Port Stephens, NSW

Port Stephens, 200 km north of Sydney. About 2.5 hours drive. Not that far. If you want to have a relaxing weekend, not a bad place to do some R&R. We went there after we ran out of places to check out in Newcastle. Good thing it wasn't that far away...only about 45-50min from Newcastle.


We went to Nelson's bay (see picture), had breakfast, and tried to figure out what to do. Well, Port Stephens is known for its dolphin watching...99% success rate of seeing some dolphins...if not, they give you free passes for next time. So what do you think we did? Before the boat left, we had one hour to kill so we went hiking around the area and got some great views.

How about this for a rental car?
Yea, right! You kiddin' me?

Anyway, after the dolphin watch, we drove to Anna Bay where they have the sand dunes by the beach. We went sand boarding...at first it was scary coz you have to board down a very steep dune. But by the second try, it wasn't that bad. After my second try, I went to an even higher sand dune. The hardest part of this was actually climbing back up on sand. Next part of the tour package was pipi catch by the beach. Then it was time to go home!

Sorry, no pictures...otherwise, my camera would have been full of sand!!!

Newcastle, NSW

To continue with my sightseeing of Australia, I went to Newcastle and Port Stephens this past weekend with a couple of friends, JC and Ingrid.

Originally, I thought the weekend was enough for just Newcastle. Well, it took only one day to see Newcastle. Port Stephens was not even part of the plan. Not to mention Hunter Valley. Here goes the story:

We left Friday night for a two hour drive from Sydney to Newcastle. Newcastle is an industrial place, as it shows on restaurant names (ie. 'Engine Room' where we had breakfast on Saturday and 'Fuel' where we had lunch). As Ingrid said, Newcastle is a gateway to some of the neighbouring towns (ie. Port Stephens, Hunter Valley). And my coworker said there's really nothing to see there. But I just had to see!


There were some stuff to see in Newcastle...but really, its still in redevelopment stage. Honeysuckle Harbour, for example, is pretty new with wharves (and more wharves to come), cafes, bars, and restaurants. They have the Crowne Plaza hotel by the boardwalk. New apartment condos being build at the moment. Give it 2-3 more years and this place will be happening! The wharves though, have a view of the shipping docks just across the water. But I can see the wharves possibly looking like the wharves at Darling Harbour in a few years. They also need a theatre nearby to draw the crowds. The town is old and the shopping area is so-so. And may I say, we were trying to figure out why food is so expensive over here...its not like its Sydney!!! You want to draw the crowds? Don't overprice!!!

Anywho...

We had dinner on Friday night at Darby St where you'll find all of Newcastle's population hanging out on Friday night (not really but that was just our running joke for the night). Either you go here or at Honeysuckle Harbour on Friday or Saturday nights.

The next day, we had breakfast at the 'Engine Room' on a very very nice day. At one point during the day, someone said that you just had to go to the 'Engine Room'. Hmm, I guess we went to the right spot. We walked down the boardwalk, through downtown, and through the "shopping" area. Nothing much really. We went to pick up the car and drove to Nobby's beach. Some people fishing, surfing (they do have some good waves around here). We drove through the beach on what they call 'Bather's Way'...a nice drive along the coast. At one point, we saw a spot where they hang glide from. Not today, I said. It wasn't part of the plan. So I didn't...don't worry. After the drive, we went to the 'Junction' (see how industrial it is?) and had lunch at the 'Fuel'. More walking around the area then we headed to Beaumont St where you'll find the "better" shopping area (hey, they had an Apple store over there!). By 5pm, we went back to the hotel and asked for other things to see in Newcastle. We told them where we've been all day and they said, "Hunter Valley is not too far away!"

We drove to Hunter Valley (1hr away) to have dinner. Hunter Valley is the wine region similar to Napa Valley. It was dark and late when we got there so obviously, most of the wineries were closed already. But there were some restaurants open. Warning: if you want to have dinner in Hunter Valley on a Saturday night, make sure you book ahead. It probably took us about five to six different places before we went back to the third restaurant (which was available) because the restaurants/wineries were either booked for a wedding, some other private function, fully booked to the public, and was just too crowded (maybe this is where the people from Newcastle go to on Saturday nights????). We were embarassed to go back to the third restaurant (the first restaurant that was actually available for seating) coz they were probably thinking, "ah, you came back. You couldn't get in to the other restaurants, eh?" Hehehhehe. One of the wineries we went to had a nice and homey restaurant...called the "Pepper Tree". Try it next time. Just beware of the prices...well actually, there were no prices on the menu. That only means it'll cost you an arm and a leg for dinner.

If you want to just get away and have a relaxing weekend, Newcastle is a quiet place to just hang. Hunter Valley and Port Stephens is not too far away if you want to do more things.

Eating-fest, we're getting FAT!!!

I'm so behind with my blog...

Peta, our new roommate, moved in to 13 Macauley on Aug 1st. It didn't take that long for her to hold a party (a welcoming party)...4 days later. Another eating-fest! When is it gonna end??? At least mama got to meet some of our friends here.

Earlier during the day, we met up with the Ortegas and the newly married couple back from their honeymoon. It was also Andrew's bday on Aug 3rd and two more days before everyone goes back home to either the US or the Philippines. So more reasons to celebrate and eat!!!

The following week, I tried this pilates class near the office. First timer! Wow, that was a good workout. It really works out your abs, your shoulders, and your thighs. And I knew it...next day, my body was sore! I haven't really done any exercising for a while. Haven't been back to my dancing class. Aghhh!!! Too many things to sort out first. I gotta do my taxes again (our year end here is June 30th), catch up with my movies, then I gotta get back to my sightseeing of Australia.

Thank goodness, not much eating the following weekend. But I can tell you now, the next next weekend, we're having a crepes party at my friend's house. I think I'll just not eat this week and save it for next, next weekend.

July 2006 - continuation part cinco

Sigh! We're still in July. Almost there!

July 28: So far, the car rental hasn't been scratched yet. That means, mama and I have been good with the driving. Today is the day we're returning the car. In the morning, we went to Leichhardt Marketplace to do some grocery shopping. When we went back to the car, there was a scratch at the back bumper!!! Aggh!!! How unlucky can you get. We tried to fix it up, sandpapered it, and sprayed it with paint hoping that they won't notice it. Well, when we got there, we were just getting off the car and someone had already called one of the agents. How much was the damage? Freakin $100 AUD!!! Oh well. At least nobody got hurt.

So now we're back to taking public transportation. We took the bus to go to the Botanical Gardens. It was a nice day (as you see in the picture). And bats!!! See the next picture. Those things hanging there...they're not fruits of a tree. They're all bats. Everywhere!!!

Walking around the gardens until we reached the Opera House - good exercise but tiring!!! We then took the ferry at Circular Quay towards Darling Harbour to rest and get something to eat!!! Did more walking til we reached the Queen Victoria Building. And finally, home sweet home. I think that maybe tito Franc lost weight from all the walking we did. Moving on...

July 29: Back at Paddy's for more shopping!!! Last minute shopping. That's pretty much all we did this day.

July 30: Almost end of the month. We decided to have a nice and relaxing Sunday, also the day before tito Franc goes home, and so we had a potluck with the Ortegas at 13 Macauley. Filled ourselves up, watched some TV, ate some strawberry cheesecake (mmmm!!!), went to church, then drove around Edgecliff, Double Bay, and Rose Bay to see the expensive houses with a view of the bay at night.

July 31: Back to reality. Back to work for me and time for tito Franc to go home. I think mama got bored the week I went back to work. At least she got to go out and take public transportation by herself. She went around the city, watched a movie, went to Chinatown, took the ferry to Watson's Bay with tita Emily (hmmm, I heard you had too much fun when you went there!). Next time, I'll treat you to Doyle's.

The End (of July, at least).

Wagamama

In Japanese, it means 'selfish'.

Wagamama is sort of a fast food japanese noodle restaurant. Little bit westernized.

I went there a couple of months ago for lunch and filled out this competition for fun as to what your "most inventive way with noodles". If I remember correctly, I wrote something like: when I was a kid, we used to play with paste/glue. When we run out, we would use the leftover noodles to stick paper together...just like rice. It works!

Yesterday, I got a package. I opened it and it was a wagamama cookbook. I won a prize! See for yourself (http://www.wagamama.com.au/features_competition_terms.php) - search for my name.

July 2006 - continuation part IV

July 23: Off to the Blue Mountains with mama, tito Franc, and the Ortegas...for my very very third time. I'm sure I'll be visiting the three sisters a lot more when people will visit me down here. Do I need to add pictures for this (you can just take a look at my past posts on this blog)? They all look the same anyway. If you can't find them, you'll just have to come here and see it for yourself. After Katoomba, we drove almost an hour on a very winding and narrow road (not to mention on a rainy day) in the mountains to get to the Jenolan Caves. This is a must see when you visit...but not a must stay at their hotel nearby. Don't stay at the hotel there...service is not good. But its your only choice of stay coz you'll have to drive out of the narrow, winding road for about an hour (hopefully not in the dark) and the nearest motel/hotel is probably another 30min down the road. Because its a monopoly, the food is ridiculously overpriced and again, the service is horrible. Remember the name Ken Dunn...the rudest manager (in the cafe at the hotel) and the worst customer service I've seen, ever!!!

July 24: From Jenolan Caves, we drove back to the city and had lunch at the Sydney Fish Market. The trip was already tiring but the young guns (including Basti) went to Darling Harbour and met up with Raquel and Mg Boy.

I'm tired of talking about the month of July so I'm keeping all of this short...I hope, unless I really get into writing some more.


July 25: Off to Canberra, the capital of Australia. Just like Sacramento, the capital of California, there's really not much to see in Canberra. Even John Howard, the prime minister of the country, is supposed to be living in Canberra...just like Bush would be to Washington, DC. But No! John Howard lives in Sydney!

Besides seeing the Parliament and the War Memorial, we went to the Philippine Embassy and had lunch with Teod's friend who was working in Canberra. My first impression of the capital - it looks like a military base. Buildings that look like boxes. No architecture. Not too many people around. No action. It was dull. That's about it. I probably will go back to Canberra in the future and find out what else is there to see...at least the neighboring towns.

When we got back from Canberra, we went to King's Cross (red light district). That was probably the most exciting we've had for the day...including almost getting tricked into paying parking for a free parking zone!!!

July 26: Market City/Chinatown. A little bit of shopping. We thought Paddy's was open on Wednesday (FYI: they are only open from Thurs through Sunday). So we went to Bondi beach next...yup, going to the beach on a rainy day. It's been bloody raining all week! From Sydney to the Blue Mountains to Canberra. Oh well. Pictures with umbrellas. Pretty common with some of our pictures. In a couple of the pictures, we counted to three and dropped our umbrellas so you would think it wasn't really raining. After Bondi, we tried to go to Centrepoint, the Sydney AMP tower. When we got there, the city was really foggy and still rainy. They told us visibility up in the tower was really bad you can't even see the opera house. So what's the point? Forget about it and so we went to Star City Casino. Mama, tito Franc, and I played a little bit of slots. I won a few bucks and it paid for our coffee and dessert that night.


July 27: Taronga Zoo day. Mama and tito Franc finally got to ride the ferry. The sun came out...thank goodness! From kangaroos, snakes, crocodiles, koalas, tasmanian devils, emus, rhinos, giraffes (they've got prime real estate...with a great view of Sydney skyline), camels, pink flamingos (did you know that eating shrimp gives them their color?), mountain goats, hippos, chimpanzees, zebras, etc, they've got it here! A must see when you visit Australia.

Back to Paddy's after lots of walking at the Zoo. Now's the time for souvenir shopping!!!

After a long day, we had dinner at Addie's Thai restaurant near the house.

I love the 80's

Did you know that the first ever video to be aired on MTV was "Video Killed the Radio Star"?

The 80's were the best...music-wise...not video-wise! They were so cheesy then! See for yourself. Here's some of your favorite 80's music in video:

http://www.thebestlegaladvice.com/

Enjoy!!!

July 22, 2006 - Michelle & Andrew's Wedding Day

The day we've been waiting for. This will be short coz the pictures (I'm sure by now, you've seen them) will say it all and how wonderful the whole day event was.

- 330am early morning start
- Thanks to Aileen and Teresa (Michelle's mom-in-law and sister-in-law) for doing our hairs, not to mention, getting up early to do our hairs. They were all great!

- around 830am, the two Rolls Royce arrive to pick us up. Nice, my first time!
- a little sprinkle/shower in the morning but considering its been raining the past week, we were lucky the sun came out this day and dry the rest of the day. It started raining again on Sunday.
- 9am ceremony. TWO hour Latin Mass. It was beautiful!!! Too long though...and freezing inside the church. The ceremony went smoothly. The bride was on time!












- in the Rolls Royce to Sydney Uni for wedding pictures. I wasn't able to take pictures of the bride and groom. Only us, the bridal party (Natasha, LJ, Esther, Celestine, Stephen)

- Reception at L'Aqua, Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour. We missed out on hors d' oeuvres and wine as the guests were waiting for us by the veranda. Nice view of Darling Harbour.






- I had shrimp/smoked salmon for entree and kingfish for main






- some guests


















- speeches from the two dads, the best man, and the groom. Thank goodness I didn't have to make any speeches. Not the tradition.
- cutting of the cake: carrot cake (yum yum!!!)






- first dance: Sting's "My one and only Love"

- throwing of the bouquet. As I always do, I stand all the way at the back coz it never reaches me. Bouquet was caught by Mai (Chris Byrne's gf). Pressure on you now, Chris, to get married next! Haha! (No garter tossing).
- the bride and groom has left the building. Checked in at the Hyatt by Circular Quay and flying off to Hawaii the next day. Happy honeymoon!!!

July 2006 - continuation part 3

I'm so behind with my blog these days I'll try to keep this short and simple. Up to the end of July, it was soooo hectic for me. To continue:

July 20: I picked up mama and Tito Franc at the airport around 6:30am. We didn't get out until almost 8am. I was worried maybe they got stalled at the customs coz I knew they were bringing food (shhh!). What happened was they had oversized luggages (typical balikbayan boxes...if you don't know what they are, ask any filipino and they'll explain it to you). The boxes came out of a different carousel at the airport and so they were just waiting and waiting at their assigned carousel for the boxes to come out. So that made me think... when I arrived here, it happened to me, too! I waited for a while for my balikbayan box to come out. So FYI: if you come to the Sydney airport, any oversized luggage or oddly shaped luggages come out of a different carousel. Don't wait for it to come out of your plane's assigned carousel.

Today is also Basti's 2nd bday, my godson. Wow, Basti celebrating his bday in Sydney!!! Coming all the way from the Philippines!!! I had organized a bday lunch party for him today. Pastas and pizzas at Gioia restaurant on Norton St. Not too far away from our house. By this time, all the Alviar family has arrived and it was sort of a mini reunion for the de Leon and Ortega families. Also present was Ollie Ortega-Dacanay (the bride's cousin on the father side), Mg Boy (Michelle's former boss in the Philippines), and the Lynch family (the groom's sister, husband, and three kids). So it wasn't just an adult 2yr old party, we had 4 kids and 14 adults. Hehehhee.

After we were all stuffed, we managed to go to Sydney Uni (where we're having the wedding photos) and Sydney Opera House in the rain. By the time we got to the opera house, it was pouring hard. And we didn't have enough umbrellas!!! So we were forced to buy $12 umbrellas that broke within 30min. Cheapos!!! Mama and tita Emily went back to the store to complain (I don't know the whole story of what happened in the store but knowing mama and tita emily, I could imagine them yelling at the store owner for selling us expensive cheap umbrellas). Good for them, we got a new umbrella. Hahahahhaa. And if that didn't work, Teod (Katrina's husband) is a good lawyer!!! Hehehe. Silly but they had fun doing that!













July 21: The eve of the wedding. It was still raining and we were all praying that the sun will come out on Saturday. Today was rest/easy day. Finalizing any errands. Michelle gave her last confession before she gets married. Tito Franc, mama, and I had dinner at Tita Terry's house at the Rocks. We couldn't stay any longer coz we had to get up at 330am to do make-ups and hair. We needed our beauty rest!

"I came, I saw, I conquered - iPod". I stole this idea from my brother Mike's blog. Thought it was cool so I had to make one for myself. Make your own iPod billboard here.

July 2006 - continuation part deux

July 15: Wedding rehearsal. It was raining. The church was freezing...as usual. Steven, the best man, was absent again. Absent during the engagement party. Couldn't make it to the food tasting. Steven, just make sure you show up on the wedding day!!! We only did one round of rehearsing and I don't even think the coordinator and the priest knew what they were doing. They didn't even have chairs for the bride and groom to sit on during the mass. I think they kindda just made up the whole rehearsing as we went along. Well, this church doesn't really celebrate weddings all the time...probably like once a year (maybe because its freezing in there or to be serious, the masses there are in latin so normal mass takes about 1.5hrs. This wedding will take about 2hrs). We got LJ to maybe bring a heater and place it near where we sit. Shhh!!! Don't tell Michelle. We got LJ to maybe bring some stash of food and drinks to when we go for picture taking at Sydney Uni. Coz food probably won't get served until 12:30pm to 1pm at the reception and we'll be starving then.

July 16: I met up with my friend, JC, to have lunch at Bondi Junction Mall. I was picking up some sheets and comforter to borrow from him to use for my mom and uncle. Luckily, he was needing more sheets for himself so he bought new ones for me to borrow. Thanks, JC!!! By the way, the Bondi Junction mall is sort of like a high end mall. Michelle, I think you'll like this mall...I know you'll look for it when you visit here some time. Its on the way to Bondi beach, too! First timer but I didn't have a chance to walk around. I had more errands and cleaning up to do before mama arrives...you know mama!!!

July 18: The maid of honor met up with the bride in the city to pick up the wedding dress during my lunch time. Everything is set. Had lunch with the bride after then picked up the missals at FedEx Kinko's. (By the way, is that what it's called now in the US...FedEx Kinko's?) Got a taxi cab and sent her off while I went back to work...two hours later. Oh heck! The boss is in the US anyway. ;-)

July 19: My last day of work before I go on vacation. Yippeeee!!! I went to pick up the rental car at nobirds (http://nobirds.com.au/ - cheap rental cars located at Kings Cross). My first time driving since I moved here...not to mention driving on the other side of the road. I was actually more excited than scared. My only fear was driving on the wrong side of the road. I can't believe how much I miss driving. Oh yea. The signal lights were located on the right side and the wipers on the left. It was raining today so I kept messing up my signal lights and wipers. That was fun!!! I only got a couple of honks so I think I did well. Hahahhaa. Most importantly, I got home safe without any scratches.

July 2006 - continuation

July 10: We got our dresses back from being steamed this weekend. Problem!!! The sash/ribbon for my dress was missing! Oh no! The dress is gonna look so plain without the sash around it. What happened??? I double checked my room...it wasn't there. I swear I placed the sash in the plastic bag along with the dresses. The next day, I went to the dry cleaners and they said they didn't see it. I even called the actual dry cleaning place and they don't remember seeing it. Argghhh!!!! What to do, what to do!!! I called Katrina up in the Philippines where we got our dresses made. Good thing she took back all the extra cloth from the dress and had an extra sash made for me. Thank goodness! Thank you, Kats!!!

July 11: I was already stressing about my dress' sash this day. This was the day Mitch and I were going to see her wedding dress and have her fitting. I had her shoes in my office to bring to the fitting that afternoon. With all the stress I've been having and work, when I got to the bridal shop, first thing Mitch asked me was, "Where's the shoes?" Aaaghhh!!! I forgot it in the office. So I had to walk/run fast and get back there. Ay yay yay!!! My work out for the week!!! The dress was beautiful though (I'll post some pictures after the wedding). A little long and a little bit tight. Yikes! Two more weeks, Michelle, and you'll be a Cinderella bride.

July 12: I got an email from my mom telling me that United Airlines was asking for her visa to come to Australia. Big Huh??? I thought with a blue passport, its easy to get in most countries. I got worried because they are leaving in a few days without a visa. Fortunately, UA can process it for just $20. So BEWARE! You've been warned.

July 13: I went to get my facial before the wedding. My face is stressed from work and all the errands I have to do for the wedding prep and the family coming. Facial wasn't enough. Maybe I should go get a massage next time.

July 14: The Ortegas arrive from the Philippines. Their cousin Ollie was supposed to fly with them. She was so excited and happy. First time to come to Australia. When she got to the airport to check in, they looked at her visa and it says that she can't fly after July 1, 2006. Ay yay yay!!! Didn't she look and read her visa before then? Well, the embassy made a mistake, too, coz she was coming here for a wedding in mid July and they gave her up to July 1, 2006. So almost breaking down, she didn't make the flight. She had to find her way to the embassy back in the Philippines. Later on, the embassy admitted they made a mistake...what a costly mistake coz she missed her flight, she has to pay a portion of her hotel here, missed a couple of days of touring Sydney, and a big waste of time. I think the embassy should pay for all this. What a disappointing and frustrating experience. Next time, always read the fine prints on your visa. My visa that was issued to me says my first entry has to be on or before Oct 25, 2005 (I arrived Oct 12) and not to marry before then.

Moving On!

July will be a busy month.

July 1: Michelle's last day at the house. She's moved to a new apartment in Ashfield and has moved 99% of her stuff to the new place. At the same time, Natasha and I signed our new lease for the house on Saturday morning while Michelle was taking the last of her stuff. Today was the day of moving. The plumber came during lunch time to check the leaks. Peta, our new roomie, started moving her stuff in that afternoon but not officially moving in until August (I'm claiming Michelle's room for all of July so my mom and uncle will have a place to stay when they arrive this month). Tash and I started preparing dinner for the friends who helped moved. Our new washer and dryer came at 5pm. And it was time for dinner with Tash, Peta, JC, Paul, Stephen, and Joe (by the way, I call Joe 'Superman' coz he has a very very tiny bit of a role in the new 'Superman Returns' movie. He was one of the paramedics that brought Superman to the hospital. I had to see the movie for many reasons including making sure Joe wasn't lying. His role was so fast I actually didn't see that it was really him, the paramedic. But there was a scene when they showed the people by the glass door looking in to see Superman in the ER. And all of a sudden, Joe's head popped out - I think that was him! Another reason I wanted to see this movie was because parts of it was filmed in Sydney particularly on the street where I work. And I did see the corner of Hunter St and O'Connell St and the Radisson Hotel next to our building. I noticed the logo (ACE) of one of the cafes at the corner. But it was really quick.

July 2: Everybody seems to be moving on. We picked up LJ at the airport flying in from the Philippines to permanently move here. Now, LJ has to look for a job in audit. Anyone out there who can help him find a job with the big 4? Contact me and I'll let LJ know. It was good to see LJ and had fun talking to him. With him, he brought the bridesmaid dresses we had gotten made in the Philippines. Measurements from about three months ago. Thank goodness they still fit! I have to make sure now that I don't lose or gain any weight...I've been eating a lot this past few days. Maybe because the weather's been cold. And I don't even exercise anymore. Uh oh! Hope my face won't be too round in the wedding pictures. Oh well! I'm not the center of attention anyway, Michelle is! Yay!!!!! That afternoon, I still had some time to go watch a movie. Guess which one it is? "Superman Returns"

July 7-9: I stayed over at Michelle's apartment on Friday and Saturday night to spend time with the Ortega cousins. Lots of reminiscing, laughing, helping LJ look for a job, cleaning up at the apartment. On Sunday, LJ wanted to do the ferries so we went to Circular Quay and took advantage of our weekly Red ticket. LJ, you asked for it! So we took the ferry to Luna Park (a little amusement park just below the Harbour bridge). It was actually my first time going there. The rides were mostly for kids. But the place reminds me of a version of the Santa Cruz boardwalk...at a very small scale. After that, we took the ferry to Watson's Bay and had coffee there. Came back to Circular Quay and caught the ferry to Darling Harbour for dinner. Now, that was a lot of ferrying to do, LJ. That was fun though with a nice view at night.

More to come:
July 11: Michelle and I will be going to see the dress...the wedding dress...for her fitting.
July 14: The Ortegas arrive from the Philippines
July 15: Church rehearsal with the bridal party
July 19: Picking up the rental car. Will be my first time driving since I moved here. Not to mention, driving on the "wrong" side of the road.
July 20: Picking up mama and tito Franc
July 20: Basti's 2nd bday party
July 22: Michelle & Andrew's Wedding Day!!! Yipppeeee!!!

Michelle's Bridal Shower

Mitch wasn't into the typical hen's night/bachelorette's party. No strippers, no drinking, no staying up late. As bridesmaids, Natasha and I organized Michelle's bridal shower...more appropriately, we had afternoon tea at the 'Tea Room' in Queen Victoria Bldg (QVB).


http://www.thetearoom.com.au/

There were 16 of us girls for the afternoon kitchen tea (FYI: most appropriate gifts to bring for a kitchen tea party are kitchen items... that makes sense). We had a few games. One of them was answering a few questions about the bride and groom. One question asks if it was Michelle or Andrew that wanted to get into a religious vocation. All but one person answered it correctly. It was Michelle who wanted to be a nun at one point. Another question asked when the wedding date was. I guess if this person didn't play the game, she would have showed up at the wedding a weekend before the actual date. And not a lot of people knew Michelle was born in Australia.

The other game we played - we asked each guests to write any advice on a piece of paper and we would read out a situation Michelle and Andrew would be in, pick any of the advice from a fish bowl, and basically, see if those advices would work. Here's some examples:

1. Michelle's ready for a night of hot romance. She's prepared a candlelit dinner and has her sexiest nightgown on. Andrew says he's got a headache. What does Michelle do?
- The Advice that was picked from the fish bowl: SAY THE "OUR FATHER"

2. The in laws pay a surprise visit. What should they do?
- The Advice that was picked from the fish bowl: WAIT A MINUTE, HONEY. I'M IN THE SHOWER!

3. Michelle and Andrew are driving around. They are lost. Michelle tells Andrew to stop and ask for directions. Andrew says no. What do you advice?
- The Advice that was picked from the fish bowl: PUT YOUR HEAD BETWEEN YOUR LEGS AND START COUNTING

4. They have their first fight. What do you advice?
- The Advice that was picked from the fish bowl: DRINK SOME TEA AND EAT SOME SCONES


Anyway, that was just a sample. I can't remember all the advices that were picked from the fishbowl but everyone seem to have enjoyed that game.

When we went home, Michelle opened her gifts and I tallied them all. There is one gift that didn't have a name and there were three people to choose from (that means there were two that didn't give a gift ;-) - I won't tell. And I won't tell which gift didn't have a name tag...just in case that person reads this and would think we didn't even keep track.

Next up - Michelle's wedding on July 22nd!

Go Soccerroos!

The World Cup in Germany!

The Australian team, otherwise known as the Socceroos (as in kangaroos...get it?), has finally made it into the World Cup after 32 years. And boy were they put in one of the toughest groups in the first round. Group F - Brazil (the best of them all), Japan (supposedly the best team in Asia), and Croatia (you can't underestimate).

So who am I supposed to root for? Of course, there's team USA but they seem to suck. And there seem to be not much support in the good old land of US of A. Maybe because the team isn't winning and getting to the semis or finals. Or from what I've read, its a low scoring game, or there are other sports more interesting to watch on TV, or there isn't that much action besides kicking the ball, etc. Unfortunately, team USA didn't make it into the 2nd round.

Then of course, there's the socceroos. Australia is known for being the underdogs.

My friend, Amin, did the pilgrimage to Germany to watch some of the games, to see his home country, Iran, fight it off with Mexico, Portugal, and Angola. Sorry, Amin! Sorry you didn't come back home to the US with a win. Maybe in the next four years.

First game was against Japan. Natasha and I went bar hopping on a Monday night to look for a bar where we can watch the game. Since our place is near tons of bars and restaurants, we just stayed within the neighborhood. Norton St was closed for any Australian games so bars and restaurants can open all night and all morning to show the games. And since its also the Italian community, the street was closed for Italian games. First half, we went to the Royal Hotel, just a block away from our house. Second half, we moved to the Vanilla Room. Nobody expected the aussies to win against Japan but what'd you know. They beat them 3-1!!!

Aussies vs Brazil - I didn't stay up for this. Most of the games are played at 11pm, 2am, 5am here so its hard to stay up or get up. Brazil was expected to win anyway...and they did.

Finally, the third and deciding game. Australia has to beat Croatia or at least get a draw (with Japan losing to Brazil) to get into the second round. I woke up at 6am to catch the 2nd half of the game. At this point, the game against Croatia was tied. And when Croatia scored another goal, the yellow and green (that's the aussie team color) crowd at the stadium was silent. It was nerve racking. The game was getting intense. Fouls here and there, right and left. Penalties. One guy from the Croatian team got two yellow cards but I guess the referee wasn't keeping track and should have given him the red card (after two yellow cards, you get a red card and out of the game). But the socceroos was able to get in one more score to tie the game. In the last few minutes, that same guy got a third yellow card and finally got the boot. The socceroos has made it into the 2nd round. Even if Japan wins over Brazil, they would have to score a lot of points to beat Australia getting into the 2nd round. If you win a game within your group, you get 3pts. A draw gives you 1pt. At the end of 3 matches within your group, the top two teams that has the most points get into the second round. If there's a tie, whoever scored the most goals gets in.

That morning when the aussies got into the second round (I believe first time ever), it was traffic all over the city. People were out celebrating, honking their cars, people getting to work late. They were all excited.

Next game: Italy vs Australia. Leichhardt, where we live, is the Italian community of Sydney. Norton St, just five houses from our home is the place to be. Natasha and her friend went out at around 10pm to check out the crowd. The pubs were packed. There were a lot of people on the streets. So they decided to come home and watch the game indoors. The game didn't start until 1am so in the meantime, I took a nap and got up at 1:30 am. The game was pretty much decided until the last 8 seconds of the game when Australia was penalized. Italy got a spot kick (penalty kick infront of the goal) and made it in. And that was the end of Australia's run for the cup...although that would be very unlikely. The game ended at 3am...I had to be in the office at an 8am training (set by the people in the US!!!! aghhh!!!)

Well now we can all go back to our normal sleeping patterns. Thank goodness! I don't think I ever got into soccer until now. Goodnight!

Diabetes Walk

I registered to participate in the Asics Walk for Wellbeing 2006 for Diabetes on Sunday, June 18th, at the Leichhardt Park. This event will raise funds needed for Diabetes Awareness, Research, Education and Advocacy programs. I have decided to participate in this event to raise funds for a good cause particularly for a disease that has inflicted my family. It is hereditary but can be prevented by having a proper diet and good exercise.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body cannot convert food into energy because of a lack of insulin, or because of an inability to use insulin. Diabetes is a serious condition that can cause complications ranging from numbness, kidney failure, blindness and coma. It also significantly raises the risk for other problems, such as stroke and heart disease.

There are more than 1.4 million Australians with Diabetes and the World Health Organization estimates that 150 million people had diabetes worldwide in 2002. This number is projected to double by the year 2025.

This Sunday, I did the 8km walk and was able to raise a little over $150. Not that much but it contributes to the cause. Maybe next year, will do better. Hey, if you join next year, maybe you'll get free socks from Asics.

Hard Rock Cafe - Sydney

I went to Hard Rock Cafe - Sydney this Saturday and as I walked in, half of the people in there started singing Happy Birthday. Moa?!?!?! No thanks. I actually walked in with another girl who didn't have a clue they were giving a surprise bday party for her.

It was nice having lunch there and listening to some old tunes. And as a tourist would do, I bought some souvenirs. One more pin to add to my Hard Rock Cafe guitar pin collection (this one has the Sydney Opera House). And one for you, Michelle, to add to your shot glass collection.

Australian Football League

Sydney Swans vs St Kilda

Time to watch some footy. The AFL (Australian Football League) is similar to rugby except that when you score, you have to kick the ball through a post...I think. You score 6 points if you get it through the middle goal posts and score 1 point if you kick the ball on the left or right goal posts (if that makes sense). You run through the field, pass or kick the ball to your teammates and run to the end and kick a score...at least that's from my observation. It didn't look complicated and there were no tackling just like American football. Anyway, for more info:

http://afl.com.au/
http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=history

The VeriSign Australia Sydney office decided to do a "team building" activity outside of work so some people came on a rainy and cold Saturday night to watch the Sydney Swans lose to St Kilda. Well, we didn't actually watch them lose to the end...we all left after the second quarter coz it started to rain real hard.

The game was held at the SCG (Sydney Cricket Grounds) next to Fox Studios. We met up first at the Fringe Bar over at Fox Studios (WARNING: the food here is sizzling spicy!!! Really, really hot. We didn't even get a warning or an option to pick. I.e. - I ordered green curry...and that's not supposed to be as spicy as red curry. Apparently, not to them. Their explanation - its Asian food. Its supposed to be spicy! Hello, not all asian food are spicy!!! Anyway, just watch out for the FRINGE BAR).

First timer at Fox Studios. Its supposed to be similar to Universal Studios. Somewhat, but in a lot smaller scale. They have the shops, restaurants, movie theatre, bowling alley, bars, and cafes. And its not as crowded as Universal Studios (maybe because it was raining on a Saturday night. Oh and take a note. Friday night at Bondi on a winter/fall season is dead. There isn't much action around this time of the year).


Oh yea! St Kilda won over the Sydney Swans - 52 to 50

Deus ex Machina

"God from the Machine"

There is a cafe next to my dance class in Camperdown where its not only a cafe, they also sell and display vintage bikes...from Yamahas to Ducatis (the Ferraris of bicycles), and from Nortons to Kawasakis. Nice cafe to sit down, relax, and listen to some Nirvana (at least that was what they were playing when I dropped by)...too bad they close 3pm too early.












http://www.deusexmachina.com.au/

From time to time, they'll feature other types of vehicles such as the Jaguar:

Sydney University

Sydney Uni is one of the main universities in New South Wales.

One Sunday afternoon during a bus ride to the city, I decided right on the bus to just get off at Sydney Uni and check out the campus.

The main attraction is the University quadrangle. It just so happen that they have free recitals of the War Memorial Carillon (carillons are the largest musical instruments which must contain at least 25 chromatically tuned bells) every Sunday from 2-3pm when I went to visit. The peaceful setting and listening to the beautiful music was perfect for a quiet Sunday afternoon.






After the recital, I got a chance to go up the tower and check out the carillon/bells:






And it just so happen that the day I was at Sydney Uni, they had a free organ recital at the Great Hall.








This place is great for wedding picture taking. In fact, there was a wedding entourage taking pictures at the quadrangle after the organ recital was finished. And this will also be where we're gonna have Michelle & Andrew's wedding pictures taken.