Unforgettable Sydney

Watsons Bay (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:00:00 +0000

Finally, we arrived at Watsons Bay. A huge park and many nice restaurants greeted us as we disembarked. No, we didn't went inside one of those enticing places. We still had to climb a hill(?) to see The Gap.

Also, we had to hurry because the last ferry back to the city was at around 6PM? I'm not really sure, but it's early.

We could take the bus to the city but the ferry ride was more fun and the bus trip would take more than an hour.

Before climbing the hill, be sure to take a trip to the toilet near the in the picture gazebo above. And I warn you, that toilet was a bit scary because (at that time) the bulbs wouldn't light up. Most likely, they already fixed that.

To Watsons Bay

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 20:30:00 +0000

Our manager told us that we should visit this Watsons Bay and that the place has a very nice sunset view. So, one Saturday afternoon, some colleagues and I took the ferry to Watson(of course, using our red travel pass). The ferry we boarded was as large as the Supercat in the Philippines and it was even cooler because we could choose to sit out in the open. And the air was immaculately clean! It was soooo refreshing! I forgot how long the ferry ride was but I could still remember the breathtaking views we passed by. This structure (on the left) reminded me of Alcatraz but I had and still don't have any idea what's this.

The ride was also very interesting because the ferry had brief stops on different islands. If trains have train stations, then that ferry had ferry stations, wharves? (whatevah!)

So, if you're planning to take one of these ferries, be sure to charge your batteries and to empty your memory card! These might run out before you even reach Watsons. ^-^

Must-See!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:15:00 +0000

You haven't really been to Sydney if you didn't strike a pose with the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background. These landmarks are located a few minutes walk from the Rocks and the Circular Quay.

Bears at The Rocks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:42:00 +0000

We were so lucky that our visit to the Rocks happened to be UNICEF's exhibition of United Buddy Bears. Why bears and UNICEF? Sorry, I also have no idea. A year ago, I might have known the purpose of this event. ^-^

(Obviously) The Einstein Bear:

The Bear representative of the Philippines!

The "Love Bears"? I'm not sure... ^0^

The Rocks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:41:00 +0000

The Rocks is only a few minutes walk from the Circular Quay, and a few stations from the apartment. I really don't know why this is called The Rocks and I couldn't see much rocks there (he he corny). Anyways, when we went there, the place was bustling with activities and was very crowded. They said that the restaurants there are very good but expensive (obviously, this is the reason why I didn't joined my colleagues' night out).

Posing with one of our Team Leads:

I Love the Office!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:40:00 +0000

The view from the office is really refreshing. You could see the Opera House from the pantry:

And a big portion of the Sydney Harbour:

St. Patrick's Day Parade

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:32:00 +0000

St. Patrick's Day happens on March each year but all I ever witnessed was the scattering of the crowd because the parade was already over! I stayed up very late the other night because I had to bring home some work. So I had to rely on my colleagues' pictures to see the parade:

I have always wanted to see men wearing plaids and to hear bag pipes! But I did not win over the sleepy head in me. Anyways, to Jermaine, Joy, and Wena, thanks again for these pictures.

Luna Park

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:28:00 +0000

I always pass by Luna Park on the way to work but I never even stood in front of this weird big face that greets the visitors:

And yes, Luna Park is next to the Sydney Harbour bridge:

Purely Bizniz

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:26:00 +0000

Here are some pictures taken inside the client's office. This was my cubicle:

My desk was bare because all I placed on top of it was my laptop and very few printed documents. Following strict security guidelines, we have to lock printed documents inside the locker every time we go home.

Posing with colleagues and our managers while waiting for the elevator:

The Metro Monorail

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:25:00 +0000

I've wanted to ride this one but the ride cost AU$4.50 dollars. Stupid me... I should have at least tried the one-day pass. It only costs AU$9.00! Well, looking at the bright side... at least I'll have something to do if I have the chance to go back there! he he... (I hope!)

Too good to be true (Part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:12:00 +0000

Here's another batch of pictures of what could be seen from the apartment.

Sydney Tower:

Queen Victoria Building Mall is only a few blocks away:

I could also see Woolworths (the grocery store) from my room:

Taronga Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:50:00 +0000

The Taronga Zoo is a bit far from Sydney's CBD. You could go there by bus or by ferry. We took the ferry because it is faster, and the place is within the "red zone". At that time, the admission fee was about AU$30. Fortunately, I got this brochure from the airport that had discount coupons and one of those coupons entitled a 20% discount on the zoo's admission fee. ^-^

Since the port is sort of located at the back of the zoo, we had to take the cable car to go to the front part. It was my first time to ride on a cable car and I was terrified! I was later on surprised that the ride was not that scary after all. ^-^

At the front gate of zoo, a giant koala greeted us. ^-^ We then fell in line and paid AU$2 to take a closer look at the live koalas but regretted doing this because we were not allowed to touch them. We didn't even get a very good picture of the koala because they were sleeping and the leaves partially hid them!

I already forgot all the animals I saw there, but my favorite were the giraffes!

Too bad the elephants' habitat was being renovated at that time and that I was not able to watch a single show, but all in all, the zoo was the best one I've ever visited.

Up close: Darling Harbour

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 01:18:00 +0000

One fine Sunday afternoon, I finally explored the beautiful picturesque that I could see from my window.
Darling Harbour seemed very serene from afar but it was actually very festive up close. It is indeed a very good place for hanging out with friends and families. I could barely recall the attractions it offers but I'm pretty sure that The Sydney Aquarium is located there. There are also lots of nice restaurants around, but of course, I had to go to a place that's well within my budget: Mc Donald's. ^-^

Dinner Cruise

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 14:10:00 +0000

One of the things to do in Sydney: try out a dinner cruise. There's no doubt about it... dinner cruises are expensive (generally priced at about AU$100 per person). But fortunately, as a reward for our "hard work", the company treated us to a dinner cruise!

As you can see in the picture above, the Sydney Harbour bridge looks more amazing at night, and so does the Opera House (sorry no picture of this one).

BBQ at Centennial Parklands

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 01:21:00 +0000

Before the busy days, our team was able to have a picnic in the Centennial Parklands. Like the rest of the parks I've visited in Sydney, Centennial Parklands was also beautiful. The park is huge that it is ideal for cycling. It even has an Equestrian Centre. I wanted to try on horseback riding but couldn't muster enough courage at that time so I went cycling instead, together with my team leader and another teammate, tailing behind our manager who chose rolling blading. The bike rental was expensive (AU$12 per hour!) but it was worth it... having completed 2 rounds.

The park have free electric BBQs that operate on a first-in basis. Of course, you have to clean it after using. Below is a picture of my Singaporean and Australia-based teammates and me. ^-^

Of beaches, bays, and a cemetery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:02:00 +0000

I spent my first Saturday beach hopping with colleagues. We intended to hop from Coogee beach to Bondi beach by foot, as this was recommended as a very good jogging route. Using our red travelpass, off we went to our first destination:

First Stop: Coogee Beach

It was already a bit crowded when we arrived at around 11:00AM and it was very hot, too. Few people were surfing but the majority were just sun-bathing. Those who brought swim suits went swimming. The rest of us, being born "naturally tanned" ^-^, headed on to a shed, basked in the beauty of the sea, and from time to time, observed what the other people were doing. I was a bit shocked because topless women were among those who were sun-bathing. I think there's no need for me to describe the reaction of our male colleagues. ^-^

Passing through: Gordons Bay

There's not much I could say about Gordon's Bay. It's also amazing. ^-^ Our feet were already killing us by the time we reached here. We were supposed to catch the bus from here but we had no idea where to find the time table and the bus stop, so we decided to continue on foot.

Passing through: Clovelly Bay

I am not really sure if this is really Clovelly Bay. I did some research and thoroughly scanned my memory and concluded that this should be Clovelly Bay. ^-^ The houses that you could see in the background were really huge and beautiful. We could see a house with a huge swimming pool from where we were sitting.

Passing through: Waverly Cemetery

This was very interesting. There were even tombs that dated back to the 1800's.The cemetery was very peaceful and beautiful that I wanted to get buried there when I die. But then I'm sure a slot in there costs a fortune. ^-^

Final Destination: Bondi Beach

Please ignore the person in the picture. She's really bad at doing the spread-eagle pose.^-^

This beach is a lot bigger than Coogee beach and better for surfing, too. Too bad I don't know how to surf...

Actually, we took a bus from somewhere. Our feet were really killing us and it was getting dark. We would have seen Bronte beach and Tamarama beach if we continued on foot. If I'll have a chance to go to Sydney again, I will definitely follow this route... ON FOOT. ^-^

The Travel Pass

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 07:57:00 +0000

It is very easy to roam around Sydney. You could opt for train, bus, ferry, and of course, taxi. By the way, if most taxis in the Philippines are Nissan-made and Toyoto-made, in Sydney, taxis are Ford-made.

The office was a bit far from the apartment so we had to go there by train. The company gave us travel allowance that was enough to purchase weekly Red TravelPass. This gave us unlimited weekly travel throughout designated zones through bus, ferry, and train. So, with no cost at all, we could go to any point in the red zone!

Sydney, being the Harbour City, really lived up to this epithet (this is the first time that I used this word. I hope the usage is correct. ^-^), so I enjoyed all the ferry-rides most!

Too good to be true (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 14:53:00 +0000

I had the chance to clean up my yahoo mailbox and was delighted to find the pictures I took of my bedroom and the view from my window.

Here's my bedroom:

Darling Harbour at night as seen from my window:

Darling Harbour at daytime as seen from my window:

The Food

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 05:34:00 +0000

I was on a tight budget and had to save as much as I could from the allowance, so I did my best in controlling my self from succumbing to delicious and expensive food in Sydney.
Here are the options I have adapted:

(1) Canned goods from the Philippines
I've brought 2 packs of Sky Flakes, 5 cans of tuna and 10 cans of corned beef, but ended up giving the 10 cans of corned beef to an airport employee in the old NAIA before checking in because I was so paranoid of having them confiscated by Australia's Customs Service. Later on, I was dismayed to find out that NOT ONE of my colleague`s canned goods was confiscated.

(2) My culinary expertise ^-^
With a kitchen like that of Meriton's, it was easy to pretend that I was a chef and the food I prepared varies from fried chicken, chicken adobo and chicken with potatoes. ^-^ Why chicken only? I found it very hard to get pork unless I visit a supermarket which sells mostly Asian products. Beef was abundant but I don't like beef. I also found it hard to find fresh fish. The only fish market I've been to was in Paddy's Market but most of the time they're not fresh. So I always refrain from buying.

(3) Cooked food and Frozen goods
From work, I always drop by Woolworths and buy fried foods. Their chicken wingdings and fish fillet became my favorites. The apartment came with oven so I was able to try out different kinds of frozen pies and bread.

(4) Restaurants
Of course, I did not try those fancy restaurants. ^-^ There are lots of sushi bars scattered around Sydney. Usually, a roll of sushi at AU$1 each was enough for me. I also tried some very cheap Chinese restaurants, where you could get a plateful of food of your choice (quantity depends on how "skillful" you are in piling food), an apple, and a canned soft drink for only AU$4. So far, all the restaurants I've been to offer huge servings. Mostly, I divide the meal in to two, eat the first half and keep the other for the next meal. ^-^

(5) Sandwiches
Sandwich bars are everywhere and I spent the first few weeks having sandwiches for my meals while at work, that after a month stay in Sydney, I felt like throwing up everytime I pass by those sandwich bars and inhale the "sandwich smell".In fairness though, their sandwiches were really delicious.

(6) Fastfood Chains
I suppose Mc Donald's and KFC are present in all countries. Unlike in the Philippines, these fastfood chains don't offer rice in their menu. I visited KFC more often than Mc Donald's because I got addicted to the Sara Lee Desserts' Cookies and Cream Cheesecake! I think this costs around $2 dollars. So much for controlling my self and trying to save money, huh?

(7) Others
The fruits are amazingly cheap, especially if you buy minutes before closing time. Nowhere else have I came across grapes that are priced at AU$1 per kilo! The yogurt, milk, and chocolate milk drinks are also very cheap that our refrigerator was not complete without these. I also became vanilla ice cream addict (Cadbury and Nestle vanilla ice cream)! I think they're the creamiest I ever encountered and cheap too, that I usually consumed more than a pint a day! It's very obvious I was bloated when I left Sydney. ^-^

Too Good to be True

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 08:41:00 +0000

After much luggage pushing and dragging and sweating like pigs, we finally reached our destination:

Meriton Rialto Serviced Apartments
329 Pitt Street
(Corner Pitt & Bathurst Streets)
Sydney NSW 2000
I didn't expect much from what I saw in the lobby but once we stepped into our apartment in the 41st floor... I wished to live there forever (without the need to pay the rent, of course) ^-^.

There were 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I got the smaller bedroom and the detached bathroom but I got a magnificent view of the Darling Harbor and I still had a king-sized bed.

Here's how our apartment looked:

The common room:

"My" bathroom:

The apartment had the following facilities: fridge, hairdryers (1 for each bathroom), iron, phone, radio, TV, oven, modem line (but this costs $20 dollars per day), washing machine and dryer.

It is very near Woolworth's so we usually buy our groceries there. The apartment was so cozy that it became my second home in Sydney (for 2 months) ^-^.

The Arrival

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:48:00 +0000

I was so exhausted and could not remember much of our arrival except for the following:

A burly customs officer looked at my disembarkation slip and asked me if item #2 meant I brought a gun. I vehemently said no and explained that I checked item #2 because I brought medicines. I was really puzzled why they placed those under the same category.
We all had to open all our luggages and have them x-rayed and inspected manually.
The Sydney airport is not that huge compared to Narita and Changi international terminals, but equally impressive.
I bought an international prepaid call card in the airport for fear that I might not find other stores in the city selling call cards but later on regretted my ignorance, or shall I say, my paranoia.
It was very hot and the taxi we got on had no air conditioning system... we felt like we were being roasted.
There was a St. Patrick's parade held near our accommodation and some roads were blocked so we had to drag our bags for 2 blocks.

Off to Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 14:03:00 +0000

First leg of the trip. It was my first time to fly with Singapore Airlines and was deeply impressed, even though we were given the cheapest accomodation. Our managers were of course in the business class but I was more than content. They served great meals (I realized then that I loved international flights meals), had a mini-LCD TV in front of me and I spent the 3-hour flight to Singapore watching movies. (The first international flight I boarded was a JAL and my seat faced the lavatory wall so I shared the TV screen with other people in front).

We stopped over at Singapore Changi Airport and had to wait for about 2 hours before boarding boarding another aircraft to Sydney. I was also impressed with the Changi Airport (picture at the top). I've been to Narita Airport but I forgot how it looked like so I won't be able to make a comparison.

Second Leg of the Trip. 12:00 Midnight (Manila/Singapore time) when we boarded the plane bound for Sydney. Exhaustion overtook me so I slept through the 8-hour flight. I just woke up twice - when meals were served about an hour after take off and 8:00AM (Sydney time). I did not left my seat even to go to the lavatory! I intended to see the Oz landscape because I was seated near the window but was surprised to wake up again at around 10:20AM, when the pilot announced that we'd be landing in 15 minutes. That was my Sydney Trip Mistake #1.

The E-mails and the Preparation...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 06:59:00 +0000

February 6, 2006 @ 5:00PM
An e-mail from a project manager arrived informing our group that we have just been assigned to a project. I thought of it as a blessing... a reprieve from making all those PowerPoint presentations while undergoing self-paced torture on learning a new technology.

February 6, 2006 @ 7:00PM
We received another e-mail from the same project manager informing us that there's a high chance of going to Australia for the project startup. We were warned not to raise our hopes up as there were already lots of cases on cancelled on-shore assignments even if the assignees were already on the plane. But still, I could not help but get excited.

After 3 Weeks
I've completed all the visa requirements and our groups' application was lodged to the embassy.

After 1 Week...
An e-mail arrived that my visa has been approved. But I should not get too ecstatic yet... unless I've already stayed in Sydney for 2 months.

A Day before the Departure
Morning: I picked up my ticket, my visa, and the necessary documents I had to bring but I still hadn't bought anything at all to bring with me to Sydney not even a decent bag! Well I guess I went too far in pretending not being excited...