverty awareness. lgbt protests.

this week will be much busier for me. should obtain my rta photocard. get medicare. start filtering job opportunities. straightening out what i want to do. start applying. plan for last holiday - launceston or lord howe island?

so much excitement. i think i need to lessen my caffeine in take. too bad i just started to appreciate dang and jm's brew.

my quicksand place

time flies so quickly. before you know it. 10 days pass by just like a snap.

As a kid i was terrified by the thought of stepping on kuminoy (quicksand). once you're in it, you can't escape. i felt the same way recently. but ironically falling into the abyss has captured my heart. it was this intense emotions that raptures my very soul. intimate and kind. i fall into darkness and i found something bizarre. that i have loved every single moment of that experience. i have come to feel sweet gentle breeze. just for a second to be in that place is magical. so exquisite.

its time to go. 25 minutes before i go. i will miss my family but will always come back for the holidays. i look forward to life that beacons before me. struggling will be extremely hard but we can journey life together. muster every difficulties we encounter. at the end of it all we shall find what we are searching for.

happy days

seems like its all coming back to me. i'm gaining what i have lost before. and this time i am hoping to get more. hoping and praying that life gets better. i can feel that something big is within my reach.

hoping that life keeps on geting better...

bb'ies gone...

i don't have both my blackberry b8707 and burberry wallet. But for different reasons. I sold my blackberry to raise 5k fund for my expenses whilst i'm still in manila. part of it was on my burberry wallet - 2k to be exact. and it was stolen. or what i thought happened.

i just finished watching 4 films at CCP and at around 11pm i went to malate to grab some dinner. when i was about to pay my bill i couldn't find my wallet!! shesh...

let's recall. i gave the cab driver 50 pesos from my wallet. i'm not drunk to say that i clumsily dropped it. i know that i either placed it on my back pocket or hid it in my bag. i would definitely know if i dropped it on the road. my theories are...
a. someone might pick-pocketed my pants;
b. someone might opened my bag while i was walking; or
c. i dropped it unconsciously.

i lost my precious wallet. my bank cards. credit/debit cards. photo id. frequent flyer. prc that i have recently obtained. money estimating 2k. receipts from cinemalaya. my blessed petals. lots of id pictures. - all of them are priceless!

action taken/will be taken:
- secured-mailed my cards to block all of them and reissue another card
- will talk to cab operating companies (i dont even know which company but i know that its the same design as R&E or F&E)
- obtain affidavit of loss to reissue PRC id (have to think if this is necessary)
- email qantas to get replacement for frequent flyer
- go to RTA to get replacement photo card
- cancel all my agenda that involves monetary outlay

i just feel so bad. i haven't even got any address or contact details on my wallet. not even a calling card! if ever - there's a good samaritan who would return it back. long shot but still i will try to contact cab operators.

lessons learned
- be vigilant. be very vigilant.
- sense of awareness of personal belongings
- always put a calling card in wallets
- not to buy expensive wallet unless i have a car
- look back and double check cabs before getting off

oh well. shit happen when you least expect it.

Lazy Monday

Its Monday. Raining. Hence - couch potato for the whole day. Ironic how I feel that I have all the time in the world but still I couldn't accomplish everything! There's so much to do. Blame it on Monday!

My only productive moment was movie watching. Lately I've been watching lots of movies. I've seen Harry Potter 6 twice. I've seen Ice Age 3 and Transformers 2. Just last Sunday I've seen 4 movies shown in CCP Theatre. And tomorrow another 4 movies to watch. Go go go Cinemalaya! *Who will bag Ronli Awards - Stay tuned*

Got all of my days booked to meet friends. Eat my cravings. And take the Fear Factor challenge once and for all.

But still, I haven't booked my flight yet. What's up with ANZ's one day clearing?!?! I blame it to them if I couldn't get a flight back on the my planned date of departure. I already sacrificed two big things: a) Birthday of Pee Jay; and b) Christmas in July party at Russel Lea. I can't miss not seeing my friend before he goes back to Germany. We still have some nasty plans to conquer the cinemas and just pay for a single ticket. Just to check if our theory is correct.

Though I've been hooked on my Mac for the whole day, I still managed to finish mom's MPS project. I just hope that it would be finished before I go. I told the parties involved that I'm leaving at this exact date no matter if the project pushes through or not.

Being at home the whole day is just plain boring. I just couldn't stand the fact that I'm not working and feels unproductive. Maybe because I came from an audit environment. I'm having a work withdrawal syndrome! I feel like I'm going to lose my sanity if I stay at home for another month.

Just can't wait to see how my life back there would be. Fresh start and new struggles!

And I just anticipate.

10 days in the Philippines

I was obsessed in creating itineraries to fit in the limited time I usually spend in a place. Perhaps this is the best thing to do. I only have ten more days in the Philippines starting tomorrow. I still have heaps of items in my wishlist. Things I wanted to do, places to eat or some essentials that I need which could be cheaper here.

My prayers were partly answered in regards to my finances. I mean how will I cover for my expenses when I get back to Sydney. The only problem I have now is getting a ticket. I'm not totally liquid but at least I have assets to exhaust to survive. I'm ready to go back and look for work. Boredom has incessantly crept its way to me. Or on second thought, I just want to be useful to the society. Stop bumming and go look for work!

Going back to my topic. Here are some of things I have to do before 26 July.
* Airline Ticket
Obviously this should be my top priority. My mom agreed to finance it until I can liquidate my Super. Its not a wise move to encash it here. Freaking 30-days clearing? No way! But I already have chosen my flight schedule. Leaving Manila at 260709 0820 via B777. Arriving in Sydney the next day 0555H via A380!

* Attend SGV Reunion
Not sure if I'm going though. I would want to go but my batch mates aren't coming. I just need one close friend to come along.

* Sell my BlackBerry
I need to do this, really! This is the only asset I am willing to windup. Otherwise I will have to force myself to stay inside the house for 10 days waiting for my flight back.

*Buy 1 Winter Apparel
I left all of my winter clothes in Sydney. How can I survive the blistering cold. Perhaps a pullover and a scarf would do. I brought my trusted Zara Jacket anyway.

* One last crazy drunken night
Calling my friends.. Can you help me out with this? :P

* N95 repair
I need to find the cheapest way to repair my good ol' mobile phone. What needs to get fixed is the mouth piece. Apparently no one can hear me when I make the call.

* Harry Potter 6
I have to watch this before I go. Cinema tickets are cheaper here anyway. I hope I could watch in either Gateway or IMAX. Don't know if the latter would show HP6 ??

* Another massage please
I need to have another one cos I know its cheap here. Prolly on the last few days before flying. But first I have to research where is the best and cheapest one too.

* Organise. Pack. Make Lists.
I need to be OC to achieve this. One thing I hate about traveling is the art of packing. I tend to forget a lot of things if I wouldn't make a list. So it requires a lot of effort and bit of inspiration to finalise this stuff.

* Food cravings and trippings
I have to eat in the following before I leave:
- Tapa King - Tapa Queen!
- Inasal.
- Red Ribbon - Palabok, Black Forrest and Empanada!
- Sinangag Express.
- Paotsin.

I have to eat mom's Pancit. Goldilocks' Polvoron, Red Ribbon's Pastillas, Chowking's Halo-halo.
Good luck in gaining the pounds I shed off.

* Fear Factor's Challenge
Eat Isaw!

* Print my SEA pics
My mom wanted me to maintain my travel album. Hence I have to printout my picture from the recent travels I had. I will then go about thousands of photo and painfully decide who deserves to be on my budgeted best 100 pictures.

* Clean my room
The last painful thing I can think of at the moment. Going through all my shoe boxes and checking if I need to: a) throw it away, b) bring it to Oz or c) retain it. But I have to do the simple Batibot task of putting the same things together.

If it doesn't rain, I will have accomplished a lot by tomorrow. But if not, I'm stranded at home and might go with the food cravings/tripping agenda.

And we go home...

less than 3 minutes and my internet rans out. lets see how quickly i can blog away. woke up at 5am. i havent packed! oh i did a semi packing last night. imagine staying in a backpacker hostel. so everyone was sleeping. i couldnt open the lights cos they are all snoring away. funny thing is that i was half guessing what im holding and what bag it needs to go. just to check that i dont leave anything behind (cos i left two flip flops in Vietnam and Indonesia), I opened the lights just for a second and this bloody English gal said "Fuck!"... Oh well!

managed to be early and im here killing time for 4 hours.

The Great Singapore Sale

Tom's the end of my SEA trip. Been really really tired. Always sleeping late and waking up early. Damn, do I have to really book early flights?? Well, it paid off cos I was able to maximise my time in the day and extend some time for drinks and party at night.

My last SEA trip was a one-day stopover at Singapore. Timing couldn't get any better. It's the Great Singapore Sale. Much as I want to limit my budget - I plunged in and bought some stuff. It just doesn't feel right walking in Orchard Rd without swaying paperbags. Been to 10 shopping malls at least. Got some pics. And ended my day with a nice massage. Now its time to sleep. Tomorrow's an early day to the Budget Terminal.

I'll talk about my whole SEA trip tomorrow after my beauty rest =)

Explore. Relax. Reflect.

Today's itinerary is to explore Central Bali. Bali has been known for it's nice beaches and rice paddies. Hence for the latter we will journey to the heart of Ubud to see temples and learn about the balinese culture. We hopefully can find a cheap massage and relax. Budget is 240k rupees. The area has a good concentration of natural resources that is good for reflection.

My brother is amazing as he can now drive on the other side of the road. We should have done this since day one. Taxi's too expensive to explore Bali. Renting is cheaper. So is the petrol!

Bali disappointment

First glimpse of the beach and I told myself that the reason it's not overwhelming is that Sanur is for oldies and Kuta caters for the younger crowd. That night we went to Kuta to see for ourselves what the nightlife is all about. We reach the shore after an endless walk. Cabbie meter was quick as a broken faucet. Hence we decided to walk when it reached our budget.

The beach is not white and fine. Rubbish everywhere. Shore was too dark. Nightlife is dead and it's Friday night for crying out loud! I just felt so disappointed with their claim that it's world class.

Asked our cabbie driver about the most pristine beach and they recommended South Bali. We're going there now and I hope it can change the way I perceive Bali.

And oh... I lost my beloved lonely planet book somewhere in the beach.

From Jogja and beyond

Booking a flight in a local Indonesian carrier is just a pickle. The websites are dodgy and you can't seem to pay online. I decided to immediately head out to the ticketing office located in the domestic terminal only to know that they are closed. Fucking website says that their office hours are from 5am to 10pm. Decided then to wake up early to purchase my ticket. 5:30 and they're still closed. Far out! My flight is at 6:10 and obviously I can't make it.

Managed to get their late return flight. And I booked my departure flight on another airline. Though it costed me close to 2 million rupees, all is worth going to Jogja. Prambanan and Borobudur is fucking awesome!

The hectic flight day

My 1st July is so hectic! Started with bargaining with the bloody fucking driver. Bargained 250k initially but since I have to change my money, he charged me 100k more just for waiting for 5 mins. This got me so furious and the monster in me was unleashed. I sabotage the cab by writing FUCK backwards on the seat. Normally I'm not like this but these people are just so bad and mean.

I almost didn't catch my flight to Saigon. Blame it to the traffic and crazy terminal. It was chaotic and even worse than Manila's. I manage with my armed charm to persuade the crew to accept my check-in luggage.

While in Singapore I was too amazed with the Singapore sale and the free gadget chargers that I almost got left behind. I saw the flight board saying that my plane's gate is closing. I literally run and was sweating profusely after that. But I made it.

The magnificence of Halong Bay

This was couple of days ago but the beautiful and captivating limestone formation is just so blog-worthy. The trip was for four hours and it cost me forty bucks. All is worth. Meals are amazing. Coaches are comfortable minus the weak air-conditioning. The first time we boarded the so-called junk, I can't get enough. I started taking endless photos. Met fine people from Germany, France and UK. They're friendly and we exchanged travel stories while enjoying the view with few beers. Kayaking in the afternoon. My English partner doesn't know how to and we became a laughing stock of Vietnamese kids. Woke up early to see the sunrise and it was just too amazing. It's a view that definitely worth paying for. But all good thing co we to an end. Stayed for two days and a night. Went back to Hanoi and ate in a fine do ing Japanese restaurant called Sakura Saigon. And had a nice sleep with Simpsons on the background.

The Horrors of Hanoi

In contrast to my lovely stay at Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi is a bit horrifying. I can just describe the people as money-thirsty scammers. Upon my arrival at the Airport, this guy approached me offering a cab for 50. I said 'No' initially cos compared to the minibus that is too expensive. Double the price actually. He led me to believe that the minibus takes ages cos they will be waiting for it to be full and it goes to every hotel destination of all passengers. huh? So I said 'Yes' eventually. Only to find out that the 50 he is talking about is in USD. WHAT?!?!

I bargained for a lower price but still ... It's too expensive. My 500,000 VND gone just like that.

To make it even worse, the cab brought me to a different hotel. I confirmed the hotel name and address. They said yes. How can I evaluate if they are telling the truth? All is in Vietnamese.

Maybe its a blessing. Cos its much better. $8 for single room compared to $7.50 which is dorm share. I thought it was fine back then. but when I started to checkout the next day. I paid for it in USD. $50 to be exact. He has done some calculations which has different buy and sell rates. More like FX trading huh?! And got only 405,000 VND in return. Effectively, it costs me 26 bucks for two nights.

And the biggest horror of them all is the massage. Imagine I walked 3km just to go to the massage place recommended by this schmucks. Massage costs 55 they say. I thought its in VND. Cos a massage in Saigon only costs 40,000 VND. Which seemed logical at first... When its finished, they billed me USD 55. I manage to bargain 300,000 VND. But that's not the horrific part. The one who massage me was asking me for tip. No... More like demanding me a tip. And get this, the schmuck is asking me for 500,000 VND and wouldn't let me go. I then have to travel back to my hotel and pay 720,000 VND, which is the total bargained price.

Few tips then:
- Finalise payment before entering into a transaction. Clearly ask the currency because they widely trade with USD here.
- Never talk to this touts. All they want is your money!
- Better ask for opinions from fellow travelers cos they already experienced this horrors as well.
- Read blogs about the place your going and how to survive topics. It helps a lot reading bad experiences from travelers.

Fell in love with Saigon

Saigon's Unrivaled Hospitality
It's crowded but the people are so warm. I will never forget my stay with Mrs. Long. She's like a mother to us. She gave me refreshments when I look tired and stressed. She shared her inspiring story on how she began operating the guesthouse. She teaches English to a handful Vietnamese kids. Even recommended an itinerary for me for Saigon and Hanoi.

Cyclo Attacks
Oh no! Everytime I cross the streets of Saigon, I feel like being attacked by pack of wolves. I survived and proudly I can add that newly found skill on my travel resume.

Walking through the busy streets of Saigon
First day mission is to pay for my ticket from Lion Air. Endless walking under heat and humidty. My shirt was literally soaking with sweat. Only to find out that they do not accept booking for other countries. Mission failed. I still want to go to Borobudur.

Viet Coffee
I love their coffee. Extra strong coffee placed on ice with sweetened milk. Can't seem to get enough. I crave it day and night.

Vietnam War
My tours are all centred to The Vietnam War. Visited museums, palace and Cu Chi Tunnel. I realised how Vietnamese values independence. It was shown with everyone's (even women and children) courage in fighting the Americans.

Vietnamese flight experience
- no queue during check-in. I have to fight for my ticket.
- so many oldies on the flight.
- kids choatic. Started screaming. Noodles everywhere.
- braise position during take-off and landing?
- cotton used as ear plugs..
- they started to talk to me in Vietnamese even if I say, "English please". They keep on talking so what the hell! I answered in Filipino.. It's fun if you were there.
- I feel like and instant hit. Am I that cute? Haha... All of them are smiling at me. I quickly went to the lavatory to check I'd something'as wrong with my face.

Millionaire in One Day

First time I became a millionaire. But only for a day or two.

I spent my millions through:
- accommodation
- massage
- travel and tours around hcmc
- vietnamese cuisine
- some souviners
- entrance fee to various museum and historic landmarks
- lots and lots of vietnamese coffee
- and other small stuff i cant remember

not too bad really. you get good value for your money.

KL in a nutshell

I have to make this as concise as possible cos still have to take a nap. I'm currently at Plaza Premier Lounge and the clock ticks.

Equator hotel...
is amazing. Err... AMAZING!! thanks, users of hostelworld.com for a good rating.
+ Its clean clean.
+ Very organised.
+ Lots of amenities (food, dvds, internet, drinks). The last 2 aren't free though.
+ Friendly staff.
+ Poo poo water blast spray.
+ Working shower heater.
+ Nice ambience. Green and Blue - my favourite colours.
+ Good location. Near Imbi Monorail. Few stops to KL Tower and Petronas. Time Square within reach.
- Mossies.
- Weak airconditioning.

Some of my travel trivias and random experiences:
*I realised that Bahasa Malaysia sounded a lot like Filipino. Really!! I somehow understood what the locals were talking about.

*10 out 10 people talk to me in the local native tongue.

*One word I learned: Keluar. Its not translated and my curiousity has led me to learn what it meant.

*Premium toilets cost 2 ringgit. Only to find out that the toilet seat is strangely flat and digusting to poo.

*I have poo'ed like >5 times today. Most embarrasing was that Premier toilet (mentioned above). So many blast farts. And the attendant was listening!!

*I haven't eaten any Malaysian food during my KL visit. Got a bad impression with the restaurant I should have eaten. Maybe cos I look poor. But literally I am. My budget was only USD 100 for everything, including accommodation.

*Didn't ride any cabbie.

*Walked and walked and walked. First day I covered the muslim mosques. china town. KL tower and Petronas. Not to mention I walked all the way home. Imagine - KL Towers to Petronas and to my Backpacker home at Imbi.

*Have so many iterations of KL tower just because there's no one to take pictures of me. Its even raining for crying out loud.

*Wasn't able to do my three options for the last day. namely: Batu Cave, Flying Fox, Lake Garden. Just because my time was exhausted queueng up for the bridge ticket all morning. and going back there by mid-afternoon.

*Never did I realise that the budget terminal is more than an hour away from the city. I was so conservative that I ended up waiting for 5 hours in the airport.

*Exceeded my budget cos I toured so many shopping malls. Used up my AUD and PHP reserves cos I ended up shopping!

Have heaps of stories to tell but rather keep it in a format of my cool experience rather than narrative timelines. This is the most concise I can get. haha... That's how much I enjoyed KL. Will definitely be back in Malaysia to do Teman Negara and Lengkawa. probably climb Mt Kota Kinabalu.

tiger's p(l)aws...

not satisfied.

IMHO, the worst budget airline.

flaws i'd identified:
- delayed flight.
- no apologies during the flight.
- no drinks were sold.
- they don't clean the pouch where the inflight magazine is. God knows what's in the black plastic bag left in my seat. some empty candy wrappers scattered.
- poor customer service.
- i wasn't even given the embarkation card.
- and oh... they don't know what the embarkation card is. pretty much i have to explain that its the card presented in immigration. the stewardess seemed to frown when i requested for it. what the...

i hope they do something about it. not because i only paid for the taxes and surcharges, means that they can compensate fair services.

just my two cents.

Day 1 - Singapore

Quick note:
I have to make this blog concise and quick as I only have 8 minutes left on the ticking clock. Plus I have to poo before I go to budget terminal. I'm currently at Mcdonald's in Changi Airport.

Cebu Pacific/T3 experience
Very smooth and quick process. Can't imagine that the terminal isn't being used by other international carriers. Why? It seems its only 40% operational. NAIA is so clustered and needs total improvement. I finished the whole check-in process within 30 minutes.

Had my dinner at some local resto. Only to have Tuna sandwich and instant noodles. Their lame excuse was the brown out. Shesh. After 20 minutes my seatmate already have nice yummy meal. Not good.

Cebu Pacific is not bad. I was able to sleep well and the landing was not bad. Though I have occasional fright that it would crash. Talk about downgrade from Singapore Air's business class to a budget airline.

Sing's Budget Terminal
I arrived the budget terminal of Singapore at 2350H. Its not too bad really. Its even better than our very own T3. So many shops and free internet. Got free bus shuttles to/from T2.

I slept at Plaza Premier Lounge. It was good minus the snoring neighbour. Their internet pamplet isn't updated. I was overbudget by $5.

Plaza Premiere Plaza/McDonalds
Funny story, I put my ipod on cos of the noisy snoring dude on my left. But I slept. When my alarm went on, I got startled. I even went to the reception speaking in Filipino. Haha... "Nag-snooze na po." Oops. Good thing she's also Filo. Had a nice bath. Free lemonade. Ate at Mcdonalds. McGriddles? A bit confused what it was at first. Because its the normal sausage muffin with egg and cheese. But when I took the first bite. I realise whats different. The bun was made of pancakes.

And now ready to go to my next journey.

travel resumed...

I've changed my website. Its on another undisclosed location. Some close friends have it. But its still under a lot of modifications. I've been updating it and adding a lot of multimedia.

For now I will be posting updates to my SEA travel @ blogspot.

As you know I am traveling to Southeast Asia today. Seven locations in four countries. At last, I will use my new machine-readable passport. After all the sweat and blood of renewing it. My old passport is kept safe. It has 66 stamps and 5 visas. It has well served its purpose. Weird thing is from PP now I got XX. Kinda cool, eh?

I've been spent a lot of time and headaches in booking flights, accommodation and looking at the most cost efficient way to do the tour myself. I can say that my itinerary is really hectic but all worth it. I mean I don't have to spend a lot of fortune to attain what I wanna do. I'm actually worried that I only have US$465. My mom is worried as well that this ain't enough. I told her I have Australian dollar reserves - just in case.

Well, good luck to me and i will keep you posted. In the meantime, I would like to thank the following sponsors:
+ Lonely Planet *insightful info - indeed its a big trip on small budgets!
+ HostelWorld.com *very cheap and user-friendly accommodation website. good reviews and easily comparable hostels.
+ Sing Air *for my free trips to Vietnam and Indonesia
+ Budget Air (Cebu Pacific, JetStar, Tiger Airways, Air Asia, Lion Air) *cheap flights! nuff said.
+ TripAdvisor.com *very useful forums and interactions on fellow-travelers.
+ Wikipedia *informative. gives background on history and culture of places I wanna go to.

... and many more.

My instinct tells me to shut up and pack up. :)

The Australian Immigrant

finally after 2 months and 22 days, I got my visa grant - subclass 176 (state sponsored skilled migrant AU visa). It was a surprise yesterday morning. It took 24 hours for me to absorb the news and blog about it.

happy.
overwhelmed.
confused.

got stomach upset from all the thinking and the rush of excitement. tentative date of departure might be mid-Aug.
will start a new life. new beginning.

but first i have to contemplate on some few things. clear my mind. and straighten things out.

i am...

... a commuter
traveled by tricycle. jeep. bus or shuttle from quiapo, morayta, makati, roxas blvd, sucat.

... a travel planner / trip advisor
booking flights. reading reviews. providing past travel reviews. researching routes, budgets.

... an internet geek
been connected to the net for 20/7. whoa. 4 hours sleep. far out.

... a patient
got sick over the weekend. whilst the rain is pouring.

... a party planner
been organising get together with my friends from both work, HS and College

... part of an audience
tons of TV shows. Movie Marathon. Mall hoping!

... an investor / business man
fx trading. business prospects. or going back to practising my profession

... reader
finished two books. awesome and captivating; boring but informative.

... observer
sitting in a cafe just looking at busy people's lives. *yawns*

now - whats next - DJ/VJ? i'm getting bored. watch my blips (mono; be somebody; like a stone; this heart attack). guess the theme?

rondz.tk (locked)

Just because I placed an automatic redirect script on my old site http://rondzter.blogspot.com - it has now been tagged as a SPAM blog by blogger. What the?! Anyway, just to announce to you all that my blog is still accessible at http://www.rondz.tk and its original web address is http://rondzdottk.blogspot.com.

I might close the other one soon. Or it might be deleted by blogger. Safe to say, I have migrated all data to this refreshed website. And for unknown reasons, I couldn't open the blogs I had when I was still in college (Dec '01 - Oct '02). But all of entries are crap anyway.

DLSU's Blakwan

We cant help but reminisce the good ol' college days. Struggling to pass while enjoying the good times..

Last night I met Ody, Berna and Tope at MOA. *Digresses* I know how to commute from Better to MOA (haha!). We ate at World Chicken and stayed until midnight at Starbucks. *Digresses again* Finally I was able to taste affogato once more. Sydney's affogato is soo strong and I could only get this at Gelatissimo. They dont have it in Starbucks.

We looked at the journal compiled by Berna. Pictures, random notes about our block, professors... Events. OMG! Has it been that long? I feel like it has been ages! We look soo much younger back then. Full of zest and enthusiasm. Idealistic. And most of all, innocent looking! haha... I have the privilege of taking it home. Since I've got nothing to do - I volunteered to scan every pages! I just realised how onerous the task I have in front of me.

Planning to go to Anilaw (?) - a little island in Zambales. Not sure about it. And I have to make a quote for China (Shanghai and Beijing). They're interested in joining my Asian Journey..

- - - - -
Ohh. I've never heard of Coron before and when I saw the pictures from my highschool buddy. Crap?! How come I haven't been to places in the Philippines yet. It was magnificent and I asked myself why am I prioritising my foreign trips when the islands have so much too offer.

%$^(%$^!

Woke up early. Just to accomplish one simple thing today. Passport renewal. I decided that I can do it. I can queue for a long time as long as I have my I-touch with me. But a DFA official approached me and told me to get application form from the stand. And guess what? They told me that the passport pictures that I have is unacceptable due to the reflection of the flash on my hair making it white. I retook the pictures and paid Php 180! And they told me to fill the application form in the green coloured building. Later upon payment I realised that this is a travel company that arranges for passport. They asked me for Php 1720. I have to come back for DFA appearance since it is now a machine readable passport. Plus it will take them roughly two weeks to process!!

Gesh, should I realised this earlier I should have opted for the delivery services at Pilipinas Service. Same duration but a lot cheaper. Its Php 1300 and more convenient as you wouldn't have to suffer the heat and humidity at midafternoon in Manila.

All been done, at least now I can be more cautious of fixers and the like.

I'm an official bum!

So this is how it feels like. Just hanging out in our balcony and enjoying the hot climate. Good thing its fairly windy up here. I'm hanging out with my mom and dad (both retired). I'm thinking - I am more of retired than a bum. Plainly because I'm waiting for my superannuation and planning my future travels. The whole morning were spent planning for my Japan visit.

The thought of being an official bum has occurred to me - as I am just eating. sleeping. internet surfing. watching TV/DVDs.

Yesterday, I did my laundry. All of them. Almost all of my clothes from the luggage are all soiled - so it took me half a day to wash all of them.

Today, we plan to go to Duty Free.

Monday - need to get my passport renewed. Meet a friend. Contact my Super Funds. Start applying for Japan Visa.

that's it... I don't have anything to do. Or maybe I could start on reading the books I have accumulated. I really have no idea on the next few days... Probably design my YoVille house and keep on accumulating YoVille coins.

Luxurious Living

Started with my business class experience at Singapore Airlines. It has so many benefits like jumping on long queue in checking-in. You have twice as much baggage allowances. Ideal if you are going home for good. SYD to SG takes about 8 hours - relaxation is important. An hour of sleep seems such a long time. More leg room and amazing seats! Superb food, champagne and endless wine. They even call me 'Mr Mercado'. I selected seat 17C which is near the fire exit but on the upper deck. I consulted http://seatexpert.com/ for the best seat.

I watched three movies and 1 TV show. Madagascar 2, Changeling, Monsters Inc and 30 Rock. I have read two chapters of D. Sedaris' Coldoroy... Opened my mac and budgeted the expenditures for Singapore. I have $500 budget for shopping but I reckon I won't spend everything. I must learn to save!!! or else I will regret it. I'm bum for the next few months anyway.

Took a cab going to my hotel. Nice - I got M. Benz as a cab. Cheap - it only costs $20+.

Checked-in at Orchard Hotel Singapore. Getting lucky I guess - I got an upgrade to Executive Club Room - yay! King Size Bed. Stylish room. Cable. Unlimited internet surfing. Free Breakfast Buffet. Nice view of Orchard Rd... Jacuzzi!

Am still wearing my BB shirt and BB watch. Haha - my passport to enter to all the high-end brands. I'm in search for a coin purse. I badly need one. I'm using my oakies' case for crying out loud. Gucci - no to pricey!, BB - im overdosed. Bally - I like but Syd price is much cheaper. Polo - its cheap but not that stylish. I ended up buying Lacoste for only $45.

I also bought a book to enjoy while taking a dip this evening. I'm now reading Nocturnes and kinda loving it.

And to end this luxurious living, tomorrow I will stay at KrisFlyer Lounge as an Elite Member and as a Biz Class. I deserve to be happy to cover the bitterness of how my career had been at E&Y! There I finally said it.

Goodnight Sydney.

Definitely I'm not saying goodbye. I will come back. Of course it depends on my visa. I had various dinners with my friends this past three days. At Encasa (Spanish), Hurricane (Australian) and Musashi (Japanese). I enjoyed meeting up with you guys and surely we shall see each other again.

Although I'm considering this as a vacation at home. More time for traveling around Asia. I can't help but think about uncertainties that may arise. When people ask me what my plans are - I really don't know what to say. I'm expecting too much on the visa grant. But what would happen if I will be denied? *Knocks on wood*... Plan B is to go back to SGV and if possible teach for a while. I will do this while applying for another visa in another country. Plan C (given that I would have some funds) - I would study. I'm still figuring this out though...

But anyway, I've been in Sydney for a long time now. I can't help but still be amazed at the cosmopolitan city. I reminisce my first few days when I was starting. Working at E&Y. Meeting bunch of friends. The reason I would want to stay longer is that I fell in love with SYD (as simple as that). Great friends who would help you through hard times. Share laughter and travel escapades. Thanks so much guys. I don't have to mention any names but I really appreciate all you've done for me during my stay in AU.

As for my 28-free days in Australia. I can say that I have spent them wisely. Everything is now in order. I reckon I can sleep well and count on my friends to help me out with small little things left to do. I really owe you one! If I get my HRHRM - We shall go to Paris and buy our LV's. LOL!!

Can't wait for tomorrow. I haven't planned what to do in Singapore. On top of my head - Window shopping (cos I don't have enough budget left), Dinner (hoping to meet my friends) and Clubbing (I definitely need a drink or two).

I'm running out of things to say...

Goodnight, Sydney!

My BBies

Ticked almost all the things to do before I leave SYD. The only thing remaining is to pay some bills and pack up. Ohh.. and shopping. On second thought, I might do the latter in Singapore. I have reserved a "Wot Hotel?". I ended up in Orchard Hotel Singapore - its 5-star and its a great deal.

Digressing again. The main achievement today was to suspend my BlackBerry's plan (BB1) for two months while I am away. This is on the premise that I'll be getting my visa and will be back in August 2009. And in a month's time I will have a job? But its a bit early to stress about it yet.

Now I'm just waiting for my BalikbayanBox (BB2) to get picked up. Nothing special with the contents. Some used clothes, worn out shoes and some trashy magazines. Will just tell my family that we'll shop at Duty Free. Or I can buy some goodies here as well. If I still have time tomorrow.

As a reward for my NZ SkyDive, I bought myself a watch. It's Burberry (BB3) and it was a bit cheaper in DFS. It's my treat for myself for being good boy and surviving by myself for 2 years, 7 months and 8 days in Australia.

Auckland: My Pre-Sky Dive Experience

Arrived in Auckland at 1510H via LAN Chile. Nothing special. Sydney is still the best - haha I think I'm loving my own city. But something distinct is the Kiwi accent. The friendliness and smiles of the locals.

First night in Auckland was so cold. Either we feel different cos we wanted it to be since we're in another country or we're not wearing the appropriate warm clothing. Good thing I brought too much thermal, otherwise I would freeze. Damn! It kept on raining. And the sad part is it happened all throughout the week.

Second day we went for lunch with my cousin, Ate Bobbit. Can you imagine that I haven't seen here for more than 10 years?! Anyway, she suggested we go on a ferry ride to Devonport. It was a good view of Auckland CBD including Sky Tower and their Harbour Bridge. In order to see the best view - we struggled with the cold wind and climbing the peak of the mountain! Night time arrived and we went to their club and bar district. First bar we went to was soo isolated. Good thing the second club has few people and music was much better. Drinks were cheap as well.

Third day was a day of fun. Or what it should have been. After more than an hour of bus dizzy drive. Our head was spinning and we don't have the appetite to go to any ride in the Rainbows End. It was also a frustrating escapade as we didn't see the sparkle of gold at Rainbows End. We ate at KFC and it was much fulfilling than the rides. Another dizzy ride on the bus and after two hours (including the horrendous traffic jam) we arrived Auckland. Missed it for a while. We ate in Nando's and I loved the L&P drink together with grilled ribs at its finest.

It was a good experience doing this bizarre NZ experience with PJ. Niko arrived shortly during the night. Now my Auckland experience is just beginning. In less than 10 hours I will be jumping at 10,000 feet altitude. And God help me, I hope I will survive this fear. I realised that the more you fear sky diving the more you will enjoy conquering it and enjoying the jump. I keep reminding myself that I have spent almost half a grand for this. I came all over NZ just to do this. And one item in my list (of things to do before I die) will be ticked as complete. I was reading through website and testimonials and all of them had said that they can't help but smile all the time recalling the experience. Ohhh... and it is a tandem jump so there is a professional skydiver who will be with you during the jump! I am pretty sure there will be a time alloted to ask gazillion questions and a simple briefing to ensure that we are safe.

Written 16/05/09 0017H (before the skydive)!

Rondz

The NZ Skydive Experience

I woke up half past seven (prounced as "siven" by kiwi). I am too excited i guess! NZSkydive team agreed to pick me up at Sky Tower by 9am. But i was there 30 mins earlier. After 15 mins they havent arrived yet. Am having doubts if i would still do it. Went to the restrooms and when I came back - a small car with NZSkydive approached.

Whilst on the car I was playing my coldplay songs to calm me down. And the music was shitty anyway. It takes about half an hour drive to Mercer where the skydive spot is.

Once i put my jumpsuits on and boarded the mini jet - there's no going back!! Mixed emotions but leaning towards excitement!! Still feeling normal until the windows were opened and i can feel the strong wind. Roy (my tandem partner) asked me to put my feet on the air. And it was so quick that its the cue to begin the fall. Everything was so quick that I left the all fears in the jet. The free fall was less than a minute. But i was loving every second of the decent. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!

I got off first. everything was so fast and i realised that the free fall is the best part. The view was nice and you can even feel the clouds as gravity pulls you down. Then when the parachute was opened - everything slowed down. My ear started popping. But good enough I have enough saliva to swallow to clear my nasal and ear passage! All of it were mostly used during the screaming part. :)

I enjoyed the view for another 10 minutes. Got a bit dizzy cos the wind made our parachute spin a lot of times! Then Roy briefed me on how to do a landing. Lifting my feet up as we descend and step on my left foot when the field is reachable. Perfect landing!

It was awesome. Both Michelle (the one who jumped after me) and I were both happy and uplifted with this adrenalin rush experience.

click to see Multiply album


I got my DVD and will watch it tonight with my friends..
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone on 3

Journey to the Heart of Australian Outback

Though coupled with a lot of Qantas headaches! I have to say that it has been a very intense spiritual journey for me. When i say that it spiritual - it does not mean that it is related to any religion. It's something that had captured my soul because of the inner beauty of nature and astronomy with all the mix of colours everywhere. I never realised how through millions of years it can evolve to a masterpiece.


First day my plans got ruined cos of the delayed flight. I explored the simple city of Alice Springs. Had a scrumptous lunch - I know I should have chosen the grilled camel but ended up choosing chorizo melt with wedges. A well deserved one knowing that I got all too exhausted from the waiting and the airport sickness. There whilst eating I was planning my journey and things that I will still be needing - believe me the list never gets complete no matter how well you planned.

I decided to take a rest before and cancel my visit to the Reptile Centre. I also missed the wallaby feeding. I then went to the Red Dreaming Show - an aboriginal musical exhibit with both traditional and contemporary dances while playing Digeridoo. It was amazing cos you'll hear stories and traditions of aborigines.


Next day was a bit wasted cos the tour guide was sick. Fortunately, we had Nick as our tour guide. He's really cool and amazing! We started to write our names using violet and silver markers on the bus windows. Great way to know each other from the tour. Eventually I was able to memorise all 23 names (2 Swedish, 1 Dutch, 1 Hollander, 3 Americans, 3 English, 2 Irish, 1 Korean and the rest are Germans) and learn their own little journey stories. In the morning, we were able to enjoy a short camel ride. It was way too bumpy but still I immensely loved it.


Since the swags (our sleeping saviour) were all left in the campsite in Uluru. Nick decided to reverse the itinerary. He told us to throw it away. We went to Uluru first. Initially I am having doubts climbing Uluru for two reasons. One, I want to respect the aboriginal belief that the rock is sacred. Second, the brochure handed to us mentioned that about 35 people died during the climb. Eventually, I said what the hell. I am only here once and I want to make my journey as memorable as possible. A lot of my tour mates attempted but gave up. The only 'survivors' were me, two english girls, three american girls and one korean guy. I gave up twice but Maddy and Nancy (Brit Girls) were able to give me motivation. In short, I made it. But I have to tell you that its the toughest climb I ever did. The rock was slippery and steep and on the first parts there were no railings. But I did! I did. I jumped with joy and enthusiasm. Now you can see it in my FB profile. I am damn proud!


The other thing with Ayer's Rock is that temperature can rise up to 36 degrees and can drop as low as 4 degrees! It was so extreme. When the sun is at its highest - flies population multiplied! They all seem to race to anything black and stick to your face. It was soo annoying. Look closely on pic below. You'll see a fly sitting in my nose. Aaargh...


Then we went off to the sunset spot. Had some beer. Fruit cake. Cheese and biscuits. The view was so spectacular. Ayer's Rock seems to change its color depending on the reflections of the sun.


After the sun has set at quarter past six we headed off to the camp site. It was a convenient site knowing that there were clean toilets and nice and warm showers. It also has some vending machines in it - what more can u ask for. The previous camping at Kakadu - we just had a filthy toilet hole which smells shitty.

Next day - Kata Tjuta. It was one exhausting journey! 10km's walk around the 36 stones. It was magnificently fashioned by nature and every few steps you seem to see it better and clearer. I played around in the middle of the journey and piled stones from biggest to smallest. Along the journey, I got hungry and needed to pee during the hike. I peed when no one was looking. :P For my hunger, good thing I brought a bag of peanuts to eat during the journey.


We head out to King's Creek, which was a short distance to King's Canyon (the next day's destination). I was exhausted but I am happy at the same time. We deserved a nice meal. We had thai chicken curry and nice stir fried noodles with veggies. Camp was amazing but I got annoyed with two germans who started chatting. Its midnight for crying out loud. And to make it worse. They stayed in the quiet spot. If I have known I should have slept near the fire camp. Thank God for the miracle of music.


King's Canyon was a 6km's walk. It involved an extensive hike to the peak of the mountain. The challenge was to hike and together with the group. I was able to stick with them. But I was the last to arrive. My heart was raising and sweat started to flow profusely. I got multiple palpitation but all is good. It was an indication how my health is. I have to give credit to my spirit walks in Sydney. I was able to recover and drink lots of liquid. The next parts were easy. The view was awesome and all hard work was reaped and well-earned. Got gazillion pictures. We passed by the Lost City. The King's Canyon itself. Garden of Eden. Priscilla's Crack (I know its strange!!).


After nearly 3 hours of hiking. We decided to head back to our campsite. Eat lunch. BBQ was delicious. I even discovered a nice toast combining melted cheese with chocolate spread! The swedish people seemed to appreciate it. :)

During our last night, our group had a celebration dinner. Damn those three american girls who are soo impatient. They demanded the meal list to be ordered when they know some of us haven't ordered yet. Anyway, it was amazing cos we learned different things about each other cultures. We all then went to some local pub in the city. Music and drinks are the best tool to enjoy the night. I ended up finishing up at 1:00 am. I realised I have exhausted all my dance moves. LOL!


Overall, the tour was magnificent. More than words can describe. It was an important experience for me as this was my first time backpacking and traveling alone and I reckon I chose the best place to travel - right in the heart of the Australian Outback. Met a lot of new friends. Learned to socialise with people from various background.



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Click the pics below to see my Multiply album:

ULURU


KATA TJUTA


KING'S CANYON


VARIOUS ALICE SPRINGS PICS


Below are some helpful links:

Mulga's Adventure Tours

Annie's Place

Red Centre Dreaming

Uluru - Wikipedia

Kata Tjuta - Wikipedia

King's Canyon - Wikipedia