When U2 came into town on Dec. 13, I was thrilled that my friends could join me for an amazing concert! They played most of my favorite songs from Mysterious Ways, Sunday Bloody Sunday, With or Without You, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For and Beautiful Day
The only song that I wished they'd played but they didn't was New Year's Day...
We had amazing seats in the 7th row, but in reality they were 4th row seats really close to the 360Degree stage.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
North Sydney Masters Christmas Party
At this year's Christmas Party (Dec. 11) we recognized two retiring coaches Kevin and Alvin. They're both amazing coaches who I learned a lot from and I'm happy that they'll still be swimming and coaching with us when they are in town.
Here's Kevin saying a few words to us:
And here are the two framed pictures we signed and presented to each of them:
Here's Kevin saying a few words to us:
And here are the two framed pictures we signed and presented to each of them:
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Bondi to Bronte Swim: Tough Going at Bronte
This was the first swim where I started at one beach (Bondi Beach) and ended at another (Bronte Beach). It was tough going, particularly at the end when I got "dumped" at Bronte Beach.
Essentially, you're swimming along and you catch a big wave that dumps you on Bronte Beach but because it's such a long, shallow beach you either have to keep swimming in shallow water or start walking up on to the beach (which is hard as I'm exhausted from swimming) - all while battling wave, upon wave that keeps tumbling you head over heals and is so strongly pulling you back.
Here are some photos of the big waves and the surf life savers assisting us.
A few surf life savers came over to assist me but I was able to manage to get across the finish line on my own.
The Bondi-to-Bronte Swim was on Dec. 5 and was 2.4K (1.5 miles) and it took me 46:24. I placed 39/65 in my age category (F35-39). Here's the map of the course:
Here's the view of Bondi Beach - we started the swim in the middle of this beach:
Then once we rounded the corner, we headed to the beach you see here:
And here we are walking back to Bondi Beach after the swim and breakfast (interestingly, it took us longer to walk back than swim).
Essentially, you're swimming along and you catch a big wave that dumps you on Bronte Beach but because it's such a long, shallow beach you either have to keep swimming in shallow water or start walking up on to the beach (which is hard as I'm exhausted from swimming) - all while battling wave, upon wave that keeps tumbling you head over heals and is so strongly pulling you back.
Here are some photos of the big waves and the surf life savers assisting us.
A few surf life savers came over to assist me but I was able to manage to get across the finish line on my own.
The Bondi-to-Bronte Swim was on Dec. 5 and was 2.4K (1.5 miles) and it took me 46:24. I placed 39/65 in my age category (F35-39). Here's the map of the course:
Here's the view of Bondi Beach - we started the swim in the middle of this beach:
Then once we rounded the corner, we headed to the beach you see here:
And here we are walking back to Bondi Beach after the swim and breakfast (interestingly, it took us longer to walk back than swim).
Big Disappointment in Australia's Loss of the 2022 FIFA World Cup
It was so disappointing that Australia didn't win the bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Here I am at 2 a.m. in the morning on Dec. 3 with colleagues from Cisco and the FFA as we await the announcement of the host countries for FIFA World Cup 2018 and 2022.
Not for the Faint of Heart: Coogee Beach Ocean Swim in 60F
In my first ocean swim for the 2010-2011 season - on Nov. 28 - I joined friends from North Sydney Masters in what is surely my coldest ocean swim to date without a wetsuit!
It was the Coogee Beach Island Challenge Ocean Swim and to kick off the season I selected a 1K (.62 miles) and completed it in 26:33 which for my age category (F35-39) I was 24/32 in my category and 118/164 of all females racing that day.
The water was 16C (60F), it was overcast with no sun and absolutely freezing. In swimming to the first buoy I could barely put my face in the water it was so cold and I felt my chest constrict and it was hard to take a full breadth it was that shockingly cold! By the time I was headed to the second buoy I'd acclimated to the temperature, yet there were strong swells on the back stretch so I'd definitely rate this one of the tougher swims.
In this FlipVideo you'll see the course I swam and then the swim finishes of my friends who did the longer 2.4 "Island Challenge" swim.
It was the Coogee Beach Island Challenge Ocean Swim and to kick off the season I selected a 1K (.62 miles) and completed it in 26:33 which for my age category (F35-39) I was 24/32 in my category and 118/164 of all females racing that day.
The water was 16C (60F), it was overcast with no sun and absolutely freezing. In swimming to the first buoy I could barely put my face in the water it was so cold and I felt my chest constrict and it was hard to take a full breadth it was that shockingly cold! By the time I was headed to the second buoy I'd acclimated to the temperature, yet there were strong swells on the back stretch so I'd definitely rate this one of the tougher swims.
In this FlipVideo you'll see the course I swam and then the swim finishes of my friends who did the longer 2.4 "Island Challenge" swim.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Papa Gets (another) Belt at RM Williams
I almost titled this blog entry "The never ending saga of Papa's belt" because there's a bigger back story to this than is told in the FlipVideo:
1. (Distance 5k) Last time Papa was here in Sydney (Sept. 2009) he mentioned how he wanted a belt for Christmas 2009. So I measured his belt to be size 38 and went out and purchased him a 38 belt from RM Williams which is quintessential Australian.
2. (Distance 5K) I mentioned that I'd done this on a Skype session and Papa exclaimed that he was a size 42, so back I went to the store and got him a 42.
3. (16,000k x 2 = 32,000 k) This size 42 belt, I took in my suitcase all the way to New York for Christmas. And have you already guessed what happened - it was too big for Papa! So I took it back (in my suitcase again) all the way back to Sydney.
4. (Distance 10k) Then I took this belt back to RM Williams and exchanged it back to a size 38.
5. (Distance 15,000) And then I mailed it to Papa in Chicago.
6. (Distance 13,000k) Papa loved the belt so much he of course had to wear it on his flight here on his most recent visit. And because the Qantas A380s were exchanged for 747s due to worry there was something at fault in the A380s, Mom and Papa got bumped and delayed and then diverted to Auckland, New Zealand before finally arriving in Sydney. Long story short, while going through security in Auckland, New Zealand Papa removed his belt and forgot to pick it up again. So the belt's now lost and Papa was using a tie with a pattern of a tennis racket and balls as a belt while here on vacation (although in thinking about this some more, would he have gone through security? Maybe he lost the belt in LA?).
7. (Distance 15,000k) Then the day before they returned home to Chicago, I took Papa to RM Williams in the new Westfield Pitt Street Mall and we purchased him a brand new belt which Papa packed in his suitcase for the trip home so there was not another "left it at airport security" incident.
Total Distance Belt(s) has Travelled: 75,000k
Tomu, while we were at RM Williams I not only purchased Papa his new belt, I also purchased him a new long sleeve shirt and another pair of shorts (this time navy) for his birthday/Christmas present from us.
Enjoy the video here:
1. (Distance 5k) Last time Papa was here in Sydney (Sept. 2009) he mentioned how he wanted a belt for Christmas 2009. So I measured his belt to be size 38 and went out and purchased him a 38 belt from RM Williams which is quintessential Australian.
2. (Distance 5K) I mentioned that I'd done this on a Skype session and Papa exclaimed that he was a size 42, so back I went to the store and got him a 42.
3. (16,000k x 2 = 32,000 k) This size 42 belt, I took in my suitcase all the way to New York for Christmas. And have you already guessed what happened - it was too big for Papa! So I took it back (in my suitcase again) all the way back to Sydney.
4. (Distance 10k) Then I took this belt back to RM Williams and exchanged it back to a size 38.
5. (Distance 15,000) And then I mailed it to Papa in Chicago.
6. (Distance 13,000k) Papa loved the belt so much he of course had to wear it on his flight here on his most recent visit. And because the Qantas A380s were exchanged for 747s due to worry there was something at fault in the A380s, Mom and Papa got bumped and delayed and then diverted to Auckland, New Zealand before finally arriving in Sydney. Long story short, while going through security in Auckland, New Zealand Papa removed his belt and forgot to pick it up again. So the belt's now lost and Papa was using a tie with a pattern of a tennis racket and balls as a belt while here on vacation (although in thinking about this some more, would he have gone through security? Maybe he lost the belt in LA?).
7. (Distance 15,000k) Then the day before they returned home to Chicago, I took Papa to RM Williams in the new Westfield Pitt Street Mall and we purchased him a brand new belt which Papa packed in his suitcase for the trip home so there was not another "left it at airport security" incident.
Total Distance Belt(s) has Travelled: 75,000k
Tomu, while we were at RM Williams I not only purchased Papa his new belt, I also purchased him a new long sleeve shirt and another pair of shorts (this time navy) for his birthday/Christmas present from us.
Enjoy the video here:
Dinner in the Loo
After returning from Lord Howe Island, we enjoyed dinner at China Doll in Woolamaloo where Mom and Papa enjoyed the Sydney city horizon view.
Scuba Diving with Pro Dive Lord Howe Island
It's hard to believe that since I moved here to Australia in April 2009, I haven't yet been scuba diving. Finally on this trip to Lord Howe Island I corrected that and had an amazing 6 dives!
You'll see the highlights from my dive log, but first I'd like to shout out to Tas the owner of Pro Dive Lord Howe Island and dive masters Kyla and Kit for an amazing dive experience! They were professional, fun and very well organised... and they're so very lucky to have great diving, sea life and coral right in their backyard!
Day 1 (Nov. 15, 2010) Dive# 108 Dive location: Octopus Garden Max depth: 50 ft Visibility 15 metres
On my first dive on Lord Howe Island I found the water colder than I expected (20 degrees Celcius) and in quite a bummer it was recommended I wear a 5 mm wet suit, hooded vest and gloves (I much prefer not wearing a wet suit). The underwater beauty of LHI was incredible though - I loved the Autumn color of the soft coral.
Day 1 (Nov. 15, 2010) Dive#109 Dive location: Le Meurthe Max depth: 40 ft Visibility 15 metres
The highlight of this dive was this alien-like, massive (I mean HUGE) bullray that my dive buddy Paul pointed out for me. I'd swum by it without noticing it and it took Paul pointing it out to me before I realised it was not a rock but a HUGE sting ray which is called a "bull ray". This FlipVideo doesn't really do it justice, as it's at least 10 meters wide but I know I'll always remember how incredulous I was that there was such an oversized stingray - I remember thinking "what kind of steroids was this stingray on that it grew to be so big".
I'll be emailing this FlipVideo to my dive buddy Paul with hope he'll comment on this blog that it was indeed the biggest ray he's every seen!
Day 2 (Nov. 16, 2010) Dive#110 Dive location Cathedral Cave Max depth: 71 ft Visibility 25 ft
It was like that scene in Little Mermaid when Ariel finds Eric's statue except in Cathedral Cave there were massive grouper, sweet lip fish, this Medusa-like "head" made up of tiny, dark and swarming fish and a a lot of other colorful fish. On this dive I saw a plethora of sea life including 2 eels and 3 stingrays.
Day 2 (Nov. 16, 2010) Dive #111 Dive location North Passage Max depth 40 ft Visibility 25 ft
I saw so much on this dive! There was a fun Cinderella Slipper scenario played out by David and our dive master Kyla (note: it's an empty shell of a slip lobster) in this FlipVideo:
And on many of the dives I'd see these stone fish and I at first thought they were being friendly as they'd hang around, come up real close and looked like they wanted to play with you. Only after did I learn that they're quite territorial and in fact not so friendly. In this Flip you'll also see that I found a stonefish at the 1:00 (yes it's named because it looks like a stone).
A few year's ago at the Monterey Aquarium I remember enjoying a jellyfish exhibit. Here in this FlipVideo you'll see this beautiful jellyfish that reminds me of an old fashioned, cream colored wedding dress.
And you'll see that there was an abundance of sting rays on this dive as well. And if you look real close, at the 2:00 you'll see an eel.
And here's a sea urchin that looks blue and shiny:
And in this Flip you'll see Nemo in the anemone.
Day 3 (Nov. 17, 2010) Dive #112 Dive Location Yellow Rock Max depth 50 ft Visibility 25 metres
At about 2:10 you'll see that we went through this archway and while there's lot of things stirred up in the water so it's not the most clear FlipVideo you can sort of see a lion fish with its very long (and venomous) spines.
This Flip starts out with a large school of fish and then at :40 you see another huge bull ray. If you see 1:13 you see that I try to swim out a bit to give you some perspective and scope for just how large it is (at one point you see two fish in the foreground swim by).
Day 3 (Nov. 17, 2010) Dive#113 Dive location The Arch Max depth 40 ft Visibility 25 metres
A big thank you to Beck and Tim from Sydney for agreeing to a second dive (otherwise I would have only did the one dive on my last day). It was another gorgeous dive and a lasting memory of my dives on Lord Howe Island which has beautiful and very healthy coral and sea life going for it!
You'll see the highlights from my dive log, but first I'd like to shout out to Tas the owner of Pro Dive Lord Howe Island and dive masters Kyla and Kit for an amazing dive experience! They were professional, fun and very well organised... and they're so very lucky to have great diving, sea life and coral right in their backyard!
Day 1 (Nov. 15, 2010) Dive# 108 Dive location: Octopus Garden Max depth: 50 ft Visibility 15 metres
On my first dive on Lord Howe Island I found the water colder than I expected (20 degrees Celcius) and in quite a bummer it was recommended I wear a 5 mm wet suit, hooded vest and gloves (I much prefer not wearing a wet suit). The underwater beauty of LHI was incredible though - I loved the Autumn color of the soft coral.
Day 1 (Nov. 15, 2010) Dive#109 Dive location: Le Meurthe Max depth: 40 ft Visibility 15 metres
The highlight of this dive was this alien-like, massive (I mean HUGE) bullray that my dive buddy Paul pointed out for me. I'd swum by it without noticing it and it took Paul pointing it out to me before I realised it was not a rock but a HUGE sting ray which is called a "bull ray". This FlipVideo doesn't really do it justice, as it's at least 10 meters wide but I know I'll always remember how incredulous I was that there was such an oversized stingray - I remember thinking "what kind of steroids was this stingray on that it grew to be so big".
I'll be emailing this FlipVideo to my dive buddy Paul with hope he'll comment on this blog that it was indeed the biggest ray he's every seen!
Day 2 (Nov. 16, 2010) Dive#110 Dive location Cathedral Cave Max depth: 71 ft Visibility 25 ft
It was like that scene in Little Mermaid when Ariel finds Eric's statue except in Cathedral Cave there were massive grouper, sweet lip fish, this Medusa-like "head" made up of tiny, dark and swarming fish and a a lot of other colorful fish. On this dive I saw a plethora of sea life including 2 eels and 3 stingrays.
Day 2 (Nov. 16, 2010) Dive #111 Dive location North Passage Max depth 40 ft Visibility 25 ft
I saw so much on this dive! There was a fun Cinderella Slipper scenario played out by David and our dive master Kyla (note: it's an empty shell of a slip lobster) in this FlipVideo:
And on many of the dives I'd see these stone fish and I at first thought they were being friendly as they'd hang around, come up real close and looked like they wanted to play with you. Only after did I learn that they're quite territorial and in fact not so friendly. In this Flip you'll also see that I found a stonefish at the 1:00 (yes it's named because it looks like a stone).
A few year's ago at the Monterey Aquarium I remember enjoying a jellyfish exhibit. Here in this FlipVideo you'll see this beautiful jellyfish that reminds me of an old fashioned, cream colored wedding dress.
And you'll see that there was an abundance of sting rays on this dive as well. And if you look real close, at the 2:00 you'll see an eel.
And here's a sea urchin that looks blue and shiny:
And in this Flip you'll see Nemo in the anemone.
Day 3 (Nov. 17, 2010) Dive #112 Dive Location Yellow Rock Max depth 50 ft Visibility 25 metres
At about 2:10 you'll see that we went through this archway and while there's lot of things stirred up in the water so it's not the most clear FlipVideo you can sort of see a lion fish with its very long (and venomous) spines.
This Flip starts out with a large school of fish and then at :40 you see another huge bull ray. If you see 1:13 you see that I try to swim out a bit to give you some perspective and scope for just how large it is (at one point you see two fish in the foreground swim by).
Day 3 (Nov. 17, 2010) Dive#113 Dive location The Arch Max depth 40 ft Visibility 25 metres
A big thank you to Beck and Tim from Sydney for agreeing to a second dive (otherwise I would have only did the one dive on my last day). It was another gorgeous dive and a lasting memory of my dives on Lord Howe Island which has beautiful and very healthy coral and sea life going for it!
A Lost Paradise: Lord Howe Island
Since moving here, it's been my goal to visit all 6 states and 2 territories of Australia. So when we were planning my parents trip to Australia during one of our Skype sessions, I suggested that we goto Tasmania the second week of their trip (our pattern has been that they spend a week with me in Sydney and then the second week we go somewhere - last year we went to Christchurch, NZ).
But Papa quickly chimed in that he'd watched some NHK travel show on Tasmania and he was uninterested as it looked rather boring. I tried to pump Tasmania up talking up Tasmanian Devils and the beauty of the island along with Cradle Mountain which is supposed to be beautiful but Papa was adamant.
I next suggested Fiji, but Papa was uncomfortable with the political turmoil there. I let him know that they left the tourists alone as it was a big source of the country's income but again Papa held strong.
So, imagine my surprise when Papa said "Masa, I want to goto Lord Howe Island. It's listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site". I'd never heard of "Lord Howe Island" and had no clue where it was nor did I realise that it was in Australia and more specifically in the state of New South Wales (state I live in).
Evidently, Papa has seen yet another NHK travel show about Lord Howe Island and was impressed by the natural beauty and the birds endemic to Lord Howe Island (meaning they're found only on Lord Howe Island).
I had to Google-search Lord Howe Island to figure out more about this place my Dad wanted to visit. What I found out was:
* It's a two hour plane ride from Sydney - heading East into the ocean.
* There are very few cars, most people ride bikes.
* There's a limit to how many visitors can travel to LHI at any one time (there's a max number of people who can live there as well)
* There's no mobile phone coverage on LHI. When we arrived I asked and was told that the LHI resident's don't want mobile phone coverage as they enjoy the freedom of not being reachable by mobile anytime, anywhere.
Now that I've been there, what I'd add about LHI is:
* It's like that 1980s TV show "Fantasy Island" in it's beauty and remoteness.
* There's an amazing "small town village" feel to LHI in that everyone knows everyone and there's incredible trust that you won't steal from your neighbor. This is seen in the fact that there were absolutely no locks or keys in our hotel - we stayed at the Pinetrees Resort. This made my Dad feel uncomfortable at first that there was no lock (and thus no need for keys) on any of the doors to our room (a one bedroom suite). Also, when we rented our bikes we'd ride around the island and just leave them unlocked in front of the stores (there were like 5 stores in total on the island) or along the path.
* It's incredibly friendly on LHI. You waved hello to everyone that passed you by (even when you're riding on your bike, you give a friendly wave to people cycling or driving by).
* LHI is like the place that time forgot. So many beautiful trees, plant life that's unpolluted and thus thriving.
Here's us arriving at Lord Howe Island's airport (Nov. 14-18, 2010).
After my first day of scuba diving, I rejoined Mom and Papa and we went to the beach in the lagoon, checked out the small town and rented our bicycles.
Just beyond our cabin at Pinetrees is a boat shed where we enjoyed watching sunrises and sunsets.
Since we rented bicycles and there was no phone or TV in our cabin, we typically went to sleep early and woke up early. Papa and I got into the habit of waking up early before breakfast and going bicycling around the island. On one such morning we went to Blinky's Beach.
After Blinky's Beach we cycled a bit further to the end of the airport runway where we saw a number of cows. Here's a FlipVideo that recognises that Papa is Year of the Cow.
One afternoon Papa and I rode our bicycles to the North end of the island and the ocean, green pastures with cows, sunset, and mountains inspired us to compose Haikus.
Two of the most remarkable trees found on Lord Howe Island are the native Kentia Palm Tree which LHI exports to Europe and Australia and the Banyan Tree with its many, many roots.
One afternoon Papa and I rode to Ned's Beach and saw a lady feeding the fish there. So the next afternoon we brought the left over bread from our airplane lunch and fed the fish. As you'll see in this FlipVideo it was TOTALLY UNREAL how many fish swam around our ankles to eat the bread we were tossing into the water.
On another morning, Papa and I rode to the South end of the island and on the golf course there we found more Banyan trees with multiple roots and the Kentia palms. Here's Papa having fun with these native trees.
I've talked a lot about the trees, but there were also many birds that are only found on Lord Howe Island. The woodhen was many years ago almost extinct (only 30 remained at one point) but thanks to a regeneration program on LHI, they were brought back and now there's a population of over 300. These woodhen don't have any predators on the island (pigs and cats and other rodents aren't allowed on the island which helps) and thus are very friendly and bold and so frequently approach people as they're relatively unafraid of losing their lives. So, I couldn't figure out why I was having such a hard time finding a woodhen.
One morning, Papa and I cycled around the island trying to find a woodhen. At one point we gave up and Papa insisted that we use these yellow signs as a substitute. As an aside, just before this FlipVideo was taken, Papa was slowing his bike as he reached me (I'd already stopped and gotten off my bike) and for some reason he didn't judge the distance correctly and ran into me and fell off his bike. So in the Flip you'll here commentary that I tried to hurt him when the reality is that Papa drove his bike into me!
And then wouldn't you know it, when we head back to Pinetrees for breakfast we find a woodhen right behind the lodge.
On our last morning as Papa and I were walking around Pinetrees Resort we found this gargantuan banyan tree that was horizontal, vertical and so huge that it's many "tree trunks" actually crossed the street! My brother - who loves interesting trees - would have been amazed at this tree!
On our last afternoon on Lord Howe Island, Pinetrees Resort arranged for us to have a BBQ at Cubby's Corner. And we could not have asked for a more perfect afternoon. We had this lovely BBQ spot all to ourselves, an amazing view, gorgeous weather and we even had friendly woodhens and a dog come by and play with us!
And Mom made a friend - this woodhen she named "Pecky" because he'd break up the bread she fed him into tiny pieces before eating them with a typewriter-like peck, peck head motion. You'll see it has colored bands on its legs - that's what the rangers use to keep track of and to count the woodhen population.
But Papa quickly chimed in that he'd watched some NHK travel show on Tasmania and he was uninterested as it looked rather boring. I tried to pump Tasmania up talking up Tasmanian Devils and the beauty of the island along with Cradle Mountain which is supposed to be beautiful but Papa was adamant.
I next suggested Fiji, but Papa was uncomfortable with the political turmoil there. I let him know that they left the tourists alone as it was a big source of the country's income but again Papa held strong.
So, imagine my surprise when Papa said "Masa, I want to goto Lord Howe Island. It's listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site". I'd never heard of "Lord Howe Island" and had no clue where it was nor did I realise that it was in Australia and more specifically in the state of New South Wales (state I live in).
Evidently, Papa has seen yet another NHK travel show about Lord Howe Island and was impressed by the natural beauty and the birds endemic to Lord Howe Island (meaning they're found only on Lord Howe Island).
I had to Google-search Lord Howe Island to figure out more about this place my Dad wanted to visit. What I found out was:
* It's a two hour plane ride from Sydney - heading East into the ocean.
* There are very few cars, most people ride bikes.
* There's a limit to how many visitors can travel to LHI at any one time (there's a max number of people who can live there as well)
* There's no mobile phone coverage on LHI. When we arrived I asked and was told that the LHI resident's don't want mobile phone coverage as they enjoy the freedom of not being reachable by mobile anytime, anywhere.
Now that I've been there, what I'd add about LHI is:
* It's like that 1980s TV show "Fantasy Island" in it's beauty and remoteness.
* There's an amazing "small town village" feel to LHI in that everyone knows everyone and there's incredible trust that you won't steal from your neighbor. This is seen in the fact that there were absolutely no locks or keys in our hotel - we stayed at the Pinetrees Resort. This made my Dad feel uncomfortable at first that there was no lock (and thus no need for keys) on any of the doors to our room (a one bedroom suite). Also, when we rented our bikes we'd ride around the island and just leave them unlocked in front of the stores (there were like 5 stores in total on the island) or along the path.
* It's incredibly friendly on LHI. You waved hello to everyone that passed you by (even when you're riding on your bike, you give a friendly wave to people cycling or driving by).
* LHI is like the place that time forgot. So many beautiful trees, plant life that's unpolluted and thus thriving.
Here's us arriving at Lord Howe Island's airport (Nov. 14-18, 2010).
After my first day of scuba diving, I rejoined Mom and Papa and we went to the beach in the lagoon, checked out the small town and rented our bicycles.
Just beyond our cabin at Pinetrees is a boat shed where we enjoyed watching sunrises and sunsets.
Since we rented bicycles and there was no phone or TV in our cabin, we typically went to sleep early and woke up early. Papa and I got into the habit of waking up early before breakfast and going bicycling around the island. On one such morning we went to Blinky's Beach.
After Blinky's Beach we cycled a bit further to the end of the airport runway where we saw a number of cows. Here's a FlipVideo that recognises that Papa is Year of the Cow.
One afternoon Papa and I rode our bicycles to the North end of the island and the ocean, green pastures with cows, sunset, and mountains inspired us to compose Haikus.
Two of the most remarkable trees found on Lord Howe Island are the native Kentia Palm Tree which LHI exports to Europe and Australia and the Banyan Tree with its many, many roots.
One afternoon Papa and I rode to Ned's Beach and saw a lady feeding the fish there. So the next afternoon we brought the left over bread from our airplane lunch and fed the fish. As you'll see in this FlipVideo it was TOTALLY UNREAL how many fish swam around our ankles to eat the bread we were tossing into the water.
On another morning, Papa and I rode to the South end of the island and on the golf course there we found more Banyan trees with multiple roots and the Kentia palms. Here's Papa having fun with these native trees.
I've talked a lot about the trees, but there were also many birds that are only found on Lord Howe Island. The woodhen was many years ago almost extinct (only 30 remained at one point) but thanks to a regeneration program on LHI, they were brought back and now there's a population of over 300. These woodhen don't have any predators on the island (pigs and cats and other rodents aren't allowed on the island which helps) and thus are very friendly and bold and so frequently approach people as they're relatively unafraid of losing their lives. So, I couldn't figure out why I was having such a hard time finding a woodhen.
One morning, Papa and I cycled around the island trying to find a woodhen. At one point we gave up and Papa insisted that we use these yellow signs as a substitute. As an aside, just before this FlipVideo was taken, Papa was slowing his bike as he reached me (I'd already stopped and gotten off my bike) and for some reason he didn't judge the distance correctly and ran into me and fell off his bike. So in the Flip you'll here commentary that I tried to hurt him when the reality is that Papa drove his bike into me!
And then wouldn't you know it, when we head back to Pinetrees for breakfast we find a woodhen right behind the lodge.
On our last morning as Papa and I were walking around Pinetrees Resort we found this gargantuan banyan tree that was horizontal, vertical and so huge that it's many "tree trunks" actually crossed the street! My brother - who loves interesting trees - would have been amazed at this tree!
On our last afternoon on Lord Howe Island, Pinetrees Resort arranged for us to have a BBQ at Cubby's Corner. And we could not have asked for a more perfect afternoon. We had this lovely BBQ spot all to ourselves, an amazing view, gorgeous weather and we even had friendly woodhens and a dog come by and play with us!
And Mom made a friend - this woodhen she named "Pecky" because he'd break up the bread she fed him into tiny pieces before eating them with a typewriter-like peck, peck head motion. You'll see it has colored bands on its legs - that's what the rangers use to keep track of and to count the woodhen population.
2nd Make Your Own Gyoza and Sushi Party
As many of my friends in California will know, my Dad makes amazing gyoza and whenever he visits I host a gyoza party so all my friends can also enjoy this homestyle "Horiuchi secret recipe" gyoza.
This year my Dad also came up with a fun game (and Mom and Dad also brought prizes from LA Japantown too) where you had to juggle chopsticks and to increase the difficulty we added more chopsticks!
This year my Dad also came up with a fun game (and Mom and Dad also brought prizes from LA Japantown too) where you had to juggle chopsticks and to increase the difficulty we added more chopsticks!
Road Trip to Cowra (5 hours west of Sydney)
From his first visit to Australia in October 2008, my Dad wanted to visit Cowra which he'd read had a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp during WWII. And that in association with this POW Camp - there was this "Cowra Breakout" where on Aug. 5, 1944 over 1,000 Japanese POWs attempted a mass breakout from this camp making this the largest prison attempt escape in the world. Most of the Japanese POWs were either recaptured or committed suicide as they felt shame at being caught in the first place.
The deceased Japanese were buried in Cowra in a specially created Japanese War Cemetery. Considering Australian's were at war with Japan during WWII the fact that the residents of Cowra treated the Japanese soldiers with such respect by burying them in a beautifully constructed cemetery was acknowledged by all of us and Papa played his shakuhachi at the cemetery in recognition of this sentiment.
The Cowra POW camp was similar to the Heart Mountain Camp outside Cody. Wyoming where my Mom and her family were interned during WWII in that there was also a very tall guard tower, barbed wire fencing, wood-constructed barracks and in the middle of nowhere.
On our way to Cowra, we visited Lithgow and spent one night in Bathurst at the Winter Rose Bed and Breakfast where we stayed in this lovely cabin surrounded by a beautiful garden.
In addition to the Japanese POW camp and the cemetery, we also visited the Japanese Garden in Cowra. It reminded me of the Japanese Garden in Saratoga, Calif. in that it too had a lake, canopy of wisteria and an elevated part of the garden where you could rest and look down on the rest of the garden and the horizon beyond.
The deceased Japanese were buried in Cowra in a specially created Japanese War Cemetery. Considering Australian's were at war with Japan during WWII the fact that the residents of Cowra treated the Japanese soldiers with such respect by burying them in a beautifully constructed cemetery was acknowledged by all of us and Papa played his shakuhachi at the cemetery in recognition of this sentiment.
The Cowra POW camp was similar to the Heart Mountain Camp outside Cody. Wyoming where my Mom and her family were interned during WWII in that there was also a very tall guard tower, barbed wire fencing, wood-constructed barracks and in the middle of nowhere.
On our way to Cowra, we visited Lithgow and spent one night in Bathurst at the Winter Rose Bed and Breakfast where we stayed in this lovely cabin surrounded by a beautiful garden.
In addition to the Japanese POW camp and the cemetery, we also visited the Japanese Garden in Cowra. It reminded me of the Japanese Garden in Saratoga, Calif. in that it too had a lake, canopy of wisteria and an elevated part of the garden where you could rest and look down on the rest of the garden and the horizon beyond.
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