Yesterday, my boss confirmed that I will indeed be deployed to the client site in New Jersey for six weeks and will be leaving Manila by February 18 or 23 (depending on when my new passport will be delivered). The news gave me mixed emotions because the timing wasn't exactly ideal as I had planned a trip to Sagada with my family and relatives on February 21-23 and another one to Boracay with my college friends on March 2-5. I had to cancel them all since my boss advised me not to push through with my plans. Bargaining to move my flight didn't work, because we had a specific timeline for our knowledge transfer for Functional Design, so of course, I was bummed. But looking at it in a different perspective, this is still a great opportunity since I would get the chance to meet my onshore counterparts and I'd be able to travel for free with daily allowance. And since I'm going with a Business Visa, I won't have to stay away very long, putting my life in Manila on hold and missing more important events with my family and friends.
New York, 2008 with my friend Carisse
I remember my last business trip in Melbourne in 2011 and all the wonderful things that I experienced in that awesome cosmopolitan city. Unlike my other business trip in Syracuse, New York, which was 5 freakin hours away from Manhattan, I lived in Melbourne CBD which is just a tram away from everything interesting in that area so I got the chance to go around even on weekdays after work. I went out to watch independent films at the ACMI and checked out bands at Fed Square. Eating out wasn't a problem coz China Town was just two blocks away from my apartment at Lonsdale street. I went to Docklands, Harbortown and Queen Victoria Market to shop and the NGV for my dose of Western contemporary and Australian indigenous art. I could never get enough of their parks, really. My officemate who happened to be a frisbee player like me also took me to Albert Park for some pick up games and went on a really peculiar experience of playing Lawn Bowling at Flagstaff Gardens. During the Holy Week, I went to the Shrine of Remembrance and went to mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Living in Melbourne for 2 months was awesome coz I didn't feel like I had to plan a certain itinerary and cram everything in just to experience everything of interest to me. There were pleasant surprises that one doesn't plan for, like a bunch of Street Musicians that I accidentally came across at Swanston Street and Bourke Street or the awesome graffiti art at some corner and the charcoal drawings on the pavement at South Bank.
Here's a few photos from that trip.
I love night photography! Bright lights everywhere!
Watching a Jim Morrison documentary at Federation Square
Yarra River. I must've taken a hundred photos around this area.
Chinatown, the no fail go to place for dinner
Findlers Street Station where we took the train going to Traralgon haha
Bike rentals for the public
Sand sculptures somehwere in St. Kilda
Australian Center for Moving Image. I watched movies here during the Spanish film fest
Loving the penguins at the Melbourne Aquarium
Frisbee Game at Albert Park with the Fuddle Mucks!
Street performers everywhere!
Live music at Fed Square!
Mosaic at Harbortown
Almost sunset at The Royal Botanical Gardens
Melbourne Museum
A moment of silence at the Shrine of Remembrance
Graffiti art near Federation Square!
I can't wait for the New York City version of this post. I'm certain to get trigger happy and take TONS of photos!
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