..Thoughts on thoughts..

Are there times in your life when you can't seem to hear what you're thinking? Either you can't hear yourself because you're thinking too much? (I know at least one of you could understand me here) ... Like too much noise and clutter going on around you. Either coming from within or with the help of your immediate surroundings?

Wouldn't it be a nice place to live when we can spend blissful afternoons at the very least once a month, at a place called Heaven. No one to bother us, no unhappy thoughts, no cold or hot weather but just perfect temperature throughout, no news on war, poverty or hatred. Wouldn't it be nice?
Life life life... What's on your mind now? Mine's just all over the place. :) Oh weeeelll it's one of those days :D

I am going on a 3 night early weekend getaway with my family. Off to the Gold Coast and Moreton Island. Moreton should be fun. It is considered to be the third largest Sand Island in the world. (FYI, Sand Island meaning the whole island is just made up of pure unadulterated sand). Will be heading off to Movie World as well. So much planned. So much to do.

Happy labour day weekend to some of you out there! :)

Gadgets and the Human Race

Modern world is so much about innovation, new ways of making life easier or making the world a high tech place to live in. Imagine a world without television, without a mobile phone, without computers. All these and more make our lives more interesting. We have more topics to talk about in our daily conversations. Yet, there is a limit to what technology can do, there are really cool inventions out there. A company called GTX Corp have added a dimension to technology by coming up with a live tracking GPS. This can be tracked online and offers a whole lot more of options for people who are truly looking for something they have lost. Be it a loved one, a beloved pet or a car! This poses a possibility of abuse, just like any new technology which is susceptible to being taken advantage of. In the end I guess when ordinary people can't appreciate what these technology can provide, that's when danger lurks. Realistically speaking, society is coming up with all these new technology, but are we ready and responsible enough to make use of gadgets as this? I think to some extent yes. It's really about personal accountability. And, to keep in mind always the golden rule : Do not do do others what you don't want done to yourself. If you lose something. You don't want some other people fiddling around trying to track your personal belonging. It goes both ways of course.

Adventure on a quad bike

We went on a Quad Bike tour last weekend and I reckon it's one of the most challenging things (physically) that I have done in the past few months. (The last one was in December when I kayaked around an island in Palawan!).

Before going on the tour, we had this 45 minute training and practice. The instructor even mentioned that if we didn't do well in that first part, there's a possibility of us not going on with the tour! In the beginning, for about a minute or so, I though I was not going with the rest of the group! Really! I was such a klutz. I almost toppled over a few times. Well actually hubby said I wouldn't topple over anyway coz the ATV (quad bike) was heavy and made to be driven on rough uneven terrain (he explained it much better). We did the quad bike tour at Glenworth Valley.

Anyway, I did go on the tour with everyone else. I was right behind the tour guide, just so he could keep an eye on me! Haha! It was such a challenge to be rolling down the hills and up again, going through mud puddles and slidy patches of some things. Real adventure if I may say so. From the beginning of the tour I was wishing it was the end of the road! It was quite uncomfortable as I had my fingers pressed on the brakes pretty much the whole time! My arms were sore coz of the tension that the whole activity brought on me. Shoulders were aching as well as other parts of my body.

The whole ride through I couldn't appreciate nature around me. We passed through a river, heard a few bird chirping and singing, as well as other nature things that I could not really appreciate then. I was thinking to myself that whole time about pushing myself to the limit. All because I had one goal : to get to the end of the tour!! Funny I paid to actually make my muscles ache, body sore, etc! But anyway, I made it through! A few days after I could still feel the pain! Aching everywhere. But I guess it just means my muscles worked double time, and I received my month's worth of exercise! :) Would I do it again next time? I don't know. Maybe. Well at least if I did join a quad bike tour again, I would know better : appreciate the tour and environment. And to try to have fun in spite of the circumstance!

I'm leaving you all a Weekend Quote

To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven." - Karen Sunde

It's the weekend, hunnies! I'm quite excited to leave the city for a while, and just enjoy the coast up north! Hope that we all have a great one! :)

(Note: Photo taken from the web on this page)

Do you believe in long distance relationships?

I have been in a long distance relationship at least five times in my entire life. It just seemed to have dropped on my lap, one after the other! Talk about attracting a particular circumstance over and over again. Having gone through this Long Distance Relationship (or LDR as they call it) made me realise how important communication is in a relationship. It is hard enough to be living in the same city and not having enough quality time to talk, what more for couples who are separated by the ocean and affected by different time zones.

When I moved to Sydney and left my longtime beau, I immediately mastered the art of buying an international phone card. I knew which phone card company offered the best rates, and to which city. Some even had great specials such as better night rates, or additional minutes for higher dollar credit bought. I can remember buying so much phone cards over a span of two years. Most of these cards are actually still kept tucked in my memorabilia box. I opened them recently when I was reminiscing old times, and found out I spent close to 2 grand worth of phone cards. Expensive I know, but at that point in time, I needed it. I needed to call home to speak with family or my loved one to keep my sanity and to keep me from being too homesick.

Hubby followed me here and I don't think we would have made it if we've lost touch during the years that we were apart. Long distance relationships work but only when both parties work towards a goal, and there is a compromise to be together again one day. I've said how much I've spent on phone cards, but that's just my side of the story! Talk to hubby and he'll tell you his share of call expenses as well. All in the name of love, couples would do everything and all effort to keep communication going. And only then can an LDR work.

Photographs and Memories

Such a wonderful manmade creation, the digital camera. Mine is a 40D Canon camera and loving it. I am so not a techie person, but who knows one day I will be able to use it properly, as in with all the technicalities of it: aperture, ISO, exposure, white balance, shutter speed. So far I am just testing them, not really knowing how to accurately and efficiently use my 40D yet. I'm being teased that I should have just stuck with my Cybershot. But then, I just wanted to take nice photos.

Imagine the olden days when people did not even have cameras to capture photos. How amazing, what technology and time can do. Then there were black and white photos on film. Then the coloured photos. Then the basic digital cameras. And then there was light. Endless possibilities to come up with a good, artistic or crisp photograph. Tomorrow we are going out of town. I am hoping to be able to use my camera again to take photos for the record. My memory, that is.

Modern communities

What's with people nowadays finding the need to connect to their friends using online tools and communities? I myself am part of a few online communities and have recently decided to join 3gb community www.3gb.biz . There are a lot ways to share my life with previous acquaintances, old friends and family and I like sharing my photo albums with them, and occasionally engage in long, meaningful chats with them. However way one chooses to connect with people, I think the more modern our society gets, the less time people have for real relationship. Thus, the need to still be able to connect even just through the internet. Human nature, I suppose dictates us as social beings. One can never replace real life conversation, but internet communication is still better than no communication at all.

Have you ever?

Have you ever been thinking about doing something for the longest time, but never ever managed to get around doing it yet?

The line always one goes about saying ... "One day I'll do it..." Sometimes it's just best to pack up your bags and do it. Get it out of your system and just face life head on.

When one is single this is easier to do these, but when one has started a family this is harder to accomplish.

What do you think?

Cityscope: Hilton Head South Carolina

In planning to start a family, I've always taken into consideration the area that my family and I would be living in. Or even the places that we will intend to visit. I've come across Hilton Head South Carolina, where they offer a variety of activities and places to visit. The island town's atmosphere and environment is relaxed and laid back enough for the kids and adults to enjoy. It is safe enough for parents to allow their children to engage in fun activities such as skating, swimming, surfing, kayaking, tennis and golf. At Hilton Head, there are even dolphin tours, face painting, and fireworks that the entire family would be able to enjoy.

I've always enjoyed biking, as a child, and even now that I'm older I have rekindled my love affair with biking. Especially now that I live in a city that loves outdoors, biking has been an option to travel to and from work, but maybe I am not a city biker. Hilton Head SC offers great bike trails that suits everyone whether you are a beginner or an advanced biker. One of the many things they boast of are their public national parks. Researching about this destination excites my travel palate as I can visualise the lifestyle is very much family oriented and showcases a love for outdoor activities. I can't wait to visit this place!

Crossroad? This road will lead you.. where?

Are there moments in time where you wish you could look ahead to see what either or both roads lead to?

If you've watched Sliding Doors, you would see how a seemingly simple event or an obviously complicated issue can lead to the same place or the same thing, when it is destined to be.

Have you ever thought about your recent action, or a decision years ago. If you've done otherwise, what could have happened?

Would you still be here now? Would I still be in my room now, writing this entry?

Perhaps one day we will know. One day the road you've decided to take won't matter anymore, because you are happy.

Sunnies for sunny days

One can never have too much perfect sunnies for that perfect sunny day! Replica Sunglasses helps make choosing and buying sunglasses to be an enjoyable activity. This new website offers a wide range of sunglass selection, from that big sunglasses that you want to bury yourself in at the beach, to that designer sunglass that you would want to walk Hollywood streets in. Having said this, the great thing about this online store is that it caters to both men and women! Offering discount quality sunglasses has never been this attractive. Currently they are doing a promotional, wherein every two pairs of sunglasses gets you an extra pair free! Americans should be particularly giddy about this offer especially since their summer season would be starting fairly soon. Either way though, everyone can relate to needing that perfect sunglass on a perfect day.

I'm dreaming Hayman Island

One of the most popular beach destinations that my Aussie clients ask for, enquire about, and eventually travel to, is called Hayman Island. It is such a private destination for people who want to enjoy but at the same time value their privacy. Hayman Island allows guests to enjoy a unique island experience, having the prime spot right on the Great Barrier Reef, everything in this island resort is refreshing. Cool and relaxing, the resort has 212 room options with choices from the standard rooms to suites to villas.

For the gourmet traveller, Hayman Island's dining options are exquisite and only the best chefs create the menus and cook up interesting meal events to remember.

And for those who are even more wanting a wholistic mind and body experience, the resort is part of the luxury spa network Guerlain Spa Chakra alliance. Tailor made spa treatment programs designed to ease those tense muscles from city life, Hayman Island only thinks of the best for their guests. Imagine feeling so special and pampered on this island. Heaven!

Hayman Island is also open to doing wedding events. This experience allows you to be part of the special memories that Hayman Island creates. Otherwise, the island resort creates a perfect backdrop to that memorable honeymoon.

To reach Hayman Island, one can travel by plane to Hamilton Island or through Proserpine. Should you wish to arrive in style, sea plane transfers are available into the island as well.

However way you decide to arrive into Hayman, everyone surely leaves in the same way : wanting to come back to paradise.

I'd love to be able to travel to Hayman Island one day. I've done Fraser Island, and I'm doing Moreton Island next month. I'd truly aim to visit all the island on the East Coast of Australia. Hayman Island would definitely be on the top end of my list!

Once in a while this traveller plays pool

Although I enjoy playing pool, I've always been a frustrated pool player. But with online billiards, I have better chances of becoming a star player. The updated site features a variety of online pool games, online billiard and snooker. At any time of the day or night should I encounter problems, it is good to know that they offer 24 hour online support.

Bird's nest soup

Do you know what Bird's nest soup are made of? Do you like eating them?

This Chinese delicacy actually comes from cave swiftlets' saliva! Yickie if you think of it. But they really are yum! I've seen a video of how the swifts create this nest for days, only to be taken a few days by the harvesters. And these harvesters do such an amazing job! They lower themselves onto the cave (mostly in South Asia, Northeast Australia, and some Pacific islands) and then use a steep ladder to reach the edible nests. A 'craft' that has been around for hundreds of years, birds nest soup has high levels of potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium, and is said to reinforce the human immune system.

Did you know that our very own El Nido in Palawan is one of the places where they do harvest bird's nests?

And, did you know that a kilogram of white nest can cost to about US$2000! And a kilogram of "red blood" nest (treated with red pigment) can cost up to US$ 10,000!!

Next time you eat bird's nest soup, think about the effort that has gone into making this amazing delicacy. 1. The swift bird doing their thing, making the nest. 2.The cave harvesters who risked their lives to "plow" the nest. 3. Cleansing of the bird's nest, 4. Selling the birds' nest to the restaurateur 5. Transporting the ingredient to the restaurant 6. Chef cooking it up. 7. Serving the birds nest soup to your table.