Bro.

I got it out of my brother--he does have a crush on a girl at school!!! Didn't press him on it, but it was exciting to know. 7th grade, it's the time. I still recall my middle school years pretty clearly. My first major crush started then as well. I personally think that my brother a is quality young man. He does super well in school, which of course automatically classifies him as a "nerd," but hey, I was there too -- and probably still am, and proud of it. Continuing, my brother (credit to my mom) dresses well. None of that high water crap. He has well fitted shirts and pants (not too sagging to qualify for detention, but "cool"). Though, he does wear glasses..., which isn't the coolest thing for middle schoolers. Nevertheless, my brother is also in fantastic shape and plays a mean game of tennis. He's one of the top runners of his entire class--pretty impressive. Playing at least 2+ hours of tennis a day, he's pretty damn fit. If he keeps these sports up, he's bound to have a 6 pack. Seriously, I want to be like him, well, maybe not the 6 pack. If only I were that fit... Now, next step is to teach him how to dance and ask that girl out successfully, while working around the 'rents of course.


Conversing with X is like my daily shot of coffee, except I don't drink coffee. But it makes me giddy and gives me a shot of adrenaline! If X only knew. X very well may. X is one of the few people I am completely comfortable around. I've shared more with X than I have with most other people.

Living like "Friends"

My roommate and I have have decided to take advantage of our fire escape to live the Friends epitomized New York life.

Our plan: She will be the vocalist and I will be the guitar accompanist. We share the same tastes in music so it should work out. She already has a wonderful voice, therefore the onus of success falls on me to rapidly "up" my rocking guitar skills. At this moment, I don't even have a guitar, nevertheless know how to strum a chord.

But I am optimistic. The first snowfall was yesterday, so I will have until it gets warm to improve. My new after work life beginning December will be to drink wine while playing chords.

We're completely psyched for this. This definitely ranks as one of my coolest ideas to date.

Run A, Run

So I am officially a masochist as I am going to train for the New Jersey Marathon next May.
Perhaps I'll get closer to a Boston qualifying time???

Bracing myself for the NY winter...
http://www.marathonguide.com/races/racedetails.cfm?MIDD=501090503

NYC Dining and Drinking

Living in New York City, I’ve visit countless restaurants, bars and clubs, yet I constantly find myself at a loss when people ask for recommendations. Therefore, today, I decided to organize my life and compile a list of all the cafes, restaurant, bars, and nightclubs that I have visited since coming to the City 2 months ago. Based on the list, I’ve frequented 50+ locales in the 60 or so days that I’ve been here—for an average of a place a day. That’s pretty incredible, or should I say ridiculous? NYC definitely promotes excess. Apparently this is how I’ve been able to get by without really cooking a real meal for the past two summers and for the last two months.

I plan to continue adding to this food list as I go along. I have visited many great places and have forgotten about them soon afterward—documenting will help keep them fresh in my mind. Come next time when someone needs a recommendation for a Burmese, a Jamaican, or an Italian eatery, all I have to do is to reference my list to make a personal recommendation.

I like to believe that that I’m helping to keep the economy afloat by living the all-American consumer lifestyle. This is part of living in NYC. Our apartments are too small to entertain guests, consequentially, our social life centers around restaurants and bars. Yet I would like to believe that I’m not as excessive in my shopping or eating out habits as everyone else. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you how I’m a huge advocator of meeting up to do something off the beaten track—I’m a huge advocate of making the most of the city’s events, from architecture open houses to film screenings to volunteer efforts. Maybe I should push even harder to meet for even more nontraditional reunions?

A few selected recommendations:
3rd Floor Café— Bar in K-town (entrance is disguised by a brightly lit elevator lobby)
Nyonya – Malaysian Restaurant in Little Italy (delicious Malay food)
Stout – Restaurant/Bar near Penn Station (a huge selection of beers and great all American food)
Annisa – Asian Fusion Restaurant in West Village (elegant and new American food. Female chef and all wines are from female run vineyards)
Il Corallo Trattoria – Italian Restaurant in Soho (great pastas)
Norma's – Breakfast Restaurant in Midtown West (sumptious brunch restaurant)
Billy's Cupcakes – Bakery Chelsea (cute unpretentious bakery)

Consumer Insights

Walking to work is dangerous. No, not in the sense that I’ll get mugged in Time’s Square in board daylight at 9am, but rather that I end going on spontaneous shopping sprees and arrive at the office 2 hours later.

Living in Chelsea, my morning commute takes me through the Garment District, Penn Station, up Madison, and 5^th Ave. – the prime shopping locations in Manhattan and arguably of the world. It’s beautiful walking the NYC streets in the brisk September air. The skyscraper sights, the European tourists, the pretzel vendors, the business suited workers, etc., each group, each person plays a key role in the city fabric, Manhattan wouldn’t be the same if any of them were missing.

My insight for the day centers on the way stores catered their location inventory to their customers. Subconsciously, I’ve always known that even within the same store-chain, there various branches carry different lines. This makes intuitive sense, to cater the clothing lines to the customer demographic of the region. A Macy’s in San Diego would never carry thick wool coats even in December unless it was for a design fashion statement. It’s interesting to occasionally go beyond the consumer mind frame, and to understand the underlying business concepts of a restaurant, of a credit card, or of a simple notebook.

Today, I learned about the differences in the NYC H&Ms. These insights are useful to plan shopping trips that maximize chances of finding the right size and to avoiding the fitting room and checkout lines.

Some Quick Basics of H&M

The clothing shipments arrive every night and are organized at 6am before being placement on the floor for the store opening at 10am.

• H&M’s flagship store at 5^thAve. and 56^th carries their widest selection of clothing. Stop here to get the best idea of all the selection.
• The two stores near Penn station are the heaviest trafficked of all the Manhattan stores, to the point that they receive two shipments Thu-Sat and are open until 11pm. They carry more of younger Divided concept lines.
• The newest Manhattan location is on 5^th near Bryant Park. Because it’s located in a business area, it carries a wider line of career fashion. (And for those interested, they’re having a 1 yr anniversary event on the 25/26^th of this month).

The Sexist GOP

"In fact, McCain's idea that women will vote for the McCain/Palin ticket just because Palin has a vagina is incredibly condescending, as Ann Friedman at the American Prospect writes:

Palin's addition to the ticket takes Republican faux-feminism to a whole new level. As Adam Serwer pointed out on TAPPED, this is in fact a condescending move by the GOP. It plays to the assumption that disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters did not care about her politics -- only her gender. In picking Palin, Republicans are lending credence to the sexist assumption that women voters are too stupid to investigate or care about the issues, and merely want to vote for someone who looks like them. As Serwer noted, it's akin to choosing Alan Keyes in an attempt to compete with Obama for votes from black Americans.

A candidate should be chosen because they are qualified for the job, not because of their gender. Any hardworking woman who has been passed over for a promotion could have told the McCain campaign that."

Quoted from http://www.alternet.org/election08/97350/?page=3

TimeWarner Cable Guy

TimeWarner has abominal customer service. My experience with a TW customer service representative.


After waiting 10minues on the telephone and navigating through 6 operator menus...

B: Hi, my name is Brian. Can I have your name?
L: Yes. It's XXX XXXX. I'm calling today because I'm interested installing the basic cable and internet package that TW offers.
B: Let me place you on hold.
L: This was the right number to call, right?
B: Yes. I'm putting you on hold. *me wondering why after waiting on hold already to talk to him???*

5 minutes later...

B: What is your address?
L: ### XXX NYC
B: Again?
L: *slowly* ### XXY NYC
B: Can you repeat that?
L: *very very slowly for the third time* ### XXY NYC
B: Again?
L: We haven't even discussed plans yet, would it be easier to give you my zip code?
B: Yes, we can do that instead.
L: #####
B: When do you want to the set up?
L: As soon as possible. But before we get into the logistical aspects, can we discuss and decide on the plan?
B: I'm putting you on hold.
L: Again *cut off by hold*

4 minutes later...

B: Okay, I'm signing you up for the $99.98 plan with Spanish, English, HBO, blah blah blah...
L: Excuse me sir, I'm really just interested in just the very basic $15 cable and 10mgb internet option.
B: *totally ignoring me* blah blah blah, digital cable plans...blah blah blah...more channels...
L: Excuse me, I'm not interested in all those channels. I would just like the $15 basic cable option.
B: There is no $15 plan.
L: I'm sure there is. I have friends on it.
B: It doesn't exist.
L: But I spoke to another TW representative 4 days ago about it.
B: It no longer exists.
L: It was only 4 days ago.
B: The basic plan is $60 month. There is and has never been a $15 plan.
L: So you're telling me that the other TW representative was wrong?
B: Perhaps. *pause* Yes.
L: But how do you know that they are right and that you're wrong?
B: They are wrong.
L: So you're saying that some TW give out wrong info.
B: silence
L: Don't you all go through the same training? How can you be trained to give out conflicting info?
B: I'm right.

Conversation goes no where.

L: *exasperated* I would like to speak with another representative. Can you please transfer me. *didn't want to wade through another myriad of phone menus.*
B: No, you have to hang up and dial Customer Service again.
L: What if I get you again?

I hang up, vowing never to call TW again.

***addendum, my roommates called TW later in the afternoon and confirmed the existence of the $15 basic cable plan. But after these experiences, we're probably just going to go digital satellite.***

Model Sightings

While jogging along 9th and 26th today, I felt as if I had happened upon a model shoot. At least 20 tall, svelte, well-dressed girls were casually sauntering the streets around me. Not only did their average 5'9 stature set them apart, but also their assertive gracefulness of step. With prefect sun lit hair and flawless skin, they looked too put together, even for New York.

What's going on, I wondered? It wasn't a sorority gathering. Everyone walked separately and floated ethereally.

Then it dawned on me, these girls were students at the Fashion Institute of Technology on 26th and 7/8th Ave. The fashionable clothing, the confident strides, it suddenly all made sense.

**Conclusion: best model sighting location in NYC, and probably the world = corners of FIT**

And the adventure continues...Blind man sitghting

Though my adventures in Australia concluded a few weeks ago, I've realized that there are still tons of New York excitements waiting documentation. So thus continues the tales of the wanderlust in the big city.

Today while on 7th Ave., I happened to walk alongside a blind man. Yes, a blind man, a blind man walking in Manhattan. Dressed in a beige trench coat, the 50 year old man held out a black cane, tapping the sidewalk before him. Though not at a New Yorker's speed, he still traveled at a relatively comfortable pace. At intersections, he would stop because he would bump into people paused at the curb. At these incidences, he would turn to the person next to him and if it were clear from him to proceed onward.

I'm amazed at how this man traversed New York City blind! Though I do not know the degree of his condition, I'm pretty certain he was legally blind. Perhaps it is the crowded-ness of NYC that makes it both so dangerous yet also paradoxically "safe."

Trip-End Reflection

This trip has been a fantastic experience of traveling and learning about the people, culture and environment of Australia.

Initially, I had misgivings about going to Australia. I thought it would be too similar to the US, that it would be cold because of winter, and that I would be lonely as none of my friends were traveling all the way out there.

However, Australia has proven to be one of the best places to travel. As an English speaking country, is was easier to research than most. The visitors centers were excellently staffed and I could communicate with the locals. Having a car also gave me freedom -- I could lengthen or shorten my stays at each location -- from bus and train timetables.

I was able to experience so much more of Australian as a travel guide writer than I would have had as an average tourist. This was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

As I close the 2008 summer chapter, I've have moved into my new apartment and started work. It'll definitely be a different lifestyle, albeit the traveling for work component will probably continue. I plan to post my random musings sporadically on this blog.

Thanks for reading!

L

P.S. Below, I'm including a few entries on general Australia that I didn't get a chance to post. Read on if you're interested.

Politics and Government

The Australian government is sometimes termed the "Washminister System," a combination of Washington and Westminster political structures. Compared with the American political system, the Australian system is similar enough to be understood, but different enough to be interesting.

In Australia, it is mandatory for all citizens over 18 to vote--hence their 98% voting electorate (the US has somewhere between 40 and 50%, and that's only registered voters!). They are fined an initial $20 which goes up if they fail to comply.

Accustomed to the separation of powers in the US political system, I was unfamiliar with the parliamentary system of government. In the Australian parliamentary system, there are two representative branches, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The representatives are based by population and New South Wales, the most populous state has 49 of the 150 representatives. Bondi, an area in Sydney only a few square km large has one representative, as does a part of Western Australia with area with three times the size of Texas. On the Senate side, there are 76 senators, 12 from each of the 6 states, and 2 from the two territories (Northern Territories and ACT -- Canberra).

The Prime Minister (PM) is selected by the majority party in the House. And because the PM is chosen from among the House of Representatives, the House is more "powerful" than the Senate, which is contrary to that in the US. There is no term limit for the PM and he can remain in office as long as his party and the people wish him or her to be. Furthermore, there are no birth restrictions in Australian, anyone can be PM. (Theoretically, I could even be PM!)

The current PM is Kevin Rudd of the Labour Party (like the US Democrats). He follows John Howard, a Liberal (like the US Republicans)PM who served for over a decade. Rudd has ushered in many new policies and is very popular with the younger generation.

Jenolan Caves

Riddle of the day: What grows but is not alive?

Answer: Stalgamites, stalgatites and helicites. The underground cave world is home to growing formations that are not alive, yet continue to grow over millions of years.

Jenolan Caves is a large cave system about 3 hr drive west of Sydney and part of the Blue Mountain tourism attractions. It is an attraction with 13 show caves (caves decorated with white lights open for touring) and a wide array of adventure tours and activities.

Jenolan Caves is also an excellent example of great tourism management. Jenolan Caves not only has to its credit the title of oldest discovered cave, it is also a fantastically run tourism site. They have transformed the typical cave tour into an underground world experience.

For example, they use their Cathedral Chapel in their Lucas Cave to hold weekend classical concerts. Musicians have claimed that the acoustics in the cave rival, if not surpass, those of the Sydney Opera House. Concerts in Caves??? Seriously. Who would have thought about holding musical concerts in caves! And the result is phenomenal. Jenolan Caves offers a range of showcase caves with lights, along with spelunking adventures and ghost tours. Absolutely fantastic. If you are in the Sydney/Blue Mountain area, they are definitely a must visit.

Sydney Fortune Tellers

Strolling down George St. with map in hand and camera slung across one shoulder, I was enjoying the workday bustle of Sydney as the quintessential tourist. From behind my sunglasses, I noticed an Arab man in the crowd headed my direction. With a dark sapphire turban and a little bowed-legged limp, he stood out among the black suited business workers in the CBD.

As we neared each other, he suddenly looked to me and said, "I see it in your eyes behind your glasses. You will be (??)lucky in the next few days." Wait, did he say "lucky" or "unlucky"? The sounds of traffic had covered up the most important part of his prophecy! But before I could ask to clarify, the man had disappeared into the crowds.

For a moment, I stood there puzzling over his words. Though I typically don't dwell on fortunes, it is slightly disconcerting when a sixty year old Middle Eastern man singles you from of the thousands on the street to give his prophecy, and its most disconcerting to have the critical piece inaudible!

As I had no way of determining the entirety of his words, I tried convincing myself that he had said "You will be lucky," that my glass is half full. Nevertheless, part of me still wanted to believe otherwise. However, I resolved to put this little incident behind me, that is until a few hours later.

After exploring the Circular Quay, I headed for the harbourside Royal Botanical Gardens. The lush green lawns beckoned to me, literally, with their signs inviting me to "Walk, Sit and Picnic upon them." I followed their biddings and selected a sunny spot upon a slope to enjoy the harbor vantage.

The Botanic Gardens are the lawns at the bottom of the beautiful pic of the CBD.

Suddenly, another Muslim man about thirty years of age walks up to me in the park and says, "I see it in your eyes, you will have good fortune in the next few days."

Hun?? Taken aback by the reference to eyes and fortune again, I declared "You're the second person who's told me that today."

"I can read it in your eyes and I can tell you more," he said. Was there really something about me that day that called the attention of fortune tellers? My traveler radar sounded and part of me reacted: Tourist Gimmick! But Australia isn't known to hassle tourists. I've been traveling around the country for two months and nothing like this has yet happened. Could the Arabic men really see something beyond what I saw?

My self defensive instinct kicked in, "I'm sorry, but I don't have any money."

"That's okay. You will have one good fortune and two people will be jealous of you. I can tell you more and you can decide what you want to give me afterwards," he continued good naturedly.

"I'm sorry, but I really don't have any money to give," I replied again. "Thanks though."
"Have a good day then." And he left.

Regardless, curiosity piqued, I decided to do as they do in the movies: follow this man and see what he would do. I allowed him to walk about 100m away before I began to trail him. Though outfitted in black, his blue baseball cap made him easy to spot from a distance. He meandered around the park a bit, and turned around a few times. I kept feeling as if he knew I was trailing him--following someone undetected it hard. Nothing occurred and after about 5 minutes, I let him go as I continued on my exploration of the park.

As I recount the conversation with the second man now, it does seem like the ultimate scam: tell people their "fortune" (always good of course) and then get money for it. But it was the coincidence of meeting two fortune events in one day, in a country not known for schemes such as this, that made the experience seem semi-believable. All in all, I would like to believe that I will have good fortune because "It's in my eyes."

Running

There was a marathon in the Hunter Valley though the vineyards. Today, there was a marathon/ultramarathon (60kms) in Canberra City Centre. I've driven through two marathons in the last two weeks. It must be a sign -- maybe I should start training for another marathon as well. It's about persistence right? So one must continuously keep up running marathons to continue the persistence spirit. Though it's difficult to train while traveling, people manage all the time. Anyone in New York up for training for one in the winter/spring?

Sand Dunes

Port Stephens is home to amazing sand dunes that are constantly moving and evolving. The sand here is incredibly fine and you might have seen it before--they mine the sand here for the sparkling white beaches of Hawaii!

Tin City, a "tin shack" city with squatter rights, is where parts of the original Star Wars I was filmed. It's a collection of about 6 tin shacks--but don't let the outsides fool you, the insides are apparently comfy with cable and all!




Sand Sledding/Surfing! It's STEEP! 40 degree angle, at least!


Chocolate colored water -- the wind causes such great sand turbulence that the water turns a murky brown a few days of the year.

Where to Travel?

When people discuss traveling, they swap stories about places they have been. You get inspired by your friend who got lost in the Louvre, who danced till dawn in the Madrid, who drank margaritas in Cancun. I believe that the the top US destinations for the independent travelers are typically South East Asia, Europe and Latin America. Relatively few make the trek out here to Australia because of the distance and the similarity to the US.

So who are the travelers here? According to a recent study, 21% of Australian backpackers are from the UK and 9% from Germany. Through conversations, I learned that the British all come here for the sun and ease of traveling. The wide open spaces (hahah, Dixie Chicks) are a huge draw to them. With Germany, I figure there are similar weather reasons, as well as the chance to learn English. Many people come here for a gap year to perfect their English, what better way to travel and study at the same time?

Where shall my next trip be? There are fewer and fewer untrodden places in the world. Africa and Antarctica are no longer off limits,. It seems that other than the moon, rural Latvia, is probably one of the most exotic places that I can think of.

Work and Stereotypes

If you want to travel and are willing to work, then Australia is your place. Unlike the US where there is an influx of labor from Mexico, Australia must draw upon the world for labors on its farms. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people follow the harvest seasons around the countryside, traveling and working along the way. You have your pick of jobs: macadamia nut harvesting, grape vine pruning, cattle herding, sheep shearing, the list goes on. Or, you can become a WWOOFer, a Willing Worker on an Organic Farm, in which you work for ~5hrs a day in exchange for free room and board. Stints can range from 2 days to 6 months. It's a hugely popular program and maybe I'll come back as a wwoofer years down the road.

I have met a ton of Asian travelers here. At first, I was surprised to find such a high number of Japanese, Koreans and Chinese -- but on second though, Australia and Asia are relatively close geographically. So amazingly, people make an effort to differentiate between ethnicities, unlike in many parts of Europe, where all races are lumped together as "Asian."

Another surprise is that there are so many Japanese and Korean workers. My previous conception was that the Japanese and Koreans are economically well off and don't do farm labor. But I was getting a biased sample--most of the Japanese and Koreans who immigrated to the US were wealthy and highly educated. It's a misconception just as that of most Americans who believe Chinese and Indians are mathematically talented -- because only the best (and usually those in the hard sciences) were able to emigrate out of the country.

Photo Journey

Murwillumbah & Mt. Warning

Murwillumbah is a beautiful mountain town at the base of Mt. Warning, the 2nd highest crater mountain in the southern hemisphere. Here in Murwillumbah, I met Tassie, the YHA hostel owner and one of the most incredible people in the world. He's one of those rare people gifted with a way of understanding others. One who you talk can unaffectedly, one who listens and relates. Tassie's gift is people.

Views of Mt. Warning

The Murwillumbah countryside

The YHA

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Nimbin

Nimbin is the marijuana center of Australia. Originally a dedicated hippy community, Nimbin is now more touristy. Still, anyone who walks down the street is sure to get offered "Cookies?" "Dope?" etc. The police turn a blind eye -- some say that the government tolerates it because it would rather all the pot consumption be concentrated in this one small area than spread elsewhere in the state/country. As long as marijuana can be controlled here, there'll be less dealings and disruptions in the larger cities.

The atmosphere is super vibrant and friendly. Everyone is happy and relaxed. The colors here place are gorgeous.

Some cool signs

An old hippy bus

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Dubbo Zoo

Dubbo, the Australia's Missouri City into the Outback, is famous for its Western Plains Zoo. I attended a volunteer run morning walk with the animals at 6:45am.

The tour guide naturally asked me "Where are you from?" After learning that I was from California, he said that after taking a trip of over 30 famous world zoos, the San Diego Zoo stood out as the best and most professional zoo of all. Wow! It rightly claims its title, the World Famous San Diego Zoo.

I guess it's no wonder it's harder and harder to be amazed as my standards continue increasing, especially in regards to zoos. I grew up with the World Famous San Diego Zoo and the equally amazing San Diego Wild Animal Park. To top that off, Sea World was also next door. Growing up, I watched polar bears plunged into water pools from behind glass windows, I reached out to African gazelles, giraffes, elephants and rhinos roaming together from the monorail train, I strolled under sharks swimming above me from underwater walkways.

If I were ignorant, then everything would be fascinating and I would find the Dubbo zoo incredible. But as Socrates said, "it is better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied." I agree to an extent.

The Dubbo Zoo does have some cool Australian animals including the wombat and the echidna. This wombat prefers cotton to its usual roots.

The echidna is porcupine looking monotreme, a mammal that lays eggs and feeds its young milk like the platypus! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotreme

Also here are some African meerkats standing sentinel. They always wear a goofy looking grin!

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National Parks

I visited some amazing national parks through this trip.

Bald Rocks is one of the largest exposed granite rock in the world.

Dunns Swamp in Wollemi NP is just stunningly gorgeous

Swan Rocks looks like a giant pipe organ.

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Bathurst

This town is a midsized industrial town that is home to the V8 stock car racing competition. I did my 2 loops around the 6km Mt. Panorama track, a couple hundred short of the 1000kms the racers do here every October.

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Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains is a national park retreat 1.5hr west of Sydney. The mountains here appear blue in the light and are so aptly named. The most famous site is that of the Three Sisters, the rock formation shown here.

I went on a walkabout, an aboriginal pilgrimage, through sacred sites of the native Drunj people. This is a rock carving warning against family feuds. The young wallaby (right) is being attacked by a rainbow serpent because he failed to listen (facing away) to the mother wallaby (left).

Here is an aboriginal bark painting that I made using ochre paints.

Below is a picture of an Italian in my walkabout group using the ochre paints. He came to Sydney for World Youth Day, the HUGE Catholic celebration conference this week. Over 200,000 "pilgrims" have come from around the world to Sydney. Not an hour goes by without a reference to the WYD on the radio -- I can only imagine what it's like in Sydney.

The Universe

As one leaves the eastern Australian coast, the land becomes desert-like. It's country out here. This Central/Western region of the New South Wales state is known as the Big Sky Region. Its unpolluted skies are normally perfect for star gazing, unless it's been rainy as it has been in the last few days.

The Parkes Radio Telescope Dish


The large 64m telescope at Parkes made famous by the movie The Dish. The movie reputedly has great Aussie humor and is based on a true story.

A radio telescope maps the radio frequencies of the universe and can thus operate day and night. The space frequencies are reflected off the dish and concentrated at the receiving foci that extends out in from the middle of the dish. The images it produces are like the infrared diagrams from night vision goggles.

The telescope complex showed some very well done films that attempted to put size in perspective. What is BIG? Bigger than BIG? The universe is so massive that its size is barely comprehensible. It takes hundreds of millions of millions of light years to travel to the end of our known universe. So far, scientists have mapped our universe, but what is beyond that? If we began with the Big Bang and the universe is currently expanding, what is it expanding into?

In a way, it seems that we have been more successful at micro level studies. We understand protons, electrons and their energy components. We understand energy and matter. But on the other extreme, what lies beyond our universe? If you're like me, I usually gloss over the exhibit literature for the flashy interactive displays in science museums.
Take a moment seriously. Now. Just think. Imagine the night sky. Picture the stars. Their satellite moons. That starlight we see is millions of years old. Looking into the sky is like going back into time. We are seeing the light of stars that has traveled millions of millions of light years. In a way, time travel is possible if we can travel faster than light!

Five of the six radio telescope dishes at the Australia Telescope Complex in Narrabri. Instead of one huge dish, the six telescopes operate in conjunction and are more efficient in mapping the sky. The telescopes move into position along a 3km long railway track at 4km per hour according to researcher needs.

Thanksgiving - A pause

Little did I know that as I began my travels here in Australia, one of my dearest friends laid in an emergency room fighting for her life. In a spilt second, a happy enroute trip to a graduation celebration became the frantic ambulance rush to the hospital. Thank goodness she is recovering. ML, my thoughts and prayers are with you daily.

We complain about our jobs, our appearances, our relationships. But that's because we have jobs, have health, have people in our lives. We complain because we have the liberty to: we are not sick, hungry or homeless.

We rush through life. From one meeting to another, from one obligation to another. At the end, what is most important? As we fly through life, it takes an external shock to forces us to pause our busy routine and to reflect and appreciate.

A few months ago, a friend inspired me to create a soundtrack, which I termed my "Quarter Life Soundtrack." One way is to think that a quarter of my life has passed by. But from another angle, I still have a statistically good 50+ years of living. There's still time to try, to experience, to learn, to live.

Thanksgiving, I use to think of it as just another holiday. Going to college thousands of miles from home, I never went home for Thanksgiving and always wondered why we couldn't just roll together with Christmas for an extended holiday. But now, I realize the meaning behind Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays ever--it's an opportunity to give thanks for the people in life, your family and your friends.

Where are you from?

During first introductions, the most common questions after "What is your name?" is "Where are you from?" To this, I normally answer "San Diego," "California," or "San Diego, California." However, what most people really want to know is "What are you? What is your race?" The questioners are only half interested in my hometown whereabouts, they are more interested in knowing my race. But the question "What is your race?" is rude, therefore, it is masked by the more politically correct, "Where are you from?"

Nevertheless, the hidden nature of the second race inquiry becomes patent when traveling. People always politely ask where I'm from, and when I say the States, they typically say, "Oh. The US. But your heritage is Asian, right?" It is then, that I politely answer their true question of ethnicity, "Yes, I'm Chinese.

Therefore, if I say that I am from America, I am not really from America in the questioner's eyes. So should I just say I'm from China instead? I'm not alone in this quandary. Hispanics, Africans (the over 50 different nations!), Middle Easterners and Asians in the US all face this problem of a second heritage. So then again, maybe having a second part answer is part of the American equation. Because the United States is melting pot of cultures, to be American is to have roots in another country. To be American is to have family, both recent and past, that has immigrated to "the land of opportunity."

I know that my answer to the question "Where are you from?" will always have a second part. And I welcome the question and embrace my ethnicity. I have black hair, dark dark brown eyes (apparently black eyes don't exist), and a flat-bridged nose. Yes. I'm from States, but I am Chinese.

Haha, a real convo as I was typing this entry.

German: "Hi, where are you from?"

Me: "The United States."

German: "You don't look like it."

Me: Chuckle "Yes, I'm Chinese."

Byron Bay and Environs

I've spent the last few days in Byron Bay, a city that has lived up to all it's reputed to be. For the first time, there are lots of backpackers around that give a place life. Though my hostel is only 1/3 full, there is still a good number of people (~40) that make it fun. Byron is a place where everyone initially plans to stay for 2-3 days, but ends up staying a week or longer. I totally see why.

Sunrise View from mainland Australia's most eastern point (Lighthouse).

I went surfing for the first time two days ago and it was fantastic! Though its winter here, the water's not that cold if you wear a wetsuit. During the day, its about 20 degrees with a perfectly clear sky. At night, however the temperature drops precipitously to 5 degrees or lower, which equals major layering.

I started surfing on a minimal (8''6' board) and stood up! You know what I just realized, everything here is in meters and kilograms, except for board lengths! All the surfboards are measured in feet--an American influence? But that's strange because surfing is more popular in Australia than it is in the US. I dare venture to say that surfing is an integral part of Aussie culture--they even have surfing reserves here-- stretches of pristine beaches that are free from future development (such as Bells Beach, Lennox Head, etc.)! So why are surfboards measured in feet?

I'm not too into the partying scene, but there is a bar/club here worth mentioning, that quoting my Let's Go predecessor, "Cheeky Monkey’s is to Byron Bay as that bar with the frog is to Cancun" (a clear reference to Mr. Toad's). It’s clearly a touristy bar and a pretty decent crowd gathers there on most nights. The club promoters come around to all the hostels each night giving out fliers for $2 meals or free drinks. But I find it more fun to hang out at the hostel where everyone is cooking and eating together. One of the best distinguishers of a backpacker is the Ultimate Backpacker Meal: the famous pasta dinner -- I easily counted over 10 pasta eaters out of 15 dinners last night!

Inflating a hot air balloon

Byron is probably my last beach town stop. After this, I’m heading inland to the cold deserts of New South Wales.

Sunrise on the water

Coffs Harbour

There are some nice beaches around Coffs Harbour, but their main attractions is the Big Banana. It started out as a big banana sculpture on the side of the road, that has grown into this kitschy tourist site with a 3D interactive film/tour, a tobogganing ride, an inflated waterslide park, a trike ride (these 3-wheeled motorcycle car things), an ice skating rink, a puzzle shop, a candy factory shop, and café that sells delicious chocolate covered frozen bananas. The area is home to a couple banana plantations, but they really capitalized on the tourist market by creating the big yellow banana sculpture and joining in the "BIG" Australia craze. People now go the "Big Things" Australia tour to see all these larger than life sculptures of randomness: there's a Big Prawn in Ballina, a Big Guitar in Tamworth, a Big Oyster in Taree, etc.

Here's the famous Coffs Harbour Big Banana.

In Coffs Harbour, I took a whale watching cruise to see the migrating humpback whales. But the sea was really really choppy and I got terribly sea sick. The 4m waves (~12ft) were horrible, and I spent most of the time laying down. Nevertheless, I managed to snap a few good whale pictures before relinquishing myself to a nap on the boat bench.

Two whales!!

In Bellingen

There was a massive thunderstorm when I first arrived in Bellingen and I was afraid that it was going to be an ominous stay here. However, after getting to know this place better, it has now become one of my favorite places in the world. The people here are incredible and the views are just spectacular.

The Hostel

View from veranda

The Bellinger Backpackers YHA hostel has open verandas and a patio balcony that overlooks the river and lush cattle pastures. People play chess, ping pong and just hang out on the balcony. There are about 7 permanent residents here who work or are associated at the hostel. Some of them are backpackers who work a couple hours a day in exchange for accommodations. The others include are a grounds supervisor, a tour guide and locals who are so drawn to the place that the keep coming back. I can definitely see the draw of this town--I myself was originally booked to stay here one night, but ended up staying three. There's a great openness and warmth here, and even though I have only been here for two days, I feel at home.

Yup, that's a chicken!

This morning, I visited Bellinger's monthly market replete with food, clothes, crafts stalls. The highlight was trying new fruits such as lemonade (citrus hybrid), Monstera deliciosa (aka: fruit salad plant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monstera_deliciosa), tamarillo (aka: tree tomato) and custard apple.

I had planned to spend the afternoon writing, but the weather was too beautiful to pass up. Instead, I join Graham, the bike mechanic and permanent resident, on a ride to the Never Never Stream in the Promise Land (Peter Pan and Moses)! The 24km trail offered the prefect amount of hills -- providing some challenges but also some downhill thrills. Coming back, Graham's bike got 2 flat tires! The first one sprung a leak and his replacement spare both sprung leaks. But as knowledgeable is a cyclist, he was able to continue pumping the spare up and get back to camp.

It has been wonderful here and I'm sad to leave.

Picture from Dorrigo NP: Bower bird nest

In Port Macquarie

I have mixed feelings about Port Macquarie. It is the one place where I got honked to death by a impatient driver when I was driving just a tad slow. Goodness, I'm trying to find my way in your confusing city, can't you be just a bit more understanding???

The Visitor's Center here was most unhelpful and refused to give me any information. Instead, I was sent to speak with their tourism marketing department. However, the conversation with the marketing department of the tourism council ended up being very interesting. Port Macquarie is situated between Sydney and Byron Bay and often gets bypassed as people go up the coast to these two larger party towns. Port Macquarie currently caters to the family vacation market (80%) but wants to expand its backpacker (20%) draw. The city hopes to become market itself as a place of relaxation for backpackers in route to the larger party cities (capitalizing on its current strengths as a relaxation destination). It was fun learning about PM's tourism market and brainstorm ways to leverage a potential partnership between PM and Let's Go!

Near Port Macquarie is Crowdy Bay National Park, and in my opinion, one of the most spectacular parks ever. Not only is it home to gorgeous beaches and cliffs, but also to hundreds of kangaroos. The Eastern gray kangaroos lounge around, sunbathing on the lawns among picnicking families.

A picture of a joey peeking out of its mother's pouch.

A koala being cured of chlamydia at the Koala Hospital.

Cassowary, animal as large as an emu, at Billabong Park

In the Great Lakes Region

In the Great Lakes Region

Leaving Newcastle, I headed towards the "Great Lakes"-- a series of gorgeous lakes between Port Macquarie and Newcastle.

The weather has been super finicky these last few days. The dismal rains and my tight itinerary prevented any hikes or exploration of the Myall Lakes, Pacific Palms and Booti Booti parks. I did manage to shoot some great pictures from the viewpoints close to carparks.

However, the good is with the showery weather is that that I've seen a rainbow everyday for the last 4 days! Woah! And a double rainbow today! Rainbows also form on the waves as the mist strikes the foam spray.

I also met some chill surfers from Newcastle at Seal Rock. The Australians I have meet have been friendly--they have made my trip sooo much more enjoyable. Even their speech is cheerfully interspersed with "mates", "yeays", etc.

In Newcastle

In Newcastle

On Saturday, I left Sydney for Newcastle, a town with a vibrant music scene. I took the intercity train, but due to road construction, an ordinarily 2.5 hours trip took over 4 (we boarded a bus in the middle of the segment and then reboarded another train). During one of these transfers, I was approached by two old girls who wanted me to buy them cigarettes. They claimed that they were of age, but had their wallets stolen. It’s apparently the same everywhere.

While waiting for a bus, I met some extremely cute elderly ladies. One overheard that I was from San Diego and quipped that her sister lives in El Cajon. Her 86 year old sister was a "War Bride" who had married an American soldier during WWII. Apparently, this was a fairly common occurrence and there's even an Australian song about it!

Newcastle has some beautiful beaches, but my favorite parts of the city were the wildlife parks. The Blackbutt Nature Reserve had koalas and wombats. It is also the home to 20,000 grey headed flying foxes = bats. These cantaloupe sized bats hung by the hundreds from the trees. Even though it was day, they were still chirping loudly with each other, maybe pulling a bat all-nighter. At the Hunter Wetlands, I got to hold a Blue Tongued Skink. I learned that a skink regrows its entire tail if lost, whereas a lizard only grows a stump. I also held some amazing insects--they must have been inspiration for some horror movie out there.