Jenny’s Journies

Sunday, 16 November 2008 @ 3:30pm.

My mom and I took Pluto to Swiftrun Dog Park today. Snow started falling. I wonder what my Aussie pup thinks of it all? Here are two pictures I took:

All smiles despite the cold…

Pluto was wet from snow, mud, and dog slobber from his friends at the park. I think he was glad to be back in the car where it was much warmer.

On November 4, 2008, we went to the polls. My mom has voted in the past, but usually by mail, so this was her first time doing it in person. We were excited to be a part of history.

Don’t you just love the fall colors in Michigan?

Our Halloween pumpkin has had bites taken out of it… Local squirrels perhaps?

Here is Pluto with his squeaky toy. The squeak actually only lasted a day. He still enjoys the toy, though.

Wednesday, 25 June 2008 @ 12:24pm.

Graffiti art in St. Kilda:

Interested in all things graffiti? Check out http://www.graffiti.org/ and for a specific taste of Aussie art, see http://www.melbournegraffiti.com/ .

Personalized license plate of interest (”Ask God”):

May 18th Buddha Day celebration in downtown Melbourne at Federation Square:

I was especially touched by the prayers for those affected by natural disasters.

Smiling after Buddha Day prayers:

About one hour from downtown Melbourne on the South Gippsland Highway on the way to Phillip Island, travelers will find the Caldermeade Farm. The farm has been around since the late 1800s and today it is mainly a dairy farm. There are almost 400 Holstein cows milked daily. If you’ve never seen this in person, it’s worth a trip. My favorite part of the farm was the animal nursery where visitors can hold, pet, and help feed baby animals. We saw three baby cows, a very small lamb, a big ol’ turkey, and plenty of chickens. Some of the fancier chickens were quite interesting with their feathers. The baby animals were a big hit with the children visitors I saw that day:

With a name like “Max Brenner” and a statement like “Chocolate by the Bald Man,” how could a person not be curious and tempted to check out the place? Max Brenner is a chain, but still has a cool, comfy atmosphere. I went to the one located at Highpoint Shopping Centre in Maribyrnong. I had a difficult time deciding on what to order from the chocolate menu. Everything really looked good and you can tell by all the goodies on view and the wonderful smells that Max Brenner uses quality chocolate in everything they make. I finally chose a chocolate babka drizzled in warm chocolate sauce with a side of rich vanilla ice cream:

We recently went to a winter event called “Ignite” at the Docklands. We walked around the waterfront area, admired the beautiful expensive yachts, saw a fun musical art performance (Pyrophone, a fire fuelled organ), and ate at a nice buffet place nearby:

June 22nd, Run Melbourne event, me gearing up for 10 whole kilometers:

Hills? Nobody said anything about hills, but cross that finish line I did!

In this picture, I may have been sweaty, wet from the rain, wearing soggy socks, and totally sore, but it was all worth it. Great run and for a great cause, too: Oxfam.

Wednesday, 05 March 2008 @ 4:12pm.

Apologies for the absence… I don’t know what happens to the time sometimes… Well, actually I do. Life just gets busy, right? I hope all is well wherever you might be. I could be better at keeping in regular contact with family and friends, but please know that I am usually thinking of y’all.

We have some friends staying over for a while until they move into their new place. In the mean time, I have had the pleasure of eating fabulous curries every other night. My favorites so far have been an eggplant and potato dish and a tuna one. With wholewheat rotis and tasty yogurt as well, it’s been like having our own chefs at home. What a treat! Though on the negative side, this has not been good for the hips or thighs!

I recently returned from a weekend trip to the Great Ocean Road and Great Otway National Park. I had a wonderful time. All the fresh air, breathtaking ocean views, educational sites, trails/hikes, cool wildlife, and yummy foods did me a lot of good. Though things could have gone smoother at the campsite the first night and there were little frustrations in some of the small towns (e.g., broken ATM, cash only gas station, no direction signs), I had fun. I must say that there’s nothing quite like not being able to fall asleep because a koala is making loud strange noises outside! Pictures are posted below:

I thought I’d post the best picture first. Here is the definition of “adorable.” Seriously. If you open up a dictionary, this is what should be pictured. We saw this lovely creature in the Great Otway National Park on the way to the lightstation. Cars were stopped along the road as tourist after tourist made their way to snap photos. The koala barely budged and had what I think was a very pleasant afternoon nap:

This is the Cape Otway Lightstation. I climbed the stairs to the top and was able to circle around it on the narrow path high up. The lightstation is no longer in use besides for tourist purposes. Instead, there is a much smaller, yet more powerful solar-powered lightstation not too far from it. It’s eco-friendly and apparently a lot cheaper than running the older lightstation:

The famous Twelve Apostles are just simply amazing coastal rock formations:

I read that the Twelve Apostles, along with some additional formations, used to be called the “Sow and Piglets!” We later returned at dusk to see the fairy penguins come to shore, but we were far away and couldn’t see them that clearly. It still was cool seeing groups make their way inland, though.

Near the Twelve Apostles is Loch Ard Gorge and the beautiful Island Archway (see below):

In the tiny town of Port Campbell, we stayed at Cairns Cottage. A friendly man named Jack was renting out his old place. The 1970s and 1980s decor inside was quite tacky, but in a charming kind of way:

A’ hiking we will go:

Triplet Falls is a 1 hour looped rainforest and waterfall walk.

Here are the Triplet Falls:

I just love the sound of running water in the forest.

One of my high school friends (Cober, I am so calling you out!) used to tease me for being a treehugging liberal. Well, I guess I haven’t changed much, have I?

Next stop was the Otway Fly Tree Top Walk, which is the tallest tree-top walk in the world. So even though I can be quite scared of certain kinds of heights, I had to brave it:

Nervous laughter at the top:

One of the tree top paths:

The metal paths and the top of the spiral tower sway/flex by the way, thereby making the experience that much more scarier, but also more thrilling and worth doing.

Pluto spent time in a dog kennel while we were away. He seemed happy and relieved to return home. He slept a long time that first day back; perhaps he didn’t sleep much with other dogs around. He continues to grow. He is still very fond of carrots, ice cubes, and raw bones. He has totally taken to jumping and playing in the creek at a nearby dog park. Unfortunately, he does this on the very same days (or the next morning) that I give him a bath. I can’t really blame him, however. I would probably do the same thing if I were in his shoes…er…paws, I mean. On perhaps a less happy note from his perspective, he will be going to the vet soon to get desexed.

In other news, I am very disappointed that the post office lost a recent birthday package. I am in the process of filling out a formal complaint. :< It didn’t help matters that I saw a news special not too long ago about postal workers stealing mail to get cash, lottery tickets, presents, and the like. Bad karma if you ask me.

Tuesday, 05 February 2008 @ 2:05pm.

Photos from when I went to Sky High Mt. Dandenong last month:

Here are two sculptures I liked that are located in the English Garden:

I thought the Giant’s Chair was pretty darn cool:

As you can see, it was raining for a while during our visit. The views from the top were cloudy, but we still had a really nice time.

One benefit of the clouds and fog was this lovely shot of the trees while we were hiking:

We were too tired from the hike to stay into the evening to see the city lights, but were okay with that.

We instead made our way back home, but not before a side trip/dinner at Flippin’ Pancakes. Vik had the “Blueberry Hills,” which is two pancakes surrounded by blueberries, ice-cream, and drizzled with Advokaat. I enjoyed the “Strawberry Fields,” which is two pancakes topped with strawberries marinated in a brandy butter sauce and there’s ice cream as well. Yummy!

And as for today, there was an inspirational quote on the Oprah Show: “Let your kids paint on the walls.” For more, see “Randy Pausch Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” at http://youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo.

Thursday, 10 January 2008 @ 1:23pm.

I hope 2008 is off to a good start for everyone…and speaking of starts…

Just start…whether you’re motivated or not. Good advice today from Bob Greene on the Oprah Show. Sometimes you just have to start and the motivation will follow later.

It’s a whopping 41C (105.8F) today in Melbourne! I got a haircut a few days ago and what a relief. Unlike Indonesia, it is not very humid…it’s more like the dry heat found in the Southwest in the U.S. The weather changes from day to day, though, so last night was actually pretty chilly.

By the way, if you’re interested in metric conversions, check out http://www.metric-conversions.org.

I recently went to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV for short). I didn’t have a lot of time to spend at the museum, but I did enjoy the parts that I saw. I hope to go again soon. What’s great is that the museum is totally free! There are fees for special exhibitions, but I was fine by that. As I walked around the NGV, I marveled at how pristine some of the artwork was even after hundreds of years. I often wondered just how certain pieces survived for so long. The craftsmanship of the artists was wonderful, too. Such vision and creativity!

My favorite pieces were mainly located in the Asian art sections. Amazing watercolors, fancy Buddha statues, calligraphy, interesting ceramics, and intricate textiles top my list of must-sees. I also really appreciated the temporary exhibition “Krishna: Love and Devotion.” The almost 80 pieces (historic and contemporary/modern) were full of color and detail. The stories behind the various works were neat and educational. Though I have studied Hinduism in the past, I still learned quite a few new things from this exhibit. Most of the art were not large in scale, but the symbolism and meticulousness of it all packed a punch.

Here are some examples of the art in the Asian gallery that I viewed:

Wednesday, 02 January 2008 @ 12:39pm.

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope you enjoyed New Year’s and that the celebrations were full of good food, good fun, and good people.

I went to see some fireworks in downtown Melbourne. The display was pretty cool, though on a smaller scale to U.S. ones:

The music was pumping at Federation Square, too:

Here we are taking a break while walking around the city at night:

I rarely see police in Melbourne and its outer suburbs, so it was a bit of surprise to see so many out and about on New Year’s Eve. Where did they all come from?:

I enjoyed the fireworks the most. I also liked seeing Melbourne’s diversity. I saw groups of Indian men hooting and hollering while dancing, young Japanese women in kimonos, various African groups in traditional clothing, Aussie families ooohhing and aaahhhing at the fireworks, and Eastern Europeans sharing drinks on the train (though technically this isn’t allowed). I also appreciated the fact that public transportation was totally free on New Year’s. Go Melbourne!

Tuesday, 25 December 2007 @ 11:55pm.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

I had the opportunity to attend midnight mass last night at Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Sunshine. The service was lovely and I enjoyed the traditional carols. The only thing missing was candles being passed out to those assembled to be lit in unison.

As I type this posting, I am also watching the Queen’s message to the Commonwealth on television. Very interesting footage from the 1950s was incorporated into this year’s note.

Special prayers go out to those who serve the needs of those less fortunate and to the hardworking members of the military.

Wednesday, 19 December 2007 @ 8:50pm.

With the widespread use of technology, particularly computers and the internet, the importance of local news sources may be questioned. I watched a debate on television the other day and found the arguments for the continued relevance of local news to be quite persuasive. It is great that many people have access to what is going on thousands of miles away from them, especially given the butterfly effect or six degrees of separation, but it’s also great and probably necessary to know what is happening close to home. I live in the lovely suburb of Sunshine where there are two main local newspapers. I have learned a lot about local politics, immigration, diversity, environmental matters, families, and consumerism from the papers. Even with my wireless internet and the world supposedly at my fingertips, it would be difficult to get the same information. Go figure.

‘Tis the holiday season… I wanted to mention that fun for the whole family can be had at the Chanukah in the City festival, which is held in Melbourne annually by the Jewish Community Council of Victoria. The free event usually takes place at Federation Square. I went to Chanukah in the City (also known as “Festival of Light”) in the late evening on December 11th and enjoyed seeing what is supposedly the largest gas burning Chanukiah in the Southern Hemisphere:

I went too late and didn’t get to enjoy the kosher food and drinks (I lament the fact that I didn’t get a bagel!) and carnival rides, but I did get to hear some music. One very interesting group I saw was the Jewish punk rock band Yidcore. They were funny and crazy, all with a good sound!

Though Christmas is around the corner, I have not seen as many house decorations outside as in the U.S. I must admit that it is odd not to see an abundance of reindeer ornaments on the lawns or colorful lights hanging from rooftops. Where are the snow people, candy canes, Santa images, stars, and red ribbons? There are a few decorated houses here and there, though, so that’s nice. I recently put up my Christmas tree inside and it’s looking very good if you ask me. It’s nothing fancy, but sometimes that’s the best kind, right? I even attempted a popcorn chain, but it’s kinda short as I gave up after a while because it was taking me ages to complete! The only thing missing right now is a big star for the top. I’m looking forward to attending midnight mass at the Catholic Church nearby. I’m not sure about plans for the 25th yet, though. With the recent hot weather, I just might spend it at the beach…who knows? I will be celebrating my first Boxing Day this year, too. I’ve heard that it’s a huge shopping day, as well as popular for sports like cricket.

Friday, 30 November 2007 @ 12:17pm.

If you plan on traveling and you’re on a budget, plus not too afraid of strangers, head to the following sites: http://www.couchsurfing.com, http://www.place2stay.net, and http://www.hospitalityclub.org. This brings networking and travel to a different level, no?

Australia recently held its elections. Most folks turned out to vote (it’s mandatory) last Saturday, including my partner. I accompanied him to a local primary school that day to see what things were like.

Folks were friendly and things were pretty efficient. One lady looked up my partner’s name in a registered list, marked him off, gave him one ballot that was quite large and one small one. The voting procedures were relatively simple, either mark one party or rank order individual candidates from parties. My hunch is that many people just choose the one party since the ranking involves ranking every single person on the ballot and that would take quite a bit of time and knowledge. There wasn’t much of any kind of security or long lines or people at the front persuading you to vote one way or the other. There was even a table offering snacks and drinks. Very interesting overall in the sense of a lack of stress, conflict, or challenges. For someone who studies political participation like me, the “simplicity” of it all almost baffled me.

On Sunday, we went to the Brimbank Festival. We had a fun time listening to and watching the different cultural performances on a stage, checking out various educational booths, and trying a carnival ride called the “Scorpion.” I felt so sick on and after the ride, but it was worth it!

Funny musicians:

The Scorpion:

Here I am after a turn on the Scorpion carnival ride:

Friday, 09 November 2007 @ 1:48pm.

HAPPY DIWALI!!! I hope the festival of light is a special one for you all. Many folks, including myself, attended a Diwali celebration a little early (last month). Here are a couple of photos from that event, which was held at Federation Square in downtown Melbourne:

Lots of people from the Indian community came out for music, dancing, food, fireworks, and fun:

There were cool fireworks over the Yarra River:

On a different note, but similar to my last posting on social change, here’s some more food for thought and everyday tips to make a difference:

According to Reader’s Digest and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s book “An Inconvenient Truth,” the average automobile puts out a pound of carbon dioxide for every mile of travel. Reducing car travel by just 20 miles a week would save almost 1,000 pounds of the greenhouse gas each year. Where possible, share rides, take public transportation, bike, or walk to your destination. In a related matter, the average meal travels over 1,200 miles by truck, ship, or plane, thereby producing thousands of pounds of carbon emissions. We can do something by shopping more locally at farmers’ markets and food co-ops. One’s home could also be more eco-friendly, not to mention save dollars in your pocket. Homes can be poorly insulated or inefficient in other ways. Check out http://www.energyguide.com for more information. Then there are those billions of plastic shopping bags, which take centuries to decompose and cause us to use up 12 million barrels of oil just to make them. The easiest way to deal with this problem is to use tote bags. I love that this is popular in Melbourne. Reusable cloth and canvas bags are inexpensive, convenient, and washable. In some stores here such as Aldi, customers must bring their own bags or buy them at the store.