Star Tours final full ride

This is it. The highlight of my trip in the US so many years ago. I am unabashedly a huge Star Wars fan and to experience Star Tours was a dream come true.

Tabi-tabi po!

I was still quite young then, and I no longer remember why we were there but I remember it fondly because it was such a beautiful sight.

My siblings and I were walking along a dark road by the fields in rural Dagupan. There were no street lights, and the way ahead was lit only by the moon and the stars. And then we suddenly saw it: a tree festooned with a thousand lights from fireflies. It was so beautiful, like a huge Christmas tree! We were about to go for a closer look when our sister stopped us and said such trees have treasures hidden somewhere, but a terrible guardian (a bantay) is also there; it’s not worth the visit. And so we gave the tree a wide berth and moved on.

113th celebration of Philippine Independence and 150th Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal

Dear friends,

Every year, the Filipinos commemorate its gaining of independence from its colonizers on 12 June 1898.  This year, it will be special because aside from the celebration of the 113th Year Anniversary of our Philippine Independence, we will also celebrate 150th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal, our National Hero.

The programme will start at 11:00am with a Catholic Mass, then a “salo-salo” where you could sample the delicious Philippine foods/regional delicacies. Cultural show starts at 1.30 until 3.30, an exciting 2 hrs of excellent performances, including a theatre performance on the history of Philippine Independence (supported by Creative Communities NZ), and a show highlighting Dr. Jose Rizal’s life and achievements. Entertainment from our Filipino bands and disco will follow suit, from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

What: 113th celebration of Philippine Independence and 150th Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal
When: 12 June 2011, 11:00-5:30pm
Where: Indian Community Centre, 46 Kemp St., Kilbirnie, Wellington

Weta Cave: amazing!

The Weta Cave is a mini-museum of props, scale models, and various production materials for movies that Weta worked with.  Weta is more popularly known for groundbreaking film Lord of the Rings and is one of my favourite movies of all time!  The Weta Cave showcases materials from that film, as well as from a lot of memorable others.

You and Me Against the World by Helen Reddy

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

2011 Philippine Independence Day Celebration in Wellington

The Philippine Embassy invites all Filipinos and friends in New Zealand in celebrating the 113th Anniversary of Philippine Independence and the 150th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal on Sunday, 12 June 2011 (10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.) at the Wellington Indian Cultural Center, 48 Kemp St. Kilbirnie, Wellington.

Dorrie Leslie Park

Dorrie Leslie Park is located at Lyall Bay in the southern region of Wellington.  We stopped by for picnic/lunch here with friends one weekend.  It's a nice little park with a picnic table and an awesome view of the water.  Also nearby is the international airport.  We saw a couple of planes fly over the bay and onto the runway.

It's a nice place to stop by and spend a relaxing couple of hours in.