Lunch party with the tangsters

So. I have been cruising through the road to recovery and am ever so thankful for it. Especially today as we hosted a lunch party for 25 friends from our bible study group. Thank goodness for the barbeque chief of a hubby I didn’t have to do much cooking. Besides whipping up the pasta and the salad, the preparation was a breeze. Thanks to the many bbqs we had hosted past year, we had both become quite experts. *beam*

The gender of the party toppled to the males so the activity of the day centered very much on our table tennis table and the Xbox console. A couple of them even brought their controllers and the much talked about Wii! Boys. *roll eyes* It was really entertaining watching them release their inner child though. The girls on the other hand sat around sipping their tea and laughing at the silly antics that surrounded them.

Feeling sick

I was sick over the xmas holidays. Still feeling under the weather but I think I am on the road to recovery. It hit me last Thursday, the unmistakable pains of gastritis. Urk. I hate feeling sick. Especially this time of the year with all the yummy dinner parties and lunches. I have been spending most days bent over on my couch. Arg. I must have been such a pain.

Anyhow. The folks and the husband thought it would be a good idea to get me out of the house since I had spent Xmas eating nothing but porridge and arched over my pillows. In actual fact. I whimpered for it. I really needed to be out of the house to breathe in some fresh air. So off to Kirribili we went, with our picnic basket, to perch ourselves at the foot of the harbor bridge over looking the opera house and the city.

I SO want to get better before 07.
*whimper whimper*

Over Chrisie

Tis the season to eat stollen

Grow little chillies.... grow!

More than a couple of months ago, mum stuffed several chilli seeds into my sad bare pots. And allowed spring to take over.

I could already taste the chilli paste she's going to make with my new harvest.
*Glee*

Digi manic

So last weekend. I thought I'd try out my new found digital photography "skills". Yes. I had completed my course and am now an official photo taking manic. Oh. oh!! AND! To celebrate my graduation. My hubby bought me a kick ass Canon 400D for chrisie!! Thanks Babe!!!!!

Christening

Yesterday, we attended a good friend's baby christening. The service was short but meaningful. I thought the pastor gave a really good explanation of baptism, which was refreshing. There are way too many misconceptions of what baptism really is about out there. And sadly, amongst christians too.

Welcome to the kindgom little one! May God watch over you always and perhaps in the not too distant future, you too will want make a public declaration of your very own and call yourself his own one day.

Chrisie pressies

Instead of hitting the shops for my Xmas pressies, I decided I'd make little gifts sprinkled with my little own warm personal touch for the gang this year. The result. Little beautiful scented Orange Cloves & Rose Bubs Pomanders. And a really sore clove-pricked thumb.

Xmas is in the air

So the xmas festivity is in the air. And to usher in the holiday season in good old aussie fashion, I joined a group of my ex-colleagues for a celebrative drinks night of champagne, pizzas and hot chips in the Greenwood Hotel in North Sydney.

It was such a good night catching up with everyone. Not to mention the flow of free champagne for the ladies! Woah! I need to get me out more often!

And no... I have not forgotten the true meaning of Xmas, so not to worry.
*smiles*

Random things about me

• I turn into a scary control freak when it comes to my kitchen bench.

• I love my fries with ice cream.

• When I’m watching a movie I’m really into, I become absolutely un-contactable by the outside world.

• Since 5, I have fallen in love with “The Sound of Music” and have watched it at least 50 times. But I still cannot remember the names of all 7 children. I can however sing every single song and recite the movie. word. for. word.

• Every other month, I get attack by an irresistible impulse to clean. Toothbrush style. Yeah.

• I cried when King Kong died. And I don’t mean a sob. It’s a full swelling eye, wet noise cry. And that’s the same with Charlotte’s Web. In fact, it’s any movie that involves an animal dying.

• I get an incredible sense of empowerment after a heart pumping sweaty workout. The kinds of empowerment that make me genuinely believe I could conquer the world. Not to worry, I also quickly forget in about… eh… an hour.

Sunday

Yesterday, Mel's baby sister flew in for a short 4 days visit. It had been over a year since I last saw her and over 3 years for Mel so it was great to catch up with her again.

Before the airport, we stopped by Krispy Kreme for donuts and milkshakes. And watched little donut balls floating away on a river of hot cooking oil.

At the airport, after exchanges of hugs, and a quick city visit and church. We drove to Kensington and caught up with the relis over chinese and ate the best lotus leave chicken and mushroom ever.

It was just a nice, simple but yet so fulfilling Sunday. And it was so great to see my sister-in-law again.

oh. Check out this cool Xmas tree a friend made for me. All. Out. Of. Paper! It comes with star danglings, gifts under the tree and a cool angel finish. Thanks Damo. You rock!

Scary 'Mary Poppins' Trailer

This so killed it for me. Freaky. eek.
Ooh! I'll be SO devastated if they did it to the Sound of Music!! ARG!

Another heart fluttering moment

Don't you just dig the hair do. And the Oh. So. Funky. clothes.

Eek! I'm SO excited. I've already been on the phone and am comtemplating ordering a few pieces.

The joys of internet shopping!

Check it out. Dogstar. Last seen in my Dec 05 post.

Foster xmas party

Last friday, the hubby and I attended Foster Xmas party. It was held at Luna Park located at the foot of the habour bridge. The theme of the night was the 70's. And as you could probably tell from the picture. We got right into it.

Haha. We had such a ball!

Mosaic tables

These pictures were taken ages ago at Bondi Sunday's flee market on one of my random market rummage. I found these while going through my pictures and thought I'd post them simply because I lurve the markets. And because (at the moment) I am soooo into mosaic tables.
*Glee*

My weekend in a snap shot

Mozi

I'm SO in love with these funky cute as aprons.

Check it out. mozi

Digital photography

I am excited. I am filled with so much life, energy, vision. Inspired even! The same type of adrenaline I always feel before I set off on a big holiday. It has been 2 years coming. Every since I started blogging and telling my little stories. A desire inside of me started brewing. Of wanting to showcase my thoughts, views, quirks through the eye of the lens. Having visual communication of what I see and feel of things, and stages of my life.

It has been way too many “Oh! If only I had time to do this.” Or “Man. If only I could take photos like that.” And. “Where the hell is Salem in this shot?!.. oh.. hang on.. yeah.. I see the black spot.” AND getting really sick of hearing myself say, “If only..!!”
*fist in the air*

So about a month ago, (despite my incredibly busy year end life) I took matters into my hands and enrolled myself into a digital photography course. And this week, I attended my first digital photography class! *BEAM*

In slightly over a month, I will learn;
- how to optimize my digital camera
- how to set aperture / shutter speeds / ISO
- how to freeze moving objects
- how to blur them out
- take black & whites
- photoshop for picture manipulation
- angle / artistic / close ups
- gone on a photo-taking expedition
- and other bits and pieces that will give you the foundation to take digital photography to the next level.

A resounding “WooHoo!”

So here I am, doing my first digital photography assignment. Experimenting with “White Balance”. And SO having a ball!!



Pic – its Salem’s string puppet toy sitting on a little vege pile. I used Picasa to grid the pics which cropped them up a little… ah well.. I’ll get fussy when I get better… hehe.

My dashing new lappy

For the past 5 months, I've been drifting in and out of computer hardware stores browsing through the many many beautiful and flashy laptops out for sale. Since I left my previous company, I have been feeling absolutely techno lost without my trusty laptop (see my new company sadly doesn't feel the need to provide management with laptops as we are meant to be office bound. Blah, what a load of crap!).

So for the past 5 months, I was forced to brave through internet deprived nights, and scrimmaging at the table for second hand-me-downs usage time of my husband's laptop.

Today, my little sad reduced-to-TV life has finally ended. My dear husband surprised me with a wonderful gift. Yes. A smacking brand new HP Duo processor 1.83 GHz , 2 MB L2 Cache, 667 MHz FSB, 160 GB (2 x 80 GB) silver chromed, too luxurious laptop!! It also comes with a 17" screen, a webcam and a cool funky swirl design finish!

ok. So I don't understand all that technical jargon spill. But it's only my first night with my new dashing lappy and I'm absolutely loving my wide panoramic view of a screen. And that oh so hollywood wannabe webcam!

AH. I feel so warm and fuzzy inside!
You Tube. Ready or not. Here I come!
*wide eyed beam*

Outdoor lunches

One great enjoyment we get in spring & summer is those outdoor lunch parties. Last weekend, we were invited to 2.

Things I love about it…..

Sitting in the sun.
Breathing in the fresh air.
Having the sky above you as you eat and chat.
Hearing the leaves whooshing in the breeze above you.
Spotting a plane doing word acrobatic.
The smells of greasy barbeque mixed with sweet blooming spring.

3rd Anniversary (and a looOong post)

We went away to Port Macquarie last weekend to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. Work had been really crazy for us lately so we were looking forward to spending some time alone and be with our thoughts.

Mel had the whole trip planned. We were to drive to Port Macquarie Saturday morning. Deep sea fishing on Sunday. Horse riding Monday. And ate at award winning restaurants. I was hyped.

The drive up the coast was beautiful. The day oozed with wonderful tropical weather goodness. We stopped for a light lunch of scones with cream and jam, salmon salad and cool ice cream spider at this family run café called Mermaid Cottage (pics), before completing the rest of our 6 hours drive north.

Our accommodation was at the HW Boutique Motel, located by the banks of the scenic beach front. The view from our room was breathtaking! We ended our day as we watched the sun slipped behind the velvety costal line from our little triangle shaped balcony. It was great to hear the whooshing of waves. To see the surf washing onto the beach. And to smell the rich salt in the air. It reminded me of the many sunsets I spent at Cottesloe Beach in Perth writing in my diary. *sigh* How I love those days.

The awesome tropical goodness sadly didn’t last beyond Saturday. Our fishing trip was cancelled the next day due to big surfs. Mel was devastated. But I was secretly relieved. I was soOOoo not looking forward to spending my Saturday morning with my head hanging over the side of the boat and seeing my vomit used as bait (sorry..). Deep sea fishing however, was on my long to-do-at-least-once list so I have to admit, I was a tide disappointed.
So instead of fishing, we visited a council run theme park called Timbertown and the wineries. Bago vineyards & Cassegrain.

First of. I detest theme parks. I mean, I don’t see the point in paying to visit a man made world to which I already live in. I have made exceptions. Disneyland, because of my childhood obsession with Bambi and Peter Pan. And I was in Tokyo. And a future anticipated park in hopefully not too distance future for those uniquely creative Japanese cartoon animation. My only other theme park experience was Sunshine coast Movie and Sea World back in Aug of 01, which was such a mistake. The only thing that kept me in was the fact that I had paid for them in advance and was too much of a tight ass to not go. aug!

But Timbertown is a non-profit funded park, whose sole purpose was to educate the public of the hardships of pioneering loggers of past, so it was alright. It was down to earth, modest, unpretentious and pleasant. We played with farm animals, read how timber was harvested, watched a Bullock show, waved at passing steam trains, giggled at the teenage jugglers that could not juggle and poked fun at a funniest looking chook we’ve ever seen. (This was as close a shot as I could get. Notice the one on the right witht he kick ass afro hairdo.)











At the wineries. We tasted wines. Chatted with really friendly staffs. Watched the pita-petal of rain fall onto the lush vineyards. Had chili mussels for lunch and ate expensive hand-made chocolates. The day turned out to be sOooOOooo sublimely perfect!

Our last activity before the end of our getaway was horse riding. I had ridden once before and loved it so I was really looking forward to it. We were chauffeured to the ranch in a shabby van from the side of a bush track deep into the bush lands where the horses were bred (free range!). The owners were once Sydney-siders whom about 3 years ago, decided to give up the rat race city lifestyle and settled into a quiet tranquil life of horse training and raising farm animal as pets. I don’t think I could ever give up city dwelling. I guess I’m too entrenched and really don’t know any better. But than again, do I really want to share my bathroom with creepy crawlers and slippery critters?! I think for their sake, the creatures of the bush are better off without me and my "vocals".

Anyhow. As I mentioned, it was my second time on a horse but Mel’s first. We had just missed the holiday crowd so it was just us and the owner. Before heading off, we were given a crash course on basic horse ridding techniques. We rode through bush lands and up hill tops. We breathed in crisp sweet air and saw wallabies bathing in the sun. It was awesome.

I swear the horses knew we were beginners. In mere 2 minutes, they quickly established their “rule” over us and went about doing their thing. We were just these 2 legged creatures that happened to be sitting on them because we looked like the other 2 legged creature that feeds them. We were so pushed over. Mine stops at every up hill climb. And Mel’s walks into huge bush for a belly scratch. Every. So. Often.

Back at the ranch, in a little hut behind a tree. An inquisitive adult Huntsmans whose home was the toilet paper dispenser decided he wanted to get acquainted. Need I go further??

“FREAKING freakIN GET OFF ME!!!!!!!!!!!! WooAH!!!” *shudder*

Salem

A friend of mine email me a really lovely picture she took of Salem during Mel's bday party. Usually it's really hard to get a decent shot of him. He's either moving about, looking absolutely bored and disinterested (as all cats do) or too "black". Thus my pictures of him are usually blurry, angry or a black spot.

Could you just see the makes-u-wanna-pinch-something cuteness in his face. And those innocently navie green eyes that makes you go all mushy.

*Beaming proud owner*

Labor Day

Last Monday was Labor Day, so the family decided to make a day out of it and do the Split Bridge Walk.

Nothing much to report really other than it was a really lovely sunny day and it was nice just chilling out with hubby and parents.

Anyways, thought I’d post some pictures I took that day.

Mel's surprise birthday party

Mel had his 29th birthday celebration last weekend. I organized a surprise lawn bowling cocktail party down by the leafy posh harbor side Hunters Hill Club and secretly invited family and friends to celebrate the day with us.

It was quite a daunting task as work had kept me from putting the party together till the absolute last minutes (like 1 week prior… I know. I ought to shot.). And to make matters worse, the week that lead up to birthday Saturday was just Wet. Sad. And down right gloomy. A vision of muddy lawns with sweat shirts and umbrellas didn’t exactly spell a good day. So you could imagine how happy I was to wake up to a beautiful morning promising nothing but pure glorious summer weather. The sun was beaming, the sky was clear and Mel had absolutely no idea of my secret plans. ark ark! *Beam*

The cat was finally let out of the dark bag when we arrived at our destination. Mel smiled his widest smile all week (he thought we were heading off to a picnic which he totally hates doing) and 95% of our guests showed up. It was so unrehearsed and unplanned but oh so … well timed! People rocked up with fruits, home-baked muffins and little butter cakes. It was just awesome.

The club has 2 decks of lawn bowling greens and as the upper deck is usually reserved for members only on weekends. We were placed at the lower deck and had the entire lower lawn to our party. We spent the rest of the afternoon barefoot bowling under the warmth of an unexpected spring day, ate our little snacks, and cooled down over a glass of beer. It was SO relaxing and I was SOO relieved it turned out alright.

After an afternoon of lawn bowling, the family and some friends adjourned to our place for the 2nd part of the celebration. It was really nice to unwind after a day of “sporting” activity. We sat around the balcony, ate barbequed foods and enjoyed the cool of the night and talked about random things. It was a nice end to an unexpected day.

Oh. Incidentally, if you thought Mel had a weird chili chocolate cake for his birthday. The little bright red chilies were used only as garnish to give the cake a masculine make over. Brilliant isn’t it. Thanks again Megan for the beautiful cake. And thanks to you’all who showed up at such last minute notice!

Hope you had a great birthday babe! And YES, the party IS your birthday present so you can stop looking under the bed now.

Cyber Salem

Meet my cyber adopted cat Salem (scroll down). You could play with him, pat him, and feed him. He even reciprocates with a meow.

To adopt your very own cyber pet. Go to Bunny Hero Labs.

Oh. And does anyone know how I might fix my alignment problem??

Ignite

A group of friends and I got together last Saturday evening to attend a short film festival in the city called ignite. We were there to support a friend who made his debut that night.

Ignite is a Christian Short Film Festival that aims at bringing out the truths of the bible through short films. It negates segregation of denomination, age or background, and solely seeks to encourage Christians to understand the bible through creative use of the media and cinematography.

The keyword for the night was 'FIRE'. So films will have to, in one form or another, portray elements of 'fire' in the (no longer then 5 mins) presentation. They will need to draw inspiration through bible passages and shape the film to encompass one of the 7 selected themes. Grace • Humility • Justice • Miracles • Sacrifice • Unity • Wisdom

In a nut shell, it was a good night. I thoroughly enjoyed the screening, even though I had to ask friends to fill me in on several films because I couldn’t figure out where the fire element was (I blame it on my artsy deficient genes).

It was great to be immersed in all the creativity that fueled the night. And to emerge after 2 & ½ hrs later feeling soberly encouraged was refreshing.

If you missed out on this year’s “gig”, do not to fret. They will be at it again next year with a brand new keyword. Light. So log onto to ignite, sigh up and stay tuned.

Yet another fashion post

This. Is. Cool. As.

From its collection to its funky website.

You've got to check it out. Womb

ohh… my heart is starting to flutter…..

Spring

Spring beckons an awakening to our winter slumber. With the emergence of new plant life brings along the renewal of our social engagements of dinner parties, the beloved barbeques and numerous outdoor recreational pass time. I cannot wait to set sail under the harbor bridge again and to soak in all that glorious weather. I simply LOVE this time of the year.

It has been a CRAZY start to spring for me. Work is rocketing off to “never-never” land, church activities and commitments have already filled up most of September. And speared all over my dairy are endless dinner and lunch appointments with enough food to feed a little country. =D

And to top off the exciting Spring saga, my parents have recently moved to Sydney!

Can you imagine the number of family gatherings we will be organizing, not to mention the many. many. MANY. long nights we’ll spend playing our beloved Big 2 card games. Don’t ask. It has become a family tradition through the years.

I say. Bring on the glorious life filled Spring!!! I’m excited. *Glee*