Fireworks on New Year's Eve (December 2007)

My first Sydney fireworks on the New Year's Eve... and we had a chance to be at North Sydney tower overlooking the whole harbour. The scenes were panoramic as there were five fireworks going on at the same time.

　

Glow-worm cave & Christmas BBQ (December 2007)

We rented a 4WD to venture in the Glow Worm Caves in the Blue Mountains region, which was around 2 hours drive from Sydney. The caves were lit with small dotty blue lights emitted by the worms and it was really stellar. On Christmas Day, we went to the Centennial Park for a little barbeque, an Aussie tradition. We had a great time, enjoying food and playing outdoor sports a bit. 

　

Uluru & Kata Tjuta, NT (Decmber 2007) 

Pictures taken from my trip to Uluru and Kata Tjuta. I had a rare opportunity to witness both the dry and wet weather there. Pricey experience but unique experience of the Australian outback.

　

Jenolan Caves, NSW (November 2007) 

Pictures taken from my one day getaway to the Jenolan Caves which is around 3 hour drive from Sydney. It was a rainy day which made sense to visit a cave than heading to the beach.

　

Thailand (Bangkok and Phuket) (November 2007) 

Here are some pictures from my trip to Bangkok and one-day trip to Phuket. It was awesome.  

　

Sculpture by the Sea (Bondi beach to Tamarama) (November 2007) 

Here are some pictures from the outdoor sculpture exhibition along the Bondi beach to Tamarama beach coast line. The weather was really accommodating and shows the true blue sky.

　

Perth, Freemantle & Rottnest Island (November 2007) 

I had a chance to visit Perth and University of Western Australia to be a discussant at the PhD Conference. Before coming back, I had a full day to travel to Freemantle (historic town half an hour from Perth) and take a ferry to Rottnest Island. Being on the West Coast of Australia and experiencing the Indian Ocean was great.  

　

Zorbing, NZ (October 2007) 

Here are some pictures from zorbing in Rotorua... what an experience!  

　

Auckland, Rotorua and Waiheke, NZ (October 2007) 

I've been doing some travels related to presenting my paper and with some free time, I had a chance to visit a few places. Pictures were taken from Auckland and then I rented a car to drive to Rotorua. On the way, I had a chance to visit Hobbiton, where they shot the Lord of the Rings (remember the Shire where Frodo lives?) as well as trying zorbing, which was one hell of a ride. Rotorua was also nice for its thermal attractions.  

　

Tasmania (Hobart, Launceston, Port Arthur) (September 2007) 

In September, I had a chance to visit Tasmania for ACE meetings. There were many colleagues visiting as well and I had a chance to look around the island after the conference. Pictures were taken from Hobart (the main city with some cool places to visit), Mount Wellington (where I had my first Australian snow encounter), Richmond (convict settlement and one of the oldest town in Australia), Launceston (with beautiful gorges), and Port Arthur (huge penal colony with many attractions). I had a great time there.

　

We move to the new building, finally!! (August 2007) 

Now my friends back in Minnesota won't have to make fun of my old office anymore. This one looks like some corporate office, very fancy and all brand new (kinda...). The pictures are self-explanatory... I'm happy with the new office. Hopefully, there will be more addition to it soon. 

　

Singapore Economic Review Conference (August 2007) 

Another visit to Singapore... I realized I've been visiting Singapore almost every year starting from 2005 (Bintan trip), 2006 (stopover on my way to Sydney) and then again this year. The main (!!) reason to visit was to present at SERC 2007 meetings which has Professor Stiglitz as the key note speaker. It was great and I met a few people in different fields. Another great perk was the food they were serving in and out of the conference site. Usually, you get some tasteless dry sandwich for conference lunch elsewhere, but here they really know how to treat the guests. Full course meal, Chinese one day and Western the next day. The secondary (!!!) reason was to visit my brother's family and see how my nephew and niece are going. Well, as you can see from the pics, I had a great time even with that infamous Singapore weather.

　

Road Trip Australia - Sydney - Brisbane (July 2007) 

Instead of the usual flight option of flying to Brisbane (for the Econometric Society meetings), I decided to drive and spend some quality time with my Golfie (yes, I personify my car.) I first drove 860km north to the Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise), stayed the night and enjoyed the morning view of the beach town that looks like an amalgamation of Miami and Las Vegas. Then I drove up for an hour to Brisbane, stayed at Shino's place for a night, enjoyed the conference (which ones did I attend??) and had a quick trip to the Gallery of Modern Arts in downtown Brisbane. On the way home, I stopped by at Byron Bay, a must for backpackers and hippies and famous for gorgeous beaches and a majestic lighthouse. Stayed the night at Coffs Harbour and the next day headed back to Sydney, with a stop over at Port Macquarie, one of the earliest convict settlements in Australia. Despite a 2000km drive and a hint of flu developing, it was a good trip.

　

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia (June 2007) 

On the way back to Sydney, I had a quick 24 hour stopover in Kuala Lumpur. The weather was hot and muggy, but I enjoyed my stay. Even got some fancy foot and shoulder massage (the last pictures). They seem to focus a lot on big and tall buildings.. one of them being the Petronas Tower which was indeed imposingly huge and impressive.

　

Seoul _Korea (June 2007) 

Last time I was in Seoul in the Summer was 2005, and this time, I wasn't used to seeing so much greenery in the city (usually the winter is pretty grey). My dad's 70th birthday celebration went well, with a small family reunion, and the location and the cuisine of the restaurant was also very authentic. Other than that, I met friends, did one presentation, and a slice of cucumber massage in the end.

　

Conan's Visit (June 2007) 

As much as Sydney is a popular destination for both academic and sightseeing visit, the weekend was not the representative of what Sydney had to offer... the worst storm in 30 years! Sanghoon (Conan) was visiting from UBC and we had a good time, visiting the city and going down to Southern Beaches all the way to Kiama (famous for the blowhole), and despite the weather, we had a good time together.

　

Fitzroy Falls, Southern Highlands, NSW (June 2007) 

Been a while since my last proper weekend road-trip, and my first ‘winter’ in Australia… has it already been 9 months here? I headed down to Fitzroy Falls, around 120 km south of Sydney. The falls weren’t as spectacular as the Niagara Falls (duh!), but it looked like a proper fall without any tacky tourists. And the valley and the forest that surround the Falls were breathtaking. Also the bushwalking and taking pictures of unusual flowers were pretty cool too. Weather changes dramatically as I go inlands, almost ten degrees cooler than the Eastern Suburbs. On the way back, I stopped by at small villages and did some window shopping at some antique stores. (Is that a sign that I’m not a grad student anymore?)

Rachida’s Wedding (May 2007) 

First time I was ever invited to a non-Korean wedding, and it looked like something I’ve only seen in movies. Our colleague/friend Rachida was getting married to Tom and first the wedding ceremony was at the Centennial Park under a gorgeous weather (no words needed, just look at the pictures), and followed by the reception.

A Quick Breath of Fresh Air and Search for a New House (May 2007) 

Teaching started and I no longer have the luxury to drive out on Saturdays, but after all, I can find close substitutes in my neighbourhood. This place is called La Perouse (they shot one of the Mission Impossible movies here) and you can see all the big ships and planes landing into Sydney. And on the way home, I stopped by at a model inspection house. Very cool, chic place with a nice ocean view and surrounded by parks. The cost… that’s something I have to work out in the future.

Nothing better than a half-day ROAD TRIP (April 2007) 

It's been a rough and busy week, and before things get even worse and more stressful, I needed some diversion away from work... so this time, I drove more south (every time, I drive further south or north) and went to visit the town of Wollongong, 80km south of Sydney. Some people even commute to Sydney from here, so who knows... I might one day have to settle here. It's a small city and definitely for what I pay in Sydney, I could get a place twice bigger with a clear cut ocean view. Anyways, enjoy the pics I have taken. The pictures of pelican is awesome and the birds in Australia are all in rainbow colours. The last picture is also kinda quirky, but c'est la vie.

　

Tour de USA (March 2007) 

Well, it just happened to be during the usual spring break time... it was all work related though. First stop, Minneapolis. The weather was very accommodating, lots of sunshine and plenty of hay fever allergy. I gave my talk at the Midwest Economic Ass. meeting and met all of my friends, visited Bosu's place (for the new baby, Daniel), Javi & Rosa (with Felix and Ana), Jungwon and Dan... it was a cool reunion, reminiscent of the grad school years.

After Minneapolis, next stop, New York. I was giving a talk at Fordham University, and stayed at a hotel uptown Manhattan (not very impressive, but what can you do, I can't afford a five-star hotel.) The morning after my talk, I had a chance to stroll around the Central Park which was very relaxing.

Destination No.3, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine. I went there to give yet another talk, and spent the next few days working with my co-author, Julian. We made some good progress, so immersed in our work that we forgot to make that trip to Boston! (would u believe that?) So most of the pictures are taken in the school campus or on the way to the restaurants. Oh, did I mention the best lobster I've ever had?

Back to New York! I mainly stayed at the Columbia University Library during the way (check out the cool library pics) and hung out at night watching movies, broadway shows (Chorus Line), shopping (Easter Sale!), and dining (Koreatown!!). Many pictures are taken from the Easter Parade where people come out wearing extravagant clothes.

　

Northern Beaches – From Manly to Palm Beach (March 2007) 

Summer is beginning to fade away in Sydney… at night it gets chillier maybe down to the teens. Before leaving for US, I wanted to see what the northern beaches had to offer. Definitely, the water seems to be clearer up there. I got as far as the Palm Beach, about 50 km north of Sydney. The good part about Palm Beach is that it’s like a double egded beach, one facing the sea and the other facing the bay. Here’s the video I took of the sea side… it’s a big file but definitely worth it. After that, I came back, stopping by at numerous other beaches. They’re all gorgeous.

　

Auckland - New Zealand (March 2007) 

The best part of this unexpected weekend getaway was the Sky Jump, falling from 200 meters high on 85 km per hour speed. The shrill lasted for 12 seconds. Next time, I'll try to enjoy nature more than the urban NZ has to offer.

　

　

　

Great Pacific Drive, Sydney - Wollongong (February 2007) 

Well, no need to explain. The picture tells it all. And for more, you can see it all at this webpage. (http://www.greatpacificdrive.com.au) I first drove through Royal National Park, stopped at a few beaches, passed by the ocean cliff bridge, and stopped at Austinmer beach, and then back north. The gelato I had at Austinmer beach was excellent too.

　

Dinner at Shino and Andy's (February 2007)

The same day I went for a drive along the coastline, I had dinner at Shino's place. As you can see, the food was great... a mixture of French, Chinese (was it?), and Korean. I also met Sean for the second time, and boy has he grown since last time. We'll meet again soon.

Seoul, Korea (January 2007)

On my way back to Sydney, I stopped by in Seoul and spent some quality time with my family and friends. Various pictures are posted on the web. I also did one meaningful thing for my parents (okay, I want to show off.) by buying them a 50 inch TV. They absolutely love it.

　　

Miami, Florida (January 2007)

Wondering why I ended up in the States in January? Well, the main reason was recruitment for the School of Economics. So I spent a few days in Chicago (AEA meetings) to interview people. 35 in total. Considering you spend around 45 minutes with each of the interviewees, you do the math of multiplying 35 by 45… Exhausting, brain-draining, but also overwhelming in realizing how broad the field of economics has become and how narrow my perspectives are, in contrast. Afterwards, I flew to Miami to work with my co-author, Julian. During the day, we worked hard (although you will not see that in the picture), and at night we played hard (that you see in the pictures.) On the weekends, we went to Botero exhibition and made a little trip to Naples, Florida. And every night, we would go to all the fancy restaurants, tasting gourmet dishes ranging from fusion sushi and Cuban food to Argentinean steaks.

　

New Year’s Eve in Minneapolis

It would be a mystery that I didn’t spend the New Year’s Eve in Sydney. It was after all the 75th Anniversary of the Harbour Bridge, and although I heard the bad weather on the night, I heard the fireworks were spectacular. Instead of joining the crowd, I ended up at a quiet Maple Grove house of Dong (our computer guru back at the UofM, you get to appreciate him more and more once you’re away from Minnesota. Any computer guys at UNSW reading this?). It was a nice quiet celebration, and to make things better, we had a little snow storm. For about ten minutes, it felt nice to see the familiar snow. After the initial 10 minutes of awe and joy, the marginal utility quickly dropped to zero. Thank God I was living Down Under.

And the New Year's was just white all over, powdered with the 3 inches of snow we had the night before. I met Bosu and Sukhee, out of the blue, and took some pictures together.

　

　

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