Rediscovering Beth: From Legal to Baker’s, and Traveler’s Notes

  My 58 th blog:   A Place to Call Mine: My Journey Through Condo Options   The title says it all—it’s about my journey of hunting for a condo unit I can finally call my own. For those with deep pockets, finding the right one is a piece of cake; I might even liken it to picking out a shoe rack from an online store.   To be honest, I’ve been buying most of my odds and ends—clothes, shoes, and what-have-you—from Shein and Shopee. Not that I’m a paid endorser. Hell no! lol    I just happen to feel at home shopping from those two online outlets. Sometimes I end up with a lemon; other times I hit the jackpot. But hold your horses…I’m getting off track. Back to the condo unit search. Yes, that’s the meat and potatoes of this blog.   Here’s a concise list of things to consider when searching for a unit:      Location – Accessibility to work, transport, and essentials. Avoid building on top of fault lines, like the West Valley Fa...

57th Blog:  I Was Just in Bondi Beach Last November I’ve already shared part of my blog about my trip to Sydney and Melbourne. For the second installment, I had planned to dive deeper into Sydney and recount our adventures day by day, right up until we flew to Melbourne on November 26.   On November 22, my cousin Romy and his wife, Rose, graciously played tour guides and, among other stops, whisked us off to Sydney’s world‑famous Bondi Beach. I was over the moon to see it again—being a beach lover, it felt like coming home. The air was crisp and a little chilly, but that didn’t put a damper on my spirits. I soaked up the vibe and drank in the breathtaking view of Bondi.   That’s why the news of the December 15 shooting at Bondi hit me like a bolt from the blue.   On that day in 2025, a father and son carried out a terrorist attack targeting Sydney’s Jewish community during the first night of Hanukkah. The tragedy claimed at least 15 lives and left dozens in...

    56th Blog: Sydney Spirit, Melbourne Magic, Manila Reality (Part 1)   When my friend and I hopped over to Australia, the trip blossomed into a delightful adventure. The highlight? I was able to reconnect with most of our rosary prayer group members in Sydney. I’d already been to Sydney once before, but this time I returned with a mission: to meet my fellow Marian devotees and finally set foot inside the charming Lady of Dolours Parish church.   But this blog is not yet about my journaling of Sydney and Melbourne. Instead, I want to share what occasionally crossed my mind while I was enjoying the trip. I made a conscious effort to live in the moment because I knew that once I got back to Manila, reality would hit me like a ton of bricks. And what is that reality? Condo hunting.   Before the trip, I thought I had already found “the one”; however, complications with the seller threw a wrench in the works. To cut a long story short, the sale fell thro...