Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Christmas Day
It has turned out to be a lovely Christmas here in Sydney; can you believe this is my fourth Christmas overseas? I was working on Christmas Eve, which wasn't very much fun at all. Some of the more pathetic moments were when I didn't get a Kris Kringle present, when nobody wanted to try the homemade cookies I brought in, and when I had to buy my single serve of ravioli to take home for Christmas eve dinner! But, don't worry, I had a lovely quiet night at home. I opened my Christmas presents from Carole (thank you so much, and thank you Mom and Dad for the card and paying the postage!) and watched the my traditional Christmas shows on Youtube. I don't think I could celebrate without The Christmas Toy, The Muppet Family Christmas and White Christmas! Anyway, I spent today at Louise's home with her family.
They had all put so much effort into a yummy lunch, including a homemade trifle. And I took my cookies to Louise's house where they were appreciated! We decided to eat outside in spite of the chilly, overcast weather. So much for a hot Sydney Christmas, it was definitely sweater-weather. Also with us were Louise's friend Lap and Regina's friend Priya.
We spent most of the day just talking and relaxing. We also watched "She's the Man" (quality movie, I have to admit), and played three different board games: Scattergories, Smartass and Cluedo. And of course, a final highlight was opening our Christmas presents from Julia (thanks so much!) All in all, a lovely day, and a brand-new Christmas memory.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Cookies
Happy Christmas Eve! For some reason, everyone has decided to call in for financing today, and it's been a crazy day. It is a bit miserable working right up till 6:30 on Christmas Eve, but I did win a promotion at work. By mentioning the "flight club" to the salesperson at the end of my randomly chosen call, I won a $100 gift card. So that would be the highlight of my eight hours at work. Anyway, I made cookies this weekend! I chose two "traditional" family recipes, based on the recipes being no-bake with limited ingredients. I'm sure most of my family and friends would recognize my infamous potato cookies: my favorite cookie made only with mashed potatoes, icing sugar and coconut. Also I made Grammie's confetti squares in spite of the fact that Australia does offer graham crackers or cooking marshmallows (they just have these really dense, overly flavored ones that people eat as a snack food!) Even though the recipes were simple, I ended up making a gigantic mess in the kitchen. I had to finish off my afternoon of cooking with a top-to-bottom clean and mop!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Christmas Traditions
I pretty much skipped to the post office yesterday to pick up my Christmas package from my family. Once again Carole had carefully chosen, wrapped and labelled about a dozen little gifts! Yeah! Is the labelling weird? Last year she numbered them so I would know what order to open them in! Maybe it's a twin thing.
Anyway, I've decided the customs declaration form is the best way to ruin a surprise! Has anyone else experienced this? I can't tell you how many times I've picked up a package determined not to read the customs list, but ended up glancing at it on the way from post office to home. So I have a new rule: in the post office, I use one hand to cover the form, and the other hand to rip it up and throw it away!
Another Christmas tradition: Indian giver (aka White Elephant gift exchange or Yankee Swap). For as long as I can remember, that game has been the main source of contention in family Christmas celebrations. Every single year there is a debate on if we should have Indian giver, if everyone should bring a gift or they should be supplied by the host (and thus of "equal" value) and, most of all, the rules! When I talked to my parents this week I was pleased to know that the tradition is continuing- the family is divided on whether to play Indian Giver this year.
"What if the little kids aren't happy with the presents they get?" ~Mom
"Tough cookies!" ~Carole
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Prison Break
As I mentioned, at Luna Park I experienced one of the most disturbing "rides" ever. It was called Prison Break: Find Your Own Way Out, and was based on the TV series. All we could tell from the outside was that it was a maze, and since Louise promised we could all stay together holding hands, I decided to give it a try. It couldn't really be that scary, could it?
Yes, it was terrifying. Eight of us had to stand with our hands on each other's shoulders and shuffle through a chain link maze. It was dark, the room was full of smoke, and there were strobe lights that made it seem like all the walls were moving. There was a constant soundtrack of sirens, dogs barking, shouting and intermittent gunfire. To top it all off, there was a cast of about ten men dressed as prisoners, psych patients and guards that kept jumping out and yelling at us! Seriously. I'm not joking; this was amusement park hell. We kept going back and forth, getting more and more desperate to JUST GET OUT! Finally it was all over, and the guy who worked there asked us "Do you want to go again?"
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Luna Park!
For Louise's birthday party, we had a crazy night at Luna Park! I consider Luna Park a famous landmark of Syndey, but my mom had never heard of it, so maybe not. Hopefully the picture of the big face is recognizable, if nothing else. Anyway, Louise's sisters, Regina and Sophia, came as well as her friends. It had been a while since I had a big night out at the amusement park, and all the spinning did get to me a bit. I also went on the most horrific "ride" I've ever been on, but that deserves it's own blog post!!! I faced my childhood fears and went on the bumper cars twice. It was much more fun than I remembered because you followed a circular track (one way only) and they call the ride "Dodge 'ems" (which I think is a much more pleasant idea than bashing into each other).
My favorite park was a big area called "Coney Island." It was full of old-fashioned mirrors, wooden slides and about five different "rides" where the only point was to get from one side to the other across irregularly moving wooden planks, barrels or wheels! We had varying degrees of success...
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Louise's Birthday!
I trying to make an effort to take more pictures! This morning I met up with the girls for Louise's birthday: Happy Birthday LOUISE! By the way, I'm on the way to work, they are on the way to the beach (to explain the clothing).
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Home
I'm now content that my room is decorated. I took a final trip to IKEA yesterday for the last touches (poster, lamp, jewellery tree) and a really lovely "pumpkin spice" candle that dispels the odd hint of damp. These pictures are mostly for Carole, and anyone else who truly loves IKEA. When I walk through the store, I see so many things that remind me of rooms past; the rug from my Chicago dorm room, the lamp from Glasgow, the duvet cover I used in Taipei and long lost memories of when I decorated my bedroom in mauve/russet during highschool! I am also pretty happy with my tree decorations. I made those beaded garlands and embroidered little ornaments!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Last Weekend
I had another great weekend! Having a pretty simple life really makes it easy to relax. On Saturday I enjoyed a coffee and newspaper before meeting Tae Young for a Korean lunch (yum!) I met him at the youth hostel, and he was really hoping for an official tutor. I said no, and that I'd rather just meet informally for English conversation (no prep, no stress). Anyway, any excuse for Korean food works for me. I had bibimbap, although Jill might be my only reader who knows what that is! After lunch I walked over to Paddinton to see part of the Canadian Film Festival in Sydney. I saw the world premiere of "To Be: Romeo and Juliet", a documentary that followed the rehearsals and performances of the play in three different settings around the world. And I managed to get to a yoga class at the gym before heading home for a quiet evening in Waverton. This weekend might be a little crazier, I'm working Saturday and Sunday afternoon to earn some much needed pre-Christmas dollars!