FAB FEB FIL-COM

I'm telling you man, almost every Fil-com event I've been to in Sydney has been lit to levels not seen in London. The weather here just makes people show up and show out. And the joy and passion reaches out and over to other nationalities, cultures and demographics well beyond your typical or traditional Pinoys. Top it all off with The Month of Love, and you've got yourself some par-taaaays. Lessee, we got:

Ambassadors for Culture and Arts 

Mic Drop Moment: almost every number was mic drop worthy, but there's gotta be a special place for a song from the soon-to-premier Noli! The Musical 

Ladies of Illawara

Mic Drop Moment: I don't have it on video, but my consular colleague kept on being pulled to the dance floor by a succession of masked titas. Plus, the local mayor was getting down. 

Members of the Mardi Gras Movement

Mic Drop Moment: the operatic Divinyls/rocking Bon Jovi mash-up we both need and deserve 

at siyempre hindi magpapahuli -- Seniors, baby!

Mic Drop Moment: Everything. The Seniors totally shut down 

(by 1.00 p.m.)

KUNG HEI FAT OI!

It's become clear to us that Sydney's Circular Quay (pronounced "KWAY!" according to the LLDD-Baby smh) is the city's showpiece district because of its central access to the Opera House, the artsy Rocks precinct, and the killer Harbour views. It's also a visually vibrant and dynamic place, with ships and ferries of every size and color constantly pulling in and out and right up to the pedestrians, as well as a steady stream of evolving markets, exhibits and festivals that line the perimeter pathways.  Clearly, Circular Quay is the place to be (that RHYMES, LLDD-Baby! smh)

Anyway, this weekend we strolled over there to catch part of the Chinese New Year festival, particularly the giant horoscope lanterns strung out from one end of the quay to the other. They were as colorful and creative as you'd expect, not to mention perfect backdrops for the LLDD-Baby's hamming it up.      

or should I say, Chinese hamming it up?

whatever dada. kung hei rhymes with quay

FILIPINO STANDS TALL-ISH

I've mentioned before how impressive the Fil-Com in Australia is in promoting the spirit and wisdom of Rizal well beyond Philippine shores. This weekend saw more of that, with a knighting and investiture ceremony by the local Knights of Rizal that boasted a rapidly growing membership of Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike and an expanding number of chapters all around Australia.... 

the only thing I've rapidly expanded is my waistline

....and then a visit to one of the Hero's seven(!) monuments in Australia -- this time the uniquely compact Rizal statue in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield (for reference, where the Rizal sculpture in Campbelltown is towering and majestic, the Ashfield one is diminutive yet endearing)  

(ok, for added added reference, the statue in Ashfield is about the size of a small child)

this one

But, as Rizal proved, you don't have to be tall to be a giant.

THAT'S NO GOODNIGHTMOON

atm on the road on the way home from a far-off late-night fil-com event and just received an important message

i love you too, anak, but no prequel should be your favorite. we'll talk about this in the morning.

GOOD RECEPTION

It's an observation I've shared with another consular officer here in Sydney: Consular Corps don't seem to have as many friendly informal interactions among themselves as the Diplomatic Corps. I mean it's still early days for me here, but I haven't seen anything like a football tournament between missions or a home dinner party among ASEAN colleagues. Our working theory is that Consulates are focused on serving their respective local communities only, while Embassies get to have their dealings with the host government or a resident multilateral organization as a constant common denominator.

That being said, ALL the consular receptions I've been to in Sydney have been awesome. Maybe precisely because the consulates have few other occasions to informally socialize with their counterparts, every consular reception or gathering seems to have a little extra something something.

Turkey - Meat Station and National Beer

Poland - Historic Church and Great Organist

Korea - Touching Animated Tribute and Impressive Strings

Ireland - More Impressive Strings (at an Irish Pub!)

Thailand - Beautiful Dances and They Gave Me a Plus One

        

Sri Lanka - Traditional Ceremony plus Lovely Singing plus a (*checks notes*) Professorial Lecture on Prehistoric Rocks 

Plus, yes, a plus one