Christmas eve, NSW (December 2008)
Another Christmas period, and this time we've decided to pack a lot of things into one day trip - hiking at subtropical forests at Warriewood, ocean dipping at Palm Beach, and boat riding at Broken Bay. We had a great time together and the pictures show.
Canberra, NSW (November 2008)
Canberra, here I go again. I never thought I'd visit the capital city twice for sightseeing, but much to my surprise, there were a few more places I visited. The weather was very nice (good escape from stormy Sydney) and on the way back, I stopped at Berrima, an old settlement village with old churches and pubs (and of course 'gaol (jail)', One of the must-see tourist spots in Australia!). Was a good day tripping.
Sculpture by the Sea walk, NSW (October 2008)
Once again the season for outdoor sculpture exhibition in Sydney. The weather was just perfect with lots of sun and no clouds. The walk started from Gordon's Bay, just right above Coogee, then to Clovelly, Bronte, Tamarama (where the Sculpture exhibit starts), and then to Bondi beach. Lots of cool and fancy exhibits were there. It was a fun Saturday hike.
Melbourne, Philip Island and Great Ocean Road, Victoria (September 2008)
A short trip to Melbourne to give award to high school students and give a 10 minute motivational speech why they should study Economics... after that, I spent one day going to Philip Island to see the Penguin Parade (no pics but link can be found here.) and drive down along the coast (Great Ocean Road) all the way to 12 Apostles rock.
Here's a map of places I went to (Philip Island and Great Ocean Road).
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Kiama, NSW (September 2008)
A one day drive south to Wollongong and further south to Kiama where they have the famous blow-hole. Since the weather was too good and practically no wind, there was nothing spurting out of the blow hole.
Here's a map of where we drove.
Dunedin, NZ (September 2008)
A very short trip to Dunedin to give a seminar at University of Otago. Unfortunately, I had to fly first to Christchurch and then to Dunedin which took almost a whole day, but it was worth the time. The town was small but has its own historic and natural charm. People were nice except that they switch "e" with "i"... so people would say "remimber in novimber and dicimber, the chick-in counter is located thire." Also had a quick trip to the Peninsula (thanks to Peter and Anu) and to Alex's School Fair. On the way back, flying with Emirates, I got a lot of extra freebies thanks to a nice Korean flight attendant. The pictures taken over the Southern Alps were also very memorable.
Here's a map of where we drove and also a youtube link with video of the area.
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Korea and Hong Kong (August 2008)
Korea in August felt like some sub-tropical steam bath. A few pictures from my short stay at Sungkyunkwan University for a conference. Then on the way back to Sydney, I had a chance to stop over in Hong Kong and meet some close friends. I had been well-treated and I am glad that I met them.
And did I mention that I got upgraded to business class from Hong Kong to Seoul? (yay!) Here's the proof.
Manly, NSW (August 2008)
One of the great thing about Sydney is that within half an hour reach there are places where you can forget about being so crowded and enjoy the nature. On one Saturday with lots of sun (temp 17 degrees) I took a ferry to Manly and walked around the beaches and got lost in the bushes.
More Hawaii, Minneapolis, Boston, Vilafranca, Sitges, Barcelona, Singapore (July 2008)
More pictures from Hawaii, and some pictures from Minneapolis. I was visiting the Department for a few days to meet people and explore the newly built department building. Summer in Mpls is always nice as always. Then a few days in Boston to attend the SED meetings. Then off the Atlantic to visit Javi, who lives in Vilafranca. I had a day off in Sitges and then to Barcelona for a quick 4 hour tour by Nadya and her friends. Last destination was Singapore for another conference. Now home sweet home.
Hawaii (June 2008)
My trip to Hawaii for the Western Economic Association conference. As my trip was round-the-world-flight (Star Alliance), I flew to Auckland (you can see the hotel room) and then to Honolulu. Honolulu was a giant tourist-packed city and I had a chance to drive around the Oahu island. The sun and the beach and some snorkeling fun.
Rollerblading (May 2008)
Sydney's weather is perennially good... without it, I wonder what would be left. (Lots and lots, I'm sure!) Anyways, I was invited to rollerblade in the Centennial Park one weekend with Nadia, Alex, Rachida and Valentyn. It was my first time rollerblading. I've tried roller-skating in the 80s but I guess I missed that 90s hype. It was a fun ride and good workout as we joyfully glided around the park for more than 2 hours. Afterwards, we walked to the Paddington weekend market for lunch and then some chocolate feast at Max Brenner. I've had better hot chocolates elsewhere, but the chocolate fondue was heavenly. We all accumulated more calories than what we had burnt from the rollerblading.
Philadelphia for Midwest Macro Meetings (May 2008)
I was visiting Philadelphia for the Midwest Macro Meetings. It was a very good one to attend and I saw a lot of good presentations. Too bad that I have to fly 20 hours and catch cold in the middle. And why does it get harder to adjust to jet lag these days? Am I just getting older? Anyways, some mandatory quick tour of the city. A feeling of tackiness at the Independence Mall (felt like the Australians do a better job.... with their prisons) but a very good exhibition at the Museum of Art with Frida Kahlo exhibit. In addition, a free concert given out by the Contraction. I had a great time meeting old colleagues. The last picture is a bit of diversion. I wonder who attends that university.
Hanging out with peers (April 2008)
Some pictures taken when I hung out with the junior people at UNSW. One was welcome pub night when Renata first arrived (Newtown bar), and the other was when Renata was going back to Brazil (Singaporean restaurant & Cafe at Oxford Street).
Royal National Park, NSW (April 2008)
On one fine autumn day, we ventured to Royal National Park for a hiking trail along the southern coastline. Our destination was Werrong Beach, also known to be nudist beach.. that was not our purpose though. Here's the link to our drive to the Park.
St Louis, MO, USA (February 2008)
I seem to bring inclement weather wherever I go. The next day I got to St.Louis, we had snow storms, the day I left St.Louis, there were snowstorms again making me stranded in Chicago Airport overnight. There was one day with of weather, and Silvio and I went out to see the Gateway arch and explore the colorful downtown of St Louis.
Bowdoin, Brunswick, ME, USA (February 2008)
Some pictures taken from Brunswick, Maine. It's a small town where Bowdoin College is located. I spent almost two weeks there, working with my co-author Julian. After days of hard work, hair-popping agony and tribulation, we were able to get out project going and run our simulation to get the results.
Boston, USA (February 2008)
As of February 20th, I'm writing this in St.Louis Missouri. Where on earth did I end up here? Well, it's part of my US trip to meet co-authors and enhance my productivity in research. I first stopped over in Korea (more pictures to come) and then went to Brunswick Maine, where my co-author Julian teaches at Bowdoin College. It was a good stay and we did some good work. One day, out of boredom, we decided to take a day trip to Boston, about 2.5 hours away. And guess what Oksana and Nicolas were staying at Providence (Brown), so we did a little rendez-vous. It was like the good old times, just that we grew older and hairs got thinner and balder.
Now after several days in St.Louis working with another colleague of mine (Silvio), I'll head off to New York to meet yet another potential colleague (Johanna). Then back to sunny Sydney. I didn't mind experiencing the cold weather here, partly because it's only a month long winter for me.
Southern Coast and ＾Exciting￣
As my
work productivity was dwindling, I decided to go on a roadtrip over the
weekend. This time, I drove south along the coast to Ulladulla and
Westhead,
As it
was a quiet public holiday, I decided to drive up north. The map shows the
route to Westhead. I did some hiking around the National Park and on the way
back, stopped at Dee Why beach (the background picture). Due to high meaty
waves, all
