It's a train station! ......is it?

This was melbourne's oddball Southern Cross Station
this morning,
as I arrived there on the Warrnambool train,
which I boarded at Lara.
["Where's warrnambool?????", you say!]










Daylight enters through panels in the curvaceous roof,
which are cushions,
plastic cushions,
maybe 5o metres long.















The view out of the station is the end of Bourke Street, Melbourne's central shopping street.
It is almost the ninth month in the sun's solstice,
and you can see the autumnal effect.
Sun losing its brilliance.
Trees ready to turn golden
before losing their leaves.
The winter in Melbourne can be bleak!

ANMUM

"Am here drinking milkfor the baby's brain development.
It's branded ANMUM - high in folate. Choco flavoured but doesn't taste good.

Good night honey, this is last load. Mwah!"

f

The Mom Factor

"They don't care how i feel. That's my Mom when I no have money to give them.
My salary is on Wedesday, end of month.
Am tired and moody hon.
I sleep now.
Goodnight!

"Maybe it is better to obey your mom, sweet?
If she feel you can work. And that at your age you are strong
enough and can ignore pains and cough, and not act like a baby?"

Gossips!

"They knew thru gossips. thats why they want to confirm it from me. I fel ashame coz I was the respected Aileen but now preg and not married yet. Tummy still small." "Ya honey. Tummy small now but they will see it grow bigger every day! Coz you been seriously XXXX'd? That's why they want to see how you answer!" "Just tell them in the the street that it was an accident and more careful in future but you enjoyed being XXXX'd?"

Saturday 24 February 2007

Instead of taking the bus to Tacloban to buy food, Ai is at a special meeting called by the mayor to work out her coming election campaign.

The headache has now cleared after two weeks. There is some lower abdominal discomfort but the sickness has calmed down. She is in good spirits, with lots of fun text messages.

We have the difficulty of obtaining a certificate of no impediment. This has to state that I have no
previous marriage or unresolved divorce. It has to meet Philippine requirements, but is issued by the Australian Embassy in Manila. Then checked by the Philippine Foreign Office. each step involves expense.

But hopefully, we can get a visitor's visa in time for Ai to travel with me to Melbourne on 17 April, so that the babe will be born here in October.

Peter keeps urging me that she will be bored here at Lara, and to move into Melbourne.
--- So I will post a few pictures of Lara to give the general idea. --- And then some pictures of melbourne.

Huh?

Chickenjoy!

Yes! You are in the Philippines and you feel like going out to a restaurant with your fiancee. And you are attracted to the happiness that goes along with Jolibee, Philippines answer to McDonalds. You walk into the bright and exciting evironment, walk up to the welcoming counter staff, and you decide to try

CHICKENJOY !

"Best made even better: Jollibee Chickenjoy with Mashed Potato and Mushroom Rice

With rice and a beverage line in the best-selling Jollibee Value Meals, Chickenjoy is an all-time meal favorite among working Filipinos. While other fastfood restaurants offer similar fare, Jollibee Chickenjoy has a firm grasp on the fried chicken taste that Pinoys love. With fried golden skin and plump juicy meat, how else can the best fried chicken get any better?

Just when you thought there’s no topping the crispylicious and juicylicious goodness, Jollibee gives the Chickenjoy Value Meals a twist with all-new sidings: Mashed Potato and Mushroom Rice.

Enhance your Chickenjoy experience with these special additions that best complement your favorite fried chicken. Try the rich and buttery goodness of Mashed Potato topped with Jollibee’s thick delicious gravy and steaming Mushroom Rice with mushroom-flavored sauce and real mushroom bits.

Enjoy Chickenjoy for a more nourishing lunch with colleagues or a filling dinner during overtime by adding P15 for Jollibee’s Mashed Potato or P9 for the Mushroom Rice. Better yet, reward yourself via Chickenjoy with both the Mashed Potato and Mushroom Rice for an extra P24.

Giving a new twist to a favorite meal can perk you up. Mix and match Jollibee’s Mashed Potato and Mushroom Rice with Chickenjoy original or spicy variant and in one- or two-piece Value Meals. Jollibee’s Value Meal options custom-fit your taste and preferences, the way you like it."

Taken from the Jolibee site: http://www.jollibee.com.ph/coucharticle.htm

Where are you going, Tacloban?

Regional center.

But not much happening here!