Rosellas in the city

Just outside of work, a breeding pair of rosellas decided to have their young in small holes on a fancy wall.

Suicidal Snail

It was only an hour before Steven and I had to return from Nuriootpa to Adelaide. I saw this snail in the garden and decided to make it my model and become immortalized in pixels.

But it seems it has other ideas.

 

If you want to see more of my artistic (I try my best) photos, please go to http://dextermejia.500px.com/

The Barossa Trail

We knew that it was going to be warm enough to ride our bikes so Steven and I took our bikes from Adelaide to Nuriootpa. And we were right: the temperature rose to 30 degrees Celsius but we did not know it was going to be very windy.

So we braved the strong winds and took the 6-kilometer Barossa Trail. This used to be a train line that connected Nuriootpa to Angaston. It slopes slightly and passes through numerous vineyards and a cement mill (yes, I had a mouthful of dirt by the time we finished).

On the way, we saw some metal sculptures that are human-like and animal-like. I even got a chance to talk to one about the recent Labor government's plan on changing migration laws so that they can dump asylum seekers any place they want.

Steven enjoyed playing with the huge train switches and being swooped down by a magpie protecting its nest. I also took a risk by taking some shots while pedalling on my own bike.

The highlight of the afternoon is me almost getting bit by a brown snake. I thought it was just a piece of rubber strewn across the past. Steven had to grab my handle bar to stop me from getting my very first ambulance ride.

Welcoming asylum seekers

Boat people--that is like a bad word in Australian Labor and Liberal politics. It is like these politicians do not even want to touch them. It is like if they could handle their application with a thousand-kilometer pole, they would.

I thought signing the Refugee Convention means welcoming asylum seekers and shielding them from persecution and yet here we are--trying to ship them to a place as far away from the continent as our conscience (or the lack of) will allow us.

This level of debate makes us forget how the white settlers came to this country. The Aboriginals did not ship them to an island that geographically looks like it is already part of Malaysia or Indonesia. The Aboriginals did not even ask for identity papers.

And yet here we are--looking for a place to dump people who are looking for protection.

Back when I was still living in the Philippines, border protection meant warding off foreign fisher folk who are robbing us of corals, fish and other forms of marine life. I guess nowadays that definition has changed.

I know all Australians know this--asylum seekers are not here to invade us. They are not here to destroy this beautiful country. They are here because they want to live a full life and being in a detention centre will not offer this.

Mixed reaction

For years, my mother and I have been chatting on Skype every week. Apart from paying for the Internet, communicating this way is free. She can see me and I can see her.

We swap stories and jokes online. While talking about the availability of porn on the Internet, I decided to show her the video of "2 girls 1 cup". I asked my sister to film it.

And here is the result. I have never seen so many emotions in only a few seconds.

And yes, we support our transgendered people here

Early days of spring

Winter is never easy for me because I tend to feel down when I do not see the sun. I cannot do much because it is too cold to be outside and it gets dark really early.

I did not have work today so I rode my bike and explore the northern suburbs. The sun was on my back and I felt really happy.

 

Steven gets bored easily when I spend hours taking photos of a single subject so today, I did not feel guilty at all. I just had to make sure I had time to cook him some lunch.