January 28

I now share my birthday with two other friends - Victoria and Patricia. What's the probability of that?

My friends took me to Newport Beach on my birthday, which happens to be Australia Day (and we all had a day off)! It was supposed to be just four people going and it ended up 11 people showed up. Thanks, guys! Lunch at Newport Arms Hotel and swimming at Palm Beach - and I did get on the water...for like 15 min =) and I got dark! Need more whitening cream - can I have that for my birthday gift?

After Palm Beach, we went to visit one of our friend's elderly friend (we call her Lola Fey). Its so nice to see an elderly woman with that big smile when she sees five young kids (that's us, by the way) give her all the attention. I bet the other elderly residents were so jealous coz they probably don't get visits from kids like us. And that's what these old people like - to have someone talking and listening to them and give them the time of their day. And to do this on my birthday is a plus for me.

After the visit, we got so hungry we ended up at Dee Why beach. It was like a mini Manly beach to me with the palm trees and the boardwalk. Gosh, they have so many beaches here! If it wasn't a "school" night, we probably have gone swimming but its been a long day!!!!!!!

Til next year! (Will I still be here in Sydney for my next birthday??? I think so! Maybe not in Sydney but hoping to be in Melbourne for the Australian Tennis Open. That's the plan.)

Five Ways, Paddington

One night, my friend and I got lost driving around the city and ended up on this corner where five streets meet (just like the Trevi). It was a cute little area lit up by shops and restaurants around. I thought I'd have to come back here again and check it out! A few months later, another friend of mine asked if I've been to this place, described the place to me, and I remembered this was the spot we drove past by while we were lost.

So we found our way back to Five Ways at Paddington and ate lunch at "Gusto". I ordered this lovely vegetarian couscous. It was so good that we ended up figuring out the recipe, bought the ingredients that same day, and made it for dinner (and my lunch and dinner for the next three days).

Here's the recipe for you. Its an easy one:

Roasted sweet potato
Cherry tomatoes
Spanish onion
Sweet corn
Raisins
Shredded carrots
Shallots
Orange
Celery
Pepito seeds (pumpkin seeds)
Almonds (shredded)
Herbs - cilantro/coriander, parsley, dill
Garlic
Salt & Pepper
Couscous (add olive oil)

Enjoy!!!

New Year 2008

My 3rd New Year in Australia. After watching my first fireworks at the Sydney Harbour, I told myself that next time, I should get on a boat and watch the fireworks. 2008 was it! We knew someone who works for the Sydney Ferries so we were able to get tickets to get on. Unfortunately, we all thought the ferry would be in the middle of the harbour. It was actually just stationed at Circular Quay. The great thing about it was we were away from all the crowd and was able to enjoy the huge space on the ferry with a great vantage point for the fireworks.

Beware - I bought a bag of Doritos chips that night at Circular Quay and it cost me $9 bucks! It usually costs only $2.