Melbourne

I took these pictures in May of last year. It was my first time to go to Melbourne to attend a conference. The first thing i noticed when i arrived is that its deserted. It was midday, but the roads are almost devoid of cars, as well as pedestrians. It was creepy.I thought the weather had something to do with it. It was the end of autumn, and the chilly temperature was really bothering me. But it wasnt. Melbourne is the 2nd most populated city in Australia, yet the population is only 3.8million.

I wasnt able to roam the city on my own. I had to depend on our tour guide Ross to bring us to the places which he thought is somewhat symbolic or representative of melbourne. Guess where he brought us first thing from the airport? A souvenir shop.

Most of the other places we went to were indeed popular, like the Rod Laver arena where the Melbourne Open is held every January, and the Shrine of Remembrance, dedicated to the soldiers who fought and died during the War of 1914-18.

We saw the koalas along the road, in an area full of eucalyptus trees. At first, Ross was teasing us about how he placed those toy koalas the night before. We almost believed him because the little creatures were stationary, until one of them grabbed a eucalyptus leaf and started chewing it.

Inside the Box

One morning, while taking Bruno to the backyard for his daily pupu ritual, something caught his attention. He was barking at a brown Lucky Me box. I got curious myself, because his barking got louder and louder, but he couldnt go near it. Inside the box was a stray cat, with her two kittens.

I suddenly ran upstairs to my room to get my camera. The kittens were adorable. Their eyes were blue in color, but the mother's eyes were yellow. Luckily, they didnt mind me taking their pictures. And they didnt run away until the next day when Bruno was more adamant at evicting them from his territory.

A boy named Celso

A friend of mine invited me to visit his fishpond in Tinaad. He was harvesting bangus that afternoon. We headed to the fishpond in midmorning. It was a fine day, slightly overcast, and the tranquility of the surrounding was deafening. When we reached his place, his helper was consuming the last of the Ginebra San Miguel they had partaken the night before.

My friend immediately gave me a grand tour of the place. Since his next door neighbor was harvesting his pla-pla that morning, we headed straight to his place first. From a distance, I saw 4 human figures dragging a long net, trying to ensnare all the tilapia still present in the muddy water.

When I got closer, i noticed that one was remarkably smaller than the rest. He was only a boy. He was doing the same thing the other 3 adults were doing, with as much strength his frail body can muster.

Most boys his age are either playing PSP, or watching cable at home, playing basketball with friends , or for the truly lucky ones, taking a vacation somewhere in Asia or America. At his tender age, he's already working.

Iwanted to ask him how old he was, where he lived, and if he was still studying. But i decided not to. He was busy. He didnt have time to chat.