Thursday, May 29, 2008
Shut up Jo
The idea of me paying to shut myself up seems to be very amusing. People laughed at it. I too laughed at it myself. But the more I thought about it, the more it is starting to make perfect sense. I need to shut up. I've been talking so much that if God appears to me right now, His ears are probably swollen.I always thought it to be a curse whenever a sore throat causes me to lose my voice. But little do I realise that in the silence, the little cells in my oral cavity are slowly regenerating and gaining strength so that I can speak once again. But instead of waiting for that to happen, I always tend to forcefully produce whatever decibel of sound there is left. That, naturally, slows down the healing process.
It is scientifically proven that when one of our senses are down, the others become more alert. A blind man's hearing becomes more acute, a dumb man's touch becomes more sincere. Maybe that's why Jesus spoke so little during his long walk to Calvary. There was no need to talk, no need to whine, no need to describe the pain to anyone. Instead, He directed his attention and saw the faith of young disciple John, touched the splintery cross of sin, heard the cries of His beloved mother, and felt within Him, the deep love to keep going.
So let the world celebrate, becos one less person is talking. Maybe you should too.
Posted by Jo at 9:49 PM
Saturday, May 24, 2008
A walk to remember
So this is it. My 6-day adventure in Australia is coming to a close. I know how lucky I am to be given this opportunity to visit a country I've always wanted to visit. I know I'm blessed to have done the things that I've done, without feeling the effects of it on my wallet. I'm thankful for all the experiences, and for His protection upon me every single day I was there.But at the same time, I felt kinda shitty on Saturday, knowing that in a matter of hours, I'd be heading back to S'pore, back to reality. Although a part of me was happy to leave, to go home to family and friends, another part of me was feeling perturbed. I spent a good part of my last day conversing with God, but it turned out to be a one-way conversation. I kept asking why, but all I had was the cool Aussie breeze blowing in my ears.
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Sydney/Singapore, 17 May, Day 6
I had the whole day to myself before my 4pm flight back to S'pore so I decided to do some last minute shopping (despite the fact that I've already burst my shopping budget and the seams of my luggage). The concierge told me that there was a weekend market at the Rocks, just 5 mins from my hotel. So after breakfast, I spent two hours there walking around, getting conned by the street vendors to buy their products, and enjoying some delicious Aussie street hawker food.
It's like a pasar malam, with much nicer tentage.
Since I had more time to kill, I decided to take a slow stroll to the Sydney Opera House, which is on the other side of the river. It takes about 15 mins to walk across, but I was distracted by a street performer who was trying to juggle and balance himself on a bicycle. He was quite entertaining so I ended up watching him for almost 20 mins.
Then when I was a street away from the Sydney Opera House, I saw an ice cream parlour. Not just any parlour, mind you, it was my favourite Baskin' Robbins ice cream parlour! I excitedly reached into my wallet, only to realise that I've already finished all my Aussie money. Ggrrhh! So I did the first thing that came to mind, (which on hindsight turned out to be the silliest thing), and I asked the ice cream man if he accepts card. Obviously, he doesn't, so I walked off sulking like a disappointed little kid...
To me, the Sydney Opera House is a little overrated. Apart from the unique exterior design, which btw, is really old if you look at it up-close, there's nothing fantastic inside. I couldn't help but notice how the Esplanade has such a similar concept. We're such copycats lar.
So that's it folks, the end of my travel adventures, for now. If you're keen to view the full collection of pictures, you can click here. (The link can be found on the right-hand column). I have photos from some of my past travels there as well.
Posted by Jo at 9:58 PM
Friday, May 23, 2008
That leap of faith
Faith is when you hop into a hotair balloon and trust that it will stay afloat in mid air.Faith is when you're in a little glass box 88 floors above the ground and trust that it won't topple over.
Faith is when you ride a speeding Harley and trust that it won't crash into a car.
Faith is when you sit in a seaplane and trust that its engines won't die on you.
Faith is when you are in a sailboat in the middle of the sea and trust that it won't capsize and sink into cold waters.
Then He asked me, "If you can trust Me with these things, why can't you trust Me with everything else?"
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Sydney, 16 May, Day 5
The rooms in Park Hyatt come with a remote control curtain drawer. So when I woke up on Friday morning, I pushed a button from bed and watched the view at my balcony unveil before me. Pretty cool stuff.
Taken in bed
View from my balcony
We went for a tour of the harbour and coastline via a seaplane. As the propellers were rather noisy, we had to wear headphones in order to hear the pilot. But horror of horrors, he was the only one who had the mic attached to his headphones, so basically, I couldn't speak for one hour!
Preparing for takeoff
One of the many beautiful coastlines
You can see the Sydney Opera House through the windscreen
Look at the number of yachts the Aussies have!
The pilot, Jon, the seaplane and I
Following the seaplane experience, we set off to another dock. This time, for a ride in a sailboat! The sky was a pretty shade of blue, which makes for very pretty photos.
The skipper, telling me where to steer
That's the Sydney harbour bridge behind me
The guys were pointing out Nicole Kidman's house to me.
But I have no idea which one they were pointing at...
Any idea Addi?
But I have no idea which one they were pointing at...
Any idea Addi?
Another great shot by Jo
Taking the Saab for a spin
Lunch was at Sean's Panaroma, a cosy little eatery off the coast of Bondi Beach. Dinner was at ARIA, a posh restaurant with a great view of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Obviously, I'm too sick of food to post them.
Posted by Jo at 11:20 PM
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Directions: Lost and found
There are two kinds of people in the world, apparently. The first will ask for directions when they're lost. The second will whip out their trusty map to get around. I must say I'm quite proud of my map-reading and orientation skills, and that has proven to be very useful when I was on my trip. Ironically, when it comes to finding directions in some areas of my life, I don't know how to navigate, and no one seems to know the way either. Like that how?___________________________________________________
Sydney, 15 May, Day 4
Left Melbourne bright and early on Thurs morning. I must admit I was a little reluctant to say goodbye to a city I've fallen in love with. There was a fog in Sydney, which caused some delays at the airport. That must have been my perfect opportunity to run back to Melbourne. But I didn't, obviously. And when I eventually arrived in Sydney an hour and a half later, my new tour guide Jon was waiting for me, in a...Saab convertible! That was certainly a pleasant surprise and a great way to drive around the city, without the top (of the car).
Our first stop was to have brunch. We went to a place called Bills which is known for their breakfast menu that's served all day long. Had scrambled eggs and corn fritters, the restaurant's signature dishes, and got acquainted with my new tour guide.
After brunch, we were picked up by some Harley bikers for a tour of the city. That was my first time on a Harley and I was made to wear a very heavy oversized leather jacket and a very heavy helmet. I must have lost some of my height during the ride. Well, we toured around for an hour, stopping at some of the scenic areas for photos.
I always had the impression that Harley riders can't smile cos it spoils their macho image so I made sure nobody smiled while taking photos.
I then checked into Park Hyatt, my new nest for the next two days. I love the hotel becos it's really modern and has a warm, inviting, and non-scary feel to it. And guess who was staying in the same hotel at that time? Sir Elton John. He was occupying the two top suites there, so I had to settle for third best. Haha...Darn.
And since there was plenty of free time before dinner, I had the afternoon to explore the city on my own. Armed with a map, I pretty much combed one third of George St and some of the adjacent lanes. This is where I bought most of the souvenirs.
Inside the Queen Victoria Building.
Oysters soaked in rice wine
Potato ice cream, avocado and caviar
Custard with crab, leek and chives
Sashimi with roe
Scampi (a cross between a prawn and a lobster).
Done in three different styles.
Done in three different styles.
Ravioli with basil
Wagyu beef with jelly and mushrooms
I think this is John Dory
I think this is spatchcock.
As you can tell, the alcohol has set in...
As you can tell, the alcohol has set in...
I really can't remember what this is, but it looks like sashimi...
Some of the wine I drank
We're at desserts now. Lentil beans and shredded cheese
Green apple sorbet and choc mousse
Blue cheese pudding and vanilla beans
Tart with ice cream and dates
Choc cake
And finally, *burp*, tartlets to end.
That was a seriously hard core meal.
Posted by Jo at 9:25 PM
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Up, up and away.
Remember how people always tell us to aim for the moon, so that if we should miss, we will still fall among the stars? Well, I wonder what happens to those who are afraid of heights. Can they aim that high, do they cover their eyes when they jump, or do they puke their guts out in mid-air? It's a good thing I'm not afraid of heights...___________________________________________________
Melbourne, 14 May, Day 3
So this is probably THE highlight of my trip. Almost got cancelled becos there was a thick fog the previous day, but thankfully God cleared the weather for me! Never mind that I woke up at 5am for it. Or braved the 3 degree weather. Or put on four layers of clothes. Or that my toes were numb and frozen. When you see the pictures, you'll know what I mean...
Getting the props ready.
That's the deflated balloon.
Starting to blow air into the balloon.
Me, trying to pose in the cold.
Almost ready.
Some hot air to start the ball rolling. Floating, in this case.
James and I, and 16 other people.
That's the other balloon, waiting for takeoff.
Up, up and away...
No, I didn't steal this image from a stock library.
Amazing isn't it?
The silly cow saw the shadow and started running frantically.
I love this picture! Took it when everyone was trying to push the hot air out of the balloon. In case you're wondering why I wasn't helping, my job was to keep the mouth of the balloon open, which gave me this brilliant angle to take a shot.
That was just the morning activity. After the hustle and bustle of the hot air ballooning, James and I headed back to the city for lunch at a Greek restaurant called the Press Club. Then, we went up, up and away again, this time, to the Eureka Skydeck - 88th floor to be precise. This is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere and you can see as far as the Yarra Valley. It also has a special attraction called the Edge, which is a glass cube that sticks out of the building to leave you suspended high up in the air.
The Eureka Skydeck. Pls don't ask which one...
View from the top.
Me, in the Edge, getting a picture of the ground below.
After that, James and I headed to Grossi Florentino, a classy Italian restaurant, for our last meal together before I leave for Sydney the next day.
