Cowra Japanese Garden

A Japanese garden in the midst of an inland rural town in NSW, Australia, is probably the least expected find by state travellers passing through he former mining town of Bathurst.

Designed by a Japanese who is a renowned architect of several beautiful gardens around the world, the garden is well scrulptured to take advantage of the natural slopy landscape and a blended coexistence of native and Japanese plants.

Artefacts and exhibits

Chrysanthemum rock

Subtly painted screen

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Cockington Garden, Canberra

Miniature icons and wonders of the world

The entry tickets to the park are relatively expensive (except for students and seniors) considering the size of the garden and the display.

A sumptuous lunch saved the day. Highly recommended are the Shangtung Chicken and Penang fried kuay teow.

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Cherry Season in Young NSW Early December 2008

The cherry picking festival is a narrow window of opportunity from late November to early December.

Black cherries are usually sweeter than red ones. But the birds and insects usually get to them before humans do. Enjoy!

For more information on Young and other central NSW scenic haunts of locals, please visit : http://www.sydney-australia.biz/nsw/central/south-central/

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Declining hospital standards

The incompetence of the NSW shines through and is putting lives at risk.
Don't go to a public hospital if you could help it.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/skilled-nurses-axed-for-cheaper-alternative/2008/12/18/1229189804471.html

Registered nurses will be replaced by cheaper, less-qualified nurses and unqualified assistants, in the latest round of cost cutting by the State Government.

The plan to substitute university-trained registered nurses with enrolled and trainee nurses contradicts a $1.2 million study commissioned by NSW Health last year, which found that increasing the proportion of less-qualified staff in hospitals caused a range of preventable complications and deaths.

Sweet Desserts

The Old Post Office Cafe

This quaint eating place serves Italian and modern Australian cuisine. The pasta and pizza are above average but the desserts are to die for!

Chocolate souffle

Sinfully delicious

Brandied Cherry Meringue

a bitter sweet experience

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Christmas Decorations & Lightup at the Stores

Santa's life size elves busy at work

Is your name on Santa's list?

Reindeer ready for take off

Monet's Art Works

Art Museum
Rarely do we get the opportunity to view the vast collection of Monet and other impressionist artists' works displayed at one exhibition.

Waterlilies

Reflection

Textured painting of nature

The Cost of High School Formal - Aussie Prom

Tis' the time of year again - school formal season. It is a rite of passage for most high schoolies, something to get very excited about. It might be a memorable experience for some but to others it may be an anti-climax or leave an unpleasant after taste.

An occasion to parade one's best, one could certainly find something to suit the budget from retail stores having pre-festive discounts, factory outlets, warehouse clearance and seconds stores in Australia.

The formal proper is usually supervised closely by teachers. But parents should monitor if their children participate in after party celebrations. It's during such overruns that teens become more laxed, mixing alcohol and sometimes drugs at their private parties.

The main purpose of a formal which is to meet up with friends and have a wonderful evening, not to be overshadowed by superficial and ostentatious display. I heard that primary school proms showcase entourage making a grand entrance from their limos and Harley Davidson. Wow! Kids nowadays are pampered and spoilt to the hilt.

At the other extreme, however, there are a minority who would prefer to stay home and give the fanfare a miss.

Don't panic : long term stock market smooths short term volatility

Many economists and political leaders have said that the 2008 financial meltdown would not match the magnittude of the Great Depression. There was no social safety net and the benefit of learning the lessons from past mistakes then. Alas, tere is a tendency for many undergoing a crisis to overreact.

Just try not to panic

A long term market view often irons out the volatility of short-term events

by David Koch (Sun Herald newspaper print edition, 7 December 2008)

Extracts :

For all the wrong reasons 2008 will go down as a historic year but the chances are it won't be repeated next year. As it stands, history tells us next year is unlikely to be as disastrous - there could still be falls but not as bad. On average, 70 per cent of the the past 183 trading years have produced positive returns.
Despite the daily to monthly volatility of the markets, stepping back and taking an annual view smooths out the performance.
It is the most relevant view for most private investors because we tend to take a medium- to long-term view and invest in quality stocks. But it's human nature to be attracted to drama. So when there is a sharemarket plunge, we follow it day by day and get panicky when things continue to deteriorate. Markets reflect investor sentiment and psychology and become panicky when we become panicky. Try to break the cycle. Take an interest, of course, but keep it in perspective rather than get sucked into the drama.

We wish you a Merry Crisis