Musings of a (Formerly) Displaced Chinese RooBoy

Been a bit slack in updating the blog, so this entry is kinda lengthy. We've been doing a bit of traveling along the West Coast before going back to Melbourne, including south (Tijuana) and north (Vancouver) of the border. Within the US, we visited SF and LA. The funny thing is that we are only doing the LA "tourist" stuff when we're leaving. Like a lot of people, we tend to take things for granted of the local attractions when we live in the area. It's only when you are leaving that you take time to look around. City of Angels Pink's Finally checked out Pink's on Melrose and La Brea. Pink's has been around since 1939 (it used to sell for $0.10) and is an institution around here. We ended up queuing for 50 minutes before placing our orders. The famous chili dogs were kinda average and weren't really worth the time. Pink's Hot Dogs Outside Pink's, with hordes of people lining up for the quintessential LA "taste" Hollywood Sign The...

Been back in Melbourne for a week, and here are my observations: An increase in the number of my Asian brothers from India Melbourne Central shopping mall is new and improved, with better design A lot of new constructions are completed (e.g. Southern Cross station) or underway (e.g. Eastlink tollway) Broadband internet is still expensive and priced by capacity, rather than speed The flies are as annoying as ever (sticks to your face) Summer is hotter than SoCal's I've missed the Rose Bowl (USC thrashed Illinois, as usual) and the NBA (Bulls are playing a bit better, after Paxson made a scapegoat of Skiles by firing him on Christmas Eve). Bring on the NFL Playoffs this weekend - go Chargers.

Wendy and I have decided to return to Melbourne for good, and will be returning in early March!

Having spent 3+ years in L.A. and not attending a Lakers game, I figured it was time to go. And what better opposing team to see than the Bulls (I followed them since the 1990s). Chicago was in town for a double header versus the Clippers and Lakers this past weekend. I picked the Lakers game to see both Kobe (the MJ apparent) and Bulls. Staples Center is a nice, modern facility with decently priced food (I had $8.50 pasta, and expected higher prices). Parking was a hassle as the LA Motor Show was on next door at the Convention Center, and the American Music Awards was at the Nokia Theater. Celebs Note: Mel Gibson and Ellen Pompeo (from that chicks show - Gray's Anatomy) were courtside at the game. Lakers championships banners (and retired jerseys) About to tip-off Outside Staples Center before the game

Just returned from a week-long training in Orlando, FL. Over 200 Senior Consultants from around the US descended onto the Peabody Hotel in the Magic Kingdom and to learn about storyboarding Powerpoint decks, effective orals presentation and to structure deliverables from a business perspective, not just technical. I thought the course was fantastic - lots of soft skills and networking with other consultants. Non-Training highlights were: Night 1: Dinner buffet and Hawaiian luau show Night 2: Checked out Downtown Disney (much bigger than the one in Anaheim) Night 3: Blue Man Group (I saw this with Wendy in Vegas in 05) at Universal CityWalk (CityWalk is much bigger than the one in LA) Night 4: Dinner and appearing as a volunteer for Tom Deluca 's hypnotist show. I wasn't able to be hypnotized but man, those who did got up to some funny antics! I spoke to them afterwards and know that it's for real - some were aware of what they were doing, but could not control their actions...

Carlton , long the giant of the AFL with 16 premierships (aka "world championships") but having anchored the competition from the bottom in recent years, scored a MAJOR coup today by finalizing the trade for Chris Judd - the best midfielder in the competition. This is the player who captained West Coast to a premiership, with multiple All-Australian honors as well as winning the Brownlow and Norm Smith medals - all at the ripe old age of 24. Imagine: Judd & Stevens & Gibbs & Murphy & Walker & Scotland & Kruezer & Waite & Fev in season 2008. The sleeping giant has awaken...watch out!

Earlier this month, Wendy and I did some traveling with my parents (visiting from Australia) and showed them around the US and Canada. Highlights were: San Diego - my birthday, Old Town (feels like Mexico), coffee at Hotel del Coronardo, fresh sashimi at Sushi Ota and seafood dinner at Oceanaire Palm Springs - outlet shopping and relaxing at Hyatt's spa facilities Las Vegas & Grand Canyon - 2 Cirque du Soleil shows (KA and Love) at 50% discount NYC - mum's birthday, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, dad catching up with his friend Holman Niagara Falls & Toronto - Maid of the Mist boat ride, mum catching up with her cousins, Toronto's bustling Chinatown Ottawa - Not too much, other than Wendy and I renewed our US visas Montreal - Interesting city with a definite French feel (both in everyday language and architecture) Here are some pics: At Hotel del Coronardo, San Diego Hyatt Grand Champions Hotel in Palm Springs Las Vegas Grand Canyon Lunch at John's...

Since the Chicago-based project ended 2 weeks ago, I've finally had time to attend to pursuits that were pushed to the background due to all the traveling, including: preparation for PMP (Proj Mgt Professional) certification. PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy was recommended by my Chicago colleague - very useful so far! catching up on movies and HK TV serials - the serial we're currently watching is Heart of Greed (溏心風暴) that just finished its run on TVB. It's an excellent show, blending the right amount of comedy and heart-tugging drama about the internal conflicts surrounding a large, wealthy family. The second wife is so evil and scheming it makes my blood boil! finally bought a car to replace the Honda CR-V. Hello Acura TL! My folks will be visiting later this month. We will be showing them around the US and Canada, as well as renewing our US visa stamps while in Canada.

The great Greek, Kouta, retired from footy today. He was the last player from our '95 premiership team - this is a sad day for Carlton. Kouta single-handedly won the '99 preliminary final against Essendon who was the odds-on favorite. There's a good article in the Herald Sun .

Having watched Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle a few years back, I've always thought it would be fun to check out the joint, but the chain doesn't have stores on the west coast. Anyways, I found there to be a store close to my client's office in Chicago, so a few of us went there for lunch, mainly for laughs. The trip to White Castle was definitely non eventful as compared to the movie. The burgers are tiny, the patty really thin, which explains the $5 for 10 burgers price! Check out the last menu item - 30 burgers for $15! Tiny beef patty Aaron, Ali and Ankur looking satisfied after the "healthy" feast