My daughter Amelie got invited to a birthday party last Saturday. The celebrant’s mom asked me to bring my camera along and so I started snapping photos as soon as we reached the party.

I like this particular shot because of the little boy who was dead set in breaking the piñata. Each kid was given three chances to hit the piñata but this boy went on and on to the point of dropping his pants while at it. We all had a good laugh watching the kids in this game.

(To protect the privacy of my friend’s guests, I purposely covered their eyes on the photo.)

More weekend snapshots, here!

My husband went on a four-day business trip last week to Perth and came back home Thursday evening only to replenish his office clothes. He left again the following day to Canberra to attend to an urgent project matter.

He knows that I will be upset because of the sudden work assignment that he left these for us the following day. The cute koala is for our daughter and the sweets are for me.

More from the other weekenders!

This was taken at the Royal National Park in Sydney’s south last Saturday. The two friends seemed to enjoy the serene waters under the bright, clear skies and cool winter weather.

I felt relaxed myself just looking at them.

I have another entry here. More from the other weekenders!

We were strolling around the city area when my husband and I decided to stop at this alley where old buildings run parallel throughout the stretch. If not for the passersby, I would have taken a shot of each door that I saw. They just might think I’m crazy for doing so. Hee.

I just find them so interesting as they offer a nice nostalgic feel to the city.

I have another one here. More from the other weekenders!

Hyde Park is one of the World Youth Day venues. Despite that it’s winter here now, I am sure that this area will be packed with so many delegates from all over the world.

Although I am not a Catholic, I went to a Catholic university in Manila, Philippines. When World Youth Day was held there in 2005, Manila was put on the spotlight with the Pope’s visit. The streets were extremely crowded during the Pope’s parade and security was on high alert at that time. I wonder how it will be like here. Honestly, I am keen to know for photo opportunities. Hi hi.

Here are some more shots from Hyde Park.

Pathway that connects the St. Mary’s Cathedral to the Museum

St. Mary’s Cathedral

Archibald Fountain

I have another entry here, which I hope you also visit. More from the other weekenders!

We were on our way back to the mall when we passed by this flock of birds and took note of the man sitting quietly on the green patch of grass while reading the paper. With the birds chirping and wings flapping, he remained calm amidst the noise.

I have another entry here, which I hope you also visit. More from the other weekenders!

Here in Australia, that is. It’s time to bring out thicker sweaters and store all the summer clothes. In fact, the cold season started early this year. Even if it was summer, there were days when the temperature hit a low 19degC.

Since it doesn’t snow in Sydney, the family is planning a trip to Snowy Mountains with our friends. It will be the family’s first snow experience so we hope it pushes through.

I have another WS entry here. Have a beautiful week ahead!

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We were on our way home from the Sydney Fish Market when I spotted a row of colorful low-rise buildings. Even though they are pretty common here in Sydney, I still enjoy looking at these old structures. The vibrant colors put life to an otherwise boring street.

Do you see colorful buildings in your area, too? Have a good week everyone!

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I wasn’t feeling all too well last Saturday so we hauled up inside the house the whole day. Sunday turned out to be a better day though. The sun was up and the wind was a bit chilly.

My weekend entry is a photo taken from a barbeque party we attended last month. The little bird is so pretty not be noticed.

Sunday’s church service was devoted to celebrate Mother’s Day. The program was made special by the kids who did a funny skit, a very cute AVP of the kids that was prepared by the church’s youth group, the ‘cuppa’ (or cup of tea, tea time/tea break) was prepared inside the church instead of the hall and the flowers that were given to each of the mom present.

These two pretty flowers in photo almost didn’t make it home when in the car, my daughter’s pram pressed on the petals. Hee hee. I still had to take a photo of it as a memento of my first Mother’s Day celebration here in Australia.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

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Last Saturday, my husband, daughter and friends went to Blue Mountains. We left the city after lunch and we didn’t expect that Blue Mountains will be very crowded. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful sunny day and the cool breeze just made it perfect for a quick weekend get-away.

The rock formation in photo is the Three Sisters. You want to know the legend behind these towering rocks? Read on.

The Legend

The Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that three sisters, ‘Meehni’, ‘Wimlah’ and Gunnedoo’ lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe.

These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry.

The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle.

As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come.

~ Source: BlueMountains.com

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We were at a friend’s house yesterday in Baulkham Hills for a barbeque party and saw so many beautiful birds in their backyard. This photo with the playful larakeets is my favorite. Needless to say, they are the most beautiful birds I had ever seen.

Have a great week y’all!

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Pardon my ignorance but it is my first time to see a Starbucks drive through here in Australia. We came from the house of a friend in Mt Druitt yesterday and we were driving back home when we spotted this.

I know this has been around since 2005 in the US and I wonder why it hasn’t reached the Philippines or even Singapore. This would definitely be nice to have.

Do you have one in your neighborhood?

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We forgot to note in last week’s church service about the family day yesterday at the Carrs Bush Reserve. My husband, daughter and I went straight to church and we were surprised to see the gate and doors closed!

After checking with our friends and a little less than a 30 min drive, we reached the place and settled in to this beautiful park! Too bad I didn’t bring my camera with me. I know this image from my camera phone does not give justice to the real beauty of the place. I also read off the net that this park has been made backdrops to many weddings… and beautiful weddings they are for sure!

As for this photo, I found it interesting how these birds seem to be listening to the call of the wind.

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We were on our way to the car park yesterday when I saw dried leaves sprawled all over the street. Much to my excitement, I haphazardly took this photo hence the blur.

I am excited about our first Fall experience. It seems as though the change in season brings us new and exciting things to look forward to. I would soon hunt for those beautiful autumn leaves, their color changing from red, orange, yellow, brown or even purple! I should have my camera with me all the time when I go out now.

And while others are getting ready for summer, here we are gearing up for cooler, breezier months!

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To celebrate Easter, the family spent the weekend in Canberra, a 2 1/2 hour drive from Sydney. There’s not a lot of places to see and things to do there, considering how small the Capital is in terms of population and developments. But the flipside of it is that we were able to tour all the key places such as the Australian War Memorial Museum.

The motorcycle in photo caught my interest because I wasn’t aware that Harley Davidson existed over a hundred years ago! (pardon my ignorance) I only heard about the popularity of this bike through my father who is into motorcycles and cars. No wonder their models are so expensive and that the name Harley has been made synonymous to “Greatness”.

This particular model, however, was used during the Australian war in 1942 thereby gaining the title, “The Bike That Won The War.”

Happy Easter Monday and Happy WS, too!

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I wish I can sum up my entry in 1 snapshot, hope this is valid.

Amelie attended her 1st birthday party here in Sydney. It’s Bella’s 1st birthday, the little girl from church. Little Dynamo’s a huge indoor playground that is situated in the city. Bella’s mom and dad had the place reserved from 530 - 8pm and all the kids were soaked in sweat from having too much fun on the playground!

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Credit: Paper used is from Dots & Daisies Kit by Heather Ann Designs.

This is my first time to join the Weekend Snapshot Challenge. I very much want to learn to take better photos and be inspired by the guys who join in. So here goes:

Over the weekend, the family went for yet another impromptu visit to the city. It was my first time to see the city packed with so many people! The weather was great that day and we went in and around The Sydney Opera House and the Royal Botanical Garden. We went home so tired from walking that we called it a night at 9pm. He he.

My husband and I climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge five years ago. It was a great feat for me especially for someone who is afraid of heights! I don’t think I can do that again though. He he.