Royal Adelaide Show 2012

I really wanted to go to the Royal Adelaide Show but Steven had been (and still is) hesitant to go because it is really expensive. Because of work, I had to go and I really thought of Steven quite a lot while I was in the showgrounds.

I am from a big city so I was really ecstatic to see farm animals. The pigs here are just as smelly as the pigs back in Manila. The cows are gargantuans though--these are almost as big as a car. I am sure I could even hide in one of those udders. I also found some very interesting-looking birds. Some of the pigeons are as big as fully-grown chickens. Some of the chickens are as big as mature geese. Many of the birds have feathers on their legs, making them look like they have two pairs of wings.

And of course, I went to the dog show. I literally spent two hours admiring and patting the dogs and talking to their owners. It was the day for the gigantic dogs so I was not really afraid getting very close to them as they are all very very friendly.

 

I did not buy anything but I managed to stuff myself with lots of bakery items. I did not really feel guilty because I spent five hours walking non-stop.

Birds in Adelaide

It was really warm the past weekend so we could not help but go out and bask in the sun. We took our bikes and rode these from Henley Beach to the city and back. I enjoyed the afternoon that I did not notice that four hours had past.

On the way, we saw so many birds. Many of which were begging for food. Some were scared of my silly noisy camera. Some just put up with me creeping to them.

And here are my subjects:

A Night Out with Steven

Steven loves his job and I support him on whatever he does in his career. When I found out that he was doing the Saturday night shift, I got scared. Images of him being physically and verbally abused ran in my mind.

So I decided to join him during the most dangerous hours. Luckily, nothing much happened. He had only a handful of passengers.

I am always prepared when nothing happens. I always have my cameras with me and here are the results:

 

Wallaroo Sunday

It has been difficult going out on weekends because of Steven's work schedule and the dreadful weather. We managed to get out of Adelaide the past weekend and spent it with his parents. I took this photo as the ferry prepared itself for its new group of passengers. The photo has two elderly people in vain trying to catch fish.

First sign of spring

Found just outside of our apartment

Happy birthday to me

Steven is a very nice husband. He really did his best to make me happy on my birthday yesterday. He spoiled me by buying some PS3 games. 

We also went to the cinema to watch The Dark Knight Rises and it was awesome. I was lapping up the words and the performances. I am definitely going to buy the blu ray.

Fancier Pro Camera Backpack

I spoiled myself by buying a new camera bag. The one that I have been using is about 6 years old so I have outgrown it and it does not offer much protection anymore. I looked on eBay and found this inexpensive bag from Fancier (Pro Camera Backpack).

It can carry a whole lot of gear including my tripod. It even has room for my 16-inch laptop. It will get warmer soon so I will definitely take more photos with this bag on back.

6.3 Cholesterol Level

I have a very active lifestyle. I lift weights and do cardio four times a week. Sometimes, I go hiking and ride my bike.

But I have been very naughty with my diet since I moved to Australia. Red meat abounds here. Chips and wedges are the best. Having an entire pizza in one sitting is not uncommon.

Since my 34th birthday approaching, my doctor decided to check my blood. At first, he thought that I was going to be diabetic because it is in my family history but he was surprised that my blood cholesterol level hit the 6.3 mark.

So what does this mean?

I need to take medicines to lower my cholesterol. I need to lose weight by pushing harder in the gym. AND I need to be very careful with what I put in my mouth.

Thank goodness that I am not diabetic though.

Corregidor Island 2012

I have flown dozens of times. I have been on bumpy roads and numerous boat rides on rivers and seas.

But I had never been so nauseous until our trip to Corregidor Island. Some of the tourists were late and the captain tried to compensate by racing through big waves.

As a result, half of the passengers were throwing up or could not even sit up. I was in the toilet most of the time puking air and I counted the minutes that was left until we reached shore.

And when we did, I wanted to go back to Manila on a plane. Thank goodness the way back was way slower so nobody really threw up.

Anyway, the island is still beautiful and the forests unchanged. Macaques and eagles are still roaming around. Nature is slowly reclaiming the ruins as the government hesitate to invest some money on tourism.

Steven and I felt that we should stay the night next time. The rainforest seemed to have more stories to tell than the tour guide.

Last of the Baguio Photos

Mine's View Park

taken from the balcony of the rented house

taken from the balcony of the rented house

another balcony view

 

houses surrounding China Town

taken from the centre of Baguio City

More thoughts on Baguio

I had been wanting to visit Baguio City because tourists consider it as one of the best vacation spots in the country. I grew up in Manila, moved to Thailand and then to Australia and it was only a few weeks ago that I was able to visit this popular city.

My entire family packed their bags, hired a van, cooked a lot of food and endured the six-hour drive to the summer capital of the Philippines. Along the way, we saw waterfalls left and right. The green mountains were covered by clouds.

Upon seeing the city itself, I was deeply disappointed because it reminded me of the ugliness of Manila. It was crowded and polluted. The landscape was littered with houses and apartments. The traffic made my ears ring and my nose sneeze.

Fortunately, we were with someone who used to live there. She was also able to speak the local dialect and ask for directions. We went to a hot springs resort that only locals know about. The pool water was hot enough to cook an egg and looking up, we could see green mounntain peaks and the blue sky looking at us.

All of us loved the vacation. It provided us a ten-degree lower than in Manila relief. It also gave us a chance to have a great experience together and that is hard to do when Steven and I are living overseas. I really hope we will share another experience like this very soon.

inside the van

Lion's Head

taken from the rented house

keeps me warm

checking Adelaide news

pointing at the clouds

suffering before seeing the statue of Mary

taken at a souvenir shop

China Town

Lovely with her strawberry ice cream

my father with a butter fly

passengers at Burnham Park

rowing at Burnham Park

another passenger

Steven at Mine's View Park

the gang at Mine's View Park