There's always the local pageant

Yessirree! One of the things you can easily do is either to be part of the pageant or be part of the crowd. In this case, I'm one of the hundreds of people who flocked to King William Street, one of the busiest parts of the city where the Annual Credit Union Christmas Pageant is scheduled to pass through.

It was a particularly interesting day. It's great for the kids to see. I love how my nephew, Cam, reacted to everything. Uh, well... almost everything, anyway. He slept during the latter part of the parade. He got up earlier than usual, you see. Poor boy.

Two of my favourite floats are seen in the photo: one is a rendition of a typical aussie man and the other is a really cute creature than seems like it's one of the casts of the cartoon MonstersInc.

It was a great way to spend a day. I felt like a kid again.

I just listen to music.

I love music. I just listen to it to relax. It also helps me think most of the time. Music has become a major part of my life. You can actually tell what kind of mood I'm in by the type of music I'm currently listening to. Too bad I don't really sing well. Teeheehee. So I just listen to them. I'm exposed to various kinds that's why I find myself listening to different types like:

Rock, Alternative, Hip-Hop, Rap, Rhythmn & Blues, Indie, Soul, Funk, Blues, Jazz, and Standards.

I've recently acquired a liking to Aussie's newest sensation, Missy Higgins, and I've been listening to her album, The Sound of White, almost everyday. Sickening, right? Oh, well. I really like it, you see. It's considered her best album yet.

Also included in my playlist are U2, Sting, Coldplay, Mary J. Blige, Tori Amos, Jackson 5, Usher, Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D., Snoop Dogg, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Joss Stone, Maxwell, Matchbox 20, Dishwalla, Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Switchfoot, Lenny Kravitz, Dido, The Doors, 10,000 Maniacs, Marvin Gaye, Goo Goo Dolls, Sarah Maclachlan, Gavin De Graw, 311, Chaka Khan, Indigo Girls, Katie Melua, DSound, New Radicals, Annie Lennox, The Killers, Snow Pilot, Stereophonics, Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Louie Armstrong, Al Green, Alana Davis, Jet, and yea, I know this list is too long now so I'm going to stop.

I can live without TV but I always would want to have music in my life.

°Featured Photo is courtesy of DJ Jerome of Melbourne.

Hanging Out has a new look!

How cool is that?

I'm glad about the positive changes that this blog has made over the past few weeks. I'm sure there'll be lot more good things in store.

Cheers!

Soccer + Football

I'm not exactly knowledgeable when it comes to this sport but I've become a follower of the game for the past few years now. I've picked up some bits about rules, terminologies and the whole culture of the sport. I must say it certainly grows on you.

Yea, I was fortunate enough to be able to watch a Soccer Match [it was my first ever!] at the Hindmarsh Stadium where Adelaide United played against Perth Glory. There were two things that dampened my experience, though. One, the fact that Adelaide lost to Perth 4-2. And two, it rained for the greater part of the 2nd half! My friend and I had to duck for cover but I did get to watch the remaining 10 minutes of the game. Teeheehee.

Queueing up to buy the ticket helped build up the excitement. Walking up the steps of the stadium, not really knowing what to expect, then as the pitch comes into view, with the match well underway, the colors were wonderful! I can still picture the alternating two shades of greens on the pitch, then purples and reds on football jerseys. Plus the sight of the entire stadium as a whole, it was amazing!

The crowd was pretty tame compared to the usual soccer crowd in the UK, according to my friend. He said that back in the UK, people in the stands normally drink beer, make cat-calls to referrees, and sing songs even! Wow. That would have been a sight to watch. Sure, the people around me were also drinking beer and eating hotdogs, blowing their horns and waving their banners, telling the player what he should do [as if he'd hear them really. Teeheehee!], and the general cheering and booing, whichever's applicable, however, being part of that crowd in the stands watching the match was a totally new experience for me so I'm not really asking for anything more [except another chance to do it all over again!].

Overall experience was exhilarating! It's a definitely one of my top suggestions on where you can spend a weekend afternoon!

Photography by: Sasha Manuel

Photos & Photography

It's quite refreshing whenever I see a really good photograph. I admire those people who have the skill and eye for such things. One of the people I was fortunate enough to come across is Chinkin. He's a med student but is a really talented photographer, which is pretty evident in his photoblog.

There are a few other photographers like rosscapili, alistair and flea, to name a few whom I've encountered, both amateurs and professionals. It gave me an insight of how it feels like to be behind the camera instead of the other way around. I'm a part-time model, you see, that bit exposed me to glamour photography and was proven useful when it was my turn to take photos of people.

Now, I've learned to experiment and really practice my photography skills whenever I can. One of the most recent photoshoot I did was of my sister. I'm really proud of the outcome. She was happy about it, too. And I've started to keep a collection of my favorite photos over at Flickr.

Photography is one of my newest hobbies. It's an outlet for my creative side, a chance to be an artist. It helps me express how I appreciate beauty in people and things. I'm still pretty new at it and have yet to learn and practice more. I look forward to more opportunities and better photography in the future.

Food, Food, Food!

Who in the world doesn't love eating good food? I sure do! I love everything from appetizers to desserts! I love the experience of trying new and exotic food but I draw the line on insects and the sort! [Ugh, that made me cringe.]

I just recently acquired a liking to Indian Curry. I have tasted it before but may have forgotten the experience since it was when I visited Singapore way back 1999. I remember that it was when we had dinner at Lau Pa Sat on the night we got there. That's one of the things I miss about that country, the food! It certainly offers great food! However, we do serve curry back in Manila but I noticed now how the Indian Curry is cooked differently. It's spicier and the sauce is thicker, definitely thicker. Too bad I wasn't able to try a couple of Indian restos I've been meaning to visit before I went here. Anyway, I know I'd get the chance to try them out.

Another thing, I stumbled upon a definite must-try recipe for me, Greek Marinated Kebobs! I found this in my online buddy, Wendee's site over at Multiply. I'm still on the look out for more great recipes, hopefully, I'd get around to learning how to cook! I do know my way around the kitchen but I'm no gourmet cook! So, I hang around the kitchen watching my sister cook instead or rely on restos!

If you want to read more about food and cooking, visit Dash Food, especially if you're interested in the food I've already tasted and would definitely recommend!