When I woke up this morning, my bedroom was cast in red light. Still groggy with sleep a couple of thoughts rambled through my mind - it must be a red dawn, the sun's rising - but in either case it was a sign to go back to sleep because it was too early. Then I realized that my alarm had gone off and as I was listening to the radio, I heard the radio personalities talking about how "this is the biggest dust storm in Sydney in 70 years" and how 100 kmph winds from the outback was putting a red cast over Sydney. Then they proceeded to warn those with breathing problems, the elderly and young children to stay inside.
Well that woke me up and had me wandering to the front patio where I saw that there was this red fog of dust across the city. Here's a video from my front patio.
Even as I drove into work, I could see all these cars with coats of red dust (mine was parked in a garage so dust-free). And for one of the few times as I crossed over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, I couldn't even see the Sydney Opera House
Note: It's become a habit to take a look at the Opera House as I commute into work - it's my way of pinching myself that "yes, I actually do live in Sydney" and I get the amazing pleasure of crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and viewing the signature Sydney Opera House on my way to work.
Take a look at this article which has a photo of the pool where I swim at and the Sydney Harbour Bridge - click here.
I didn't go swimming this evening - not so much because of the red dust though - but that's a good explanation. Instead, for the second time I went to Fame Trivia Night at the Freeway Hotel. I guess it's a good thing my team (this evening we named ourselves "Eat my Dust") had an American (me) as I was able to handedly answer the U.S. geography question (What city on the Mississippi is the Gateway to America? St. Louis; What river runs through Washington, DC? Potomac River).
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tomu - It's a Smooth Bark Apple Tree
My brother Tomu has this fascination with trees (don't know where it comes from, but he loves to learn about different/new trees).
When I saw this one, I thought hmm, it's smooth, has no bark and rather than straight angular lines like most trees it has curved branches.
Later on the bushwalk, there was a tree identifier sign that said its official name is the Smooth Bark Apple Tree and its natural bumps are used to create bowls to carry water.
If you saw the other FlipVideo of the "bleeding gum tree" that's actually called a Blood Wood Tree and its sap is reportedly used to preserve fishing lines.
When I saw this one, I thought hmm, it's smooth, has no bark and rather than straight angular lines like most trees it has curved branches.
Later on the bushwalk, there was a tree identifier sign that said its official name is the Smooth Bark Apple Tree and its natural bumps are used to create bowls to carry water.
If you saw the other FlipVideo of the "bleeding gum tree" that's actually called a Blood Wood Tree and its sap is reportedly used to preserve fishing lines.
Hello Mr. Wallaby!
This FlipVideo is for my nephew Kai and niece Kalea. While on the beach in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park's West Head Beach, I saw a wallaby!
Wallabies are very small forest-dwelling macropods that are quite a bit smaller than kangaroos.
I said "hello" to Mr. Wallaby from both of you.
Love you both and can't wait to see you this Christmas :)
Wallabies are very small forest-dwelling macropods that are quite a bit smaller than kangaroos.
I said "hello" to Mr. Wallaby from both of you.
Love you both and can't wait to see you this Christmas :)
Linda's Walkabout Heads to the Bush
In Australia going "bushwalking" means going for a hike. This past weekend I went bushwalking in the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park which is about an hour north of Sydney.
It was a beautiful day and great to be outdoors!
It was a beautiful day and great to be outdoors!
Sydney's #1 Thai Restaurant
After checking out the 10th Annual Lennox Street Art Fair in Newtown, I walked along the main street and stumbled upon Thai Pothong Restaurant which has been named "Best Thai Restaurant in Sydney" and if you read the fine print they've been awarded this by the Thai Restaurant Association!
And walking along King St. I could see why there's a "Thai Restaurant Association" - there were 10+ Thai restaurants. I kid you not!
Newtown reminded me a lot of Mountain View, Calif. where there's a ton of ethnic restaurants included West African, Japanese, Turkish, Indian and more.
And walking along King St. I could see why there's a "Thai Restaurant Association" - there were 10+ Thai restaurants. I kid you not!
Newtown reminded me a lot of Mountain View, Calif. where there's a ton of ethnic restaurants included West African, Japanese, Turkish, Indian and more.
Oops, it's Paul not Chopper
While I read about "mateship" here in Australia (it means a strong friendship between blokes - or men - although more than a few times I've heard "mate" used in a more generic sense as well) I didn't know how popular it was to give your friends "nicknames".
The most straight-forward are the nicknames where you're just adding a sound to their last name (Witts -> Wittsy, Hughes -> Hughsey, Hooper -> Hoops). The other nicknames come from some "only an Australian would know" kind of things.
Take my Cisco colleague Michael Reid also known as "Chopper". And why might you ask? Well, there's this notorious Australian criminal,author and celebrity (it seems Australia just can't get away from its convict past) named Mark "Chopper" Read and I'm just going to take a wild guess that "Mark Read" -> "Michael Reid" -> Chopper. Are you following me?
Anyway, at this Cisco celebration I kept calling Paul, Chopper (don't you think they sorta look a little similar) any way I got it sorted out, won't make that mistake again.
The most straight-forward are the nicknames where you're just adding a sound to their last name (Witts -> Wittsy, Hughes -> Hughsey, Hooper -> Hoops). The other nicknames come from some "only an Australian would know" kind of things.
Take my Cisco colleague Michael Reid also known as "Chopper". And why might you ask? Well, there's this notorious Australian criminal,author and celebrity (it seems Australia just can't get away from its convict past) named Mark "Chopper" Read and I'm just going to take a wild guess that "Mark Read" -> "Michael Reid" -> Chopper. Are you following me?
Anyway, at this Cisco celebration I kept calling Paul, Chopper (don't you think they sorta look a little similar) any way I got it sorted out, won't make that mistake again.
Evidently it's Corona, not Fosters here in Australia
At many going away parties, friends told me to try Fosters beer. But upon arriving in Australia, I was informed that few Australians drink Fosters.
So what do they drink? Corona! Feels just like being back in California!
Here we are at a Cisco celebration of the start of the new fiscal year.
So what do they drink? Corona! Feels just like being back in California!
Here we are at a Cisco celebration of the start of the new fiscal year.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Flash back to Violin Lessons – Enjoying the Australian Chamber Orchestra
On 09-09-09 (an auspicious day if you’re into numerology), I was invited to see the Australian Chamber Orchestra and it was a total flash back to when I took violin lessons in 4th grade all the way up to 8th grade (I stopped before high school because that was when it started counting for a grade and I wasn’t very good and didn’t want orchestra to bring down my high school GPA).
I was also thinking about my best friend Ana who played in the orchestra with me and how after a few years of the violin she switched to the bass. And coincidentally she emailed me the next day to say she was thinking about me! And I was thinking about her too, pretty freaky coincidence, huh Ana…
The orchestra was amazing and all the more impressive because I know how hard it is to coordinate the up/down bow movements, how hard it is to do vibrato and to keep up with a particularly fast pace of music and to move your fingers from the top of the neck of the violin all the way towards the bridge.
And keeping with the theme of significant dates, afterwards we went to the Spice Temple where all their cocktails are named after the Year of the Chinese (or Japanese) calendar. I ordered a horse, but got a rabbit instead (Jasmine tea soda with aromatic organic cucumber vodka, and smashed cucumber - $16AUD).
I was also thinking about my best friend Ana who played in the orchestra with me and how after a few years of the violin she switched to the bass. And coincidentally she emailed me the next day to say she was thinking about me! And I was thinking about her too, pretty freaky coincidence, huh Ana…
The orchestra was amazing and all the more impressive because I know how hard it is to coordinate the up/down bow movements, how hard it is to do vibrato and to keep up with a particularly fast pace of music and to move your fingers from the top of the neck of the violin all the way towards the bridge.
And keeping with the theme of significant dates, afterwards we went to the Spice Temple where all their cocktails are named after the Year of the Chinese (or Japanese) calendar. I ordered a horse, but got a rabbit instead (Jasmine tea soda with aromatic organic cucumber vodka, and smashed cucumber - $16AUD).
Pub Crawl Across Thredbo Ski Resort
On the 6 hour drive from Sydney to Thredbo Ski Resort we stopped at Goulburn for dinner. And this is where I had my first encounter with “Famous Big Australian Icons”. Essentially, small towns all around Australia have randomly selected an every day “thing” and made it really, really big for tourists to take lots of photos and videos of on their visit. Now that I think about it, it’s really a good marketing idea – I mean without the “Big Ram” in Gouldburn I probably wouldn’t have taken a FlipVideo.
While the snow in New South Wales (state in which I reside) is nothing compared to Lake Tahoe, it is cool to think that I’m skiing in August (Aug. 28-30).
The first day of skiing, it rained cats and dogs so the skiing was very, very poor. My friend Sandy and I did a few runs, waited out the rain and then when it let up we did a few more runs. But candidly, the day was mostly spent at the pub. Drinks of the day were coffee with liquors and gluvine (warm German alcoholic beverage).
The next day – Sunday – our goal was to ski more than we drank. And we did alright. We even made it up to “Black Sallies” which was a 15 minute lift on these wooden, rickety chairs to what seemed like the top of the world. When we finally arrived at Black Sallies for “Schnappy-hour” at the top, there were maybe 10 people there and we felt like truly fearless skiers that had persevered to arrive at Timbuktu as only few others have.
While the snow in New South Wales (state in which I reside) is nothing compared to Lake Tahoe, it is cool to think that I’m skiing in August (Aug. 28-30).
The first day of skiing, it rained cats and dogs so the skiing was very, very poor. My friend Sandy and I did a few runs, waited out the rain and then when it let up we did a few more runs. But candidly, the day was mostly spent at the pub. Drinks of the day were coffee with liquors and gluvine (warm German alcoholic beverage).
The next day – Sunday – our goal was to ski more than we drank. And we did alright. We even made it up to “Black Sallies” which was a 15 minute lift on these wooden, rickety chairs to what seemed like the top of the world. When we finally arrived at Black Sallies for “Schnappy-hour” at the top, there were maybe 10 people there and we felt like truly fearless skiers that had persevered to arrive at Timbuktu as only few others have.
It’s True – There is a Strong Drinking Culture Down Under
It’s been about 5 months here in Australia and I’d have to say I’ve drunk more in these 5 months than I have in all my four years of college (keep in mind that I attended a Women’s College so this was not a very high bar to reach, but still!).
Note: There are very strict "drunk and drive" rules here in Australia, so I always take a cab home.
Before I came Down Under, I’d heard about how it was more “relationship based” journalism (and that is indeed true) and it’d been hinted at that this involved drinking … which I’m fine with, but boy can these Australians drink! And my goal is not to keep up (I simply can't), but to enjoy the company (and the great Australian and New Zealand wine that I'm becoming very fond of).
And as I discovered, the same goes for New Zealanders too! At The Racket Pub, I had the “Master Chef” of all bar tenders make me two AMAZING DRINKS!
Here’s Del giving an explanation of these tasty concoctions!
Note: There are very strict "drunk and drive" rules here in Australia, so I always take a cab home.
Before I came Down Under, I’d heard about how it was more “relationship based” journalism (and that is indeed true) and it’d been hinted at that this involved drinking … which I’m fine with, but boy can these Australians drink! And my goal is not to keep up (I simply can't), but to enjoy the company (and the great Australian and New Zealand wine that I'm becoming very fond of).
And as I discovered, the same goes for New Zealanders too! At The Racket Pub, I had the “Master Chef” of all bar tenders make me two AMAZING DRINKS!
Here’s Del giving an explanation of these tasty concoctions!
A “Kiwi” from New Zealand is a Flightless Bird, Not a Fruit
I had a similar moment when I was on a sight-seeing tour at The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. The tour guide was explaining the last battle at the Alamo and how everyone died and I thought to myself, everyone died?
Note: You see, I knew the famous battle cry “Remember the Alamo” and always thought it was meant as a inspirational battle cry… along the lines of “remember all those brave soldiers who faced certain defeat and survived, let’s go win this”.
In any event, on with my story...
On August 23, on my arrival in Auckland, New Zealand I visited the Sky Tower and before heading up the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere I watched the “History of New Zealand” movie. It was in this movie that they described how New Zealand was formed after numerous volcano explosions and for years the country lived remote and protected from the rest of the world to the point that these Kiwi birds didn’t have any predators and thus lost their ability to fly. Then the light bulb went off!
New Zealanders are called Kiwis after the bird, not the fruit!
The next day I confirmed that indeed when people refer to New Zealanders as Kiwis they initially meant the flightless bird and only after a marketer branded “gooseberries” kiwis did the name of the fruit become more popularly known as “kiwis”.
Note: You see, I knew the famous battle cry “Remember the Alamo” and always thought it was meant as a inspirational battle cry… along the lines of “remember all those brave soldiers who faced certain defeat and survived, let’s go win this”.
In any event, on with my story...
On August 23, on my arrival in Auckland, New Zealand I visited the Sky Tower and before heading up the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere I watched the “History of New Zealand” movie. It was in this movie that they described how New Zealand was formed after numerous volcano explosions and for years the country lived remote and protected from the rest of the world to the point that these Kiwi birds didn’t have any predators and thus lost their ability to fly. Then the light bulb went off!
New Zealanders are called Kiwis after the bird, not the fruit!
The next day I confirmed that indeed when people refer to New Zealanders as Kiwis they initially meant the flightless bird and only after a marketer branded “gooseberries” kiwis did the name of the fruit become more popularly known as “kiwis”.
My First Rugby Game!
When the national teams from Australia (the Wallabies) and New Zealand (All Blacks) play then it’s anointed the “Rugby Union’s Bledisloe Cup” in honor of Lord Bledisloe the former Governor-General of New Zealand.
I chose this game because Luke Burgess, who I met in my Sydney Fish Market Seafood BBQ Class, plays for the Wallabies. And they’re playing against the All Blacks who are internationally known, in particular for the haka (Māori traditional dance) that the team performs in all international matches immediately prior to the start of the game.
I went to the game with my boss, Peter Witts, and a journalist. It was great to go with Peter because he knows everything about rugby. Peter writes a Rubgy Blog for The Australian which is one of the top national newspapers here. He says he’s most active during the Rugby Super 14 (the way I understand it, it’s like the playoffs to the formation of an “All star” team which is essentially The Wallabies for Australia).
My first impression of rugby is that it's quite action packed and reminded me more like ice hockey in terms of the speed of play and intensity of the players. Unlike American football, the game kept moving - there were no long waits between downs and there was no changing over of defense and offense - the same team played all night. The coach wasn't even allowed on the field, so the team was self-managed (you could see the coaches up in the boxes and once in a while on the big screen you could see their reactions to certain plays).
The most intriguing parts for me were when the players would pile up on top of the player with the ball and there'd be this huge mass of arms and legs and then magically the ball would just pop out, outside this pile (evidently there's a rule that once the person with the ball is knocked down and there's a pile of people on time of him, he has to place the ball on the ground just outside the pile so play can continue). Expecting this, his team mates are all standing around outside the pile waiting for the ball to appear, when they see it they grab it and start running off. The funny thing is that while the play of ball moves down the field it sometimes take a while for the pile of players to realize it.
And there is strong aggression in these matches - I saw one guy pull back and punch his opponent three times when they were all piled on top of each other. And it wasn't subtle like when a basketball player tries to use his body to hide the fact that he's giving his opponent a hard jab - you actually saw this guy pummel his opponent three times from the top of the pile - it was quite blatant.
And one of the last clips you'll see is when a ball is thrown back it from off-sides you'll see the teams lined up like a start of play in American football. Then more like the cheerleaders you see on the sidelines of American football, rugby players lift their team mates up on their shoulders so they can attempt to catch the ball thrown in to play.
It was a close game, but in the end the All Blacks won 19-18. I really wanted the Wallabies to win, but considering the fact that the very next day I was flying from Sydney to New Zealand - it certainly made for a very "happy" bunch of New Zealand passengers on their way home.
I chose this game because Luke Burgess, who I met in my Sydney Fish Market Seafood BBQ Class, plays for the Wallabies. And they’re playing against the All Blacks who are internationally known, in particular for the haka (Māori traditional dance) that the team performs in all international matches immediately prior to the start of the game.
I went to the game with my boss, Peter Witts, and a journalist. It was great to go with Peter because he knows everything about rugby. Peter writes a Rubgy Blog for The Australian which is one of the top national newspapers here. He says he’s most active during the Rugby Super 14 (the way I understand it, it’s like the playoffs to the formation of an “All star” team which is essentially The Wallabies for Australia).
My first impression of rugby is that it's quite action packed and reminded me more like ice hockey in terms of the speed of play and intensity of the players. Unlike American football, the game kept moving - there were no long waits between downs and there was no changing over of defense and offense - the same team played all night. The coach wasn't even allowed on the field, so the team was self-managed (you could see the coaches up in the boxes and once in a while on the big screen you could see their reactions to certain plays).
The most intriguing parts for me were when the players would pile up on top of the player with the ball and there'd be this huge mass of arms and legs and then magically the ball would just pop out, outside this pile (evidently there's a rule that once the person with the ball is knocked down and there's a pile of people on time of him, he has to place the ball on the ground just outside the pile so play can continue). Expecting this, his team mates are all standing around outside the pile waiting for the ball to appear, when they see it they grab it and start running off. The funny thing is that while the play of ball moves down the field it sometimes take a while for the pile of players to realize it.
And there is strong aggression in these matches - I saw one guy pull back and punch his opponent three times when they were all piled on top of each other. And it wasn't subtle like when a basketball player tries to use his body to hide the fact that he's giving his opponent a hard jab - you actually saw this guy pummel his opponent three times from the top of the pile - it was quite blatant.
And one of the last clips you'll see is when a ball is thrown back it from off-sides you'll see the teams lined up like a start of play in American football. Then more like the cheerleaders you see on the sidelines of American football, rugby players lift their team mates up on their shoulders so they can attempt to catch the ball thrown in to play.
It was a close game, but in the end the All Blacks won 19-18. I really wanted the Wallabies to win, but considering the fact that the very next day I was flying from Sydney to New Zealand - it certainly made for a very "happy" bunch of New Zealand passengers on their way home.
Going to the Races – Great Gatsby Style
Annette invited me to join her husband Andy and their friend Baron for an afternoon at the races. And by “races” I mean horse races.
This was not my first time going to the races, as I went a few times with my Dad at Arlington Race Track. But when I’ve gone it’s been a very casual affair … meaning I wore jeans and a top.
Not thinking much of it, I went casually dressed to Randwick Race Course and felt totally under dressed. Actually, that’s an understatement! It’s like I stepped into a scene from Great Gatsby as all the men were in suits and flapper hats and all the women were in lovely summer party dresses with very stylish hats with feathers , flowers, and sequined hair bands.
Call out to my brother: I found an Englishman who's immigrated to Australia who’s a New York Met’s fan (check out the latter part of the video).
I thought it was odd enough to show you this in a separate video – in the ladies bathroom at the Randwick Race Course there was a hair straightening iron. Even if you lose your bets and it smells of horses at least your hair will be straight!
This was not my first time going to the races, as I went a few times with my Dad at Arlington Race Track. But when I’ve gone it’s been a very casual affair … meaning I wore jeans and a top.
Not thinking much of it, I went casually dressed to Randwick Race Course and felt totally under dressed. Actually, that’s an understatement! It’s like I stepped into a scene from Great Gatsby as all the men were in suits and flapper hats and all the women were in lovely summer party dresses with very stylish hats with feathers , flowers, and sequined hair bands.
Call out to my brother: I found an Englishman who's immigrated to Australia who’s a New York Met’s fan (check out the latter part of the video).
I thought it was odd enough to show you this in a separate video – in the ladies bathroom at the Randwick Race Course there was a hair straightening iron. Even if you lose your bets and it smells of horses at least your hair will be straight!
Finally, Lunch at Toko’s!
I’m loving living in Surry Hills where there are so many wonderful restaurants, pubs and cafes. And Toko’s – a fusion Japanese restaurant – just around the corner from my place was one restaurant that I’d been eager to check out.
Telstra PR’s Peter Taylor and Kiran from Howarth invited me to join them for lunch at Toko’s and I jumped at the opportunity!
For my future visitors – Toko’s is at the top of the lists of restaurants we’ll check out!
Telstra PR’s Peter Taylor and Kiran from Howarth invited me to join them for lunch at Toko’s and I jumped at the opportunity!
For my future visitors – Toko’s is at the top of the lists of restaurants we’ll check out!
Friendly Cisco v. Telstra Soccer Match
Cisco and Telstra’s partnership was strengthened last year as the companies embarked on an alliance that involves deeper collaboration to bring new services to market faster. This initiative was dubbed “Project Enterprise”.
On August 20, there was a friendly soccer match (or in Australia, a “football match”) between Cisco and Telstra. A number of us went to cheer the Cisco team on (and being Australia, this also involved bring the beer, wine and chips) to victory 3-0.
On August 20, there was a friendly soccer match (or in Australia, a “football match”) between Cisco and Telstra. A number of us went to cheer the Cisco team on (and being Australia, this also involved bring the beer, wine and chips) to victory 3-0.
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