SEASON'S CELEBRATIONS WERE LIT

How lit?  At the Australian-Philippine Business Council year-end shindig, CEOs and top government officials storm to stage for a singalong   

At an Ibero-American-Australian fiesta, guests rip up the dance floor to Pilita Corrales jams...on a harp 

And at the Seniors Association Christmas bash, no one gets down harder than the lola with a walker

Encore all y'all shimmying seniors, ENCORE! 

Nothing achy or breaky here.  PARTY ON!

STRONG END TO THE YEAR FOR THE LLDD-BABY

Over the same weekend, she was elected one of her school's "Voice Leaders" following a campaign that featured platform-building, stump-speeching and election night result livestreaming....     

we credit the win to her socialized roblox policies and the lldd-hyphen-l's gerrymandering of pilates parents vote

...immediately followed by her dance school's production of The Greatest Showman and a stirring rendition of (*checks program notes*) "Swaying Linen / Newsboy / Doctor", where she was awarded "Most Improved" and "Best Class"

worthy of the Master Showman, amirite Kuya Germs?

...and then she comes home literally to the end of a rainbow...

voice, dance, weather control -- kid's a triple threat

UAA(HO)P

Some Big 3 university alumni activities for your Acting BMOC (Big Man on Consulate) 

Blue Eagle Swearing 

Despite Ateneo being my known nemesis from grade school, high school, college and law school, their local alumni still graciously invited me to induct their officers and join their association because of my Jesuit Georgetown connection.  

and because I rock the blue socks

Eat Your Greens!

O Brothers Burger, Where Art Thou? In Sydney!! Just opened!! And it turns out their founder/owner/chef  is a classmate from my primary LSGH years.  Great opening day, with lines longer than the neighboring Five Guys.  Animo!       

Anim Na takeaway na rin

Fighting Maroon-bra

Fitting that the UP Alumni Association chose Maroubra beach for their pakikibaka as the name readily lent itself to the dad joke above...

...plus the resident shore sculpture was a worthy challenge for the iskolars ng bayan...

...and the locals be around since the original oblation run

malayong lupain, kanyang na narating siguro

ACTING NA ACTING

Let it not be said of this Acting Head of Post that he was unwilling to lead from the front, er, middle-backish row when it came to the office's wellbeing and pay the price in Zumba sweat...

...Qi Gong tears...

...and Krav Maga blood!

ET TU, STAFF?! RESPECT MY ACTING AUTHORITY!

THIS YEAR'S ARTSY PHOTOS OF WET FALLEN JACARANDAS IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY LA NIÑA

Alas, the very un-Sydney heavy rain and wind left most blooms down and soggy very early into the season, but the outlines they made around the things below made for good content for my annual arsty-fartsy album

floral scenes in "American Beauty", look out 

NAKAWALOCKDOWN: ON FOOT EDITION

So Sydney's still grappling with the rules of its hard-ish lockdown: basically, you must work/study from home UNLESS you can't PROVIDED you get some workout/wellness in everyday BUT the gyms and sports will remain closed HOWEVER you can go out for a walk/run IF you stay within 5 kilometers of your home AS LONG AS I before E EXCEPT after C.  Basically.

But s'all good, as lockdown led the fam to discover a bunch a cool places and paths that were (legal) walking distance from our neighborhood, had great Sydney views, and made for suitable escape routes in the event of a zombie apocalypse/toilet paper dystopia future.

Our compliance check-ins:

Tunks Park via Flat Rock Creek

Distance from Home/Fitbit Minutes: Hell, yeah! Maybe a 10 km walking loop and a 30-storey ascent from shore to the scenic bridge above.  

Social Distancing if Everyone Gets the Same Idea and Goes There at the Same Time: Compliant. The park's big, while the bush walk trail is narrow at parts but mostly wide enough to accommodate more than one out-of-shape widebody walking in the opposite direction.     

Toilet Paper Availability: A modest public restroom at the foot of the park. Hold it in the rest of the way.

Wendy's Secret Garden

Distance from Home/Fitbit Minutes: About 5 km round-trip, with a long, gradual uphill return.    

Social Distancing if Everyone Gets the Same Idea and Goes There at the Same Time: Despite (or maybe because of) the "Secret" in its name, Wendy's remains a popular oft-visited spot, tucked just behind the North Sydney CBD and Luna Amusement Park. Your health walk will photobomb a lot of live Instagrammers is what I'm saying.  

Toilet Paper Availability: You're never that far from some stores and shops. However, you -- like everyone else -- won't know if any of them will be open on any given lockdown day.  Hold it in.

Tunks Park onward to the Jean-Luc Trail Run

Distance from Home/Fitbit Minutes: Getting to Tunk's Park is already a 2+ km walk, then tack on another 3+ km just to circumnavigate the hilly, awesomely named Jean-Luc Trail Run.

Social Distancing if Everyone Gets the Same Idea and Goes There at the Same Time: Not too busy, as the trail appears to be more of a functional short-cut of locals rather than a recreational path for out-of-towners.  To that point...     

Toilet Paper Availability: The end of the trail leads into a posh neighborhood that gives a Get Off My Landscaped Lawn kind of vibe so, no, I wouldn't advise knocking on anyone's door and asking if you can use their bathroom.  Hold it in.

Coal Loader onto Balls Head Reserve onto Berry's Bay Lookout

Distance from Home/Fitbit Minutes: A leisurely 3+ km downhill walk to the area, consider cheating supporting the economy by taking the train back up.

Social Distancing if Everyone Gets the Same Idea and Goes There at the Same Time: Well, both the Coal Loader and the parks overlooking the Berrys and Balls Head bays are re-purposed industrial sites designed to comfortably accommodate a lot a people and are actually quite interesting places to learn about but if you accidentally unsafesearch those names tho   

Toilet Paper Availability:  Didn't notice.  Hold it in.

Berry Island Reserve

Distance from Home/Fitbit Minutes:  Same as above.  You'd think we'd be fitter by now. 

Social Distancing if Everyone Gets the Same Idea and Goes There at the Same Time:  The picnic/mini-beach area that fronted the rest of the reserve was packed the day we were there, but if you can Walking Dead Whisperers your way past the horde, you'll have a quiet, scenic, slow-zombie walk the rest of the way.  

Toilet Paper Availability:  By now, with the state roaring towards vaccination targets and itching to lift lockdown, more but still not that many local shops are open for business and bathroom usage. Hold it in a little longer

Long Reef

80% vax levels reached! Can now legally pack more than four people in a car and travel over 20 kilometers and check out a famous headland's bathroom facilities!  

Look out below! We don't have to hold it in anymore!