In case you are wondering, it's been a mad mad week in Sydney. If anyone should claim the gold belt for bad luck, it had to be me.

1. Kenna questioned for an hour at Australia customs.
2. Serviced apartment booked wrong date for my stay and I nearly had to sleep on the streets for a night.
3. Couldn't log on to internet as there is no data cable available in the room.
4. Left out the charger for my iPod. Now I'm left with a tiny puny red bar.
5. Lost a few hundred Aussie dollars. (As much as I try, I really cannot handle money)
6. HSBC cancelled the validity of my card due to a miscommunication. So basically I'm left with a card which has lots of money but I can't use.
7. Client tried calling me to invite me to a day trip to the Blue Mountains without avail. Dammit! I'm assuming he's paying for the trip.

I can go on and the list seems to only end at Northern Africa.

Life is so interesting in Australia. To top it off, I'm having ulcers on each side of my tongue and I can't even chew on soft white bread without wincing in pain. Now, I'm relegated to settling my arse outside the convention hall to use its WIFI, while directing random passerbys to the travel fair which is held at the next hall.

Amidst this craziness, I managed some time out and have had a fairly good day at Manly Beach though. 30 minutes ferry ride away from the city's Circular Quay, Manly Beach reminds me a lot like Glenelg Beach at Adelaide. Ice cream palours and cafes line the sides of the one main street. Not too crowded; I have plenty of space to myself. Maybe not as celebrated as Bondi Beach, but Manly Beach has its fair share of long clean sandy beach to laze around. Quiksilver, Roxy, Sunfection and The Big Swim are just steps away.

I'm just glad that I decided to visit the Beach a day earlier than planned. It's been raining since.

As mentioned before, I'm now seated outside the convention hall surfing the web. I've got nothing to do after checking out from my apartment. Since I started spinning webs here, a suave Indian guy has chatted up with me, an elderly Shanghaiese man has shamed my limited vocab of mandarin phrases and a tall lanky Aussie guy has sat beside me working on his own lappie.

Six more hours before I leave this rainy city. When will the rain ever stop so I could do my last minute shopping dash?

I can't wait to get home...