All the leaves are brown...

... and the sky is gray... (California Dreamin' - The Mamas and The Papas)

Autumn officially started in Australia on the 1st of March... which doesn't really mean anything. Everyone who has lived in Australia would know that Melbourne has the reputation of having all four seasons in a single day... nice and sunny early in the morning, strong winds at noon, rain in the afternoon, and cold at night that you have to rug up (this is not an everyday occurence mind you).

Now that it is the 31st of March, a whole month into Autumn, at 9pm, outside temperature is 27 degrees!!! WTF???

Tomorrow and Saturday, it's going to be 30 degrees... WTF again? That's summer weather! As much as I love Melbourne, the weather here is just so damn freaky at times... greenhouse effect is obviously taking its toll.

Now I have to ponder on one important thing before I go to sleep tonight... what am I going to wear tomorrow?

Bourke Street

Bourke Street is one of the main streets located in the heart of Melbourne. It is also probably one of the most frequented streets in the city for it is laden with malls, shops, and of course, Melbourne's tram rail.



Bourke Street is also where the GPO is, now no longer a post office but a mall...



And more malls and shops!





Melbourne is definitely the fashion (and shopping!) capital of Australia...

That's why I'm eternally broke.... grrrr...

Unknown to Jennie's friends, in a struggle to keep her from bankruptcy, she works as a busker at night, usually in front of Myer, playing a single string guitar and sings "What A Feeling" heartily.

Happy Easter... Melbourne style!

I have been living here in Melbourne for 5 years. I have enjoyed my stay here and made quite a lot of friends throughout the years, met the love of my life, established myself financially and very much fulfilled career-wise. With a very busy schedule involving work, play, school, Arnie, Meeko, my mum, and friends... you may ask, when do I stop to say thanks to God?

Enter Easter. One of the most solemn holidays of the year... in the Philippines, that is. Apparently, the rest of the world don't really look at Easter as a reflective season, but rather a time for friends to catch up (nothing wrong with that!), get thrashed on alcohol (!) and consume atrocious amounts of chocolates (I kind of like this part :p).

I am not a religious person. I am, in fact, a non-practicing Catholic. But I believe that one should always strive to be a better person. Through reflection, we will be able to look at ourselves and decide if we are happy with the person we have come to be. You may or may not believe in God, but I think that one thing that makes people similar is their drive to be the best they can be. I am not just talking about money or fame or how many cars one has. It is much more than that. It's the friends that you have, your kindness, understanding, your family, the honest way that you live.

I believe that regardless the circumstances, we have at least one thing to be thankful for. Nobody is perfect. Accept that! The sooner you accept it, the better off you'll be. Strive to be the best you can be!... but don't lose track of what is important. Family, love, friends... everything else is secondary.

Just think about this: Jesus Christ suffered for our sins according to Bible lore. I respect him for his beliefs and his ideals. We all should be thankful that we don't have to suffer as much as he has... for he already did it for us.

Jennie is currently pigging out on some chocolate eggs... and a huge burger... Thank God I can meat!!!

You're The One That I Want... sigh...

I am not singing along to some Grease karaoke special or anything like that...

Two weeks ago, my lovely partner Arnie got some free tickets to the annual Melbourne Motor Show which is the same week as the Australian Grand Prix. I was very excited by this, since I have been planning to feast my eyes on something that I have been wanting to buy for myself... if only I had the funds >sigh<... This is definitely on my wish list...



The new Mini Cooper S Cabrio... 125 kw of power with a 4 cylinder 1.6 litre supercharged engine... perfect for today's atrocious petrol prices!



If I was only rich, I could have taken one of these babies home already! How frustrating!!!



One of these days... you will be mine!!!! hahahahahahahaha!!!! >maniacal laughter<

Jennie is currently under sedation... just don't show her any posters or TV commercials of the Cabrio...

To Vegan Or Not To Vegan...

I've had the opportunity (or misfortune, which ever way you want to look at it) to partake on my very first Vegan meal last Saturday (19/3). A very good friend, Gabby, invited Arnie and myself to a free meal (!) at a well-known Vegan restaurant in Gertrude Street, Fitzroy. The restaurant is called the "Vegetarian Orgasm." No, they don't sell orgasms as the board outside the restaurant says, but they sell "fine home cooked Vegan meals." So, the million dollar question: what is the difference between vegetarian and vegan? Well (doning the professor cap now) vegetarian is someone who basically does not eat meat but can consume dairy products, seafood, and (I think) meals that may only have vegetables and some animal product in it. A vegan, on the other hand, cannot consume anything dairy or any animal product. So, imagine my surprise when I saw Vegan Bloody Mary in the drinks menu. I was like, "what the hell? Isn't Bloody Mary vegan enough?" Apparently, worchestershire sauce has animal products (!) in it. Vegan Bloody Mary calls for vegan worchestershire sauce! Oh well, whatever makes them happy, I suppose...

So, after much deliberation and doubt, I decided on the Vegan Curry. Gabby ordered the Cannelloni while Arnie ordered the dairy Meditteranean Pizza. Surprisingly, vegan curry wasn't all that bad (thank God vegans can have coconut cream! Imagine curry without coconut cream... shudder!), although the vegan meat was a bit suspect. Being a meat eater, I could definitely tell the difference! Soy meat doesn't exactly fill you up like real red meat does, innit?

For a first timer, I actually liked the meal... although now, I have a huge craving for a Whopper (runs off to Hungry Jacks...)

Vegetarian Orgasm - 3 yums...