Two Reasons To Celebrate

August 27th, 2007 by tobits

August will always be a special month for my family because we celebrate two milestones every year: Lilay’s birthday and our wedding anniversary. The fact that we are celebrating it in Australia for the first time this year makes it even more memorable. Added to this is the fact that this year’s celebrations had been hassle-free as we just have to commemorate these events by ourselves– we do not have to prepare elaborate party foods and programs. Not that we do not enjoy doing these things for our families and friends back home; but at least now, we were able to focus more on the celebrations and the reason why we are celebrating them, not on the time-consuming preparations leading to the celebration proper. I guess this more austere way of celebrating milestones will be part of our family for four years. As it turned out, it’s a welcome breather.

Last August 9 we merely celebrated Lilay’s birthday by having a birthday breakfast party! (How’s that for a change?!) I had to go to the lab and Sam had to go to school so we just decided to celebrate it early that morning. I merely purchased a chocolate cake the night before and Carlene prepared spaghetti. After the breakfast birthday party, we went out to buy Lilay’s baby doll. It’s her birthday request. I initially planned to bring her to Canberra Centre, the City’s mall but I realized that there is a big toy store in Westfield Belconnen Mall called Toys R’ Us so I took my family for the first time to Belconnen. Lilay ended up choosing Baby Amore, a baby doll so life-like that “her tummy moves up and down as she breaths and her mouth moves when she sucks on her bottle. [She also cries] when she is hungry or tired and needs to be cuddled to settle her down to sleep. [Her eyes closes] as she gets tired, closing completely as she falls asleep.” This doll, however, consumes a lot of battery power, good thing I decided to buy rechargeable batteries.

When we arrived at the Civic Bus Interchange to take Bus 81 (the bus route that would take us to the zoo), we arrived 30 minutes early. I decided to take my family for a stroll since they are not yet familiar with the layout of Canberra City proper. I initially planned to take them to the Canberra Museum but we ended up going to the Civic Library because the former was closed. As it turned out, it was a good choice because the kids enjoyed the Children’s Section of the city library and Carlene was able to check her emails. The trip to the National Zoo and Aquarium is long and winding but we enjoyed the tourist bus ride. The bus circumnavigated around a small portion of Lake Burley Griffin (,the man-made lake that divides Canberra into North and South). The view was spectacular!

The National Zoo and Aquarium is the only place in Australia where a zoo and an aquarium are combined. This 25 acres of fun-filled adventure is located in Scrivener Dam, Yarralumla, Canberra. Since Canberra is an inland city, they had to create the largest inland saltwater tank to house all the marine creatures inside the zoo. If you pay the entrance fee, you would see all the animals from afar and you can use the picnic areas for free. If you are adventurous enough (and I should say rich enough because these cost a fortune!), you can pay extra for “Zooadventure” and other tour packages which allows you to touch, pet, hand-feed, and pose for a photo with cheetahs, tigers, lions, cougars, giraffes, bears, otters, dingoes, snakes, monkeys, among others. They claim that this tour “is one of the most hands-on zoo experiences available in Australia, and possibly the world”. The zoo also has a tour called W.O.W. (Walk on Wildside), which they “believe to be the most hands-on and interactive approach to conservation education anywhere in the world”.

Two weeks later (August 23), my wife and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary. I initially planned to book the entire family in a 4.5 star hotel so we can celebrate our wedding anniversary but we thought of saving that money for later. So we ended up simply celebrating our wedding anniversary at home. Carlene prepare a sumptuous dinner of baked chicken, pasta, salad, chiffon cake and ice cream. I gave her a light pink bunch of roses. No posh dinner in a fancy restaurant, no extravagantly lavish gifts. We just focused on our love, our family, our relationship.

Looking forward to more milestones as we share life together in this foreign land.

The following Saturday (August 11), we continued Lilay’s birthday celebration by going to the National Zoo and Aquarium. I made her choose between that tourist spot and the National Dinosaur Museum and she chose to see living (instead of preserved) animals. Nice choice, actually, but we were frustrated to know later on that the zoo does not have koalas, the most important Australian animal that Lilay wants to personally see and touch. To make up for this, I promised to take my family to Brisbane’s Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary early next year, during our summer vacation.

Posted in Weblogs | No Comments »

Going Home (Day 3)

July 1st, 2007 by tobits
“Are we there yet?!” asked Lilay’s toy donkey. It keeps on asking that annoying question as long as you press its tail. If only I have known that that donkey would have a recorded voice that asks the same question over and over, I would have chosen Fiona instead. It came with her McDonald’s Happy Meal. This season, the multinational food company is promoting Shrek the Third in Australia. I find the choices in its Happy Meal very creative: Swamp Sludge McFlurry, Minty Mud Bath Shake and the one we ordered– Far Far Away Pasta, which is a green Shrek-shaped ravioli. Lilay did not enjoy the pasta but developed an extreme fondness for the toy.

In retrospect, the donkey was actually verbalizing what we were all feeling that time. We were travelling along Hume Highway, on our way to Canberra. Everyone is very eager to see the unit I recently rented, the apartment which will become our humble abode for at least the first year of our stay in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Since the journey is more than three hours, the kids were getting impatient. Sam kept on asking if we were already near. This intermittent question was further aggravated by the voice of that donkey.
It took me around four months to find that apartment and to finalize the lease agreement. I could’ve gotten a unit in Hackett, in O’connor, in Palmerston and in Gungahlin but I had to decline the real estate agents who offered the properties for rent in each suburb, the reason for each I am reserving for another blog story. It took me another two weeks to prepare the apartment for their arrival. The apartment is semi-furnished so I just had to put in the finishing touches. That proved to be artistically challenging and creatively fulfilling.

I had to go through all the painstaking detail to prepare the house for my family. For our bed, I purchased a wool quilt, hypoallergenic pillows, and a bed sheet set which includes flat and fitted sheets as well as quilt cover. I had to learn the different kinds of bed sheets before I could confidently buy them. I finally settled in buying a set which is light brown and light mint green with cherry blossoms design. For our kitchen, I had to buy a Teflon-coated cooking set, a knife set, a chopping board and a rubbish bin (They don’t call it garbage here, they call it rubbish). For the living room, I had to buy a painting, a flower vase with matching candle and potpourri jar, and a throw blanket. While we were in the van en route Canberra, I was wondering if my family would like our new home. They’d better, with all the troubles I had to go through!

That morning in Sydney, were scampering to dress up. We woke up past 8:00 in the morning and we need to catch the 9:30 am service in Hillsong City Church. We couldn’t afford to miss this church service because we were scheduled to go to Canberra by lunch time. Instead of us taking the bus, my uncle volunteered to drive us to Canberra because my family had so many luggages.

We didn’t even bother to take a bath. We just washed our face, brushed our teeth and combed our hair. There’s not even time for breakfast. While we were going out of the hotel, I was praying for a taxi. Taking the bus or the train was not practical because I don’t exactly know how to commute going there. All I know was the church is in Young Street, Waterloo. I was about to call Sydney’s Taxis Combined using my mobile phone but I saw a taxi approaching when we reached the hotel entrance. As it turned out, taking the taxi was a good decision not only because it took us directly in front of the church entrance but it was also a cheaper alternative to a train ride.

Before this, I visited Hillsong but the one I attended was its Baulkham Hill Church. It was near Blacktown where my relatives live so its location was very convenient for me that time because I was scheduled to visit them in their house. The City church was smaller than the Hill church but its facility and services were equally excellent. As usual, I was in awe of the tremendous blessings this church has received from God. From its humble beginning in 1983 with only 45 members, this church had expanded into two campuses in Sydney as well as established its presence in London, Kiev and Paris. In Sydney alone, its average attendance is 20,000 on any given weekend, hence it carries a reputation of being the largest church in Australia. The church also has city-wide networks of connect groups as well as 14 extension services all over Sydney that caters to different locations and cultures. An example of its extension service is the one found in Doonside, Blacktown for Filipino Christians. Although the church is famous for its praise and worship music, a few people know that this mega church is also involved in reaching out and helping Australian and international communities. Through its various programs including Hillsong City Care, they help children, youth and adults especially those belonging in the marginalized communities.

When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by the ushers. Because the service is about to start, we went straight to the kids church section. The playroom was very nice so Sam requested to accompany Lilay in the toddler’s room. As usual, the praise and worship is heavenly. We are not familiar with the songs because they are singing their recent album but the songs are easy to follow. They had a guest pastor that time who will also speak in the Hillsong Conference 2007. He talked about what it feels like being under and outside God’s umbrella.

After the church service, we bought the latest Hillsong Live DVD called Saviour King. We were once again blessed with a taxi when we got out of the church. We had to rush back to the hotel because my uncle is already on his way to pick us up. We were thinking of having a quick lunch first but there is simply no time. When we arrived, the only thing that we were able to do is to carry our luggages in front of the hotel. Good thing Tita Nini, my uncle’s wife, prepared food so we ate hungrily along the way. Jay, their eldest son was driving the van.

So after more than three hours of driving, interrupted only by a quick stop in one of the designated car stops (which has a weird toilet whose hole goes straight to the soil), we are almost in Watson, our new home, our new suburb. I am very excited to see how they would react if they see the apartment that we are renting. It is strategically located because it is just on the side of Majura Primary School (Sam’s future school), a few meters away would be the bus stops and Watson Shops, and at the end of the block is Christian City Church Watson, our future church. In short, everything is near, everything is conveniently walking distance.

I could not really fully describe what they felt when they saw the house. Suffice it to say, they liked it very much. We are home at last, a beginning of our new adventure together as one happy family!

Posted in Weblogs | No Comments »

Breathless in Sydney (Day 2)

June 30th, 2007 by tobits

Call it sheer coincidence or luck but I consider it God’s perfect timing. The Sydney Opera House was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site two days ago (June 28, 2007) and here we are today in Circular Quay, after a very short train ride and accompanied by my uncle and aunt and their youngest son, walking towards one of the famous landmarks in Sydney. The first familiar Australian icon that we saw after going out of the train station is the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which has celebrated its golden anniversary a few months ago (March 18, 2007). This was actually my second time to visit this place, the first being in December 2005, after my laboratory training in CSIRO Plant Industry. But nothing beats seeing these world-renowned landmarks with your family. When I was here the first time, I feel like I have no right to enjoy the place because my family was not with me.

Last night Lilay had a bout with slight fever and this morning, she woke up coughing. Due to these, I thought we wouldn’t be able to go out today. We just contented ourselves with a McDonald’s take-away breakfast and with watching Fern Gully in the television. My relatives who live in Blacktown arrived a few minutes before lunch and we decided to just spend some time to chat and catch up. But by mid-afternoon, Lilay was well enough to go out, thank God! That’s when we decided to go to Circular Quay.

Circular Quay is the focal point of Sydney Harbour, being strategically located at Sydney Cove. This small inlet is the founding site of Sydney and the whole of Australia. As usual, the harbour is very busy with so many boats and ferries arriving and departing on the shore. A group of people is gathered around a guy who is performing on a very tall monocyle. These performing acrobats are very common in Circular Quay and Darling Harbour and most of them are not only extreme daredevils but also hilarious comedians. The weather is perfect for a stroll along the shore for many people, but as usual, we found it very cold. This is further aggravated by the fact that it was very windy. It is sunshiny, yes but the wind was chilly cold. But the weather did not deter us from pursuing our goal: to go on top of the Opera House and to explore its beautifully intricate architecture up close.

After a couple of stops to take nice pictures of the "coat hanger" (obsolete colloquial term for the Harbour Bridge due to its arch-shaped design) which has just celebrated its golden existence, we arrived at the Opera House. This architectural wonder is the youngest cultural site that is by far included in the World Heritage list, 50 years since Architect Jørn Utzon was announced as the design competition winner (1957) and 33 years since Sydney Opera House was officially opened (1973). This building has served as a representative of Australia in the same way as the pyramids symbolised Egypt and the Colosseum depicted Rome.

As usual, the building was breathtakingly majestic. Up close, the building appears to me as an intricately laid out clumps of seashells. For a Filipipino whose biggest ambition is to just stay in Los Baños and simply spend the rest of his life in that science city, visiting the Sydney Opera House is so surreal, as if in a dream. This experience is shared by Louis Kahn when he said that "The sun did not know how beautiful its light was, until it was reflected off this building." Never have I imagined that I would visit this place one day. It was a humbling experience, knowing that it is not by my might nor by my power that we were all here today. Only God could take us here.

After the kids got tired of playing on top of the Opera House, we decided to take the last "train ride" to tour around the Royal Botanic Garden. Just a walking distance from the Opera House, this garden park is one of the three largest gardens open to the public in Sydney. This 30-hectare garden is a must-see because it provides big break from the city life, being situated at the edge of Sydney Central Business District, just south of the Sydney Harbour. More than a public park, this garden is actually the country’s oldest scientific institution (established in 1816), housing more than 7,500 plant species in its collection. This site was actually the place where the first farm in Australia was situated (in 1788). Unfortunately, Lilay slept almost all througout the trip so she failed to enjoy this beautiful garden. Sam, on the other hand, took a lot of pictures of different plant varieties found in the garden.

As usual, it was a very tiring day for all of us so we decided to have dinner in a pizza place almost in front of our hotel, in a restaurant is called Doughboy. The place is weird because the crew stays and prepares the food at the basement so it appears that the place is empty. The pizza is very yummy, though. We finished the entire large pizza in a flash! Again, another memorable day for me and my family.

Posted in Weblogs | 2 Comments »

Up and Around Sydney (Day 1)

June 29th, 2007 by tobits
I thought we would waste our first day in Sydney by just staying in Highfield Hotel the whole day. Carlene, Sam and Lilay were sleeping the whole morning in our hotel at Potts Point as if they were suffering from a severe case of jetlag. After I fetched them from the Sydney International Airport, all my family did was eat and sleep in the hotel. (There was a minor inconvenience with the taxi ride from the airport. I am used to paying through my debit card but the taxi needs cash so I had to find an ATM inside the airport. This took some time because the machine would not accept my card.) So here I am, missing my family and wanting to take them to several places in Sydney today and all they could do was sleep on me. I can’t actually blame them because it’s horrendously cold outside and it’s warm and cozy inside our room.

Finally, as if the enchanted slumber spell was broken, my family woke up one by one. Lilay woke up first and was in her usual hyper mode once again after sleeping for a couple of hours. We got bored waiting for the other two to wake up so I decided to take Lilay for a short stroll. After all, I need to make up to her for my five months of absence. I enjoyed carrying her around Potts Point. Chatting with her while walking was really fun. I also realised how big a difference five months could make to a child. She is now more fluent in speaking in Tagalog and in English. I’m so impressed!

When we got back, the two are still sleeping so we had to wait a bit more. By the time that everybody was awake, it’s already 3 pm and we missed most of the places we would’ve visited today. I decided to just take them to Darling Harbour to visit Sydney Aquarium. We grabbed a quick late lunch at Joe’s Deluxe Cafe first, an Italian cafe along Victoria Street in Potts Point. It’s just walking distance from our hotel. I thought the food would be very expensive because the cafe had a posh ambience, but I was surprised when I paid our bill because it’s very affordable considering that the food they served was big and sumptous.

Since where we are booked is just near the Kings Cross train station, we decided to take the train. It’s actually not only their first train ride in Sydney but mine as well. Darling Harbour is just two train stations away. From Kings Cross Station, we went down to Town Hall and walked from there to Sydney Aquarium. What was supposed to be a short walk became long and winding thanks to my sense of direction (or my lack thereof). Instead of walking straight towards the direction of Sydney Aquarium via Imax Theatre Sydney (the world’s biggest screen, they claim), we ended up going to the other direction. Now looking at an interactive map from the Darling Harbour website, I realized that we had circumnavigated the entire harbour because we ended up on the other side, where Sydney Convention Centre and National Maritime Museum was located. Our only consolation was passing through a park with a vast playground along the way, where the kids spent some time to play.

The kids immensely enjoyed the Sydney Aquarium, it being one of the largest aquaria in the world. More than an aquarium, the place displays the diversity of species in northern and southern rivers as well as northern and southern oceans of Australia. It is arranged such that the most spectacular and breathtaking sections were towards the end of the tour. The kids particularly liked the Open Ocean and the Great Barried Reef Oceanariums (or should I say Ocenaria because it’s plural?). They had fun when we went through the underwater tunnels where we can directly view sharks, manta rays, turtles, fishes and other sea creatures. My favorite part is the last viewing deck at the Great Barrier Oceanarium where you can just sit back and relax and watch the sea creatures swim as if you’re watching a live cinema.

After the tour, the kids had some fun looking for some stuff at the souvenir shop. Sam bought a walrus stuffed toy which she called "Warly" and Lilay bought a sunglass and a toy camera where she can view some fascinating sea creatures. We were so tired when we got back in our hotel but it is all worth it. It’s definitely a memorable experience for the kids.

Posted in Weblogs | No Comments »

Reunited… (and it Feels so Good!)

June 29th, 2007 by tobits
Instead of me fetching them in the Philippines, my family ended up travelling to Sydney on their own. The original plan is for me to do some research in IRRI and then at the end of the experiments, we would travel to Sydney together. I was very excited of that prospect because it’s my family’s first ever overseas trip and airplane ride. I want to be with them as they fly so I can witness all the fun and excitement. But because of some delays in my experiment here in CSIRO and some issues regarding biosafety clearance that we need to secure to conduct the transgenic experiments in IRRI, my trip back home was postponed for later this year.

For two months, I prepared all the necessary documents for my family’s trip here. I purchased a family health insurance, secured a confirmation of enrollment (CoE) for Sam from Turner Primary School, sent a student dependent visa application form complete with all the supporting documents to Carlene, and booked a flight for my family via Qantas through Bon Voyage Travel and Tours (Kate was able to provide me with a good price because she was able to obtain a promo from Qantas). I also instructed Carlene what to buy and what to bring. (They will arrive mid-winter so I saw to it that they have lots of thick clothes to wear.)

June 28, my family left Manila (They were accompanied by Carlene’s family. They had fun in SM Mall of Asia first before going to the airport. The farewell with her family is another story but I would rather that Carlene relate this story). It was raining for two weeks in Sydney and in Canberra that time so I know that they are in for a ride of their life. Later, my wife told me that the take-off from Manila was smooth but the landing in Sydney was very turbulent. I am sure that this made her first plane ride memorable and unforgettable. (Considering that it is her first trip and she is responsible for my two kids and four baggages, I really admire my wife for her courage and strength.)

I waited for almost half an hour in Sydney International Airport before I saw them come out of Gate A of the arrival area. That wait seemed like an eternity because I was so excited to see them after five months of separation. I was so impatient and restless. When they saw me, Sam ran hurriedly ran towards me and Lilay jumped out of the luggage push cart to embrace me very tightly (see picture above). Then Lilay looked at my face after I carried her in  my arms as if to say: "Are you really my father? Is this for real?! Are we really in Australia?!" As my family hugs me, the five months of waiting suddenly seemed like just a big bad nightmare. Now I can brave the Canberra winter. They are here to keep me warm. We are reunited at last and it feels so good!!!

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

When it rains, it pours…

June 16th, 2007 by tobits

"It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon (Genesis 41:28-32, NIV).

When I arrived in Brisbane last January, it was summer so it was scorching hot. Back then Australia is experiencing a severe drought. It was so severe that water usage restriction was increased to Level 5. This means that the average daily consumption of water per individual should only be 150 liters per day. It also means that watering of lawns are not permitted and exisiting gardens can only be watered three times a week. There is also further restrictions when it comes to filling up swimming pools and spas, washing cars, cleaning houses, taking outdoor showers, and using water for pets.

For many years, christians prayed for rain. Even some government leaders encouraged people to pray that the drought would end. I remember reading a news a few days ago regarding a family of farmers who prayed for rain and it seems that God is answering these prayers now. We are seeing heavy downpour of rain lately. For example, a city called Goulburn which is less than an hour drive from Canberra, planned to import water by trucks a few days ago but now, this drought-stricken city in New South Wales has dams overflowing and a river bursting with water. The water was so abundant such that some areas in Sydney are experiencing flash floods, with some houses deeply submerged in flood water. Seems that the government and the people are so used to the drought that they were caught unawares of this sudden change in climate.

This recent event reminds me of the story of Joseph interpreting the dreams of the encumbent pharaoh (I am currently reading Genesis using my new The Message bible). The seven years of plenty and the seven years of lack are symbolically depicted in the dreams of the pharaoh as seven fat and seven skinny cows as well as seven healthy and seven sickly grains. In turn, I can’t help but also connect this biblical event to the El Niño and La Niña phenomena (I also recently watched a National Geographic documentary about these weather fluctuations). These two alternating phenomena significantly affect the global climate. For example, it has been observed that when there is severe flooding in the southern portion of the US, there is a corresponding drought and bush fires in Australia. It has also been postulated that these weather phenomena are responsible for the rise and fall of a Peruvian civilisation.

Looks like El Niño is history and La Niña is here to stay, at least in this portion of Australia. While the Australian weather bureau is conservative in its prediction, I do hope and pray that seven years or more of abundance is in store for Australia. This country needs to recover from the devastation caused by the drought.

Posted in Weblogs | No Comments »

Always Winter, Never Christmas

June 12th, 2007 by tobits

The fog was thick when I woke up this morning. Canberra has just celebrated the Queen’s birthday yesterday and as traditions go, it becomes freezing cold after the Queen’s birthday. It is as if Her Excellency officially heralds the winter season in Canberra. I wonder if CS Lewis knows of this fact about Canberra (or the whole of Australia for that matter) when he described Narnia as a place blanketed with snow under the reign of the evil queen in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Not that the Queen is evil nor is Canberra blanketed with snow but as in the case of Narnia, Canberra is “always winter, never Christmas”.

Three months of cold winter and no Christmas. What a gloomy prospect. Part of me wants to go back to Brisbane where the temperature is kinder, or to the Philippines where the weather is more tolerable. I would rather endure the constant Philippine rain in June than live in “sunshiny but chilly Canberra,” as one of my Australian friends puts it.

Also today, on my way to the bus station, I made an unexpected detour to David Jones (they have mid-year clearance sale starting today till Sunday) in Canberra Centre to buy a woollen pair of gloves. My hands are freezing cold as we have our first subzero weather forecast in the capital city, with lows of -2°C and highs of 12°C. Again, this is as expected after celebrating the Queen’s birthday: you get a subzero temperature.

So winter is here and there’s no denying. My routine outdoor upper-body get-up nowadays is thermal undershirt, shirt, knitted sweatshirt (weird, but they call it “jumpers” here) and hooded sweater (“hoodies” here). I also wear bonnet (“beanies” here) because the cold gush of air is causing me headache. I can still survive with my good old pair of jeans and rubber shoes but I might eventually need to wear thermal underpants later.

My only consolation is the arrival of my family on June 29. We will spend our weekend in Sydney before we stay in our apartment in Watson. I am sure that despite the cold weather, my family will keep me warm the entire winter season. I am confident that despite the “always winter, never Christmas” season here in Canberra, this city will still be the warmest city with my family around.

Posted in Weblogs | No Comments »

Autumn in Canberra

April 8th, 2007 by tobits

Dscf0951 Autumn in Canberra officially started last March 25 (Sunday) with a temperature as low as seven degrees Celsius. The night before that, the wind was so intense as if it’s trying to blow away any vestige of summer. As a person who spent 31 years in the tropics, I find this temperature very cold. In fact, when I went to church that day, I was shivering. When I told that to one of the church ushers, he said: "Cold?! This is not cold yet!", pertaining to the fact that winter temperature here can be as low as negative four degrees Celsius. That dreadful temperature is thankfully three months away from now.

Dscf0639 It’s more than a month now since I moved in to Canberra after spending a month in Brisbane for my Introductory Academic Program at The University of Queensland (Just like THE Ateneo, UQ is not just called UQ but THE UQ). When I was here last November 2005, I find it a very provincial city– and by provincial I meant in an endearing kind of way. That time, I got an IRRI Special Training Grant and I stayed in Australia’s capital city for a month. Now that I am back and having spent another month here, I am growing to like the place more and more. Yes the weather is cold during autumn and winter but aside from that I have nothing to complain. This place is perfect for a very provincial guy like me. It is a place you could be confident in raising your family because it is one of the safest and peaceful cities in the world and it claims to have a very low crime rate. It is a place you could roam around 2 am and still be assured that nothing untoward will happen to you. To illustrate an extreme example, banks have no security guards. Mall security guards on the other hand do not frisk you at the entrance. They just roam around the mall with only a wooden baton for a weapon.

Dscf1189 Another perk of living in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is the fact that it has a very multicultural and highly academic environment so racial discrimination is highly unlikely. Also, people here are paid more as compared to other Australian states. Of course, the downside of that is that the cost of living is higher here.

Dscf0614 Despite these, most Australians consider Canberra as a boring city. A graffiti I saw in a public toilet calls it “Can-boring” City. Most shops in the malls would close as early as 5:30 pm. The only exception is on Friday where shops close at 9 pm. Most Australians usually describe Canberra as a city with too much politicians and bureaucrats. Another thing that contributes to this perception is the fact that Canberra is not your typical national capital city. You would not see tall skyscrapers. In fact it is a city within a park. But I like it here. It is my second home, a place where I will raise my family for four years while I pursue my Ph.D.

Posted in Weblogs | 1 Comment »

First week in Canberra

March 26th, 2007 by tobits

I arrived in Canberra February 24 (Saturday. I actually missed my plane so I had to take a later flight. But that’s another story). It was late summer back then. CSIRO Plant Industry (my research lab) booked a free one week accommodation for me at ANU’s University House. It came with a free buffet breakfast so I enjoyed the hotel immensely.

I thought my stay in that 3.5 star hotel would be very comfortable and uneventful until that freak hailstorm on Tuesday (February 27). That afternoon I decided to buy some personal stuff from Canberra Centre, the biggest mall within the city. Because it has been a long day, I decided to take an afternoon nap.

After waking up at around 7 pm, I watched TV (they call it "tellie" here. Most words are shortened in Australian colloquial English like "brekky" for breakfast, "footy" for football, "barbie" for barbecue, "mosquie" for mosquito, etc.). While watching, I heard loud pounding on the roof but I thought it was just a heavy rain. Suddenly, the fire alarm went off so I immediately left my room and headed to the hotel’s lobby (As I found out later, there was really no fire. The alarm might have been triggered by the hailstorm). In my haste, I forgot to wear my slippers. Totally clueless of what’s happening, I sat in the lobby’s sofa and chatted with some of the people sitting there. Then I heard somebody said something like "So when do you think that will melt?", gesturing outside. Barefooted, I went outside to see what he meant by that. Only then did I found out that the entire lawn was foggy and covered with hail stones.

The following morning, I thought I still could go to the lab and work so I put on several layers of clothes and a jacket on top (which I removed later because during lunchtime, the sun was shining intensely that the temperature began to rise) and bravely walked from the Uni House to my laboratory. It was freezing cold but I found the view very spectacular. Being a guy from a tropical country, I have never seen any snow in real life, much more hailstones. I took some pictures and videos of ANU which I will later post in this site.

That hail storm was really freaky because Canberra is supposed to celebrate its last day of summer that day (for sample pictures, click here). It dumped "tonnes of hail and torrential rain… Hailstones the size of golf balls blocked drains, causing extensive flooding which collapsed ceilings of buildings and left their interiors water-logged". Canberra Centre, the Australian National University (70 buildings damaged, classes suspended until next Monday), some other primary and secondary schools, the Civic Library, other private and government office buildings, were all damaged. Many roads were closed, some were flooded. Many commuters were stranded (for the news, click here). The natural calamity left a multi-million dollar damage, clean-up and repair (for details, click here and here).

Even our laboratory had to be closed for two days after the storm (an early holiday treat for me considering that i haven’t really started any experiment that time). Most of the glasshouses which contains precious experimental setups were shattered.

What a way to spend my first week in Canberra!

Posted in Weblogs | No Comments »

Our Neverending Stream of Provision

October 23rd, 2006 by tobits
Entry for October 23, 2006

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)

When I was in Canberra mid-November last year, it was early summer. The soil was drying up. On my way to Toad Hall one day, after a long day at the lab, the wind was so strong that some of the trees were uprooted. It was a gloomy afternoon, seeing so many trees fell. Up close, I noticed that the trees fell because of two things: one, the soil was very dry; and two, the trees had shallow roots.

As Christians, we are not immune from financial drought. Although we experience abundance, God oftentimes allows us to experience lack. But despite extreme poverty, I am confident that we can still give back to God what is due Him. Why? Because we are like deeply rooted trees and God is our never ending stream of provision. We will not worry because despite financial drought, God will continually make us bear fruits.

Posted in Tithes and Offering | No Comments »

« Older Entries