09/10 in New South Wales

Day nineteen. Last day of 2009.
Relaxation and spa treatment at Bhajune, a Filipino hair studio, in Westfield Parramatta. "...A creation made to perfection"

In the evening we made dinner. Each made a speciality dish from the land of our people. Our is open for interpretation.


Iron chef at the Phan residence.


Judges square up the dishes.


Scallion pancakes by Bevy.


Roasted potato wedges with sour cream & sweet chili sauce by Caz.


Dates stuffed with goat cheese & almond, wrapped in middlecut bacon by Seedy.


Uzbek rice dish by Dimi.


Stolichniy salad sans sour cream and mayonnaise by Dimi.


Royal rumble begin.


9:00 PM fireworks at Sydney Harbour.


Time well spent in Auburn.


No one can keep their fingers from the knee flap.


First new year for the new family addition.


Merry New Year 2010.

Resolutions

• Start career. Objective is to work for a mid-size studio as an assistant to a producer or assistant to a location scout. Freelance as a producer, videographer, and editor until opportunity arises. Network ferviously. Market La Petite Salon to film festivals.
• Climb hard(er). Boulder to improve technique. Climb outdoors in California and surrounding states. Plan future climbing trips to Thailand and Vietnam.
• Appreciate the people in my life. Surround self with compatible individuals who fall into all three categories: food, travel, & lifestyle. Must meet all three categories.
• Decrease dairy intake. Self-explanatory.

Blue Mountain Climbing

Day eighteen. Climbing at Bardens Lookout in Mount Victoria.
Drive onto Great Western Highway. Right at Mount York Road, then slight left to stay on Mount York Road. Destination on left 4.1 km.


Panoramic views over Little Hartley.

Warmed up along the Little Triggers Area. The big and orange wall further right of the overhangs. The area caters for those climbing in the low to mid-20's. A 10-minute hike offers great sport routes and a few good lines on natural gear.


Duc led on the Karinya (16) 25m.

Next route was Jolly Good Fellow (18) 25m. Pleasant wall 6m right of Karinya.


Lady Stardust (22) 22m. US grade conversion 11a.


Caz tops Lady Stardust (22).


Moving to lead on Changes (20) 20m.

There was a mishap when leading on Changes. I'm at fault for not calling to "take" the slack, which led to a 5m drop and severe blisters on my belayer and savior, Duc. The only remedy was 2 lbs of ice and aloe vera gel. Plus humor and Lady Gaga Bad Romance. Overall, today was a good day to climb. Best place to climb by far.

First time commuting solo on the City Rail. Departed Birrong to arrive in Newtown. Greeted warmly across the street by my friend, Jennie Le, and her cousin, Dan. First stop was Oporto for chips and rotisserie chicken with lemon butter herb sauce.

Next destination was Queer Central at Sly Fox Hotel on 199 Enmore Rd in Enmore, then the Velvet Room at the classy Bank Hotel on 324 King St, Newtown. The women at the Sly Fox absolutely push the boundary on entertainment. At least the first act was quite an exposure. If lesbians were categorized under music genre then the edgier Sydney lesbians are hard rock, bohemian Melbourne lesbians are 80's pop, and 'mixed bag' Bay Area lesbians border on top forty, folk, and soft rock. Also note, under the condition that there is a shortage of toilet paper in the women toilets, lesbians should not substitute the pages in magazines for toilet paper. Try the stocked toilets downstairs.

Balkans Bouldering

Day seventeen. Bouldering at the Frontline in Balkans.
Located north of Parramata.


Bouldering accessible by backyard.


Fueled by pork roll sandwich.


Bevy on an unnamed (V0).


Seedy attempts an unnamed (V0).


Where do the feet go?


Dimi puppeteers Caz's feet.


Tanks a lot (V3).


Up and over the sloping bulge on M.A.S.H. (V0).


Bevy inspects a Russian bite.


Dimi traverses right out lip of cave to a tough mantle.


Another attempt, but in a very awkward position.


Duc-y is a guru on Paratroopin' (V7).


Flashed the Point of View (V0).


Clothing optional beyond this point.

Details of the climbing area: http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page_id=10&action=area&area_id=316

Dinner at Sofra Restaurant in Auburn, NSW.


A well-earned mix plate of chicken, lamb, and minced meat.


Abbreviated with the nickname: Duc-y, Caz, & Bevy.

Boxing Day

Day fourteen. Paddington Market.
Au revoir mon amie, Aaron Vanderpoel.


Predominately women's attire, plants, and jewelery.


Without a cell phone, we get lost easily.


Small boutique shops hidden behind Oxford Street.

We wandered over to the Museum of Contemporary Art on Circular Quay West to view the installation of Olafur Eliasson. Unfortunately, due to time constraint, we took our time and browsed through Almanac: The Gift of Ann Lewis AO. The exhibit includes examples of important movements such as Sydney-based abstract art and the establishment and rise of remote indigenous painting as an essential part of contemporary Australian culture.


Jewelry shop in Pitt Street Mall.

Exhausted after shopping around Circular Quay and Queen Victoria Building. We stayed local in Birrong and ordered a chicken pizza from New Star Kebab in Auburn, NSW. Along with the very flavorful Turkish pizza, I had a sweet & flaky baklava.


New Star Kebab, family restaurant at 15 Auburn Road.

Around 8:00 pm we met up with Anthony to watch the new James Cameron movie, Avatar. $16.50 for an adult ticket. At the end of the movie, some folks thought I was crying and was completely moved by the movie, but in actuality I show my appreciation to well-done films by sitting (and attempting to read) through the credits in its entirety. Major collaboration between Lucas Films & the studios of Peter Jackson on the movie. Plus the soundtrack was superb and includes Leona Lewis with "I See You".

Day fifteen. Sydney Football.
Bye bye, Betty Ho. She left early in the morning on the sixteenth day.


Chicken remain defenseless against Dimi.


Chicken & beef with vegetables in a black bean sauce.


Sydney Football Stadium (SFS) located at Moore Park.


Game brought to you by Hyundai A-League 2009/10.


Round one of beers.


Unreserved section in the Sydney football stadium.


Adelaide came with an army of twelve.


Sydney FC vs Adelaide United.


Sydney came with a fleet.


Ewan makes me blush. So does beer.


Patrons complying with the terms of admission.


Ewan & Thuy.


Setting up the play.


Sydney FC team.


Late night bowling near Fox Studios Australia.


Bowling sharks include Marvin & Reg.


Spent enough to buy bags of candy on the claw machine.


All participants reap the rewards.


Successful collaboration for major chocolaty treasures.