Jessica's Thoughts of Now

Errands

2009-07-04T22:00:00.000+08:00

A trip home always involves fun errands and little day excursions. I went on the little shopping trip to the mall on Saturday, because NOTHING is open in Australia on a Sunday. I found a little hat that I think suits me very well.

On a sunny afternoon we went to a gallery showing of gorgeous textile shabori work and beautiful prints. It was a husband and wife, they were both artists. After a few minutes of being there, we realized the artists were actually right next to us and we got the pick their brains and get all the juicy details of their work and education history.

There was also this adorable, but giant, puppy that grabbed a paper out of my moms hand and took it outside to chew on.

My parents have this old 1999 volvo, that we used to use in Adelaide. They NEVER drive it, except when my brother comes home on a break from university. So twice a year, they call Australian AAA to come recharge the battery. A well dressed man came to fix the car and give us a 20 minute lecture on how we were distroying the battery by letting it drain for months and months. He sternly told us it must be charged over night. We ignored his advice. Nathan I drove it that afternoon for a few hours to run our errands. Everytime we parked and restarted the engine, we held our breath, not knowing if we'd be able to drive home.

Gorgeous wallpaper patterns. I love the bright pinks and blues against the muted browns.

That evening, my parents took Nathan and I to a wine tasting bar, that also served tapas (small Spanish savory dishes, typically served with drinks at a bar). It was quite lovely. Notice my red, tipsy face in the photo below with my dad.

Nathan and my mom split a bottle of red wine, I think it was a shiraz, between them. Somehow, they managed to talk to the waiter about earthquakes and geology. How the science topic came up, I don't know.

Felting Trends

2009-07-04T08:49:00.000+08:00

Felting is the new thang to create, I learned from my mom. She took a workshop on how to create raw fibers of silk and wool to create felt. It's a little to rustic and messy for my style, but it was pretty interesting to help her do her felting homework for her class.

She stared by pulling short fibers and laying them down on top of each other. Then another layer, 90 deg from the first, was laid over it.

We also had some silk that we cut into triangles to place on top of the wool, to create a 'prickly' design. Her homework was to create something that represented 'prickly.'

The real action happens with you add warm water and olive oil soap.

And then she had to roll, many times, the piece so that the fibers would talk to each other. These are her words, "talk to each other." I was skeptical, but it started working.

To get all the fibers stuck together and become a piece of fabric, you must throw. She threw the wet mess as hard as she could against the counter.

The final piece was really quite cool. Her instructor was pretty impressed as well.

I don't think I could make a trip home without witnessing a new art project and learning a few techniques from my mom.

Snorkeling in Winter

2009-07-03T22:00:00.000+08:00

We rented snorkel masks and fins to go check out the tropical fish in Turquoise Bay. This reef is known for strong currents that can quickly take you into deep waters through a break in the reef.

Discovering this, we entered the shallow reefs far from the danger area so the current would carry us over the corals and wildlife.

I had some trouble standing in the water with fins on. Mom caught me falling backwards in the sand, while Nathan is fiddling with his mask.

The fish were amazing! A designer’s dream: vivid colors, rainbow stripes, small neon fish and the oddest of shapes. I saw multi-colored wrasses, clown fish, tang fish, butterfly fish, triggerfish, angelfish and SO many more.

I almost panicked when I saw the reef shark. It was six feet long and swam under me toward Nathan. I took out the mouthpiece and screamed, “shark!”

I was sure we were dead, first Nathan, then me. Dad screamed, “It’s harmless. It’s just a nurse shark.” I asked, “Promise?”

But after seeing the display, we figured it was a reef shark. Mostly safe, but still a shark.

We also saw two green turtles. It was so special. It’s hard to smile with a snorkel in your mouth. I saw a stingray too, but stayed away from it.

I hate to complain again, but it was super cold. Sitting on the beach was painfully cold, but the water felt like warm salty bathwater.

We celebrated our discoveries by enjoying fresh local snapper on a bed of Mediterranean salad.

So fresh, so good.

Whale Sharks and Vomit

2009-07-03T18:00:00.000+08:00

[the ocean photos are courtesy of Ningaloo Reef Dreaming]

Mom and I were not brave enough to go on this day adventure.

Nathan and Dad had booked this whale shark adventure a month in advance. It was the whole reason we took a 4-day trip to Ningaloo reef. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world and eat plankton, not juicy tourists.

They woke up Monday morning at 6 a.m. and made a ton of noise in the shower and kitchen, waking up the rest of us. A bus picked them up at the hotel’s reception and they drove to where the boat was waiting.

Nathan and Dad’s group were the only ones that didn’t cancel the trip due to the weather. Four other companies cancelled their tour because of the rough weather and drove their buses back to town.

There were 18 other eager whale shark enthusiasts with Nathan and Dad. After taking a little dip in the reef to confirm swimming abilities, they headed out a couple miles from shore.

Mom and I stayed in the hotel room that morning. The weather outside was getting stormier, the clouds blackened and the wind started howling.

Back on the boat, Nathan and Dad were getting the rundown on whale shark safety. They were asked to not get in front of the shark and stay away from the massive tail.

Nathan started feeling dizzy right before the practice snorkel when the boat stopped moving and was then influenced by the wonderful rolling waves. When in the water, he didn’t really improve much and felt like burping but due to the snorkel he was forced to hold it in, in hindsight he realizes this may have been the wrong decision.

Back on the boat the “weak stomach syndrome” spread among the group as the first few group members saw their breakfast again in partially digested form. Nathan was one of the first to get sea sick, followed closely by Dad; there was also a French couple that was in all sorts of trouble.

Several people were lined up at the back of the boat, hurling over the side. They were told not to go to the back unless they were actually going to get sick.

Nathan and Dad were sea sick and vomiting the whole time. Nathan felt the worst. He lost the yogurt he had for breakfast and began seeing yellow bile.

Nathan spent so much time at the back of the boat he slammed his knee against the side from all the rocking.

When they got the message from the circling plane above that a whale shark was spotted, the captain shouted, “Whale shark! Whale shark!” And everyone quickly ran to the back of the boat and quickly put on their gear (wet suit, snorkel and fins) in anticipation of jumping into the path of a giant fish.

Excited and weak from lack of food, they jumped off the boat into the deep water and tread water until the shark came into their path.

Nathan and Dad said it was magical and majestic, worth every hour of nausea. The shark has a wide mouth and a beautiful pattern of dots on its body. It glided through the water, aware of the floating humans nearby, yet calm.

The boat spotted four whale sharks that day. They are usually lucky to spot only two. Dad jumped in the water five times to see the sharks, but Nathan was getting extremely weak and sick and sat out the last two jumps.

Nathan is on the right, waving to signal that he saw the shark. He’s got the lime green snorkel piece.

They all rolled themselves onto the moving boat. The viewing had finished and they got dry and dressed, reflecting on the sharks. The company had included a delightful feast for the hungry swimmers, but not many were feeling up to eating. Notice their faces and how disgusted they are by the sight of the food.

The group came back to land, and we met the guys at the hotel room.

Dad was passed out on the couch and Nathan was eating everything in the pantry.

Dumb Animals & Lame Landscapes

2009-07-01T18:56:00.000+08:00

I’m only kidding. Western Australian landscapes are spectacular, so are the wacky animals that are abundant in the bush.

Traveling around the Ningaloo area requires a lot of driving, on two lane roads through the bush.

The first animals we saw were a pair of Emus. They are like ostriches, except smaller and still just as funny looking. Poor giant birds, they just can’t get their ugly butts airborne.

The Emu on the right became upset and squawked at our vehicle.

Kangaroos are everywhere! On an hour-long drive to our hotel, we saw 123 kangaroos (seriously!). We almost hit roughly ten. One lucky driver ahead of us bagged himself a “roo”; we only saw the bloody aftermath smeared across the pavement.

We found a content kangaroo staring at us and munching on grass. It hopped away soon after. I like to imagine they make a sound when they bounce, like “BOING, BOING.”

No joke, but I saw two large kangaroos in a clearing; they were on their hind legs, violently boxing each other. I bet they were fighting over lucrative grazing rights of the bush.

We also spotted a suicidal echidna (spiky ball) standing in the middle of the road. They are very rare to see in the wild. They are one of the few mammals that lay eggs.

See this average shot of where a creek meets the ocean at sunset.

Also, brilliant rock colorations that meet the wide creek.

iPhone Games

2009-06-30T11:39:00.000+08:00

I downloaded Flight Control on my dad’s iPhone to practice my plane landing skills. My top score so far is 213.

I've been playing so much I see planes crashing when I close my eyes.

I also got a free game called UnblockMe. Nathan and Dad are in competition for top scores on how quickly they can release the red block. At the moment, the protégé (Nathan) is in the lead.

Ningaloo

2009-06-30T11:35:00.002+08:00

We woke up just above the crack of dawn to catch a 7:40am flight to Exmouth. It’s an hours flight North of Perth. The town has a military communication base, but the Ningaloo area is known for spectacular reefs and fishing. The red dot is were the resort is.

Don’t forget, it’s winter down under. So it’s a tropical winter in Ningaloo. The weather is unpredictable. It was sunny when we arrived, but there was a fierce storm the next day. Overcast days are gorgeous at the beach.

We are staying in a beautiful resort with a lily pond and sweet tasting swimming pool. I accidentally tasted the pool water, it tasted like a sugar ocean instead of chlorine. Odd.

There was also a massive spider near the pool. We fed it a moth, an ant with wings and a beetle. The spider was quick to bite and stun the bugs and then wrap it up for a future snack. It’s been confirmed ...I do not have arachnophobia.

I’m so impressed with how my little camera keep getting brilliant close up shots. Thanks lily flower, for being such a patient subject.

While Nathan and my dad went out on a tour to swim with whale sharks (more about this epic barfing event later), my mom & I went on an adventure.

We saw the beach where the turtles come to lay their eggs, and when hatched the baby turtles (cute attack!) scuttle for their lives back to the ocean. According to this sign, the temperature of the sand determines the sex of the turtle. Girl turtles are hot!

The tropical bush landscape is littered by giant mounds, I can only assume were created by ants or termites. The mounds were about 10 ft tall and must’ve taken the little bugs years to create. The shape is similar to Dr. Suess’ characters, the creatures with the stars on their bellies.

Food products

2009-06-30T11:29:00.003+08:00

Hungry for Salt & Vinegar chips? How about a Lift?

There are a few Australian foods that I never see in the U.S. I don’t particularly like to eat these products, but am fascinated when I see them on the shelf.

Lift is a strong lemon & lime soda. It’s ok, but it burns the throat as it goes down. Fanta is great because of the catchy commercial jingle. ìFanta, fanta, wanta fanta!î Nathan said he went to a Fanta party and the only mixer was the orange soda. They made drinks with Fanta and gin, vodka, you name it. Nathan woke up with a hangover and a rash from yellow or red dye.

My main deterrent for living in Australia is the cheese selection. There must be more than Tasty and Colby cheese. I’ve never found a good cheddar or pepper jack.

Ever tried salt & vinegar chips? Gross!

I’ve never been curious enough to try burger rings. I don’t even know what their made of.

Ah, Lamingtons! These are a yummy treat. I like them when they are bite size cakes. A little sprinkle of coconut will make anything delicious.

Smartites in Australia are a shell covered chocolate candy. Once, I was offered a smartie thinking it was the U.S. kind,.. and was disappointed.

Vegemite and Nutella, Aussie pantry staples! Toast up some white bread and start spreading.

Steak & [insert flavor] pies are a typical lunch or snack. I see people take a sauce (ketchup) bottle and squirt it inside the pie. It’s quite an attractive package, having a meal in self-contained pie form. I prefer quiches.

I lived on Iced Coffee in High School. You can’t screw up milk, sugar & caffeine. Local bakeries and delis dedicate an entire refrigerator to their coffee flavored milk.

I’ve made myself hungry-—I'm off to breakfast.

Food & Wine Festival in York

2009-06-30T11:23:00.003+08:00

On Saturday my mom, dad & I drove an hour and a half inland to a Food and Wine Festival in York. It’s an old town with one main street and a quaint architecture. There were a few dozen tables where you could samples a range of food from spicy olives, lemon infused olive oil, goats cheese, pistachio dukkah, sun dried tomato mustard and orange choc cookies. There was also some local wine tasting.

Just around the corner from the festival were cooking demonstrations. We watched a pastry chef from the city create a rhubarb tart (or was it a pie?). She had a delightful sense of humor and I was impressed with her skills.

She also made some mini chocolate cupcakes from scratch. They tasted as good as they looked.

We met up with some family friends, Anne & Kari. It was lovely to see them. We had coffees and scones (with jam & cream, of course) at a local hotel/pub.

You can’t see in the photos, but the ceilings in these old bars are very low. People must’ve been a lot shorter back in the day, without the plethora of meat and hormones we have access to today.

I was shocked when I saw a bartender put a lemon wedge into a Corona beer. I should’ve gotten a photo of this tragedy.

We drove back to city just in time to pick Nathan up from the airport. He stayed in Canberra to finish his last exam (which I’m sure he passed with flying colors) and was ready to start his winter break in Western Australia.

Uninspired

2009-06-26T21:43:00.008+08:00

Uninspired to write a blog post today, I asked my dad, “What should I write about?”

He said,

“You should write: Perth is weird, because they only wear black clothes. And, they drink too much in this country. Also, my parents have a nice house, I wish they’d give it to me.”

I laughed. That was a pretty funny response.

I had a day in the city today, while Dad was giving a talk at a Tight Gas conference and Mom was at a felting art/fabric workshop. Typical parental activities.

These are some of the things I did today:

1. Visited two galleries downtown

2. Ate a tangerine & a pink lady apple

3. Laughed at a video of people kissing air

4. Got rained on

5. Tried on gorgeous frocks at Alannah Hill (see pics below)

6. Learned that Michael Jackson has died

7. Drank too much caffeine

8. Went for a night walk and got drenched in rain

9. Continued to be bummed about Michael Jackson

10. Downloaded WORDLE on Dad’s iphone

Pumpkin Soup

2009-06-25T21:25:00.003+08:00

Back to the kitchen…

Since I don’t have the stamina to document and explain all the new features in their remodeled kitchen, I will share with you Dad’s infamous pumpkin soup.

I woke up to the sound of the grinder. I thought it was 7am and he was grinding coffee, but in actuality it was 10:30am and was grinding spices for the soup. Whole sticks of cinnamon, cloves… I’m not sure what else because I didn’t get out of bed until I smelled the roasting pumpkin… a half hour later.

He uses butternut pumpkin. It smells pretty nasty while it cooks.

He bought bushels of basil, mint, oregano and chives, all in leaf form. Then he sautéed a chili and chopped it up in a fancy food processor. That smelled fantastic. Dad said, “It’s like Christmas, with all the food we were making.”

Dad then cleaned out the flesh of the pumpkin. I’m still laughing at Dad’s awesome expression.

After the chopping, blending and simmering…we have pumpkin soup. Mom said it was the best he’s ever made.

I’d rather carve a kitty face in a Jack O’ Lantern.

A to the Q: Aquarium!

2009-06-25T06:00:00.000+08:00

From Abalone to Queen Angelfish, today I visited the Aquarium down at Hillary’s Bay/Dock/whatever.

I adore, love to visit the color fish and corals. They have the most unique patterns and shapes, and the oddest head shapes and bulging eyes.

I was equally excited about the quality of photos I got from my little point and shoot camera. I used the automatic ‘underwater setting’ and the photos turned out surprisingly well.

Check out little Nemo! Clown fish are so cute. They like to hang out in the anemone, just like my kitty back home. Zoe, my cat, likes to hangout in warm laundry crevasses.

This eel was just chilling in the sand, with only his/her top part and head popping out. What a dork! I bet the eel would play online role playing games if it had a PC and arms.

After the aquarium, we went to lunch at a brewery and I had some delicious beer. Yummers!

The Perth house on Joffre Road

2009-06-24T08:00:00.000+08:00

My Mom & Dad live on a house just two blocks from the coast of the Indian Ocean. The outside of the house looks the same, but they remodeled the kitchen inside and updated a few things. I’ll have to dedicate a later post to their new kitchen. It’s quite a dream kitchen.

It’s winter down under and the beach was deserted except for a few brave surfers.

It’s crisp and overcast, and a little rainy, which is perfect a beach walk. I always miss the beach until I get sand in my shoes.

It was gorgeous one afternoon so Mom & I went for a long walk along the coast.

Touristy shenanigans

2009-06-23T09:08:00.002+08:00

Playtime in Canberra! Nathan and I got slightly lost in Capital Hill. We skipped below nations’ flags, checked out the old Parliament building and the Aboriginals tents and presence on the lawn near Capital Hill.

I only dragged Nathan to only one gallery, the National Portrait Gallery. We were disappointed at first, seeing a line of people waiting to pay $12 to get into the exhibit. A helpful docent informed us that crowd was only for the traveling collection of Vanity Fair photographs and the main part of the gallery was FREE. The Castillo-Magee offspring are a thrifty pair. The portraits were more of a history lesson and ranged through decades and even centuries. It was one of the most refreshing galleries I’ve visited in a long time. We checked out the infamous Vanity Fair photo spreads in the expensive hardcover in the gallery bookstore. We left satisfied.

Nathan and I also took a mini hike up Black Mountain, just behind the university. It was steep walk up to Testra tower.

There’s a restaurant at the top of the tower with a view, but we just wandered around and came back down.

Nathan gave me a thorough tour of the campus. We snuck inside one of his large Chemistry lecture halls. We figured out how to turn on the lights and quickly snapped a few photos. Good thing the campus is close to deserted, or at least the people left are too distracted by their final exams.

After three days in Canberra, I caught a quick and easy flight to Perth, Western Australia. Not sure if I’m prepared for Perth’s coastal rain, it’s become a myth in my mind.

Nathan's Campus Life

2009-06-21T03:00:00.000+08:00

My little brother, Nathan, five years my junior attends Australian National University in Canberra, Australia’s capital.

I stayed at his quality apartment on campus. It’s the third level up and he has his own balcony, oven, stovetop, two mini fridges (one for beer and the second for food or moldy substances formally known as food) and a tiled shower. I neglected to post a picture of former tomatoes, carrots and peppers we found wedged in the back of the fridge.

Nathan’s place is fantastic. I was honored to stay there, and it was perfect timing since most all the semester final exams were on their last week. He is getting two degrees a Bachelor’s in Chemistry and one in Engineering (material or mechanical, I’ll have to ask him the details). Basically he studies hard and consequently parties harder.

Nathan’s not a stinky dude, but he likes to smell good. I liked the Gucci cologne, probably because it has the best packaging--I admit to being a label whore when it comes to wine and perfume.

Since it was below 8 degrees Celsius (46.6 Fahrenheit), I tested Nathan’s new road bike down the hallway of his dorm floor. I enjoy a winter day inside, I’m constantly grateful I’m escaping Arizona’s heat for a short while.

One of the highlights of my Canberra visit was meeting and hanging out with Nathan’s adorable and sweet lady-friend, Hannah. She’s cool because she puts up with my brother and her name is a good-looking palindrome.

We were invited for a delicious Korean dinner dish, made by her Mom, Kim. Hannah’s Dad, Terry, is partial to Tasmanian products. He insisted I drink Cascade beer, I was hesitant at first, picturing the popular dishwashing detergent. He told some ridiculously hilarious stories about his college day and drinking games, most of which involved spilling water on the pants of your drunk friends. Hannah’s little brother, Michael, had some profound opinions and was cracking me up as well. Thank you, Beven family.

The Journey Begins

2009-06-20T13:00:00.001+08:00

My trip begins in the Singapore airport. After saying goodbye to my kitty and loved ones, I flew from Tucson, Arizona to Los Angeles. The same day, in fact, that the Laker basketball championship parade was happening in downtown L.A. It was a long flight from LAX to Tokyo, then to the fabulous Singapore airport.

I had a eight hour layover, after catching some sleep on the last flight. I was wide awake on landing and ran straight to the showers. I paid $8 and took a hot shower. It was sweet! I wandered the empty airport in the dead of the night, visited the muggy butterfly gardens, checked my Gmail and ate a delicious sandwich. I was anxious until 7am when the Charles and Keith shoe shop opened. I was told by my high school friend, Rani, to check it out. So I tried on some sexy heels. Trying on absolutely gorgeous shoes elevated my mood 200% and I was ready for my 7.5 hour flight to Sydney.

On my flight from Singapore to Sydney, I sat next to a woman from China, she spoke beautiful English and wore a white surgical face mask. The moment I sat next to her, she warned me she wasn't sick but was taking precautions because she travels several times a month. I respected her choice and was so exhausted I really couldn't care less, I just nodded and said, "Good for you." Recent events have changed the policy for entering Australia. I was required to fill out and sign a form saying I'm not sick and have not had contact with other people who are sick. There was a family with two small children in the row behind us. One of their two-year-olds had a fever, which caused a massive panic among the Singapore Airlines stewardesses. They had to contact Sydney airport so that an inspector would be ready to board the plane while we were at the gate. No big deal, I thought. Kids get fevers. It was the end of the flight and if I caught any flu, it was too late to worry. The Chinese woman beside me felt very differently. She panicked and she yelled. She was on the edge of her seat and kept repeating, "This is very bad, this is bad." I was getting very annoyed, after traveling for 30+ hours and just one short flight away from seeing my little brother, she was the last thing I wanted to deal with. The inspector released all of the passengers after only five minutes.

My 25 minute flight from Sydney to Canberra was just as dramatic. I sat in front of a 19-year-old who had a serious phobia of flying. Once we took off, I heard heaving breathing, crying and screams in the seat behind me. Apparently, this girl had had a rough flight when she was a child and was deathly afraid of flying. I felt horrible for her. A woman next to her, a complete stranger to the young girl, keep her calm and was constantly talking in order to keep her distracted. She got over it once the plane was smooth... all was well and I had arrived at my final destination: Canberra!

Aqua woman

2007-02-17T02:08:00.000+09:00

Shots from the aquarium:

Eric Clapton: we went down to the crossroads

2007-02-13T17:21:00.000+09:00

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Thank you, family and friends for your wonderful comments, much appreciated. I miss you all. How can I be homesick, if I'm at home?
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We saw Eric Clapton, the legend of all rockers, on Sunday. He is sixty years young, and plays better than my ears remember. My dad is his number one fan, seriously, and loved it! There was an other guitar player with him that was really impressive, Derek Trucks, he has a band of his own too, check him out.
Clapton is one of the greatest artists of all time. He played a few new songs, some bluesy & slow. Then the classics Layla, Crossroads, Wonderful Tonight and Cocaine. He switched guitars several times, played alone, but mostly with the band. His hands move smoothly and with such bold sound, I wish he played Sunshine of your Love.

There was a relatively older crowd at the concert, only a few people my age. Surprising, because I assumed everyone loves Eric Clapton, young and old, red and blue.

Bittersweet story: we almost didn't get in to see Clapton at all. We were running late, after finding a distant parking spot and jogging to the stadium. We didn't have the tickets from Blue Tix (part of Virgin Blue), because they were never delivered from the online purchase. But we did have a letter from Blue Tix with our info and seats, and the tickets were supposed to be waiting for us at the gate. We walked to the box office, then line for pick-up; but there were no tickets for us and when we showed them the letter they said, "What am I supposed to do with this? We've never heard of Blue Tix"

We were thinking....SHIT....so we waited, and calmly argued, and finally asked for this lady moron's supervisor who came over to explain our seats were not secure because we had no ticket. They finally let us in, we saw two people in our sweet seats, with tickets; and we had to accept extra seats off to the side. The seats were not as good as the ones originally purchased to view Clapton. Moral, Blue Tix sucks moth balls!

Cedge and Anne, family friends, are almost in the center of this crowd.

It seemed they finished early, but we enjoyed it so much time flew by fast.

Nathan, ANU, Canberra & Fiona Hall

2007-02-13T17:16:00.000+09:00

Nathan studies engineering at ANU, The Australian National University, in Canberra. Part of our eastern Australia trip was to drop off him and his kilos of belongings, he refers to as 'useless crap.'

Three of my favorite photos of Nathan:

Left- Nathan doing the Mommy Dance, which looks more like Stevie Wonder (with an angelic, dopey smile on his face) than Marian moving to music.

Center-Nathan getting annoyed, his favorite past time, even though he is kicking my arse at a game of chess on a giant, checkered table in The Pancake Parlour Restuarant.

Right-Nathan getting a very important cell phone call from a 'friend' wondering when he is coming back to Bruce Hall, his dorm. Is it the phantom girlfriend?

Mom and Nathan are adorable, like two cookies left in the cookie jar.

The circus came to town.

Intersting posters on the city's walls in Australia.

I got to visit with some old friends, Kristen & Kari, from when I lived in Adelaide, Australia. They are such awesome people, this was at Kari's house chillin' party–instead of a warming party, because she was moving out.

We went to the National Gallery in Canberra. I saw paintings by Pollock, Monet, Stella, Matisse, Warhol and many great Australian & Aboriginal artists. I do remember a contemporary Australian sculpture and installation artist and photographer, Fiona Hall, who designed this beautiful Fern Garden hidden in the center walls of the gallery. The art piece is a living installation, with benches, trees and a path that walks you through the garden. I studied Fiona in High School in Adelaide, but never saw any pieces in real life. She is political, sexy, ironic with excellent crafting skills in metal.

Coogee Beach: Nude sunbathing & Chish 'n' Fips

2007-02-13T17:10:00.000+09:00

Coogee Beach is one of the more intimate beaches in Sydney, yet on hot summer days it can get as crowded as Bondi Beach.

The house we stayed in was a hundred years old, with windows you had to slid up, high ceilings and flickering lights. The bathrooms were remodelled and the kitchen and patio were modern. I would love to live in this house. We spent the days at the beach or enclosed ocean pools. In evenings we would buy groceries and cook dinners at the house.

A play on the traditional 'Fish and Chips.' You cannot live in Australia without beer battered fried fish and chips (a.k.a. freedom fries in The States).

On the last day Mom and walked 4 km north from Coogee Beach to the next hot spot, Bondi Beach. It was a hilly walk with beautiful views of the most whitest beaches in Australia. We concluded there are dinstict smells and colors of the Pacific Ocean, compared to the Indian Ocean beaches of Perth and Western Australia.

Along the coast there were pools, closed off by cement walls to large waves, but jellyfish (%$#@&!!!) snuck in. It was a safe way to swim in the ocean, and to see crabs, sea urchins and fish with goggles. It was so relaxing to float in the ocean without being carried away by rip tides or sharks.

There were women and childern only baths (70 years old) for essential nude sun bathing and women with religious retsrictions, unable to bathe with men present. There was a broad range of women from eight to eighty. It was very comfortable, expect for the two male fishmen who decided nearby rocks were the best place to catch fish.

These Blue Bottle Jellyfish littered Coogee Beach. They are known around the rest of the world as 'Porchoguese Man O War' because they look like a ship at sea. If a human gets stung, skin will hurt and become more painful if you touch the area, as it release the poison.

The jellyfish you have to watch out for is the Box Jellyfish, one of the most venimous animals on earth. They kill about one person a season on the Queensland coast. I did not see a deadly Box Jellyfish, only the pretty Blue Bottle Jellyfish.

Sydney: blue harbors & gilded lifestyles

2007-02-12T18:05:00.000+09:00

I love Sydney!
What a beautiful, exciting city–it is like the New York of Australia (I've never been to NY). We saw city folk parading among skyscrapers, expansive gardens, the Opera House, Harbor Bridge, old suburbs dripping with history all under the Australian sun, extra strong from the hole in the ozone. My calves are still burning from walking all over the city, we also took ferry rides across the harbor.

I enjoy the rare occasion I'm a passenger on a boat, why don't I travel by water more often? Oh, that's right...I live in Tucson, Arizona!

Stayed at the Star City Casino Hotel in Sydney, with an awesome view of the city skyline. Nathan and I went downstairs to the casino when we arrived, we lost $40 in 5 minutes on the roulette tables. We should have played slot machines instead, because the fun lasts longer. Ironically, a few days later, void of hostility toward the casino for stealing our money, we returned with better luck. We split $7 dollars on the slot machines. I hit a semi-jackpot and $40 in one dollar coins spilled out. I won back how much we lost earlier, it was perfect, I can understand how people can become addicted to gambling.

Below is the view from the 12th floor of the hotel. Sydney's skyline is so beautiful and the harbor shines like diamonds in the morning. Three different cruise ships from all over the world were docked in Sydney harbor during our stay– gigantic, titanic ships with millions of tiny windows.

We had dinner (or "tea" as you would call it in Australia, being invited for tea at 5 o'clock really means dinner) right on the harbor. I feel healthy from eating fresh fish and vegetables and walking like a marathon tourist.

My adorable parents, Marian and David. My mom's hair is not as white as it appears. They've been married for 25 years. They enjoyed sharing Sydney with us, but we should've climbed the Harbor Bridge tower, Dad would've enjoyed it.

Lily pads, the most magical of all pond plants in Sydney's botanical gardens.

Visiting the Opera House was the trip's highlight. The Opera House was perched on hundreds of steps and pointed toward the sky; the exterior walls looked like armadillo skin; and the shape of the building like sails of a ship, butterfly wings or a futuristic landscape after the earth's destruction.

The ship below, titled "The Bloody Storm," was filled with intoxicated pirates tickled pink at the idea of Australian mermaids.

The surface of the Opera House was not as bright white as I imagined from Olympic footage. I wondered if one cleaner jumped down with suction shoes and a soapy sponge to scrub the side of the building. More likely, rain washes the dirt away.

Interactive science exhibits and designs across time were displayed at the Powerhouse Museum, a major public museum in Sydney. I saw the "Red and Blue Chair," Givenchy (who dressed Audrey Hepburn) gowns, Bauhaus kettles, 60s furniture, Art Deco textiles, posters and ceramics. I recognized them from books and classes at UC Davis. Seeing beautifully designed objects and their progression through time fills my heart.

I adore art history, like vegetarians like cheese.

On a Sunday, we managed to catch a street fair in "The Rocks" where people sold arts and crafts. The man below was demonstrating his $300 didgeridoos, a musical instrument of Australian Aborigines made from a long wooden tube that is blown into to create a low drone. Two couples with Texas accents were thinking of buying one, but only the largest and deepest sounding instrument. So they had the vendor scrambling to try each pieces, he was becoming out of breath from the frequent circular breathing. It was amusing to watch tourists interact.

There was a filming of a bollywood film in downtown Sydney. Yes, a bollywood scene, with singing, synchronized dancing and bright costumes. I know nothing of the film, except the director was female.

We had a beer at an old pub in The Rocks, a historic, hip suburb of Sydney. It was called "The Hero of Waterloo" with history oozing out of the walls. It has a 'secret passage' which we've heard runs from the pub down to the dockside, used, apparently, for smuggling, escaping and punishment for intoxicated minors who were put on ships and woken miles out to sea.

We took an iconic trip to the Sydney Zoo, which was nothing compared to San Diego's Zoo. These gorgeous koalas don't drink water, they only eat a certain type of eucalyptus leaves. And they can sleep up to 18 hours a day.

Margaret River and Canal Rocks (south of Perth)

2007-01-29T17:36:00.000+09:00

G’day Mates! Your Sheila from down-under has been busy killing convicts during the night (those pissers). My roo picked me up this morn’ afta the koala next door prepared an Aussie breakie–Vegemite on toast. Then we speared some sharks with our sting ray blades coated in brown snake poison. Bloody rippa’! After tackling sea snakes & box jellyfish in the massive rip tides that cover the beaches, we rode the noon tsunami 10 km to catch tea at Foster’s Brewery (it IS definitely Australian for Beer) and watch a showing of ‘Crocodile Dundee.’ We took Nathan’s pet tasmanian devil, named “Lit’l Bugga”, for a walkabout to collect shrimps for the barbie. I’ve learned to play cricket in the past week and traveling to Sydney to defeat England for the last time. Bloody oath, the stupid flamin’ galahs!

Fair Dinkun, Ocker,
Jessica the Yank

Seriously, that all happened.

My family and I went down to Margaret River area (south of Perth, Western Australia) for 4 days. We stayed at a beach apartment at Canal Rocks. The ocean was just a few meters away, the surf was small, which meant you could swim and sun bathe instead. (Skin cancer can kill!)
We took short car trips to the various wineries (Vasse Felix, Mad Fish), restaurants (delicious salmon salads) and galleries (glass pieces, jewelery and local paintings). Below, was the awesome beach, Yallingup, where the reef was large enough to walk on and pools to chill in.

Below, Inginup beach had massive sand dunes we took turns running down. Then my brother and dad wrestled on the dune, tumbling down a ways. Depending on which beach you went to, there may be awesome waves for surfing, pools for diving, reefs, dangerous rocks, cliffs or long strips of sand. I think we saw all. I am a simple girl, collecting shells and taking photos in between dips in the cool, clear blue water.

Nathan and I tasted a few wines. I like the whites, and he thinks he likes reds, but really has no idea. We prefer beer, the mature wine palette will come eventually. But I'm not waiting for it, wines can be expensive. It is always interesting to compare least expensive to high range wines. The more expensive do have dynamic flavors that last–like chewing gum. Just kidding.

Lamb is a large part of the Australian culture and history of sheep farming. I tried it, but the baby animals are just too damn cute–I’ll stick to the salmon.

I rode in this kangaroo's pouch back to the beach apartment, it was quite roomy, but the in flight service was awful and the bumpy ride made me fall out a few times.

Can you believe all four of us: David, Nathan, me and Marian–are all in one photo together. No Photoshop splicing and emailing across the globe. It has been 6 years since we have all been in the same place. We'll have to send one to Grandma Pat, and others who like collecting family photos.

Here are some coastal shots from Canal Rocks at sundown.
Our beach apartment is 500 meters behind the rocks/bushes on right of the photo.

Hot child in the City

2007-01-17T16:11:00.000+09:00

Perth is a clean city, close to parks and water, and filled with people walking fast–but strangely only five days a week. While trekking up and all over Kings park, I saw many colorful flowers, dramatic trees and crazy birds. I looked like a sore thumb with my tourist ensemble: walking shoes, iPod, camera, hat and backpack. My parents go on romantic picnics in Kings Park.The view was spectacular, and the skyline so foreign from Tucson. Pardon the over exposed photos; Tucson and Australia share the glaring sun.
Gorgeous dramatic shapes, emotional colors and familiar fragrances.

Fremantle & a rainy ride

2007-01-17T15:12:00.000+09:00

I rode 14 miles to Cottesloe and back to Trigg, despite the rain and sideways wind. It was beautiful and I could've gone further. In the first half hour of the ride, I spotted a "stubbie" lizard in the middle of the path–almost hit it–but just passed it. It was a blue-tongued lizard, the type that held my mom hostage in the backyard, blocking the doorway. They open their mouths, hiss and show their blue tongues, not poisonous, but if bitten–strong jaws will not let go. I didn't stop for a picture, but saw two more lizards just 5 minutes later down the path. I pissed one off and it hissed at me. The photo I caught wasn't nearly as good as the one I pulled off the web: (looks basically like what happened)
The rest of the ride was awesome, but a storm arrived and rained and blew sideways wind, isn't it supposed to be summer? I spent a day in the city, chillin' and exploring . I must love Dale–I see him everywhere...That afternoon, I went with my Mom to get Nathan his x-mas present–a new suit! He attends formal dinners/events at Uni, since he is involved with the dorms. Dressing nice must cancel out irresponsible binge drinking games. Despite my opinion, he looked sharp as hell! I believe there are more mannequins in use in Australian shops–they were making me nervous:
On Sunday we went to Fremantle: a harbour city with adorable shops, market, x-cellent nightlife and a wicked brewery, "Little Creatures." Delicious brewskies & munchies. As tourists we also saw a convict-built lunatic asylum converted to a Museum (every room was haunted!) and a Maritime Museum. Hooray for history.

No jet lag: arrived in Perth

2007-01-12T12:52:00.000+09:00

Wow, what a long flight. 12 hours from SFO to Korea, 6 hours to Singapore, 8 hours layover, then 5 hours to Perth. It seems like a crazy idea to be travelling for 2 days straight, but the reason/desination is worth it. While I was cursing the computer backgammon on the plane, I was imagining if there was no commercial air travel. Travelling by boat would take months; a rationalization that distracted me from the jarring elbow of the guy sitting next to me.

My parents house is beautiful, and just 2 blocks from the beach.I found a dead fish on the beach, is a Trigger fish, I don't know.
Maybe I will see a living one, or even an eel when I go snorkling.Australian Beach Rules: "Slip, slop, slap" sunscreen; & "Swim between the flags"Nathan, my brother, has a new MacBookPro....lucky!
I suspect he isn't utilizing it to it's full potential–
notice he's reading the TV guide instead.Home activities at their most honest.