Brien’s Bites…

Okay, that was post-holiday blues talking! Not me, but an entity has taken over and good at nothing but complain, complain, complain (or in other words, bitching)! 2-weeks of extreme rest of the mind, body and spirit down under didn’t make me more in touch with my inner-self or guru-hood though I though it had, but the minute I deplane, the minute the intense humidity slapped me, I felt myself turning livid with depression!

Yeah, even having turned five years short of being half a century old recently has yet turn me into a wise old man (or it would have been good enough if I could just act MY age for a change)! But nooo, I don’t think I have ever grown up – I still love my toys, I still mess up my food (and life), talk cock, and I still suck my thumb whenever nobody is watching – the latter being a deprivation of sex as claimed by my friend, but who needs sex when I have my Princess Leia dolls?  

I was told that in my absence from the office, all hell broke loose with an avalanche of work! I would expect a backlog awaiting me as I open the door to my cubicle this morning but it was all pleasant with just one tiny assignment that is due next Wednesday. It’s a Friday and I am back to my comfort zone, a place where I know everything more than the back of my hand! Everyone at the office crammed at my cubicle to update me 10% on work and the rest gossip! No, I am not a gossip monger but frankly speaking, I am known as a good listener (though lately, my patience is running a little short on this department - age).

Still, I am blue.

L) Saturday at 5pm - the shops close while the sun sinks behind the buildings.
R) Perth’s “Eye of Perth” Ferris Wheel? Image taken as I was making my way to the Birthday of Buddha Festival. It was quite warm and the distance was qute a bit from the city but I didn’t even break a sweat! 18 April 2009

L) The Bell Tower - Taken from the field across.
R) Perth’s Buddha’s Birthday Festival 2009 - With my sis. 18 April 2009.

L) My sis checking out the food stalls.
R) With “The City of Perth” Banner at the Buddhist Festival. 18 April 2009

L) Perth’s Buddha’s Birthday Festival 2009 - A massive stage was being set up before the towering Perth skyline!  There were lion and dragon dances, cultural shows from sevral contries, chnting etc. It was quite a fun festival and the weather was so good despite the cloudiness.
R) People, regardless of their own faith pay respect at the makeshift altar. Joss sticks were given out to anyone who wanted to make a wish or pray for health. Shortly after this image was taken, the line grew very long! 18 April 2009. 18 April 2009
 

We bought our take-away vegetarian dinner form a few of these stalls (at Perth’s Buddha’s Birthday Festival 2009). There was even a stall set up by the Perth Malay Council offering vegetarian food Malay style. 18 April 2009

Oh my gosh! Can’t believe that I have let myself loose on shopping and ended up with a bunch of Star Wars Bobble heads! Why? Because they are cool (okay, “cute” should be more of a word to describe them)! I had initially bought Princess Leia and Jawa before I saw Wicket the Ewok and couldn’t resist it! My nephew Timmy and his girlfriend gave me the Chewbacca! Now, since I have these characters, wouldn’t they seem uncompleted without the others? Say, a Han Solo, C3-PO, Yoda, Darth Vader and even a Stormtrooper? Oh, finally, how can the set be without Luke? He is what the classic movies were all about! Looks like I will have to ship some of them home as I will definitely not be able to carry them with me or check-in due to my 15kg limit when I fly!

Two mornings ago, I found my sister’s cats Benny (top) and Oliver (bottom) resting on a sofa. While Benny is quite gregarious, Oliver is the complete opposite! He was born an arragont and grumpy cat and on my last visit had ordered the family dog Oscar to “Kill Oliver!”, “Bite him and I buy you a bone!” or ” Attack!” but unfortunately, Oscar liked Oli and were the best of friends and would play all the time (Oscar has been given to a friend and has been enjoying life better than most humans do)! Immediately after this shot, Benny meowed as if he was sighing and went off! I have a nick name for cats like these - “ass-cats”!

I have also been going to the gym here (Fitness First - right) in the city. Half of their machines here are similar to the ones back home but I still prefer the gym back home that I have been going to since 2002. This gym in the city is situated in a basement and lacks natural light. I also like the ones in Melbourne (
Church Road) and Singapore (Paragon at Orchard Road)! I have a “FF Passport” that would allow me the access to all the FF gyms around the world.

Since my last entry, the weather has reverted to pleasant but come tomorrow would be another cloudy, rainy day!  

Images:

Top) My brother-in-law Andy and my sister at Cottlesloe Beach watching the sunset (and my second sunset watching at Cottlesloe for this trip); Clouds on the way back to my sister’s house;

Middle) More clouds; taking a breather in the city after gym and shopping.

Bottom) Delicious stewed beef noodles at a Chinese restaurant. yes, it was getting to my head!; In front of the aromatic Coffee Connection at Freemantle Market.

Bobble-heads images from eBay.

Just when I was raving on how good the weather has been since my arrival, someone up there made sure that I don’t blow the horn too loud and gave us gloomy weather instead! The day was been rainy and chilly (to me!), and the shops were mostly closed being Easter Monday.

We still managed to drive around and they (my sis and bro-in-law) showed me my second sister’s house near
Swan River. No one was there because the kids have all gone back to Malaysia. Bought some fresh grapes and dropped by The Margaret River Chocolate Company for some hot chocolate but the crowd was so bad (and all the tables taken), we decided to head for home instead – no hot chocolate!

At dinner, my bro-in-law made us incredible speghetti with prawn and scallop sauce. As usual, I ate more than I should!

Images:

Top) Indulgence that I can’t participate in!

Middle) “Sex is no substitute for chocolate!”,  says the t-shirt at the Margaret River Chocolate Company!  ; My brother-in-law Andy, and my sister love these sun-dried raisins! I didn’t like the fermented after taste: P

Bottom) “The Grape Place”, where we went to for fresh grapes (literally from the back yard). It is an Italian family run business. The grapes were A$5 a kilo. My sister is behind me.13 April 2009 ; Dinertime with my bro-in-law’s prawn and scallop speghetti! So good!

All images: 13 April 2009

I had chosen a seat online on a budget flight right at the end of the fuselage of the plane. I thought that when I turn my head back, all I could see would be a totality of darkness-the idea of ultimate isolation. Or it could have been even better if I saw a bunch of hobos standing around a fire warming themselves!   

It turned out to be nothing that I had imagined and my seat was next to a galley and lavatory! For the whole entire journey, people were constantly queuing up to use the lavatory, and the stewardesses banging on the cupboard doors as if they were car doors! Even when the lights were out, the banging never ceased nor did the small crowd awaited to use the bathroom.

I obviously couldn’t sleep and our seats couldn’t really reclined because even if you push your seat fore ward as the back rest would tilt to an angle, you wouldn’t feel any difference because the reclined angle is so incredibly micro that I wondered why they bothered in the first place (and I am not exaggerating here – reminiscent of American Airlines domestic coach seats). You could purchase a “Comfort Pack” that consist of an inflatable neck pillow and blanket but why would I want something that I already have several at home (and taking up space).

Anyway, I arrived in
Perth at 5:20am and my red-eyed sister was already by the arrival gate waiting with my equally red-eyed brother-in-law! The weather wasn’t cold at all and in fact, it was just nice.

For the next few days, it was just food and relaxation. Not much of visiting touristy places because that was done in my previous trips. This time around, with the pleasant warm and dry weather, I am enjoying myself more! I like wearing my t-shirts and jeans without the fuss of bundling up befre stepping outside and all my previous Oz trips were all made in winter or colder seasons!

I have also decided not to go to Melbourne due to the lack of time and good deals for any air tickets within such a short notice. My brother-in-law’s friend managed to get return tickets to Melbourne for less than A$150 but they booked their tickets months ahead!

Images:

Top) My own reflection on plane window. 8 April 2009

Second row) Inside of the The Basilica of St. Patrick Church.12 April

Third row) The Basilica of St. Patrick Church. 12 April 2009.

Fourth row) Trying to capture the full view of an old building across the street when my brother-in-law captured this! 12 April 2009
And Cottlesoe beach during sunset in spring. 11 April 2009