City of Lights

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Jacklyn

On Saturday night, I took a leisurely stroll down Macquarie Street to take in the “visions” that were part of Sydney’s Vivid Festival (I also wanted to take my Nikon D90 out for a test drive). It was such a cool way to brush up on Sydney history – stories about the city’s past were displayed across the façade of popular monuments like St. Mary’s Cathedral, Parliament House, and Hyde Park Barracks; and it was a free event =)

The woman in this photo stood at that same spot for about 10-15 minutes. She’s in every shot that I took of this building… but she didn’t seem to mind.

Crazy well-lit arches are so not Sydney’s style, but they add a whole lot of attitude.

And remember where I saw Grand Master Flash??

On St. Mary’s Cathedral, they displayed the original lay out of the city, showing a lot of the old maps, and brief anecdotes on how some streets got their names…

Last but not least… my favorite photo of the night. Just across the statue in front of the Barracks. I managed to get only one shot to work out, of about six or seven, because I didn’t want anyone to be looking straight at the camera.

SMH Half Marathon 2010

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Jacklyn

So, a few things to note about my race tomorrow:

-this will be my first official half marathon
-I’m gonna wear my iPod despite “race etiquette”, but I’ll keep one ear open
-it’s supposed be effing cold (but it’s hilly – I’ll warm up quickly)
-I spent days working on my playlist. I think it’s solid. I organized it so that it starts out slow and picks up (a lot) as it goes along.

“Collarbone” – Fujiyama & Miyagi
“Bom Bom Diggy” – Tricky & DJ Muggs
“Cut Chemist Suite” – Ozomatli
“Christiansands” – Tricky
“No Más” (Versión Málaga) – El Chojin
“Mentiras” – Los Amigos Invisibles
“Carry Out” – Timbaland
“Hell is Around the Corner” – Tricky
“Rude Boy” – Rihanna
“Empire State of Mind” – Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
“Everything is Everything” – Lauryn Hill
“Heads Will Roll” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
“Give it to Me” – Madonna
“Hot in Here” – Nelly
“Air Force Ones” – Nelly
“An Open Letter to NYC” – Beastie Boys
“Call Me What U Want” – Paul Wall
“Paradise Circus” (Gui Boratto Remix) – Massive Attack
“Over Me” – Tricky
“My Friend” – Groove Armada
“Psyche” – Massive Attack
“Slideshow at Free University” – Le Tigre
“What We All Want” – Gang of Four
“Lazy Eye” – Silverspun Pickups
“Drop the Tough” – Groove Armada
“Daft Punk is Playing at My House” – LCD Soundsystem
“The Black Keys Work” (Phonique Remix) – Erlend Øye
“Dashboard” – Modest Mouse
“Kangpe” – Nneka
“Lovers of Lights” – Afro Celt Soundsystem
“Such Great Heights” – Postal Service

-Here’s the marathon map:

And these are a few landmarks during the run:

I walked part of the route today to get a feel for it and noticed that most of the roads we’re running on are really narrow. There’s also a lot of long gradual hills, but the entire run seems to be evenly split between going up and down hills. We’ll see how it goes…

Sydney Fish Markets

Posted on May 1, 2010 by Jacklyn

My very first trip to a fish market was when I was about 5 years old and I went with my grandmother to the palenke in Manila. I remember it smelled bad and I spent the whole time avoiding strategically placed puddles. I mean, when you’re 5 and you’re knee-high… that’s about the best view you can get.

Obviously, I’ve seen a lot more fish markets since then, and while I certainly don’t tower over anyone in height, I at least have a much better perspective on things; and, I assure you, walking into the Sydney Fish Market this afternoon was about as good as walking into a sample sale in Manhattan (when the doors just open).

There were so many different types of fish! And they were all fresh! Everything from albacore to morwong to yellow-spotted goatfish. There were some freaky looking ones too… and bay bugs (they look like lobsters that are curled up).

Most of the fishmongers also sold cooked seafood. You could pick up fish kebabs and seared scallops at less than $5! If you decide to eat when you get there, go towards the area with the cluster of different vendors – the seafood literally looked like it just got off the boat and went straight into the frying pan. And the blue crabs! They were massive little fuckers!

I’ve also never seen a 2 1/2 ft. Mahi Mahi or octopi sold en masse. Who eats that much octopus?? They had pool-sized tanks for their lobsters! Chris needs to get here stat. I need help manning the esky for my weekend trips to the fish market.

Lawn Bowling in Paddo

Posted on April 17, 2010 by Jacklyn

I like that there’s something uniquely Aussie about playing lawn bowling – even if it’s just the fact that it gets (much much) better after a few pitchers of low-carb beer.

Unlike American bowling, I think lawn bowling requires a lot more technique; and you’ll notice that each round gets progressively more difficult as you move the white ball either closer to you, or as far away as one step from the gutter. For one, the ball isn’t wholly round – it’s a donut shape. So obviously if you roll it on the wrong end, it’ll flop around and you won’t gain any distance (much less, any level of accuracy). Another thing: one side of the ball is also heavier than the other, so as the ball slows down, it tends to curve towards the heavier side – hence, the need for technique. And it takes time to really learn how to judge the distance and the gradation of the curve.

Just as a minor preface: our Aussie Team has grown to five people in about four months, when it’s been stuck with just two for the past year and a half. My boss flew in from NY to discuss new roles and responsibilities… and, of course, to play some lawn bowling.

And we can’t play lawn bowling without something to munch on! Let’s get ourselves some yummy cajun seasoned potato wedges. Then we can work on those great forms.

Don’t I look like a natural??

I feel like I don’t really need to say it… but my team won =) We did 15 games (best of 3… 5 games a set) and we killed it. Losing team had to take Sambuca shots. I asked the bartender “what the strongest you’ve got behind the bar?” They really didn’t have much of anything so Sambuca it is.

And the entire Aussie Team (minus the jumping guy in the background – haha)…

Vaucluse House to Milk Beach

Posted on March 14, 2010 by Jacklyn

Yesterday, I came across an old Time Out Sydney magazine that I must’ve kicked under my bed sometime in December. I don’t even remember reading it, but it was the Summer Issue and it had a list of Sydney’s “best” everything – from beaches to ice cream parlors, to a few secret hikes. I settled on finding the secluded Milk Beach in Vaucluse and Patagonia (an Argentinean icea cream spot in Coogee). It looked like a promising day… a cooler breeze than usual, but still hot under the sun.

I called Daniel and checked to see what he was up to – nothing planned; he was down to tag along for the day so we decided on meeting at the Junction at noon.

He came in from Inner West so it’s not the most convenient meeting point for him, but at least the 386 stop was right above the train station. We grabbed a quick bite to eat then took the 12:26PM bus on its way to Vaucluse. I think we both just made the assumption that because the bus was headed in the right direction, that it was also going to take the right road to where we were headed. We took the wrong bus.

386 goes down New South Head Road and takes it all the way up towards the direction of Watson’s Bay. But what we wanted was to go up Vaucluse Road and get off at the Strickland House. I guess that would’ve been too easy anyway.

Luckily, we got off the bus just before getting too far off track and we took Petrarch Ave from New South Head all the way down to Olola Ave. It was a long walk. We had to cut through a main road, two parks, a stable house, and several stairways before finding Milk Beach.

The parks in Vaucluse are beautiful though. They’re empty and quiet; it’s very peaceful. There were these large trees everywhere that made me think of Hawaii.

And Vaucluse House was pretty impressive. When we found it, we didn’t really know what we were looking at, much less have an idea of whether or not we were trespassing on private property. There were no signs and no staff. The buildings were Spanish Mission style and everything seemed grand – massive doorways, a long stable, a fireplace that I can walk into…

The main house had multiple chimneys that looked like turrets and a wrap-around patio with plenty of seating.

-laughs- so much for making it to the beach in the early afternoon… it started to turn cloudy anyway. And the chances of me ever going to Vaucluse House (by choice) is very unlikely, so it was nice to have just stumbled onto it.

About 10 minutes walk from Vaucluse House (through a series of winding roads and a long stairway), we found the Strickland House. Yay! It’s not as impressive, but the view is pretty awesome.

And, of course, a short walk behind the house is Milk Beach… empty, quiet, and with very granular almost-white sand.

Much like Washaway, it’s not really a “swimmable” beach. Maybe early in the summer, but because boats dock around this little cove, it’s not the cleanest water. But it is one hell of a spot for sunbathing. We didn’t stay because the sun wasn’t cooperating, but we did follow the Hermitage Foreshore Walk. It’s a short 1.6k walk around the Vaucluse shoreline and, on the way, you’ll also find secluded Queen’s Beach. At the end of the walk, we found ourselves on a 325 bus stop and ended up going to Camp Cove anyway =)

Because it was cooler than usual, Camp Cove was desserted. We stayed until it started to rain and then made our way to Taste of Sydney at Centennial Park (we opted out of Patagonia for another day)…

Australia Day 2010

Posted on January 27, 2010 by Jacklyn

The alarm went off at 5AM, as planned. I wanted to get a 10K in to finally hit my 150-mile mark. But I felt lazy. I hit the snooze on my blackberry and conveniently passed out again. The next time I heard it, it was 6:58. Why didn’t I guess that?

I wanted to catch the Woggan-ma-gule Morning Ceremony at Farm Cove in the Royal Botanic Gardens. Of course, it starts at 8AM. I was in and out of the shower quickly and ran for the bus stop. Then I remembered – all buses are running on a holiday schedule. The next one will probably show up in about an hour. Suck ass.

I walked to the top of Birriga and was immediately on the look-out for a taxi. Spotted one! The driver was really nice and he was familiar with the ceremony. “It’s a big deal!” He got me there quickly, but I was dropped off pretty far from the Royal Botanic Gardens – the streets surrounding the park was closed because of the Vintage Classic Car show. I made a mental note to scope it out later.

I ran into the Domain and started looking for posted directions; for something supposedly so important, this event was actually kept on the DL. Very few people I’ve told were even aware that this is something that happens every year on Australia Day. Weird. I didn’t find the place immediately, but I did run into someone heading to the same place – Irina. She’s originally from St. Petersburg and has been living in the city for a little over seventeen years. And like every person I’ve met in Sydney, she was very amicable and was more than happy to keep me company. We found the cove after trailing a small group of people in front of us. We exchanged numbers and she invited me to attend her BBQ later in the evening (apparently, we’re neighbors!) Then I walked around to find a good seat on the grass.

The ceremony began promptly at 8AM. There was a large grassy area with decorative circular patches of sand scattered across. There were a few props that were set up earlier and, just in the distance, you could see smoke drifting towards the audience… when it started to drift in different directions, I caught a glimpse of our cast. They moved forward with heavy feet and slouched as though the weight of the entire world rested on their shoulders. They made a haunting sound. The beating of the drums really set the mood and the droning noise of didgeridoo gave me the creeps. It was quite the spectacle.

A 30-minute performance that had the elements of every good story: your good guys and bad guys, the evil and the virginal, a goddess figure, a battle, and a happy ending. There was something very primal about the entire thing. The music really helped in understanding the context and, it was enjoyable! At one point, in the middle of the battle between good and evil, they started playing this funky tribal beat layered with some trippy ambient music and I swear I wanted to dance so badly. Is that wrong? That I felt like jamming to music that’s supposed to convey war? Eh. Maybe a little. But it sounded so good. And the finale? It was even better.

I left the gardens at 8:45 and went in search for food. On my walk to the exit, I came across a section of the gardens that the bats considered their sanctuary. They looked like fruits hanging from the trees… until one of them spread its wings and freaked me out. There must have been several hundreds of them. Everywhere.

Anyway… searching for food… I couldn’t find any open vendors yet (too early) so I dived into my packed lychees and look! They were beautiful =)

Now I know what a really good lychee is supposed to look like. When you pinch it a little to crack through the skin, it should be pretty easy to peel. It’ll be pink inside and the fruit itself practically false right off the seed in the middle. Yummy! It lasted me a good 10 minutes just until I found myself a sausage roll. Why not? It’s Aussie Day.

I headed to Circular Quay shortly thereafter and met with Mitch and Daniel – two students I previously met at the Al Green concert on the Domain. They’re both in Sydney for a little while to finish up their Masters… I think Daniel is doing his in Marketing and Mitch might be doing his on Jazz Music. -laughs- They’re a funny combination.

We were catching the Ferrython at 11:30AM and then the Tall Ships Race right after! We found a nice corner right underneath the Harbour Bridge and snapped away.

It turned out to be a really sunny day, despite a bad start in the morning. And it was hot again. I would’ve killed to have been wearing shorts or a dress.

After the races, we needed to grab some grub so we went straight to Paddy’s Market and visited Mamak – Mitch’s favorite Malaysian restaurant in Sydney. The food was pretty incredible, as promised. We had the Chicken Murtabak, Roti Bom, Ayam Berempah, and Ais Kacang for dessert. Solid meal for $15 when we split it between us. And it was pretty filling! Daniel mentioned that Mamak is probably the 3rd best Malaysian restaurant in Sydney… the best one was located in Paramatta – too far a trip for today, but we’ll be sure to visit it soon.

Afterwards, I went off on my own again. They were in the mood for jazz at Pyrmont Park – I preferred reggae, funk, and ska by the Quay. Although, I might have enjoyed the jazz a little more just because the bands I saw were a little disappointing. I was telling Chris the other night that anyone can play a reggae tune, but not just anyone can write a good reggae song. The lyrics were weak. I stayed for a bit, but left sooner than I expected.

And to end the day? I took up Irina’s offer and went to her BBQ at Bellevue Hill. She tried to warn me just as I stepped into her yard, “it’s really a BBQ for middle-aged folks”. I laughed. I should fit right in. Her house was so beautiful. It was massive. Her kitchen? I want to live there. I was the last one to show up at the BBQ and so I was the last one to leave (not necessarily by choice). Irina was sweet though, and drove me back since I’m only about 5 minutes away. “Call me anytime. Just in case you’re bored.” Me? Bored? Oh please… tomorrow, I’ll have yet another source of amusement.

2 weeks in CBD

Posted on December 6, 2009 by Jacklyn

There’s a ferry across the harbor that departs every twenty minutes. Outside my balcony, I can see the quiet city of Pyrmont, the walkway across Darling Harbour, and a ship in front of the National Maritime Museum. You can spot neon lights across that say “Grand Mercure” and “Star City”.

The harbor sort of surrounds the Central Business District (CBD) and gives it character, much like Chicago’s city by the lake. Everything seems new – the buildings, the parks, the roads and footpaths. You can walk for hours, trying to make sense of the alleys, or struggling to go up and down the long staircases that connect two sides of the same city.

It’s not at all very much like Brooklyn. Though it’s somewhat similar to Manhattan… It’s not necessarily fast-paced, but there’s always work to be done. And when you’re in a client-facing field, you get out of the office almost every day.

(I kind of like that about it.)

Even when you think of isolating yourself from the rest of the city, you get very little chance to do so. People want to hang out, have a good time, drink. And they especially don’t want you to stay at home most nights just because you’re new in town.

I’ve managed to put some structure to my weeknights – dancing on Tuesdays and Thursdays (with the Sydney Dance Company), and Friday drinks at the office. The weekends are a toss-up between laying low and spending a day reading at the beach (sunscreen on hand).

With my pending move to a new home near Bondi, I’ve also managed to schedule a night out with Etta (soon-to-be flatmate) and a Moroccan themed dinner with a co-worker that lives nearby.

This could be nice.

I have another summer to look forward to.

Brooklyn Abroad

9,935 miles later… I find myself in Oz

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