Some eagle-eyed folks might already realized that this blog looked quite different, and it is. I moved my blog’s hosts to Hostinger — along with my photoblog (https://photos.corianderinpho.com/), and, currently thinking, the Impromptu Journal (https://impromptujournal.com/) — BTW, Impromptu Journal has been on hiatus for months, now. I’m thinking of reviving it along with a new URL/subdomain name to streamline everything, hahah.
Right now, I’m in the middle of tidying things up. This is my first time having self-hosted WordPress website(s) after so many years, and I’m excited. I’m actually amazed remembering how I used to be so at ease with self-host, and now it feels like I’m relearning new things! Anyway, kudos to the Hostinger Support staff for answering my newbie questions patiently, hahah.
Anyway. Yeah, I made a new website for my photos because I’ve been thinking of moving out from social media. I will still be around on social media to stay in touch with families and friends, but it would be mostly lurking or firing off memes on Instagram Stories. I know my photography skill is a whack compared to, say, National Geographics level, but please let a girl dream.
Speaking about photography, I just came back from Sydney, Australia for a team meetup. During a team meetup, we usually have learnups and workshops, and they can range from technical skills to hobbies. One of my teammates, Yuki, shared his tips for taking pictures. Yuki has always been interested in photography, and he’s the kind of person that you would call “he took blurry pictures and it looks professional, whereas if it was me, it would look like pictures taken by a drunkard.”
One of his tips is: Try to work with B/W. Sometimes, colored pictures can feel “meh” while B/W pics can evoke more mood and “vibes”. His words stuck with me ever since, so I decided to give B/W a try. So, yeah, pictures incoming — along with some ramblings about Sydney.
We stayed in the Song Hotel, right in the middle of the Central Business District. This was proven as a great choice because it’s really near Hyde Park and the Chinatown area. When our Australian colleagues heard that we were staying at the Song Hotel, their immediate comment was, “Ah, you won’t have to go far to find food.” The area was busy, mostly by international students, and you can find an amazing array of food, from your regular cafés to Korean restaurant specializing in selling Korean street snacks such as tteokbokki. Considering the name, Chinatown, you can expect to see different types of Asian food. I was pleasantly surprised to see nasi campur place (mixed rice) brought to you by Malaysian-Thailand.
I have to be honest here: I found it… Slightly conflicted to see James Cook’s statue. While I admit that he has been one of the best explorers in history, his impact on the natives in the continent was not something that people usually remember fondly. That said, I was really happy to see a lot of Acknowledgment of Traditional Owners during my stay in Sydney.
Another aspect of Sydney that I find really amusing is the seagull.
Growing up with “Finding Nemo”, I always thought seagulls would sound like “mine, mine, mine.” I was wrong. They sounded more like a screech with such respite, hatred, and their strong intent to snatch your chips.
This was my first time in Sydney, and I quick realized that seagulls and the city come as a package. While the seagulls in the City Center was relatively “okay” (I know Sydneysiders will kick me for this), those in the Sydney Harbor and Opera House are vicious. We were on the square nearby the Harbour, enjoying muffins and coffee, along with this tourist couple. They walked to a nearby seat while holding the oh-so-familiar Hungry Jack’s paper bag (in case you are not familiar; Hungry Jack’s is the Australian franchise of the Burger King) and deep down, I have this tingling sense that these seagulls are trained to recognize the paperbag and what it entails.
They swooped down, and this couple — bless them — blissfully unaware of what would come, took out the burgers and the chips (since we are in Australia, I will defer to “chips” instead of “french fries”). As if under one inaudible command, the seagulls started to jump and hover around them, all while screaming and grabbing the chips. A man ran from the corner of the square while yelling, “HEY! HEY! NO! HEYYYY!” and waving his hands. The Good Samaritan shooed the birds, much to the birds’ protests (loudly). He tapped one of the tourist’s shoulder and asked, “you alright?” The tourist, visibly shocked because Getting Attacked by Seagulls might not be on his Bingo card, nodded while shared a nervous smile. The stranger nodded and walked past, as quick as his arrival. Not all heroes wear capes. Some of them wearing brown Billabong jacket and sneakers.
We were lucky because our snack was muffins, and I think seagulls dislike muffins. And no, I don’t have any intention to test my hypothesis. Ever.
I know that the pictures I took are kind of a mish-mash. My focus has been unclear: Landscape? Urban? Food? That said, I hope you enjoy this post, though! ❤️
