Yikes. On the flight back from Dubbo, we got to see from high above some of the bush fires that have been ravaging large parts of Australia. There were so many fires and their lines ran so long the smoke they generated seemed like their own cloud system in the sky. It also became apparent how hard it must be to fight the blazes that were spread so wide across remote mountain ranges.
And even though the blazes were burning hundreds of miles from Sydney, their sheer number and scale meant the smoke could still hold form and travel far and blanket the city with a sepia-tone dystopia feel.
Eerie stuff, but Sydney will try to keep cool and carry on. And pray for rain.
Last Consular Outreach Mission of the year and it's to beautiful Dubbo, a regional hub over five hours drive northwest of Sydney and home to a famous, large open zoo. There was no opportunity for such zoo roaming while we were there, but s'all good because we were still able to complete our mission swiftly....
...and then take part in the Dubbo Fil-Com's annual get-together (featuring Filipinos doing Aussie line-dancing and Aussie guitarists singing Filipino, naturally)...
...followed by a little stroll around town to take in the local charm...
...and even found some easter-egg humor back at the mission venue
For around 10 years now, our Embassy in Canberra has staged its own version of Paskombalong, creatively titled Pasko sa Canberra. They traditionally invite people from Sydney and beyond to come on over and enjoy the festivities, and this year it was my turn to represent the Consulate. An opportunity to take part in a big barriofiesta without the stressponsibility of organizing it? I'm there! And with my barriometrics!
Size Matters?
The event's held on the Embassy's sprawling grounds, which turns out to be just the right size for everything. 2,000 people on hand made for a genuinely buzzy, festive atmosphere, but the place was roomy enough to prevent any claustro-mosh pit feel. (the Embassy compound is in fact so spacious kangaroos are known to sometimes wander through the grounds and skip into the adjacent diplomatic quarter which i'm sure has prompted it's share of jump-the-queue/appointment system jokes.)
BBQi
Oh they had this well covered. And it wasn't just the bar-b-q smoke that was appetizingly wafting through the air. There was a slew of Pinoy desserts, dishes and delicacies here that even Paskombalong didn't have (such as San Miguel sampler packs!)
Bring the Kids
Obviously there's no playground on Embassy premises and I presume travelling funfairs can't set up shop on diplomatic soil either, but Pasko did have a kid-centric and kid-friendly program to keep the young ones engaged and entertained. And you could always step out and take an educational tour around Canberra and its neighboring farm towns. Indeed, there is nothing more exciting to a child than a field trip of the Capital and a visit to a very big sheep statue. (citation needed)
Fabuloos
A bit of a cheat here because as Embassy guests we had access to the building's bathrooms and didn't really get to see what kind of portaloo setup the fiesta had outside. I can't imagine they had cute Filipiniana displays there like they had inside, but I'm sure they were still very nice. Moving on.
Fringe Benefits
Welllllll.....there was a number by a local dance studio that was...unexpected. It was pure joy and genuinely fun, and as someone from the Embassy put it "akala n'yo buhay probinsya dito sa Canberra, 'no!"
Star Grazing
No celebrities around as far as I could tell, unless you count local politicians and members of the Diplomatic Corps. Oh, and nemesis CRANIAL AGAIN was forced into emcee-ing duties, broke out moviestar/mayor shades, and joined a line dance that made me feel good about my chances in our upcoming K-Pop Boyband showdown.
So overall...10/10 Pasko sa Canberra!
(and I'm not just saying that because the Consulate answers to the Embassy and their rating determines our Christmas bonus)
The Jacaranda! blooms this year were as big and bright and beautiful as ever but I'm also raising an almost tween so I thought this year I'd try to stay ahead of the 'gramming and brooding and just post pretentious "fallen petals" photos
actually, the kid was the one who showed me how to use "Portrait Mode" on my phone, so here we are
