My Time Down Under

It has been nearly 2 weeks since I returned from my trip to Sydney, Australia. I would have blogged sooner--but let me be the first to assure that it takes a great deal of time to sort through 1,773 pictures. I have now had sufficient time to go through all of the pictures I took and sufficient time to allow my index finger to heal from all the clicking.

Obviously, I won't be sharing all 1,773 pictures with you--because they aren't all great. That's the magic of digital photography. But I did take lots and lots of great pictures. I had 3 different cameras. I brought my new Kodak camera, which had replaced my former Minolta camera. I think I mentioned this in a previous blog, but my Minolta refused to recognize the presence of the memory card. I took it with me to Tokyo in April and gave it to Patrice to take back to California and get fixed. She did and brought it back to me in Australia. Plus, I had my video camera, which also can take pictures and store it on a memory card. It was a perfect system.

I left Korea on Sunday, June 8th, at around 8 p.m. The sun was setting. I had purchased tickets MONTHS before on Qantas Airlines, and the flight was being operated by Asiana Airlines, who I flew from LA to Seoul back in November. I did not fly on Korean Airlines, that's just a plane moving through the picture.

Meal One, Dinner: Salmon (my first time having salmon)--
Meal Two, Breakfast: Beef Bulgogi--
Night is falling...somewhere over the Pacific Ocean--
Sun rising somewhere in Australia, cool lake--
A new morning over Australia--
My first sight of the Australian coast--
A rainy morning landing in Sydney--
As I said in my previous blog, I landed on Monday morning, the 9th of June. After dropping our bags off at our hotel (we couldn't check in until 2 p.m.), Patrice and I just started walking around. I wanted to head towards the venue where Phantom would be playing, so we could escape any hiccups the next night when we attended the performance (of course, if you read my previous blog, you realize that wasn't the hiccup I needed to worry about). That's where I saw and photographed all the various billboards/signs/posters/advertisements for the show.

After we'd found the theater and investigated all there was to see there, it was lunch time. We conveniently found a large shopping area that had a large food court. Unlike Korean food courts, which have all kinds of wonderful Korean meal choices, this Australian food court offered stuff that I could not only read, but also found appealing! Imagine?! It really was a peaceful feeling. I was very tired, and I couldn't bring myself to decide what I wanted...so I had McDonalds. I know, I know!

To be perfectly honest, I have not had a McDonalds hamburger in probably 8 years. I do love their Chicken McNuggets and their McChicken sandwich...and of course the McFlurries; but I have refused to have a hamburger--because they're disgusting. But...and this is a BIG but, I thought being in Australia might mean that the burgers might taste differently--seeing how Australian beef is spoken of so highly.

Well, either way, whether it was Australian beef or Australian kangaroo...it wasn't good. It had the same rancid taste a McDonalds hamburger always has. Gross. But the fries were excellent!! Every subsequent time I ate a meal with french fries (called "chips" in Australia) they all had some terrific seasoning. My guess is sea salt--which I find to be delicious.

After lunch, we went to a Visitor Center to get information about a city pass or a transportation pass, etc.

Random building in Sydney; cool architecture--
In case you didn't know this, Sydney is a harbor city. Water splits the city. It's beautiful. The theater where Phantom is currently playing is on the harbor, as are most of the main attractions in Sydney.

Panorama of part of the harbor, Sydney Tower in the distance--

Maritime Museum in the Harbor--
A cool fountain in the ground, near our lunch spot--
Patrice in the fountain--
Our hotel was near Hyde Park, where the Anzac Museum is. It's built for the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought at Normandy in World War I. You see the Sydney Tower to the side.
Anzac Museum--
Anzac Museum at night--
Inside the Anzac Museum; that is not Jesus, it represents the soldiers who sacrificed themselves for freedom--
After we'd returned to the hotel, checked in, got settled, rested for a bit, and changed clothes--we headed back out into Sydney. Sadly, the sun sets at around 5:15 or so in Sydney...this being winter and all. So even though it wasn't late at all--it felt very late. In Korea the sun doesn't set until around 7:30, so this was quite an adjustment.

Anyway, as we were just wandering around in Sydney, we saw all kinds of lights and some commotion happening around the State Theater. There was even a red carpet. It definitely looked like a movie premier or something.

Patrice asked a woman who was standing guard near the red carpet, and she said that it was the Kung Fu Panda premier. Cool. When Patrice was talking to the lady, I could've sworn I saw Jack Black in the crowd, quite a distance away. I thought nothing of it, not remembering that he was the voice of the titular character in the film. But the woman said there were still tickets available if we'd like to watch the movie. We had nothing else to do, and it sounded like a cool thing to do. She asked another woman to escort us to the box office.

This woman walked us RIGHT ONTO THE RED CARPET, right in front of all the photographers who had, only moments before, taken pictures of Jack Black. The reason I can say that is because as we walked to the box office, Jack Black was not more than 10 feet away, goofing off and posing for pictures with a person in a panda suit.

Once we got our tickets for the movie, Jack Black walked directly in front of us...and I also noticed that Jeffrey Katzenberg was walking with him. I recognized him immediately. He's a producer and one of the founders, along with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen, of Dreamworks. He also used to work for the Disney Company.

Once inside, we found some seats on the far left side of the theater (it was large). Within a few moments, a lady came out and introduced some other guy, both of whom worked for the Sydney Film Festival, which this premiere was part of. Then the guy introduced Jeffrey Katzenberg, who talked briefly about making this film. He then introduced Jack Black.

Jack talked for a few moments--about nonsense. He's completely out of control, and truth be told, I have never liked him in anything I've ever seen him in. Fortunately, he didn't talk long and they started the movie.
I really enjoyed the movie. It was funny, touching, and had a great message. It was such a cool experience. And the next day, when I picked up a newspaper, I read that Cate Blanchett, who I was unaware was Australian, was also at the premiere with her kids.

Thus ended our first day in Sydney.

Here are a few random pictures from Sydney, that don't fit in any other category:

This is a picture of the Clock Tower of Central Station in Sydney-- The subway station nearest our hotel, called Museum Station--
Inside the subway station; it just happens to look EXACTLY like the subway station in Prince Caspian that the kids are in before they get magically transported back to Narnia-- Patrice in the subway...lots of graffiti...New York City isn't even this bad--
Luna Park, an amusement park in Sydney which opened in 1935--
I took over 100 pictures of the Opera House alone. It's a pretty incredible building, unlike anything I've ever seen. I suppose it's as creative a building as Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, which is quite something. Here are some of the best pictures of the Opera House, at different times, different angles, etc. There are more throughout this blog.

Inside part of the Opera House, looking out to the other part, during our tour--
Panorama of the harbor with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge in the distance--
Panorama of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge--

Taken from the Opera House during our tour, sunset behind the Harbour Bridge--
On our way back from the Blue Mountains; notice the lights of Luna Park on the left, and the Opera House dimly lit towards the right--
At night--
Our first full day in Sydney was technically Tuesday. This was Phantom day. In the afternoon, we went whale watching. I had no idea that it was actually a perfect time of year to see whales. I really only planned to come to Australia because Phantom/Anthony Warlow was there. However, because it was the beginning of winter in Australia, the humpback whales were migrating to warmer waters to have their babies.

And though the weather had been rather gloomy and rainy since we arrived--the sun miraculously appeared as we were nearing the dock to get on our boat. It was incredible. The captain said this was the most beautiful day in 2 weeks--and a perfect day to see whales. In this blog, you will unfortunately not see any pictures of whales--only because I don't have any. I videotaped the excursion and Patrice took the pictures. She has some great pictures of the whales we saw--and I will post those pictures when I receive them (she put them on a CD and it is in the air as we speak).

On the boat, going to see whales--
My first shot of the Opera House--
So cool--
Notice the moon in the top left corner, and the different color of the Opera House; it goes from white to gray if the sun goes behind a cloud--
So strange--

Sydney Tower in the middle of the two buildings of the Opera House--
Panorama of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge as we sail away towards the Pacific Ocean--
Patrice and the bridge--
Panorama showing the Sydney Tower, the Opera House, and the beginning of the bridge--

Out on the Pacific Ocean, you can still see the Sydney Tower--
It was FREEZING towards the end, especially at the front of the boat--
Heading back in to the harbor--
A tiny boat that was out whale watching with us--
The sun setting as we headed back into the harbor--

After we returned from whale watching, we headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up and dressed for Phantom, starring Anthony Warlow. As I've already detailed that debacle, I won't say any more about it.

WEDNESDAY:

We decided to spend the morning walking through Hyde Park up through the Royal Botanical Garden, all the way to the Opera House. It was about a 90 minute walk...specifically when you count how many times I stopped to take pictures.

A hilariously and ridiculously obese tree--

St. Mary's Cathedral--
St. Mary's Cathedral and Archibald Fountain--

St. Mary's Cathedral from the Royal Botanical Garden--
Getting closer--
Approaching the Opera House--
A view of the flags on top of the Harbour Bridge--
When we reached the Opera House, we intended to buy tickets to the musical version of Edward Scissorhands, a movie which I love. A kind worker at our hotel printed off information about it, and if we watched a matinee, we could get tickets for only $25. And it was at the Opera House, granted not in the main concert hall, but it would be neat to see a show at the Opera House.

We purchased our tickets and had time to get some lunch before the show.

It wasn't until about 5 minutes into the performance that we realized...this is not a musical...there is no singing...and no talking. This is a ballet. It was mentioned NOWHERE in the information I read. Hilarious. After about 5 minutes of the show...I leaned to Patrice and said, "Oh, please tell me there is singing in this..." There wasn't. It was visually interesting and the dancing was great; but that's all they did. I was hoping for some singing, but oh well. The music was great, but that's thanks to the movie music by Danny Elfman. Overall, it was an enjoyable show, but I would have preferred knowing what was going to happen before going into it. It makes for a funny story now.

THURSDAY:

We had made prior reservations to take a tour to the Blue Mountains, so called because of the oil of the eucalyptus trees which permeates the air and creates a blue haze. The Blue Mountains are about 2 hours NW of Sydney. Our tour van picked us up at about 7:45 a.m. and we headed out.

Our first stop was the Olympic Park in Sydney, which hosted the 2000 Olympics. We stayed for only about 15 minutes, just to get some pictures of the various buildings and surroundings. It was interesting to see.

A view from underneath the Torch, which for some reason wasn't lit-- After leaving Olympic Park, we headed to the town of Leura, a tiny mountain town in the Blue Mountains. We had about an hour to look around and do some shopping. It was a cute little town, and it reminded me of Idyllwild, CA.

After that, we headed directly to the Blue Mountains and Scenic World...all part of the tourism center of this place.

One stop in the Blue Mountains, named Dragon Head...do you see it?--

We took a cable car OVER a giant canyon, where I got a shot of Wentworth Falls--
We then took a steep train down to a lookout point, from which we hiked down a trail to the bottom of the canyon. This is basically Australia's version of the Grand Canyon, which our tour guide mentioned several times. Fortunately, he didn't say it was BETTER than the Grand Canyon, because I would have had to disagree with him...though it was a very cool spot. (So, Uncle Hank, don't worry, Australia doesn't have anything up on your place.)

Panorama of the Blue Mountains, notice the blue haze--

The Three Sisters are famous in the Blue Mountains. There are several ancient Aboriginese tales about these three mountains. You could see them from almost every angle in the Blue Mountains.

The Three Sisters behind us--

Panorama of the Three Sisters and the Blue Mountains--
After leaving the Blue Mountains, we headed to Featherdale Wildlife Park. This is advertised as the place where you can pet a koala and have your picture taken with one (though you won't see pictures of this yet, because Patrice is also sending me those)! Patrice definitely wanted to do that, and I was not opposed to meeting the cute animal. But in addition to that, we were also able to walk through the kangaroos pen, and pet them and feed them. To my knowledge, I'd never actually seen a kangaroo close up, and it was so cool. People have asked me if they punched or kicked, and I know they do--but they were kind to me.

A mom and her joey--

The joey and me--
Me posing next to a kangaroo--
I'd never seen a wombat before!--
Peacocks--A koala actually awake, it was feeding time-- Hilarious, an albino kangaroo with a regular joey in her pouch; who knew interacial relationships worked in the kangaroo world--

After Featherdale, we were driven to the dock where we'd catch our ferry back to Sydney. This was all part of the tour. We arrived back in Sydney at around 6:10. From there, we headed to a quick dinner and then to the theater to see if Anthony was performing in Phantom. He was and we watched. I died a little. In a good way. My previous blog explains it all.

FRIDAY:

Earlier in the week, we purchased two-day City Passes. Friday was our first of two consecutive days to use the pass. We had a handful of things to get through in two days, but we made a good plan of attack. We made a reservation for a Jet Boat cruise. Basically, they have these super-powered, high-speed, stunt boats, and they take people out and do big spins and other crazy manuevers. It sounded fun...though I knew once we started going, I may dislike it. Before leaving the harbor, our driver told us all the rules and such. When he was going to spin us around, he would signal us by waving his hand in a circular motion, then we'd all count down from 3, then he'd jerk the wheel or whatever and make us violently spin around on the water.

I had just seen Anthony Warlow perform Phantom the night before, so I was ready to die. It didn't matter what happened on the water, I was ready to go if it was my time.

Well, it wasn't really bad at all...other than the constant spritzing of salt water on my face...that and the horrible gym-locker stench of the plastic panchos they gave us to wear. Disgusting. We had a great view of the harbor (not that Patrice and I hadn't already experienced that the other 3 times we'd been out on the harbor; first with the whale watching, second taking the ferry around the harbor, and third taking our cruise back from the Blue Mountains the previous night). We sped through the other boats and kayaks that were out on the water. There is a lot of activity in Sydney Harbor. Ferries take people to different locations, just like a subway or a bus would. Tour boats are everywhere. Whale watching boats are plentiful. There are even yellow water taxis. Hmm.

Our driver was a cool guy, and he showed us some cool parts of the harbor. For example, he pointed out the Prime Ministers house on the harbor.

Then he spun us around about 5 times. It was a wild and crazy time. We made it back in one piece...and I spent a good 5 minutes scrubbing off my face and trying to get rid of the horrible locker-room smell.

After that, we went to the Aquarium in Sydney. It was pretty cool. I think the last time I was at an aquarium was when I lived in Sunnyvale, CA, and went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. That was 1987.

This is an actual turtle, his lips are hilarious--

I got a cool closeup of a crocodiles mouth--

Yikes--
Hilarious sign from above the croc pen--
Looks like a baby raptor--
The big tank...with sharks and turtles and such--
I hate sharks--

Oh gosh--
An itty bitty starfish stuck to the glass in a fish tank--

Here are some random pictures from around Sydney:

I saw this spider when we were walking through the Botanical Garden; GROSSLY GARGANTUAN--
This one was at the zoo; HIDEOUSLY HUGE--
Sydney Tower and Archibald Fountain--

Sydney Tower as seen near our hotel--
Sydney Tower through the trees in Hyde Park--
SATURDAY:

Saturday was Patrice's 25th birthday! She wanted to go to the zoo, so we headed there in the morning. The Taronga Zoo is known as "the zoo with a view" because it is right on the harbor. Indeed, it has a great view, as you will see from some of these pictures.

It was drizzling slightly throughout our time at the zoo, and the orangutans covered themselves with pieces of burlap that were laying around their pen--
A beautiful Sumatran tiger--

Believe it or not, this is called a Red Panda; it has a tail like a fox, but a face like a panda; it was no bigger than an average sized dog; I'd never heard of it before, but it was so cute--
The eye of a _______?--
Giraffe!--
Sydney Tower and Opera House serve as the backdrop of the Giraffe's house--
Funny enough, while we were walking around, I heard some people talking about the San Diego Zoo; and my ears perked up, seeing as how I've been there numerous times and good ole' Uncle Hank works there. They were not Australians, and they were talking about how awesome the San Diego Zoo is. Honestly, even before I heard these people talking, all I could think about was how much NICER the San Diego Zoo is compared to this one. (So, don't worry Uncle Hank, Australia doesn't have anything up on your place.)

After the zoo, we took the ferry back to the other side of Sydney, and we went to the Pylon Lookout on the Harbour Bridge. Oddly enough, I don't think I'd ever heard the word "pylon" until just a few weeks before going to Australia. I was watching the BBC (one of the few English stations on our TV's in Korea), and some guys were talking about the giant metal structures that hold up power lines. They referred to them as pylons. Anyway, the Pylon Lookout is atop the giant stone structure at the base of the bridge. It boasts some great 360 degree shots of Sydney.
On our way to the Pylon--

Still walking across the bridge to the Pylon, Opera House in the background; and yes, to answer your impending question, I do have dreads tucked underneath that cool hat that my awesome friend Liz made me--
The Pylon is directly in front--
Looking out from the bridge--
Climbing the stairs inside the Pylon looking out the window to where we had just been walking moments before--

Notice the groups climbing the bridge, this was an activity we could have done, but it cost over $100 just to climb for a few hours, we settled on the Pylon Lookout--
NORTH--
SOUTH--
EAST--
WEST--

While I was taking pictures from the Pylon, I noticed a jet boat, just like the one we took, out and about on the water--
After we climbed down from the Pylon Lookout, we quickly headed to the Opera House to take a tour, which was also part of our City Pass plans.

Our tour guide was not unlike every other customer service person we'd had in Sydney. Very personable, nice, and a little insane. It was supposed to be an hour tour, but because our tour guide liked to talk so much, about Opera House related topics, we stretched it to about 75 minutes. Did you know that the original designer of the Opera House (a Danish man who is still alive, but apparently is very ill) has never seen it completely finished? Did you know there are 5 different theaters within the complex? Anyway, we got to set foot inside the theater where Patrice and I had watched Edward Scissorhands days earlier. We walked under the Opera House where they load all the huge opera sets in. We walked backstage through a lot of the building as well. The whole thing was informative, interesting, and fun.

After that, we had dinner. Then to cap the night off, we went to the top of Sydney Tower to see the city at night. It was nice, but not as nice as Seoul Tower, or the Space Needle in Seattle, or the Stratosphere in Las Vegas.

SUNDAY:

Sunday was our last real day in Sydney, as we were both flying out early Monday morning. We had sufficiently used our two-day City Passes, and wanted to spend Sunday filling in the holes of things we didn't do; shopping and such.

It was a dismal Sunday morning. The weather was stinky. Not literally stinky, but just not ideal. Especially for heading to Bondi Beach, but that's exactly what we'd planned for Sunday, and so we stuck with our plan. Obviously, being as Sydney was entering winter, we had no plans to lay out or enjoy the beach as if we were back in southern California (though just thinking of the beach in southern California makes my heart beat faster with anticipation of returning). We simply wanted to see the beach and visit the shops that were there.

Bondi Beach (I did some effects on this picture to make it appear as though it were a nice day--but in point of fact, it was sprinkling sideways, it was bitterly cold and windy, and the sky was dark)-- Because of the negative weather conditions, we didn't spend much time at the beach. We walked up and down the main street looking at some of the shops, and then we got back on the bus and headed back towards civilization. Patrice desperately wanted to get her grandfather a kangaroo belt, because that's what he wanted. We visited many shops looking for the perfect one--and we were thankfully able to find it.

Monday morning we woke up very early and got a shuttle back to the airport. I think our shuttle picked us up at 5:45 a.m. My flight left Sydney at 9:10 that morning and I headed back to Seoul to return to the 150 or so days I had left in Korea (at the time of this writing, it's 142 days remaining--but who's counting??).

Say goodbye to Sydney--

If it wasn't so stinkin' far away (and stinkin' expensive--a bottle of water cost $2.20)--I would be returning to Australia every weekend. But it was a grand vacation all around.

From whales to Warlow--the trip was worth every penny.

Why Australia?

I recently returned to Korea from my 8 day vacation to Sydney, Australia. It was the greatest vacation I've ever had; and such a wonderful experience overall.

I took a red eye flight (and definitely had red eyes by the end of the flight) Sunday night (June 8) and arrived in Sydney at 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning. It was about a 10 hour flight--and Sydney is one hour ahead of Seoul.

At the airport, I met my friend Patrice from California. We took an airport shuttle to our hotel. It was overcast and chilly. June starts the winter season in Australia.

The reason I wanted to vacation in Australia was simple. A singer named Anthony Warlow was going to be performing in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. For those of you who don't know--I'll let you in on a little secret--I really, really like The Phantom of the Opera.

It started in high school. I heard the music and I instantly loved it. There's just something about it. The melodies, the harmonies, the subject matter. Obviously, I'm not alone--as it is one of the most famous musicals ever--AND it's the longest running musical on Broadway.
I also really, really like Anthony Warlow. I didn't know anything about him until I moved to California in 2002. When I was doing the show 1776, my friend Tom told me about this Australian singer named Anthony Warlow. He let me borrow his CD. I was hooked. His voice is the best I've ever heard in my life.
More than 15 years ago, when Phantom first came to Australia, Anthony was cast in the title role. He was 28 years old (the same age I am now). He is still the youngest person ever to play the role. Then, last year, the show was going to come back to Australia--and Anthony was asked to return to the role that made him most famous in Australia. You must understand--this is very uncommon. Once an actor plays a role, he rarely, if ever returns to play the same role again. It's not like Jim Carrey doing another Ace Ventura movie--it would be more like Tom Hanks doing a remake of Forrest Gump, and playing the same part over again. It's very rare for an actor to do a role again--especially when that role made you famous. In Anthony's own words, he didn't want to return to the role, because he'd "conquered the beast" and wanted to do other things.
He eventually agreed to return to the role, and this presented an unbelievable chance for me to see him play the role that I desperately long to play.
Years ago, as part of my present for graduating from high school, my mom took me to New York City to see the show. That was the first time I saw the show on stage. We saw a Wednesday matinee. The Phantom was played by a guy named Thomas James O'Leary. If you look him up on youtube.com...he's not very good. =) I know I enjoyed it, but I don't really remember much about that first show.

In the 11 years since that first show, I have seen the show 9 more times. Once more in New York City (with Howard McGillin as the Phantom), three times in Phoenix (once with Brad Little, twice with Gary Mauer), once in Tucson (Brad Little), once in Los Angeles (Brad Little), once in Las Vegas (Brent Barrett), and twice in Australia.

I didn't intend to see the show twice in Australia...I didn't pay for two different tickets. But here's what happened.

I arrived in Sydney on Monday morning, with tickets to Phantom on Tuesday night. I was very excited. As I've already clearly stated, I am a huge fan of the show and of the star.

I had showered after a whale watching trip (to be discussed in another blog). I was dressed nicely. I couldn't believe I was nearing this moment.

Patrice and me on the Monorail going to the theater--

I got the tickets from the box office and proceeded towards the door. I stopped briefly and glanced at a large silver sign by the door. It was the cast list for the night's performance. The Phantom is listed at the top...and next to "The Phantom" it read: "Simon Pryce". My heart stopped...or skipped...or something terrible.
I didn't move for about 30 seconds. My hand went to my mouth and I found myself having difficulty breathing. I'm sure that at some point within the last few months, the thought had entered my head that Anthony might be sick on the night I was there to see him--but suffice it to say, that thought was not in my brain this night.

I was stunned. Honestly, it was like I'd been tackled by a linebacker (or in Australian terms, hit by a rugby player) and had the wind taken from me. I didn't say anything. I couldn't breathe. I really don't consider myself to be overdramatic, but this was the worst feeling I'd ever felt.

My heart was beating very fast, and I didn't know what to do. I had just flown 5,900 miles (9,495 kilometers) and spent a great sum of money for the sole purpose of seeing this guy play the Phantom. Regardless of the beauty of Australia, and the other wonderful things about the country--I was not interested in anything else. I wanted to see Anthony in this show. It was quite devastating...all in a moment.

I walked to the box office, clutching my chest, fearing that my heart would leap out. I spoke calmy but clearly to the manager behind the desk. Rebecca. She was very kind. I explained my situation to her as best I could. "I realize you may not care about this--but I have to share this with you so you can understand how much I care about this." I told her how far I'd come just to see Anthony, and that as a performer, I certainly understand there are no guarantees about any performance. She said that Anthony was sick, and had been the previous weekend. She listened intently to my problem--but said there wasn't anything she could do at present. She suggested that we check back later in the week (since we were going to be in Sydney for another week), to see if he was back in the show, and she would see what she could do. But again, she made no guarantees.

It was time to get into the theater to watch the show. I didn't even want to watch it. I was very angry now. Not like I wanted to hurt anyone, but angry, as if I'd just gotten in trouble in school and forced to endure something I didn't want to. Yes, I suppose I was feeling like a spoiled child who hadn't got his way. But I think you can understand the situation was a little more serious than that.

We went to our seats...which were perfect, by the way. Fourteen rows from the front, directly in the center. I had purchased these seats specially. I was very disappointed that Anthony wasn't doing the show.

I sat in my chair and tried to breathe. I tried to remain calm. After the usual announcements, we heard, "Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to inform you that as this evenings performance, the role of the Phantom will be played by Simon Pryce." There was a collective sound of disappointment, with the exception of two or three girls who cheered loudly. Weirdos. The lights went down and the show began.

I thought for sure that this Simon Pryce fellow would have to be pretty darn good to be second-string to Anthony Warlow. I couldn't have been more wrong. It was like hearing Kermit the Frog sing the part. I was not pleased. I realized, quite honestly, that I could have performed the role better than this guy (I later met the guy, and he was nice and all, so this isn't a personal attack). But I knew in my soul that I could not only perform better vocally, but I could act the role better. Oh well. All the more reason to hope that I'd get to see Anthony perform before the week was out.

I felt like strangling someone after the show, Patrice would have to do--This brings us to Thursday night, two nights later. We spent all day Thursday on a tour of the Blue Mountains (to be discussed in another blog). We got back into Sydney at around 6:10. We weren't far from the theater, so we decided to head over there and see if Anthony had performed the night before, and if he would be performing that night. I tried not to get my hopes up, only to have them once again violently crushed by a falling chandelier of disappointment.
I couldn't bring myself to look, so I asked Patrice to look for Anthony's name on the silver sign; while I went to the box office to find out if Anthony had performed the previous night.

He hadn't.

But his name was on the sign.

My heart stopped again...briefly. "Don't get your hopes up. There are no guarantees. You can't get back up again if another chandelier hits you in the head."

Rebecca said she would do what she could...but that we should check back 5 minutes before the show.

When we did, Rebecca had secured two seats in a box on the left side of the theater. I thought we were going to be way up high--but she got us seats very close to the stage...just on the left side. Basically, the view was partially restricted, but we'd get to see everything that Anthony did. And she understood that seeing (hearing) him was the only concern.

When we got to our seats, I was amazed that we were so close. Literally, we were within 10 feet of the stage. Towards the end of the show, I could have spoken to Anthony in my regular voice and he could have heard me. I didn't do this, however. I didn't want to disturb the perfection of what was happening on stage.

I can't express the feeling of relief I felt once this show started. This was marking the TENTH time I was seeing the show...and unless something terrible happened during the next few minutes...I was going to see Anthony Warlow, the greatest male singer I've heard in my life, sing and play the greatest musical theater role ever created.

I sat back, and tried to remember to breathe. This is a harder task than you may think.

As soon as his voice came over the speakers...I was pretty much dead. I could not believe that I was seeing and hearing this. I just could not believe it.

Earlier in this blog, I listed all the Phantoms I'd seen live. I've heard many more on youtube and other places. Let me be clear here--no one, and I mean no one, sings or plays the role as well as Anthony Warlow. Had there been any question in my mind before the show...there was no longer.

My life can now continue.

Fourth Time's A Charm

Last Monday, I had the opportunity to return to Peacetown; the group home I've visited three times before. Our last trip was back in March. April was just very busy for everyone (including my vacation to Tokyo), and we couldn't get a trip planned.

This last trip was so amazing. I know the kids are loved by their caretakers and they get lots of attention from the various groups that visit them--but boy are they glad to see us. I can't begin to imagine how reassuring and fun it is for them to see familiar faces returning to visit them over and over again. I certainly find each visit refreshing in a way impossible to describe.

This trip we brought lots of white t-shirts of differing sizes for the kids to draw on with fabric pens. We brought irons and ironing boards as well--to set the colors on the fabric. I really didn't plan any of this at all, I was just along for the ride.

Out of all the activities we've done so far with the kids--they enjoyed this one the most, I think. Also, they were the best at it.

But before we went inside and started the activity, we played outside with the kids for about 20 minutes--and it made for some fun pictures.

Here are two of my favorite friends (that's the "girl in pink" at the bottom and her funny friend)-- Usually the kids cling to you for about 10 seconds, then they fly like bees onto the next person--but not this kid, not on this day. I hung out with him for most of the evening.
This was really the first time that we've visited when the weather has been nice enough to stay outside for extended periods of time--and so some kids were playing soccer and running around, and this kid and I climbed the monkey bars.
Okay--now it's time to start our activity. The people who planned the activity brought along different templates the kids could use to create various designs on their t-shirts. Well, without intending to, the design on my shirt was a very popular one--nearly all the kids in my group wanted to draw the same design. They all wanted to look at my shirt, and thankfully I had another shirt on, so I just took it off and set it on the floor so they could all see.

My little friend working very hard on his t-shirt--
Most of the kids, including the older ones, asked for help from us--but not him--he did this t-shirt all by himself--
Holding up his handiwork (HOW ADORABLE IS THIS!?)--
I moved over to help my other friend work on her shirt--
She had used a template of Mickey Mouse and I helped her spell his name and pick the right colors; this picture shows she's still working--

Lim Jae Jun; one of the nicest kids and SO full of energy; he's wearing the t-shirt he designed--
Notice the design on this guys shirt--I helped him write Korea on the top and draw the circle in the middle of the flag; notice also the Nike symbols on the shirt; several of the kids listed various symbols they knew (one kid wrote CIA and FBI on his shirt--I helped him add NYPD and Manchester United)--
After all the kids were finished designing and setting the colors of their shirts, we had a simple fashion show to show off the shirts. This kid sat in my lap for most of it and took about 50 of the 100 pictures I took that night. I think I've mentioned before how much the kids love taking pictures, not only of themselves but of other things as well.
The girls in the fashion show, being silly--
A new employee of English Village came with us to Peacetown this trip. When were getting ready to head home, I asked her how she liked it. She said, "When we first got there, I was very sad, because they have nothing. But very soon after, while interacting with the kids, I saw that they were really happy." She said she couldn't believe it--because they have so little, yet are so happy. She realized how often other people, who have so many things to be thankful for, prefer to complain about things--while these kids have much to complain about, but are thankful. It's an amazing truth that is overwhelming upon visiting a place like this.

It breaks my heart, but many of the children at this place will never know life the way I have. Though they are young, many have had to take on very adult emotions and decisions. It's unfair and sad. There's obviously more I could say about this--but I think you understand how I feel.

I continue to love spending time with them, and simply being a presence in their lives. I do not know if they'll ever understand the joy they bring me or the power of the lessons they teach--and that's okay.

I shall return.

250 Of My 500 Laps

I'll keep this post short and sweet, especially considering the length of the last one. I just want to share a few thoughts.

Sunday, May 18, 2008 marked my halfway point. I am halfway done with my year contract. I have been here 6 months and have 6 to go. I'm sure you can figure out my analogies: I have played 81 of 162 games, ran 13 of 26 miles, and biked 1750 of my 3500 kilometers.

Firstly, I can't believe it's gone by this quickly. Secondly, I can't believe it's gone by so slowly.

Those two things seem to conflict; but when talking about time--they just don't.

I have experienced so much in this half a year. All you have to do is look back over the blogs I've posted to read about what I've done and see the pictures to prove it. And I know I'll experience more in the six months to come.

For some reason, within the past week, I have had 2 "daydreams" that bear repeating. Let me start by saying; typically, at some point during each day, I think of home. Not in a "Oh, I hate it here" or "I wish I were home" or "I want my mommy!" sort of way; but just in a realistic, normal way. As I think I wrote about previously, the second/third months are supposedly the toughest months to make it through. The haze of your cool "adventure" has worn off and you've settled into the reality of your new life. I was definitely somewhat homesick during those months. But crossing the six month mark perhaps stirred something in my subconscious.

Just yesterday, as I was preparing to exit the 2200 bus which had taken me into Seoul, out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone with a fast food bag in their hand. At this very second, I can't remember what it looked like, but I know it looked similar to the white bags you would get at In-N-Out Burger. I'll pause here and say, if you don't know about In-N-Out Burger, then I'm sorry. You haven't lived.

Anyhow, when the bag caught my eye, I was temporarily transported back to California. I watched myself walk into an In-N-Out (I'm pretty sure it was the one at Harbor/Orangethorpe in Fullerton, one I've been to many times, but they're all very similar, so the point is moot) with a huge smile on my face. And though I tried to stop the version of myself I was watching, he proudly proclaimed to the unsuspecting person behind the counter that he had been in Korea for a year and was so happy to be having an In-N-Out Burger.

This little daydream happened within only a few seconds. That's how they happen--very quickly, but they're very specific, and very powerful.

Earlier last week, I was getting ready for work in the morning. I was very tired that particular morning, and since I'd gotten ready quickly, I had a few moments to spare before running out to clock in. I laid on my bed briefly (something some people can't do, because they end up falling asleep and never making it to work) and shut my eyes.

As soon as I shut my eyes, I saw myself walking through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). I don't remember carrying any bags, but I was briskly walking through the airport, making my way outside. I rushed out the automatic doors and ran to the sidewalk. With tears of joy in my eyes, I knelt down and kissed the sidewalk (don't say anything about how dirty that LA sidewalk would be, I know). I was very happy to be home.

Truly, last November, when I was at LAX preparing to travel to Korea, after I'd unloaded all my bags and boxes out of the rental car, after I returned the car; when I was walking out of the parking garage into the airport terminal--I was caught up in the emotion of that moment. I realized the gravity of what I was doing. Marty McFly would say, "This is heavy, Doc" to which Doc would respond, "You keep saying 'heavy'; is there something wrong with the earth's gravitation in the future?"

As I neared the airport terminal to get on a plane bound for Seoul, I could hear my grandmother's voice saying, "Why couldn't you have picked Australia or something?" I could hear the sound of my Altima's engine running, without me behind the wheel. I felt something. I had tears in my eyes as I walked alone into the airport terminal. Literally walking into the airport terminal but figuratively walking into the unknown. I had never been out of America (except for 3 short mission trips to Mexico; and not to be mean, but let's be honest, how different is Mexico from Phoenix or Los Angeles?). I was leaving every security I'd ever known.

I will undoubtedly have tears of joy in my eyes when I return home. I will understand something only those who have spent extended periods of time away from home can feel upon their return. I look forward to kissing the sidewalk. I'll make sure I have some anti-bacterial soap with me.

Until later--