Oh another breakthrough in technology - paying with your mobile phone! It currently on trial here in Oz and is expected to be a hit! You can pay anything you buy below $35.00 :-) Wow!!

The latest breakthrough in technology - paying your purchases using your fingerprint! How cool is that? You do not need to carry any cash or card; when it comes to paying for anything you buy be it grocery or food, just present your finger. This is the latest in Germany :-) Now pickpockets can't pick your wallet anymore and you will not be concerned about losing your wallet, after all it is all on your finger!! What will they think of next? :-)

Ever notice that we always walk on the left side of any walkway? Whether it is towards or from, we always keep to the left, just like when we are driving! :-)

I received this today and thought that it is worth sharing and worth reading. It is also good to think about what's written :-) So read on..

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as though just as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first,she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.

She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did, and noted that they were soft.

The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However,after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water,the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

It's easier to build a child than to repair an adult...

This is so true - May we all be COFFEE.

This is a classic :-)

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

Don't want to close my eyes
I don't want to fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you baby
And I don't want to miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you baby
And I don't want to miss a thing

Lying close to you feeling your heart beating
And Im wondering what you're dreaming
Wondering if it's me you're seeing
Then I kiss your eyes
And thank God were together
I just want to stay with you in this moment forever
Forever and ever

Don't want to close my eyes
I don't want to fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you baby
And I don't want to miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you baby
And I don't want to miss a thing

I don't want to miss one smile
I don't want to miss one kiss
I just want to be with you
Right here with you, just like this
I just want to hold you close
Feel your heart so close to mine
And just stay here in this moment
For all the rest of time

Melbourne Cup ...

The race that stops the nation. This afternoon the whole nation stopped for a brief few minutes on Australia's greatest day - to watch the race! And if you were like me, a newbie, it is indeed amazing to see that people actually stop working to watch the race! Purple Moon, Master O'Reilly and Mahler were the favourites but it was Efficient that ran his best and won the race. And it also won me my bet! :-) So exciting... never won anything before so it was indeed a very pleasant surprise!

Last Saturday my itchy feet took me to Fremantle. And who can blame me (or me feet!!) when it was a beautiful day! Just look at the pic of the sky below, not even a drop of cloud anywhere. Have you ever seen a sky that blue and clear?? (errr... for those who are not in Oz that is.. hehe) Weather was nice, temperature was warm enough and after 3 months of winter weather this was indeed very welcoming :-) It's been some time since I hopped on the bus and went places, and it felt good to be out again.



Here are some pics of Fremantle, which I am sure you have seen me posted before (same scenery of course!! but pics are new) but still they are nice. There is also a new building, near the Fremantle market.



The star buy - wall clock for $5!!


the new building .. hmmm.. didn't manage to get the name..



A performance outside Fremantle market and a view inside. The man was actually standing on top of a suitcase balance on another suitcase. He was preparing to do his act, juggling a few balls and an apple. He was wearing this thin overall and when he was on top of the suitcase it was actually see through!! hahah.. and someone was shouting out about it too!! Fremantle market is like the Filipino market back home. There are small stalls selling a million things. From fruits, food to handicraft.



The day ended with dinner at riverfront, Kailis brothers, one of the best fish and chips restaurant in Perth. Pic above shows the menu and a bowl of Seafood Chowder (mmmm.. delicious :-) ) And while sitting at the deck enjoying the food, you are entertain with the beautiful scenery too!

Just look at the amount of people outside the bar! And it was only 7pm.. haha..

All in all it was a good day :-)