Been out of the blogging business for a while and a lot of things have happened since then. Actually, not just “a lot of things” but a lot of memorable and important things in my life happened last 2008. So I dedicate some of my future posts this year to share the memories from last year.

I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy sharing.

I would like to dedicate my very first post for year 2009 to our loving grand mother who passed away yesterday.

Lola, we love you very much and you will be missed! I’m proud to be your grand son, and proud to be in this family. May the good Lord bless your loving soul and please say hi to Lolo for me.

Corazon Monin Quedi
(December 29, 1921 - January 7, 2009)

I want to congratulate my former basketball team Finance - Shipping. After years of being first runner ups, they finally made it to being champions. I’m very happy for you guys and for all your supporters. My only regret is that I wasn’t there to see it all happen.

Next goal - defend the title!

This is what’s inside the temple. May Buddha bless you!

We were planning to visit the temple a long time ago and Buddha’s Day celebration made it come true at last. The temple is remarkable. Looks very familiar from all the Jet Li movies I’ve watched. The Buddhist temples seem to be structured the same. The events were well organized. We watched a couple of different cultural dances and was proud to have seen some Filipina dancers showing off our culture.

The last part of the West trip is a stroll to Kite Kite Falls. Took us thirty minutes to reach this serene place via foot and just twenty minutes going back. Why? Because the track to the falls has more upward slopes than when going back. Didn’t try to swim either as it’s freezing like Piha beach.

The beach sand was scorching hot! I would have loved to take a dip but the water is icy cold! Talk about fire and ice… As you can see, the waves are rough that’s why surfers love this beach. This is the west side of Auckland. Swim straight the beach and a few thousand kilometers away, you’re in Australia… Haven’t tried though.

This is the biggest live frame on a wonderful background I’ve ever seen. The Waitakere Ranges Regional Park showcases the west side of Auckland. We had the trip on a Black Saturday.

We saved the last day for the whole Christchurch, literally. You will get a good full view of Christchurch and the other side of Canterbury. The mountains were all brown as there is currently a drought down south. The far mountains should be snow-capped during winter and on a very clear weather, it feels like heaven!

Hot springs in summer? You bet! As Filipinos, we got used to summer swim in hot springs. But it sure got me worried that we won’t be able to relax with the hot summer sun inside the hot spring. Good thing it was very cloudy that day and a few drizzles made Hanmer Springs the place to be. Try out the 41 degrees Celsius sulfur pool especially in winter. It will be an awesome experience!