Canberra Australian Capital Territory 19 - 21st April 2017

Breakfast along Franklin Street, Canberra 

     
       This was my first ever trip to the Australian Capital Territory and I was pleasantly surprised at how large the ACT was with only about 350,000 residents living in the area. The day we arrived, Wednesday 19th April was a very pleasantly sunny and refreshingly cool morning. I had arranged for a car hire from the airport and it was a very seamless experience. With the GPS, it was very easy to get around. It took us all told about 20 minutes to get into the city centre, and our hotel was in the Forrest neighbourhood.   

Franklin Street, Canberra

       ACT is a very well laid out city, a small town actually and really great for a slower pace of life. The people residing there are mainly white Australians with a smattering of  people of other races. The town centre of Manuka is quite lovely, boasting Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese and European cuisines. There is the ubiquitous MacDonalds at the edge of the centre, and a Coles supermarket too. In the evenings apart from the dining and several drinking pubs, the place is placid , quiet and rather dark. There are few and far between street lamps along the housing estates.

Perfect Weather for a Stroll to the Shops

      The houses are well spaced out and the scenery is in one word, lovely. Since there are no direct flights to Canberra, we had to first fly in to Sydney and then take a small propeller plane flight of about 1 hour into the Canberra airport.There is a huge lake beside the Parliament House and I guess during the summer and autumn months there would be plenty of water sports. Its indeed very liveable, and the climate is quite temperate. 

      Most people coming here would make a day trip from Sydney or Melbourne, though I am told that it is easy to drive from Sydney - approximately 3 hours by car. Since this was a targetted business trip, I decided to go for the shortest time to customer location and return.

Lovely colours beside the townhouses

                           Here's hoping my project kicks off in the ACT !! 

Queen's Guards (Irish Guards) Video at the Tower of London - Dec 13th 2016

I had a free afternoon and visited the Tower of London ; here is the video of the Irish Guards, who are typically the elite guardsmen and women of the British Army. They have a fearsome reputation for being no nonsense, and will scold any uncouth tourists who disturb their 'line' or marching formation. Dressed in grey (I believe due to the rainy weather), they are stationed in the Tower of London to guard the Crown Jewels.

Enjoy this brief video. 

Che - Part 1 ; the Argentine who fought the revolution of Cuba in 1957

       Born in 1929 to a wealthy Argentine family, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara was training to be a doctor, when a trip around the Americas led him to see the poverty and suffering of his neighbouring countries like Chile, Bolivia and Venenzuela. Together with his dentist friend, they finally made it to the leper colony in Venezuela, and with their life experience, found out how exactly the rich industrialists were teaming up with corrupt governments to grab the lands off poor farmers for uranium, tin and other rare earth mining. Many illiterate farmers were thrown off their lands belonging to their ancestors because of some land 'title' crafted by a greedy Government and the rich landowners. This was in the early 1930s to 1940s.  

          He felt that the United States of South America free from corruption and cronysim to the USA was a collective dream of all South Americans. 
     
       He then decided to join Fidel Castro in the July 1955 meeting in Mexico and then went on to fight in the Cuban revolution of 1957. His iconic standing as the eternal revlutionary with rare principals of justice, rule of law and strict discipline in the field of combat, together with a rare compassion for the Cuban people made him the beloved "Commandate Che (Mr.) Guevara.

       He went on to be Castro's right hand man, as the Minister of Industry, as well as Foreign Minister, culminating in a visit to the United Nations in 1964 to address the Security Council which included the United States.

      He then went and participated in the unsucessful theatre of Congo and then on to the Bolivian conquest to overthrow the then Government. He was captured by Government troops backed by the (OSA formerly the CIA) and killed.

     His reputation is world-wide as the principled revolutionary eschewing the riches that go to the victors of war (in his case the Cuban civil war) and was most comfortable donning the combat fatigues with his trademark black beret, Cuban cigar and full beard.

     His standing as the eternal anti-establishment icon against all things imperialist will be for a long long time. 

      Enjoy the film. 

Sydney Airport Link

The fastest and least expensive way (in my opinion anyway) to get into Sydney CBD is by taking the Airport Link from Sydney airport  at the B2 levels (between the Domestic and International terminals) at right into the heart of Sydney (either Circular Quay where the Rocks and Sydney Opera House is) or Wynard which is right in CBD district. Ticket prices are AUD 19.40 one way.

The downside of this is that the automated machines selling the tickets are not many (perhaps 3 to 4 at the airport and only 1 lonely system at Wynard station) ; so queue to get your ticket  and buy the ticket way in advance if you want to arrive at the airport early to catch that International flight back home. 

The Tank Stream Hotel and Service Apartments Apr 2017 - Superb Location

          Located at 97 Pitt Street and exactly 2 minutes from the Wynard Station lies this gem of a boutique hotel, the Tank Stream. From the Wynard station, you make your way towards the George Street exit and form there on proceed along Hunter Street and make a turn left at Pitt Street towards The Rocks, beside the Sydney Harbour Bridge. 

         Fresh off the train with my colleague, with Google Maps app activated, I managed to find it with our carry on bags with absolutely no mistakes or wrong turns at all. It is that easy. Upon checking in, using the ubiquitous Booking.com app, I had the pleasant surprise of being offered free mini bar refeshments for the entire 1 night I was there. Pretty generous of the establishment I must say. The bill for the 1 night came to approx. AUS 220 all in or SGD 240 without breakfast. 

The room was quiet and indoor facing, although it was a little small, it is ideal for a short stay of perhaps 3 - 4 nights, in my opinion. Service at front desk was speedy, and after a quick check-in, we went on our way to explore the Rocks and take in the sights of the harbour, the Sydney Opera House (worldwide landmark) and the Harbour Bridge. 

It is comparable to the Embankment in London, by the Thames, on a brilliant sunny day with clear blue skies and little clouds. Temperature on that 20th April afternoon was around 19 deg C which was in my opinion, perfect.  Back to the Tank Stream, it is tucked at the corner just after you turn off Hunter Street and onto Pitt Street towards the Rocks. There are plenty of eating and drinking establishments just within 5 minutes walking distance, and the banks, finance and insurance companies are all right beside, so you get the office crowd at all times of the day. 

While it does not have a grand entrance, the hotel is well run and the mini bar is well stocked even on the day I left Sydney. You can get free beer, juices, water and energy drinks all gratis.  In the afternoon, after a lovely walk by the Rocks, I met with an old friend James Goh for dinner also by the numerous dining establishments by the Rocks. 

So, to give it a rating ;

Accessibility - 5 out of 5 
2 minutes from Wynard Station which is along the AirportLink Train 15 minutes from the airport. I couldn't ask for anything else. 

Price - 4.5 out of 5 
For the price of AUD 220, I got a single superior room with free mini bar refreshments. A great touch

Service Staff - 4.0 out of 5
Syndey on the whole has only so-so service. So I did not really encounter any bad or umpleasent experiences.

Comfort and Cleaniliness - 4.5 out of 5 
Exceptionally clean place. 

Sound Proofing - 5 out of 5 
Really quiet locale 

Totally 23 out of 25 which makes it 4.6 out of 5 stars ; Bravo ! 

As the Terminator would say : I'lll be Back ! 

New Song From Zayn and Taylor ; I don't want to live forever.

This song is so cool. Pity about it being the theme song for Fifty Shades Darker. 

Ever since leaving One Direction, this is Zayn's first solo (OK duet) hit and with Taylor Swift.

I don't own the rights to this song so just enjoy it while you read my posts about my hobbies, travelling and social commentary. 

Running - Getting the Right Start (first written in 2002) - Part 2

 Continuing from my earlier post yesterday, the remianing 6 points for the benefits of running are :

7. Sleep - Regular exercie promotes sound sleep, leaving you feeling more refreshed to start each day. Staying up late writing articles for a running newsletter does not make you feel refreshed by the way !!  

8. Stress - The impact on our health from the many stresses of our lives is significant. We have heard of many cases of suicides, injuries, family and relationship breakdowns due to that major bugbear called STRESS. Gallup pollsters confirm that a full 67% of all runners experience stres relief and relief from anxiety. In addition, self esteem is given a definite BOOST. Regular exercise also gives me a sense of commitment and control of my body and my mind.

"You run the first 50 with your body, you run the next 50 with your mind" - Dean Karnazes 
(Ultramarathoner whose quips inspire me, when I do the long runs of 20, 30 and full marathons).

9. Psychological - Running promotes self esteem, good mental health, increased confidence,positive moods, lowered anxiety levels and minimises depression. The release of endorphins or the body's natural wonder drug to ward off mood swings and alleviate pain is another contributing factor to a runner's psychological health.

10.Financial - If you exercise regularly, like running, you spend less on your medical bills for coughs,colds, and the 'flu. In these days of ever rising medical costs, this is good news for your employer and of course, the Government. If you are managing your own business, it is then good news for you.   In Shape magazine, (2000 eidtion), for every mile you briskly walk or run, you could add 21 minutes to your life and save 50 percent in health care costs.

11. Competition - Running offers many opportunities for competition, I have decided this year to run in overseas marathons and make my touring coupled with a marathon. Why not ? Its a cool way to see the Eiffel, the Arc de Triomphe  or the Brandenburg Gate with my Asics on.

12. Fun and Friendship - This is the best part of running, I have had many more friends from running from all over the world, Alex from Slovenia, Tibor from Hungary, Bella from China, Jane from HK, Petra from Germany and Suresh from Australia all join me in one of my runs over the years. Its a great way to meet and talk about a common hobby.