Hobart is the state capital of Tasmania, which is the smallest state of Australia, and Tasmania is also the name of an island, which together with many other islands, form the Tasmania State. Tasmania is 240 km away from the eastern side of the Australia Continent, and geological evidences suggested that the island broke off…
You may find it hard to believe, but I have experienced more extremes in temperature in Tasmania on one morning than in the 16 days I was on Star Princess plying between South America and the Antarctica. There must be some good lessons to be learnt from the processes. Everyone knows that it is cold…
After two solid days of rain and wet, and having been treated to largely the same menu at every meal, the sky opened up, but not before my friend had cancelled another game of golf for the morning. At morning coffee, we learnt that Sydney had more than the average precipitation for February in the…
I left off in my last letter with the hope that I could find time to write to you during my travels. I did make some notes and wrote a few paragraphs on a number of occasions and in different cities – my unfinished letters – but circumstances were such that I had not been…
It has just past midnight in Buenos Aires. Earlier, I had dinner with my travel-mates, the last before we would board the 109,000 tons Star Princess for Antarctica tomorrow. I signed up for this trip nearly a year ago when I had no idea what the trip entailed, how much it would cost, who were…
In a few hours, I would pick up my bags for the Los Angeles International Airport for another long haul home. I would then rest for a day before making off to Seoul, this time for a pilgrimage. I have already discussed the highlight of my North American trip in the last two letters. Suffice…
I returned to Los Angeles last night from Sacramento with my son. We had gone there for the 56th Commencement Ceremony of the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, which took place on 15 June 2007 at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts in Davis. The ceremony began at noon…
I recall that some years back I wrote one of my first e-letters when a typhoon hit Hong Kong suddenly and almost unannounced. I found myself having an extra day unexpectedly and I spent some of the day writing a letter to my friends. In the months following that incident, some ardent readers would ask…
How are you my friends? It has really been a while since I last wrote you a letter in this series; and I would understand if you think I have stopped the series. Records show that I wrote three in 2006, compared with 12 in 2005, and 11 in 2004. This would be the first…
I would like to continue with a theme of my last letter and discuss some thoughts I have gathered during the recent pilgrimage, with particular reference to the life of the founders of the Society of Jesus. One main reason why we went on the pilgrimage at this particular time is because it coincides with…
