Aloha!

We're off to Hawaii today. I'll be sure to post when we're in California!





Mahalo~

I Almost Died

Being that we reside in the land which is home to more deadly snakes than anywhere else and of the world's ten most venomous snakes all are Australian, plus, it houses the world's two most venomous spiders, the paralysis tick, the world’s most venomous octopus, the lethal stonefish, the deadliest jellyfish, and of course the innumerable sharks and saltwater crocs (just to name a few), it's only natural that anything that swims, slithers or crawls is considered DEADLY in my book. A bit dramatic or extreme... perhaps, but do you really want to find out what could happen? I think not.

That being said, last night, I almost died. The creepy crawlers are out in full effect since it's summer and they almost got me. In particular, I'm talking about the Huntsman Spider, otherwise known as the Australian tarantula.





Now the locales tell me that these speedy buggers are harmless, but they are just massive and hairy and if you are unaccustomed to them, like I am, you would think the huntsman is the scariest and deadliest creature on the planet. HELLO- they can still bite you and leave you wincing in pain for days. Not to mention that a female can lay up to 200 eggs... um, NOT IN MY HOUSE, BIATCH! Oh, and their name is: HUNTS MAN- need I say more.

Anyway, back to my story... So last night I almost put my hand on a freaking HUGE huntsman. I was just a few centimeters away from touching the nasty beast as I went to grab the rim of the plate where it was residing. Luckily I saw something brown and hairy on the edge of my clean white dish and needless to say, I quickly jumped backed and went running in to the living room to get my knight in shining armour to rescue me. Fortunately, I keep several cans of spider spray locked and loaded for occasions such as these (you can never have too much) and the poor spider never had a chance as we took it down, tag-team style. Phew, that was close... too close for comfort.

Last Christmas we had the invasion of the Redback Spiders...


courtesy of wikipedia

Who must have been living in our Christmas tree and decided to have their babies in our living room. Now these suckers are one of the two spiders (the funnel web being the other) that are venomous and potentially deadly to humans. So you can imagine my hysteria when I woke up one morning to the redbacks running around our floor and hanging from the bottom of our tree. I doused the house in spider spray, wrapped up the tree and tossed it in the rubbish.

So, it looks like this Christmas we get the huntsman... Merry Christmas to us.

Not that I'm keep count or anything, but after last night, that makes four huntsmans killed this week. It's official, the spiders have declared war and I must defend my home. Now, most Australians will probably frown upon me killing the huntsman but I'm sorry, we're under attack and I just can't sleep at night knowing there are tarantulas crawling all over my walls. Can you blame me?

Ah, the joys of living in the "most dangerous" place in the world.

Bend it Like Beckham

David Beckham and the La Galaxy were in town to play a friendly again Sydney FC on Tuesday night and Beckham did not disappoint the 80,000 fans, including myself, who came out to get a glimpse of him. The golden boy of football (aka soccer) gave the people what they wanted- his trademark free kick goal that yes, bent in to the top corner of the net. The crowd went wild... after all, this is what we came to see.

In the end, Becks delivered but Sydney won, 5-3.




So now I can say I saw David bend it like Beckham... even if he looked like a little ant from our nose bleed seats.

The Silly Season is Well Under Way

It's that time of year again, and no, I'm not talking about Thanksgiving. I'm talking about Christmas- yes, I know, Christmas... in November? But wait, November is for Thanksgiving. You can't even think about Christmas until Thanksgiving has come and gone. I know, I know... it's upsetting to me too, but when you don't celebrate Thanksgiving (being that we're in Australia), Christmas starts getting shoved down your throat November 1st. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, but it's been ingrained in me to not even think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving. However, every year, it seems like Christmas is popping up earlier and earlier - even before Thanksgiving *gasp* -thanks to our lovely over-commercialised society. Now, we all have our moments of weakness and I admit, two weeks ago I fell prey to the Christmas shopping gods and caught myself looking at Christmas cards. Who looks at Christmas cards before Thanksgiving? Needless to say, I gave myself a quick reality check slap and went on my merry way. But, everywhere I turn, Christmas is in my face. I went to the post office last week to buy a birthday card (yes, the post sells greeting cards) and surprise!- Christmas cards, Christmas crackers, Christmas wrapping and Christmas boxes everywhere. My work has had Christmas trees out on every floor for the past few weeks. On my way to the gym, I pass Christmas banners and the city centre's picture perfect Christmas tree, and, at lunch time they even have carolers singing. Besides it being November and Christmas (otherwise known here as the silly season) is in full effect, it's just HOT and it doesn't feel like Christmas at all. Summer and Christmas are not a good combination for a girl who grew up in Boston.

And since we're on the topic of Christmas, we've just booked our tickets to the US for the holidays! We're flying through Hawaii and spending 5 days in Honolulu just relaxing on the beach- Merry Christmas to us! Then, we're heading on to the mainland where we'll spend Christmas with our families. After missing Christmas stateside last year, it will be good to go home for the holidays. As anyone living away from home or abroad knows, going home to your families for the holidays is a cherished event. And, after everything my Dad has been through this year with his brain tumour and continues to go through, it makes going home and spending the holidays together that much more special. PEACE.

In honour of my post and Thanksgiving, I leave you with this:

I'm it

So there's this game of tag going around in the blogging world and I've been tagged by Christina... another So-Cal gal who's living it up in Italy.

Here are the rules:
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. I have been in a magic show in Las Vegas. Yes, this may surprise those of you who know me, but it's true. I forget exactly how old I was- maybe 13? Anyway, we were at the Excalibur in Vegas and they had this magic show going on. For some unknown reason, the magician decides to pick me for his levitating body trick. Now mind you, I'm not exactly a skinny minnie so at the time I'm thinking to myself, why in the world wouldn't he pick my sister who weighs nothing! (Lucky girl got the skinny genes ;)) So I'm up on stage and I have to lay down on this board. The next thing I know I floating high in the air. To this day, I don't know how he did it. I truly felt like I was floating. I didn't see any strings, ropes, or pillars. He even swiped the hoops over me, under me, and sent me through them and I just don't know how he did it. I guess that's why they call it magic.

2. I'm a TONY Award winner. ah hum... as in a Ten Outstanding Norwood Youth (TONY). Every year, my hometown awarded 10 seniors this award and I was one of them. Go Me!

3. I am a horrible nail bitter. It's mostly out of stress that I do it as well as the perfectionist in me. I hate it when a nail is uneven or gets a little chip so then I just end up ripping it off. However, I'm really working to stop this disgusting habit and now I actually have some nails! FINALLY... I haven't had decent nails since I was probably 5 years old.

4. I'm a great-aunt (as in generational, not as in awesome, although I am!) My niece had a baby boy, Connor, last year. So, I became a great aunt at the tender age of 28. Doesn't great-aunt make me sound so old?

5. I learned to ballroom dance from one of the choreographers/dancers from the movie Dirty Dancing. At uni, I took 2 semesters of ballroom dance (I know what you're thinking- "you went to college to learn ballroom dance?!" Yes, I did and it was well worth the $$$$) and low and behold, our professor was this famous movie choreographer- he was really good. I think his name was Jay? It was so much fun and being the natural born dancer that I am (ha!), I got A's both semesters. We even had a recital at the end of the semester where we did two dance numbers- Swing and Salsa. It was one of the best classes I took at 'SC- loved every minute!

6. I used to dig for my dinner. It sounds gross, but really, it's not. My parents have a cottage down the Cape (Cape Cod for those of you unfamiliar with the Bostonian lingo). I have several fond memories of going down to the beach from our cottage and digging in the sand for clams and quahogs. We'd have our pails with our little shovels and we would be digging away looking for bubbles in the black sand. We'd gather up a bunch of shellfish and then head home for some steamed claims with drawn butter- yum! Although, I think I probably ate too many as a kid and now clams just make me want to gag. People think it's weird that we used to dig for our dinner, but really, there's nothing like getting your own dinner from the earth- or at least, there's nothing fresher than that!

I'm tagging Jacqui, Brianna, Sarita, Lorry, Meg and Laura.

Our Weekend Getaway

We're back from our anniversary/Paul's birthday getaway to the Blue Mountains. We had a nice, relaxing time in the country. We did some sight seeing and a little hiking. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Blue Mountains, the Australian's call it the "Grand Canyon downunder." It's a world heritage listed national park that's over one million hectacres of canyons, sandstone cliffs, caves, waterfalls, and rainforests- It's a nature lovers paradise. The main attraction to the region is Echo Point and the Three Sisters rock formation.

We have been to the Blue Mountains before, so, this time we decided to go off the beaten path and check out some other areas of the region. Our favourite part of the trip was this scenic drive we did through the Megalong Valley. We drove down from the top of the cliffs in to this amazing valley that I think is quintessential rural Australia. It was beautiful and peaceful. If we go back there again to stay, we'd love to stay in this valley- there's hardly anything around you!

We also managed to find a local pub that would turn on the world series so we could watch what we hoped would be the last game... and as you all know, it was- the Red Sox won! Woo hoo! Go Sox.

Three Sisters



Blue Moutains



View of the Megalong Valley from above



Down in the Megalong Valley



Watching the game

Happy Birthday, Paul

**Singing** Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Paul, happy birthday to you!

It's been a busy and fun weekend between celebrating our first wedding anniversary and Paul's birthday. Yes, I know, our anniversary and Paul's birthday are just one day apart. It's just the way it worked out, what can I say. It's happy times all around.

Happy One Year Anniversary To Us!

This weekend we're celebrating our anniversary. On October 28th it will be one year of wedded bliss. So, we're heading off to the Blue Mountains for a country getaway. I'll be sure to take some pictures and post later. We're staying at a pretty flash place so it should be a nice little holiday.

In honor of celebrating our one year wedding anniversary, here are some thoughts on marriage:

A good marriage is a partnership. It's trusting, laughing and knowing when to compromise. It's remembering what matters and forgetting what doesn't. It's filling life with what you love and loving who you're with. It's a love that's nurtured by every day moments. Quick, little kisses, doing things together, quiet talks at the end of a busy day. It's the little things like these that make love great.

And for a little reminiscing, here are some photos from that wonderful day:





























*Photos by Michael Graham

Que Bonita Guatemala!

My sister Heather went to Guatemala this summer by herself for some volunteer work and a little travelling. Since I'm downloading her pictures on my computer, I thought I'd put up some of her photos. It looks like she had an amazing time and got to do a lot of cool stuff. She's already planning on going back- who wants to go with her.... ME!






Hiking the volcano:

Fight On!

S-O-U-T-H-E-R-N *CLAP, CLAP* C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A... SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!

That's right folks, it's the So Cal spell out... and that means it's college football season- Go Trojans! Yes, USC is ranked number one- yet again. Ah, if only USC was this good when I was there!

Anyway, since I'm here in sunny So Cal along with my sister, Heather, I decided we should go to the season opener of my alma mater. Heather had never been to an 'SC game so we definitely had to check it out while she was in town. We ended up going with my friend Claudia (also an alum) and meeting up George and some other fellow classmates. We tailgated a bit and then headed over to the lovely LA Colesium. I showed Heather the good ol' tradition of kicking the flag post on our way to game. It was cool being back at 'SC again and running in to old, familiar faces and friends. Oh, and we won... like there was ever any doubt ;)

Here's some pictures from the day.

During the tailgate:






At the game:

7-7-07

The countdown to Live Earth is on. OZ will be kick starting the world-wide concert event in Sydney, and, Paul and I will be there. I hope to have a few pictures from the concert and I'll post those when I get back.

Here's the Sydney line up:

10.30am - gates open
11.15am - Aboriginal welcome to country performance
11.30am - 11.55am - Blue King Brown
12.10pm to 12.35pm - Toni Collette And The Finish
12.50pm to 1.15pm - Sneaky Sound System
1.35pm to 2pm - Ghostwriters
2.20pm to 2.45pm - Paul Kelly
3.05pm to 3.40pm - Eskimo Joe
4pm to 4.35pm - Missy Higgins
4.55pm to 5.30pm - John Butler Trio
5.50pm to 6.25pm - Wolfmother
6.45pm to 7.20pm - Jack Johnson
7.50pm to 8.25pm - Crowded House

Judging by the schedule, the concert appears to get over kind of early, but, I guess that's b/c of the TV broadcasting, the timing of the other concerts, and, the different time zones. I can't wait for Jack Johnson- one of my faves! Wolfmother should be cool, too. I'll let you all know how it goes.

*************************************************
UPDATE:

Despite being a bit chilly (since it's winter here), Live Earth rocked! Our favourite acts of the day were The John Butler Trio and Jack Johnson. The John Butler Trio totally got the crowd in to it and played a great set- they were awesome. Jack Johnson played a more mellow set and sang mostly songs that pertained to the environment, mankind's impact on the earth and each other, etc- very cool! We also enjoyed seeing Missy Higgins, Wolfmother and Sneaky Sound System. Even Toni Collete was pretty good although it's a bit weird seeing a serious, "older" actress rocking out on stage? Hmmm... There was also Paul Kelly who is sort of like the Australian version of James Taylor- he was pretty good. Overall, it was a great day. Here are some pictures and movie clips I took during the concert.


Toni Collette and the Finish:



Sneaky Sound System:



Me during Missy Higgins:




The John Butler Trio:








Obligatory shot of Paul & I:



Some clips from the concert (our seats sucked):

Wolfmother:



Jack Johnson:

Sayonara Japan

Konichiwa peps- We're back from Japan and we're exhausted! We had quite an adventure travelling around Japan and packed in as much as we could. I think we need another holiday to recover from our hectic travelling pace!

We spent 4 nights in Kyoto, then moved on to Hiroshima and the island of Miay-jima where we spent one night at a Japanese Ryokan, and, finally on to Tokyo for 4 nights. Kyoto had a lot of shrines, palaces, and temples- all were spectacular and wonderful to see. We also did a day trip from Kyoto to Himeji to see Himeji Castle- very cool.

After Kyoto, we moved on to Hiroshima. This was a very moving experience, and, I believe, a place everyone should see when visiting Japan. The city itself is lively and modern. The entire A-dome and peace park area is beautiful and really does have a sense of peacefulness about it. The peace memorial museum had very graphic images and was a bit upsetting. Overall, the experience and feeling is hard to describe.

We then travelled to the island of Miya-jima. This was one of my favourite parts of the trip. This was a charming, little island riddled with wild deer and home of the famous floating Torii gate of the Itsukushima Shrine. We stayed at a traditional Japanese inn- a ryokan- where we wrapped ourselves in our kimonos and slept on tatami mats. At first, the experience was a bit intimidating because there is a lot of etiquette involved while staying at a ryokan, but once we settled in, it was a piece of cake! We had the sweetest host "Grandma" who prepared for us an amazing 12 course Japanese dinner and we ate some "interesting" food. The next morning we took the ropeway up to Mt. Misen to check out the wild monkeys and climbed Mt. Misen- spectacular views!

Finally, we moved on to Tokyo. What a cool city! It's chaotic, overpopulated, electric, fun, a contradiction of old and new- really, it defies a description! Tokyo isn't necessarily about sightseeing, but more of just being in the middle of the action and taking it all in. We did partake in some of the traditional culture by attending a Kabuki performance- it lasted 5 hours, but was very interesting to see in person! We also took a day trip from Tokyo to Hakone to visit the Mt. Fuji area which was cool. It was a bit hazy so visibility was low, but we were lucky enough to still see it!

Some of our memorable food experiences:
1. Paul eating raw prawns that were still jumping around on his plate
2. Eating tons of Eel and giant fish eggs
3. Eating a fish head- eyes and all- at the ryokan
4. Eating an Owakudani Black Egg- boiled egg in the sulfuric geysers which turns it black
5. Visiting the Tokyo fish markets and then eating a sushi breakfast- I couldn't bring myself to eat the huge sea urchin- orange goo- but I did well eating everything else. The sashimi and sushi were HUGE pieces of fish- really like 3 pieces in one and hard to swallow in one go- yikes!

And here are some photos from our trip:

Kyoto Golden Pavillion:






Kyoto Street Shrine:






Himeji Castle:






Hiroshima A-Dome- the A-bomb exploded directly above this building (the only building in the city left in its post A-bomb state):





Floating Torii gate of the Itsukushima Shrine:






Pagoda on Miya-jima:






At the ryokan on Miya-jima:






Wild deer on Miya-jima:






Wild monkeys on Mt. Misen (ouch!):






Mt. Fuji:






Eating an Owakudani Black Egg:






Geyser sulfuric springs:






Tokyo Fish Markets (Octopus anyone?):






Tokyo sunset:






Tokyo at night: