No place like it

Ahh home at last! Was away close to two weeks working and freezing my ass off in chilly Oz. (It's only autumn but still cold by tropical country standards.) Well OK, the weather was nice in Brisbane, and even in Sydney, amazingly, but it was the pits in Melbourne. Brrrr! Then again, even if we had beautiful weather all the way I would still bitch about it. I just hate being away from home for so long, and I particularly resent this trip for eating up two whole weeks of my precious summer vacation. Kainis!

But I suppose there are some things I do enjoy in Australia (and I admit this grudgingly), such as—

1. Bookstore hopping! This trip I was able to browse in Dymocks in Brisbane, Borders and Kinokuniya in Sydney, and other small bookshops in Melb. There were so many nice books (sigh!) but I had to content myself with just one purchase: The Presidents (The Transformation of the American Presidency from Roosevelt to Bush) by Stephen Graubard, which I've already started reading. Good one.

2. The coffee. Anywhere you go in Australia the coffee is almost always superb. They claim to take their coffee very seriously over there, and so far I have to agree. Brought home a kilo of a particularly good blend so we can enjoy some at home.

3. Watching TV. Cable's not very common in Australia, and what few channels there are broadcast mostly sports and news and sports. But there are still some good shows on, and I was able to catch new episodes of CSI, Boston Legal, House, and NCIS. Saya!

4. Shopping for pet stuff. Have lots of pasalubong for Rory, my pretty rottie. So many nice doggie accessories in Oz. Too bad they're all so expensive!

5. Walking. I can actually walk long distances without getting an asthma attack—the air's so clean!

But the best thing by far about going to Australia is the part where I finally board a plane headed back to Manila. Feel that hot sun, breathe that humid air. So good to be home.