Semi Retired Foamer

For over four decades I have been a rail and bus photographer.

However, during this time I have aimed the lens at other subjects, be they different transportation, scenery, buildings and other bollocks.

Given these do not really fit the scope of my other sites, I felt compelled to set up a new site so as to inflict my other photographic garbage upon the world.
While primarily Philippine and Australian content, there will be the occasional forays into Fiji and Hong Kong. Perhaps other locations should the current pandemic ever allow it.

So sit back and enjoy, or hate, even be indifferent. That choice is purely up to you.

Official Home Of the 'Brad N Virls Adventure Series' - Images are copyright, so contact us if you would like to use any photos on your site/video! (We don't bite)

Tuesday, 27 January 2026

CABRAMATTA MOON FESTIVAL DAY OUT - PT3 -- 28-9-2025

'Brad N Virls' Take on the
Cabramatta Moon Festival
Part 3

Ah, the Cabramatta Moon Festival — that one glorious day in September when the streets overflow with food, lights, and enough people to make sardines feel like they live spaciously. Officially, it celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival — a time to honour the harvest moon, family, and mooncakes. Unofficially, it’s an excellent excuse to eat until you are borderline about to chunder.

We showed up bright and early (No, I lie as we really slept in like the lazy buggars we are) and were instantly swept into the glorious mayhem that comes with huge crowds. There were sizzling skewers, noodle soups so fragrant they’d make a grown man tear up, and deep-fried everything — if it wasn’t nailed down, someone was dunking it in oil.
Strangely, my first stop was a chemist, which ain't the sort of guff that most people attend the event for.

In between snacks number twelve and thirteen, they tried their luck at carnival games — which, shockingly, did not result in any stuffed toy victories, just mild humiliation. A few questionable rides later (and beginning to think all the food wasn't a wise idea), we stumbled into the shopping stalls, where you could buy anything from bubble tea plushies to fake jade dragons blessed by someone’s cousin.
Though we settled for these skewers with a very small bit of meat, and something called, I think, a Mochi Donut. Both a tad unusual, but enjoyed.

The dragon dancers burst through the crowd next, accompanied by drums that could probably be heard in Bankstown. Then came the live entertainment — singers, dancers.

By the end of the day, we were full, sunburnt, totally buggared, mildly sticky from mystery sauce, and spiritually enlightened — mostly about which stalls give free samples. Truly, a cultural experience for the ages.

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Semi-Retired Foamer!

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Above and two below.

Tucked into the always-busy food chaos of Cabramatta, Super Fried Skewers 100% is one of those places you stumble into and immediately smell before you see it. It’s loud, casual and unapologetically greasy in the best possible way, serving up Chinese-style fried skewers dusted in cumin, chilli and mystery seasoning that somehow always works. You point at what you want, choose how brave you’re feeling with the spice level, and a few minutes later you’re holding a bundle of crispy meat-on-sticks that feel halfway between street food and a guilty late-night snack. It’s not fancy, it’s not subtle, but it absolutely fits Cabramatta’s reputation for honest, chaotic, delicious eating.

Photos: Brad Peadon

One of the multitude of vendors there on the day.

Photo: Brad Peadon

Virls in Freedom Plaza.

Freedom Plaza sits at the heart of Cabramatta and was created in the early 1990s as a symbol of the suburb’s growing multicultural identity, particularly its strong Southeast Asian community. Officially opened in 1991 with the installation of the distinctive Pai Lau gateway, the plaza was designed as a pedestrian link and gathering space celebrating freedom, harmony and cultural pride. Over time it has become a focal point for daily life and major events such as Lunar New Year festivities, reflecting Cabramatta’s transformation since post-1970s migration into one of Sydney’s most culturally vibrant centres.

Photo: Brad Peadon

Above and below.

Cha & Co in Cabramatta is a popular casual bubble tea and dessert spot on John Street known for its creative drinks and sweet treats. It’s a lively place where locals and visitors stop by for colourful milk teas, fruit-based beverages and indulgent desserts — think creamy Thai-inspired teas, refreshing lemon flavours and fun toppings — all in a relaxed takeaway or quick-stop setting for those needing to rack off.

Photo: Brad Peadon

The looked ridiculous, but it was warm and lots of others were wearing them anyway. LOL

Photos: Brad Peadon

Chiric, better known as Mochiric Mochi Donuts, is a small but popular dessert stop on John Street Cabramatta specialising in soft, chewy mochi-style donuts in colourful flavours like matcha, pandan, ube and Biscoff. It’s a quick, place to stop into while wandering the area, offering a sweet break from Cabramatta’s famously savoury food scene and something a little different from the usual donut fare.

To be honest, they were quite unusual for those more used to the normal donut. However, they were strangely appealing.

Photo: Brad Peadon

Above and seven below

We finished off the day on the rides near Cabramatta railway station. Well, the gals did........I just took photos as usual. :-)

Photo: Brad Peadon

Virls gives a good indication of how she drives :-)

Photo: Brad Peadon

Virls just before we set off forth back home.

Photo: Brad Peadon

A80 stops at Cabramatta on a Sydney bound service while we wait on our southbound.

Photo: Brad Peadon

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Nhing, Tins, and Virls.

Fairfield City Council (Host).

Tricycle In Vietnam

Cabramatta Moon Festival - Part 1

Cabramatta Moon Festival - Part 2

Cabramatta Moon Festival

Moon Festival - Frequently Asked Questions

Fairfield City Council - Facebook

Botany Bay Area - 1990s-2000s

Queen Victoria Markets - Victoria

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#semiretiredfoamer

Saturday, 24 January 2026

MANDAON ILUMNI WEEKEND (PHILIPPINES) 8-3-2025 - PART 1

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We are just a little bit different!

Follow our page to be kept updated on everything

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Well, 2025 has certainly been a year of firsts for me—at least in the Philippines.

The Asawa, in a moment of great generosity (or mild insanity), decided it was finally time to parade her derelict husband before polite society. Thus began my grand debut—complete with not just her high school alumni celebration, but also the fiesta of her original barangay. Truly, she knows how to test a man’s stamina.

This particular tale covers the first of those two marathons—the alumni event. Proceedings kicked off with a cheerful march from a church on the eastern side of town (we’ll get back to that bit later), winding through the streets, past the port, around a few blocks, and then—because why stop there?—all the way back east to the high school.

The warm weather didn’t seem to bother anyone except, of course, yours truly—the foreigner who thinks anything above 25°C is grounds for concern. Still, spirits remained high as the festivities rolled on, marking the start of two solid days of celebration. Two days, that is, for my Asawa's batch—because apparently nostalgia runs on an extended timetable here.

In among the stunningly beautiful rolling hills of Masbate stands the Mandaon National High School (amongst other names it seems), the pride of the town and the training ground of many future legends—most of whom probably didn’t expect to end up in alumni homecomings comparing waistlines and hairstyles. In the years since, the school has undergone a bit of a glow-up and now answers to the grander name Federico A. Estipona Memorial High School (FAEMHS). The name change even made it into official government records, proving it’s not just a rumour passed around at the sari-sari store over a Tanduay Rhum or ten.

Despite the new title, locals still affectionately call it Mandaon National High, and it remains one of the mainstays of education in the municipality. These days, the school’s heart beats online—mostly on Facebook—where posts about flag ceremonies, class projects, and alumni reunions share space with nostalgic comments like “remember the canteen siopao?” The campus itself occasionally stars in drone videos, proudly showing off its spot near Barangay Laguinbanwa (although I have found no actual reference to said barangay, so take that with a grain of salt), complete with that familiar mix of sunshine, school spirit, and students pretending not to be late (often refered to locally as Filipino time).

There may not be a fancy official website yet, that I am aware of, but between the Facebook pages, alumni groups, and the ever-watchful eyes of the DepEd Masbate Division, FAEMHS is very much alive and kicking—just with a new name and probably better Wi-Fi than it had in the ’90s.

In the Philippines, an alumni event—often called a homecoming or reunion—is a lively gathering of former students who return to their old school to celebrate memories, friendships, and the teachers who somehow survived them.

These events usually include a parade or motorcade around town (because no reunion is complete without blaring music and banners), followed by a program at the school featuring speeches, dance numbers, and sometimes friendly competitions between graduating batches. There’s always plenty of food, booze (shhhh) photo-taking, and good-natured boasting about who’s aged the best or travelled the farthest.

It’s not just nostalgia, though—many reunions also include community service, scholarship donations, or campus improvement projects. In short, a Filipino alumni event is equal parts party, mini-festival, and heartfelt homecoming, all wrapped in the warmth (and noise) of school pride.

Location 1 (See Map)

Preparing to lead the march through Mandaon.

Photo: Brad Peadon

Above and two below.

The march commences, making it's way down Rizal Street towards the beach and port area of Mandaon.

Photos: Brad Peadon

Batch 72.

Photo: Brad Peadon

Batch 74.

Photo: Brad Peadon

Batch 75.

Photo: Brad Peadon

Batch 79.

Photo: Brad Peadon

Batch 80.

Photo: Brad Peadon

Batch 82.

Photo: Brad Peadon

Batch 83.

Photo: Brad Peadon

Batch 83 had some colourful members. :-)

Photo: Brad Peadon

Above and three below.

Batch 86 was the Asawa and her pals.

Photo: Brad Peadon

Approaching Mandaon Port, a beautiful seaside location with a rather discriminating security guard that selectively enforced the rules he had displayed.

Photo: Brad Peadon