Back to reality

...and wanting to go to Japan again soon for all the good food and shopping!



Click here for photos. (^_^)

Who removed my fence?

I moved into my current place of residence about one and a half years ago now, and I had grown accustomed to the old, green, wooden fence surrounding the front yard of the townhouse, not to mention the squeaky gate. So upon returning home last Tuesday, I was surprised to find the fence and gate lying disassembled on our small patch of lawn (though I must admit that it’s more of a weed lawn than anything else, if I can even call it a ‘lawn’?).

Early the next morning, a worker started putting up a new fence. Here’s what it looks like now. It’s about half a metre higher than the old fence but one thing is still the same – the new gate squeaks too.

If you’re wondering why the photo has a sepia tone, it’s because I took it on the day of the dust storm.

When I woke up and saw that the rays of light shining into my room were bright orange, I thought there might have been a major bushfire nearby or something. Looking outside, it was like heavy orange-colored fog. It was not pleasant outdoors that day – the air was dry and it was hard to breathe. There was so much red dust on the cars that it looked like everyone had gone on a holiday to the Outback! Some people waiting for the bus held tissues over their nose and mouth, and a few wore masks. I took a few photos, but I wasn’t up early enough to see the height of the dust storm. There are some good pictures here though:

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/sydney-dust-blanket-causes-highest-air-pollution-on-record-20090923-g1fw.html

Australian Cabaret

I was lucky to be invited to a school fundraiser concert that featured a musical group called 'Black Tie.' To be honest, I wasn't expecting much for the price of $25 a ticket and the fact that it was at a school I had never heard of. Well I was very very wrong.

The group is made up of 2 very talented brothers and their wives. The ladies accompanied the brothers on the piano and cello, and played a few solos of their own (though I thought they were just average players). The brothers had amazing baritone voices (one of them is/was an opera singer!) sang a variety of songs ranging from classical to Disney to musicals. They were also fantastic actors and comedians. They made up their own lyrics to some well-known songs and acted them out complete with costumes.

It was an immensely entertaining and interactive performance with a high musical standard and hilariously funny. The comments and reactions of the kids in the audience made it even more amusing. I was laughing so hard I almost fell off my chair. If you ever get the chance to see them perform, you should definitely go, and let me know too!^^

Here's a description of them -
http://www.entertainmentdepot.com.au/news/black-tie-cabaret/#more-2216

North Coast Road Trip

Well, the first week was spent up the north coast...

We left early Saturday morning start and made our way up to Port Macquarie, where we were staying on our first night. On the way, we made a brief sightseeing stop at Sugarloaf Point and took a lunch break at Wallingat National Park. We ended up eating in the car though coz we were being attacked by dozens of mosquitoes. Port Macquarie town centre was quite big and there were quite a few restaurants scattered around. We decided on a Thai place but regretted it the moment we stepped in. The dishes were overpriced for the small dishes that were served, and we left with unsatisfied stomachs. We had ordered a curry and a stir-fry that included spring onion and bokchoy – more Chinese style than Thai I reckon!

On day 2, we made our way further north to Nambucca Heads. Luckily we didn’t have a busy schedule planned, coz I came down with a fever and the rain clouds were getting heavier. Still, we stopped at Crescent Head and South West Rocks for some sightseeing.

Day 3 was also mostly spent in the car. The only planned stop was the Urunga Boardwalk, which was worth the visit despite the rain. The boardwalk extended out to the middle of the lagoon amongst the mangroves. It was a little scary with the heavy rain as the water level was rising quite rapidly, but all in all it was a nice tranquil walk. We saw tiny crabs, lots of fish and we even spotted a stingray!

My favourite accommodation of the trip was the Byron Bay Farmstay, which is technically located in Bangalow but is less than 10 minutes away from Byron Bay. The cottages were situated in the middle of a quiet farm, were spacious, clean and well-equipped with kitchenware. We were greeted by some energetic cows and had to wait for them to clear off the road. Y had some fun with the friendly cows.^^ Our first night there, we ate dinner at a nice restaurant/bar in the centre of Byron Bay, but we bought groceries to prepare lunch and dinner for the following day. As a bonus, cottage guests are free to use any of the herbs and fruit growing on the nearby trees. An apple and an orange were sitting on the dining table when we arrived. As the orange was still green, we brought it home and I'm glad we did coz it was so juicy and sweet! I reckon Dad would love it there. Watching the massive waves and the beautiful sunset from Cape Byron was also a highlight for me. (For those of you that don’t know, Cape Byron is the easternmost point of mainland Australia.)

Our next destination was the Gold Coast. Luckily we were there before the heavy rain began and it was perfect beach weather. We immediately headed for the beach at Surfers Paradise as soon as we arrived. The next day, it was raining cats and dogs and we stayed in the motel room all day trying to decide what to do in the coming 3 days. Our original plan had been to drive back down to Coffs Harbour and go bush walking in Dorrigo National Park. However, that area was flooded and the NP was closed. We eventually decided to head a bit further north and spend a few days in Brisbane. At least there were museums and things to do there even in wet weather. Plus, I have a high school friend now living there that we could meet up with. I gave her a call and she invited us to have dinner at her newly renovated home – the house was huge and had a balcony surrounding half the building, with spectacular views and very nicely furnished. I was most impressed, especially considering she had done most of the work herself! We took advantage of the mostly fine weather (heavy rain fell only overnight), going for a swim in the street beach and strolled around the night market. We also visited the Gallery of Modern Art and the Brisbane Museum, as well as saw an amateur play.

After 3 days in Brisbane, we made our way down to Mt Kaputar NP in Central NSW over 2 days, staying overnight at Tamworth, aka the Country Music Capital of Australia. Since our accommodation for the following 2 nights would be at the top of Mt Kaputar, we made sure we stocked up on food for our stay. Driving up the dirt mountain road was a challenge for our small Hon-da Ja2z, but it did a fantastic job! The cabin was well-equipped and relatively clean, but the bed was much too soft and rather uncomfortable. The sights from the mountain were spectacular and there were plenty of wild kangaroos. It was definitely worth the trip, and staying at the cabin was an experience. Kinda reminded me of high school camps.

Our final destination was Dubbo, where the main attraction was Dubbo Zoo. We spent 1 and a half days at the zoo. It’s huge and it feels like you can get real close to the animals. I found the hippos and the tortoises most amusing. The wombat there was a character too. If it hadn’t rained the second day and if we didn’t have to drive 5 hours to get home , I would’ve liked to stay longer.^^

Thank goodness we had the Easter long weekend to recover, because the trip tired me out more than I expected. I suppose it’s time to confess that Y drove 99.999% of the time! My excuse is that I didn’t want to take away his fun since he so enjoyed driving the country roads. In any case, the 2 weeks holiday was a good time and a timely break from work which was becoming rather stressful. Now I’m living back in reality, stressed at work, and ready for another holiday! (^_<)

Happy 2009!!!

I trust everyone had a wonderful Christmas and new year break (if you celebrate it at all). I used to be so diligent with sending Christmas cards...but now I've become a lazy bum. Sorry...

I spent most of Christmas Day in the kitchen preparing food to bring to my aunt's party. Y made apple tart, which was enjoyed by all, and I made a batch of those Chinese almond cookies. Unfortunately I neglected to read the package details and poured in the whole 150g of almond meal when I only needed 100g. No wonder it was so dry...(T_T) But I'm glad some people liked the dry version.(^^)

Boxing day was spent lazing around at home, but the following day I went out with Grandma and other family members to the famous open air pie cafe followed by afternoon tea at a small park in Brooklyn.

New year's eve wasn't very exciting either. Just watched the fireworks on TV...lazy me!

Now it's work as usual...here we go again...