okay okay okay!! i apologize for that break in blogging!! i was typing as fast as i could, and then james came to pick me up and take me to dinner, so i had to post it!! well, i guess i could have saved it as a draft, but i was super tired and knew i wouldn't get back to it until this afternoon!!
back to the story...
so poor james was super nervous as we were waiting for the climb!! i kept telling him to take deep breaths and think of happy things, anything to distract him from heights!! the pre-bridge climb was very detailed and they gave us tons of information about what we'd be doing, and how to climb the steps as we were attached. if you don't like heights, this might not be the climb for you, unless you're super excited about getting over your fear. you're walking up steps sort of like climbing a ladder, then walking on a thin plank for part of it. but it's totally worth it!!
we couldn't take anything with us on the climb, cameras, watches, anything in our pockets, etc, so i don't have too many pictures of james and i. we do have some from the guide who was taking pictures at different points. when we were up at the top, we were taking individual or group shots under blinky bill, the name of the blinking red light at the tippy-top. (i think it's also the name of a koala character in australia.) our guide, marty, called james and i through, and james turned me around and got down on one knee!! he said what he felt from his heart which was incredibly sweet and loving and then asked me to marry him!! i was so shocked and said, "YES!!" and brought him up for a kiss and hug!!!!
right after, he said he had something for me, and stupid jeannette said, "oh, what is it??" hahahahha, the ring of course!! poor james had to pre-plan with the ring since you couldn't take anything on the climb with you!! he told the front desk about his plans, and they said that someone would come in as the group was getting ready to ask if anyone needed to use the bathroom one last time. james left, and that's when they attached a ribbon to the insite of his climbing suit with knots and a toggle. anyway, i was so happy that he had asked that i forgot i'd get a ring out of this process!! he put it on my fingder, and i just about died. the rest of our group (about 10 members) and another group behind us (about 12) was totally cheering and the girls were screaming for me to show off the rock!!
the whole walk down was a blur. i remember a beautiful blue and gold sunset (thanks grandpa!!) that turned into pink, me crying a bit, wobbly legs, and feeling like i was floating. it was an amazing experience that i got to quickly share with my parents after (it was 1:30 in the morning, but they were okay cause THEY KNEW!! james was super sweet and got their permission before we left!!
also, cathy, elizabeth, and steven were there so we could celebrate with a fun dinner!! we ended up getting dressed up and eating at the four seasons after all. steven picked a really yummy champagne, and i'll have to ask about the name cause i can't remember it right now. i had a tomato salad and fries cause i was so excited that i couldn't eat!! our waitress knew something was up, and found out why we were celebrating. we told her, and she ended up bringing a huge plate of truffles with "congratulations" written in chocolate on the plate. after that, james and i went to bed (we were suuuuuper tired from all the walking we did that day, then the climb) and i heard they kept bringing james' family truffles!! woohoo!!
now there's a wedding for me to plan, and i'm pumped about that!! i honestly can't wait to just pick things that i want, and take lots of time to enjoy my engagement. horray!! :)
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna to get married...
i'm sorry i haven't been able to update my blog this last week!! in sydney, james had his computer, but it cost $25 at the four seasons per day for internet access. booooooo!! okay, here's what i remember from the last few days i was there.
thursday, we drove from canberra to sydney. on the way, we stopped at hungry jack's (burger king) cause i wanted to see if a whopper tastes the same down there. surprise surprise, they do!! anyway, we checked into the four seasons (gasp!) and we were happy to see we had an upgraded room and executive club access. whatever that means. we got a really awesome special breakfast buffett for the mornings we were there along with any snacks and other crap we needed throughout the day. but the room was beautiful since we had a view of the harbor/harbour and the opera house!! honestly, it was the most amazing view at night, and i'll never forget it. james got a great shot or two at night. i'll have to linkie his blog once all the pics have been uploaded. :)
once we checked out our room complete with big tub, telephone in the bathroom, safe in the closet, and other silly things, we went for a walk!! it was just about 10 minutes to the opera house!! we walked all the way around and then sat down for a bit to take it all in. i've always wanted to visit sydney, specifically the opera house, and that time i had to just sit and enjoy was perfect!!
after that, i did some shopping at the rocks and then we ate dinner at the oriental hotel after a beer or two. it was nice that it's winter there, which means less tourists. for a while, we were the only people in the restaurant!! i had really delicious fish and chips, and the fish was incredibly fresh and tasty. yum yum yum!!
friday we visited google via the train system there. thank goodness james had ridden before and was in charge. it's always great to use a new system with someone who knows what they're doing!! anyway, the sydney office was fun to visit, although very empty. it was their ski trip (omg, it's still winter there!) and i believe i saw like 3 people working. i loved seeing the view of darling harbor/harbour from the office, and i'm so jealous!! that afternoon, james drove to pennant hills to see koalas at the koala park. he had previously called to see if we could cuddle one (the only thing i wanted to do on the trip that wasn't already planned!!) and they told him "yes, we have several koalas" not really answering the question. we ended up seeing lots of australian animals, and a koala!! but i wasn't able to hug him (i think his name was lenny), but i was able to rub his back. he was super soft and warm, and loving his gum tree leaves.
saturday we did some shopping at queen victoria center/centre(?) and then we were off to the bridge climb!! james looked nervous at lunch, and he said he was getting a little afraid of heights. i was a bit surprised because i thought he had previously told me that he was definately not afraid!! even as we were getting ready, he was sweating!!
all right, i've got to get going, but i will continue this update later on!! :)
i'm sorry i haven't been able to update my blog this last week!! in sydney, james had his computer, but it cost $25 at the four seasons per day for internet access. booooooo!! okay, here's what i remember from the last few days i was there.
thursday, we drove from canberra to sydney. on the way, we stopped at hungry jack's (burger king) cause i wanted to see if a whopper tastes the same down there. surprise surprise, they do!! anyway, we checked into the four seasons (gasp!) and we were happy to see we had an upgraded room and executive club access. whatever that means. we got a really awesome special breakfast buffett for the mornings we were there along with any snacks and other crap we needed throughout the day. but the room was beautiful since we had a view of the harbor/harbour and the opera house!! honestly, it was the most amazing view at night, and i'll never forget it. james got a great shot or two at night. i'll have to linkie his blog once all the pics have been uploaded. :)
once we checked out our room complete with big tub, telephone in the bathroom, safe in the closet, and other silly things, we went for a walk!! it was just about 10 minutes to the opera house!! we walked all the way around and then sat down for a bit to take it all in. i've always wanted to visit sydney, specifically the opera house, and that time i had to just sit and enjoy was perfect!!
after that, i did some shopping at the rocks and then we ate dinner at the oriental hotel after a beer or two. it was nice that it's winter there, which means less tourists. for a while, we were the only people in the restaurant!! i had really delicious fish and chips, and the fish was incredibly fresh and tasty. yum yum yum!!
friday we visited google via the train system there. thank goodness james had ridden before and was in charge. it's always great to use a new system with someone who knows what they're doing!! anyway, the sydney office was fun to visit, although very empty. it was their ski trip (omg, it's still winter there!) and i believe i saw like 3 people working. i loved seeing the view of darling harbor/harbour from the office, and i'm so jealous!! that afternoon, james drove to pennant hills to see koalas at the koala park. he had previously called to see if we could cuddle one (the only thing i wanted to do on the trip that wasn't already planned!!) and they told him "yes, we have several koalas" not really answering the question. we ended up seeing lots of australian animals, and a koala!! but i wasn't able to hug him (i think his name was lenny), but i was able to rub his back. he was super soft and warm, and loving his gum tree leaves.
saturday we did some shopping at queen victoria center/centre(?) and then we were off to the bridge climb!! james looked nervous at lunch, and he said he was getting a little afraid of heights. i was a bit surprised because i thought he had previously told me that he was definately not afraid!! even as we were getting ready, he was sweating!!
all right, i've got to get going, but i will continue this update later on!! :)
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
since i've been in the southern hemisphere, i've noticed a few differences between australia and the states.
*the metric system. you measuring soda in mL, roads in km, and temperature in god knows what. hahahahahah!!
*driving on the WRONG side of the road. i thought it would be really weird to get used to, but it doesn't seem that off. i try to notice where james will drive when he's changing lanes, making turns, etc. i of course haven't tried it since i've never driven a stick before and that seems to be all they drive down here.
*on a sort of related note, there are roundabouts everywhere. it's such a brilliant idea because it keeps traffic flowing, but it is something we have in the US...just not so much in the bay area. get on that!!
*australian money is color coded. no seriously, it is. all the different notes are different colors so you can "quickly" see how much money you have. or so they tell me. cause it's so hard to see that i have a 5 and a 10 note and know that it's $15. oh, and coins they have coins for $1 and $2, and no quarter, just a 20 cent coin. random!!
*taxes are included in the price. so anywhere you go to buy something, it's already been factored in, you just pay what it says to pay without multiplying by .0725 or whatever the rate is. :)
*no tipping necessary at restaurants. it's already included in the price of food, and waiters don't rely on tips as part of their income.
*they honestly say "no worries" as a reply for everything. that and "it's okay" which i don't like as much. i say, "it's okay" when someone steps on my foot, and apologizes to me. they say it for everything!!
*odd tv shows. so they carry some american tv shows, but really weird stuff!! like sabrina the teenage witch, the nanny, and hogan's heros. i'm not sure if they're not allowed to get any cool stuff, or maybe it's just too expensive to carry. sure is an odd mix!!
*toilets. they have two settings of flush here, and it's basically a lot of water, or a lot more water. james thinks it's less water here than in california, but there's no way. it's pretty much niagara falls coming through on the low setting. and these guys are in a drought right now!!
that's it for the moment. i'll update again when i remember more hilarious differences. :)
*the metric system. you measuring soda in mL, roads in km, and temperature in god knows what. hahahahahah!!
*driving on the WRONG side of the road. i thought it would be really weird to get used to, but it doesn't seem that off. i try to notice where james will drive when he's changing lanes, making turns, etc. i of course haven't tried it since i've never driven a stick before and that seems to be all they drive down here.
*on a sort of related note, there are roundabouts everywhere. it's such a brilliant idea because it keeps traffic flowing, but it is something we have in the US...just not so much in the bay area. get on that!!
*australian money is color coded. no seriously, it is. all the different notes are different colors so you can "quickly" see how much money you have. or so they tell me. cause it's so hard to see that i have a 5 and a 10 note and know that it's $15. oh, and coins they have coins for $1 and $2, and no quarter, just a 20 cent coin. random!!
*taxes are included in the price. so anywhere you go to buy something, it's already been factored in, you just pay what it says to pay without multiplying by .0725 or whatever the rate is. :)
*no tipping necessary at restaurants. it's already included in the price of food, and waiters don't rely on tips as part of their income.
*they honestly say "no worries" as a reply for everything. that and "it's okay" which i don't like as much. i say, "it's okay" when someone steps on my foot, and apologizes to me. they say it for everything!!
*odd tv shows. so they carry some american tv shows, but really weird stuff!! like sabrina the teenage witch, the nanny, and hogan's heros. i'm not sure if they're not allowed to get any cool stuff, or maybe it's just too expensive to carry. sure is an odd mix!!
*toilets. they have two settings of flush here, and it's basically a lot of water, or a lot more water. james thinks it's less water here than in california, but there's no way. it's pretty much niagara falls coming through on the low setting. and these guys are in a drought right now!!
that's it for the moment. i'll update again when i remember more hilarious differences. :)
yesterday we went to parliament house for a quick tour. it was very windy when we arrived, and i didn't take many pictures of the outside since my whole body was freezing. it's an "interesting" building and i think james said it cost a billion dollars to create. i really don't like the whole flag thing on the top, but what are you gonna do?? i'm actually going to try to get james to start uploading photos later today and i can linkify everyone so you can see what i've been seeing!! but yes, it wasn't my favorite design of a building, and i'm not sure where the billion dollars went. maybe for the whole structure of that weird flagpole. you'll have to google it to understand.
that afternoon, i went for a horse riding lesson!! it was my first time on a horse that wasn't being pulled by other horsies. i rode casper, who was an all white horse. i got to brush him up, saddle him up, and everything!! i started by trying to mount casper, which was not successful. the stirrup was incredibly high, and i could barely get my foot in there, let alone my whole body over him. i used a little block, and was able to get up from that point.
i learned how to sit on a horse, how to make him go, trot, stop, and travel in different directions. getting casper to trot was hard because he'd start, and as soon as i'd get in a good rhythm, he'd slow down. hee hee!! it was a bit difficult to keep you body in so many weird positions as you're trying to trot, but i sort of got the hang of it. the hardest part in the beginning was keeping my heels down cause my ankles did not want to have any of it!! luckily it was a bit easier when i moved my legs a bit to adjust to that.
after learning to maneuver casper around in the arena and making him trot and stop, i got to walk him outside for a bit. james said i was a pro, but i think he's being nice so i'll join him in riding when we get back to cali. he wasn't able to go cause the big horsies were getting ready to go to a competition!! harumph!!
for dinner, steven cooked for us!! he cooked a chicken, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and spinich. it was worth the wait for all that yummy food!! also, james had two friends over, and it was such a relaxing evening.
well, i should get started on my day here...i'll update again in a bit!! xoxoxo!! :)
that afternoon, i went for a horse riding lesson!! it was my first time on a horse that wasn't being pulled by other horsies. i rode casper, who was an all white horse. i got to brush him up, saddle him up, and everything!! i started by trying to mount casper, which was not successful. the stirrup was incredibly high, and i could barely get my foot in there, let alone my whole body over him. i used a little block, and was able to get up from that point.
i learned how to sit on a horse, how to make him go, trot, stop, and travel in different directions. getting casper to trot was hard because he'd start, and as soon as i'd get in a good rhythm, he'd slow down. hee hee!! it was a bit difficult to keep you body in so many weird positions as you're trying to trot, but i sort of got the hang of it. the hardest part in the beginning was keeping my heels down cause my ankles did not want to have any of it!! luckily it was a bit easier when i moved my legs a bit to adjust to that.
after learning to maneuver casper around in the arena and making him trot and stop, i got to walk him outside for a bit. james said i was a pro, but i think he's being nice so i'll join him in riding when we get back to cali. he wasn't able to go cause the big horsies were getting ready to go to a competition!! harumph!!
for dinner, steven cooked for us!! he cooked a chicken, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and spinich. it was worth the wait for all that yummy food!! also, james had two friends over, and it was such a relaxing evening.
well, i should get started on my day here...i'll update again in a bit!! xoxoxo!! :)
Sunday, August 19, 2007
i'm baaack!!
james and i went to the coast yesterday, and had a very relaxing day!! we started out in batemans bay and walked around for a bit. it's sad that it's cold and overcast here, or else it would have been TOTALLY beautiful where we were. the bay was incredibly blue and very clear. as james and i were walking along, i stuck my fingers in the pacific!! now i've gone in on both sides...horray!!
after we did a bit of walking along the shore and around to some shops, we drove up to...someplace i can't remember at the moment, but i'll get james to tell me the name in just a bit. we had lunch there and i was excited to eat some seafood. i ate a fish sandwich which looked really yummy, but the fish was fried with the skin still on it. ewwwww!! i ate as much as i could, then ate tons of chips (fries). we did more walking along the main road, and then off to the movies!! the small cinema had a few movies, and luckily the next one playing was one that we hadn't seen: license to wed. it was pretty good, but mandy moore's lisp was super annoying throughout the movie.
we came back to batemans bay for a yummy steak dinner that evening. i had steak dianne...whatever that means...and it was pretty good. it's just fun to talk to people around here and have them sort of freak out when i order food. i guess they can tell right away that i'm not from around here. like, totally awesome!! heheheheh!!
today james and i are hanging out with poor elizabeth who is sick. apparently they've got the "killer flu" over here, so i'm hoping james and i don't catch anything before we come back!! we're gonna look through a HUGE box of photos soon and i'm so pumped!! i've seen just a few pictures of james as a baby, and he's sooo cute!! full of smiles and blonde hair!! i can't wait to see more!!
hope you're all having a great day!! xoxoxo from down unda!! :)
james and i went to the coast yesterday, and had a very relaxing day!! we started out in batemans bay and walked around for a bit. it's sad that it's cold and overcast here, or else it would have been TOTALLY beautiful where we were. the bay was incredibly blue and very clear. as james and i were walking along, i stuck my fingers in the pacific!! now i've gone in on both sides...horray!!
after we did a bit of walking along the shore and around to some shops, we drove up to...someplace i can't remember at the moment, but i'll get james to tell me the name in just a bit. we had lunch there and i was excited to eat some seafood. i ate a fish sandwich which looked really yummy, but the fish was fried with the skin still on it. ewwwww!! i ate as much as i could, then ate tons of chips (fries). we did more walking along the main road, and then off to the movies!! the small cinema had a few movies, and luckily the next one playing was one that we hadn't seen: license to wed. it was pretty good, but mandy moore's lisp was super annoying throughout the movie.
we came back to batemans bay for a yummy steak dinner that evening. i had steak dianne...whatever that means...and it was pretty good. it's just fun to talk to people around here and have them sort of freak out when i order food. i guess they can tell right away that i'm not from around here. like, totally awesome!! heheheheh!!
today james and i are hanging out with poor elizabeth who is sick. apparently they've got the "killer flu" over here, so i'm hoping james and i don't catch anything before we come back!! we're gonna look through a HUGE box of photos soon and i'm so pumped!! i've seen just a few pictures of james as a baby, and he's sooo cute!! full of smiles and blonde hair!! i can't wait to see more!!
hope you're all having a great day!! xoxoxo from down unda!! :)
Saturday, August 18, 2007
hello to the world!!
i'll give you all a quick update as james and i are soon taking off to the coast for a fun realxing day!! two days ago, we went for a nice walk about a block from where he lives to see some kangaroos!! yes, there's a really great park with some hills where kangaroos hang out!! we got semi-close to them and james got some great pictures which i'll have to link up here later on.
so i haven't been spooked by riding in a car along the WRONG side of the road yet. in fact, i think i've been pretty good about figuring out which lane james should turn into when he's driving. the odd part is walking across the street because you tend to look the wrong way, and are wondering why in the hell a 3 month old is driving the car and then you realize that the baby is the passenger and the driver is sitting in the other seat!! hahahahahahha!! :)
after we went for a walk, cathy, james, and i all went to get us some meat pies!! they're cute little baby pies filled with meat. i got two cause i wanted to try a few different ones, and i felt a little hungry. tee hee!! i got a chicken with pea (which was really beef and pea) and a cottage pie. that's gangsta for shepherd's pie. they're really yummy and i can't believe that more people don't eat them in the u.s. i know we've got chicken pot pie, but you think we'd think of using other meat since they're SOOOO yummy!!
speaking of food, one thing i do miss is fruit. i know that it's winter here, but i miss the sweet sweet taste of fruit. james and i walked into a woolworths (yeah, they've still got them here) and bought some the other day. it's fun to see stuff imported from cali. :)
anyway, after our meat-fest, we headed off to all bar nun to meet up with james' dad after a long week of work for him. i was feeling a bit tired, and not ready to drink, but it's funny as you walk into a bar. you smell the yummy food and sweet sweet beer and you HAVE to have some!! i was trying to be a rockstar and keep up with james, and that was possibly the worst idea EVER. it did make for some entertaining times when we got home. i apparently thought pretty highly of myself and told elizabeth that i was the bomb dot com. and explained it was "evident by everything i do." oh my gosh. at least i was JUST silly. tee hee!!
yesterday we went to james' uncle misha's house where we had a really yummy bbq thanks to his uncle and aunt kim. they had a great house just a few miles away in banks on a little hill. there was TONS of food to eat, and it was great going for a long walk after that. it sort of reminded me of the mission area in fremont...with the houses close to the hills, and going for a nice walk around. :)
today, james and i are heading off to the coast for a day to explore and take some great photos. i'll have another update in a day or two. i hope you're having a fun day wherever you are!! :)
i'll give you all a quick update as james and i are soon taking off to the coast for a fun realxing day!! two days ago, we went for a nice walk about a block from where he lives to see some kangaroos!! yes, there's a really great park with some hills where kangaroos hang out!! we got semi-close to them and james got some great pictures which i'll have to link up here later on.
so i haven't been spooked by riding in a car along the WRONG side of the road yet. in fact, i think i've been pretty good about figuring out which lane james should turn into when he's driving. the odd part is walking across the street because you tend to look the wrong way, and are wondering why in the hell a 3 month old is driving the car and then you realize that the baby is the passenger and the driver is sitting in the other seat!! hahahahahahha!! :)
after we went for a walk, cathy, james, and i all went to get us some meat pies!! they're cute little baby pies filled with meat. i got two cause i wanted to try a few different ones, and i felt a little hungry. tee hee!! i got a chicken with pea (which was really beef and pea) and a cottage pie. that's gangsta for shepherd's pie. they're really yummy and i can't believe that more people don't eat them in the u.s. i know we've got chicken pot pie, but you think we'd think of using other meat since they're SOOOO yummy!!
speaking of food, one thing i do miss is fruit. i know that it's winter here, but i miss the sweet sweet taste of fruit. james and i walked into a woolworths (yeah, they've still got them here) and bought some the other day. it's fun to see stuff imported from cali. :)
anyway, after our meat-fest, we headed off to all bar nun to meet up with james' dad after a long week of work for him. i was feeling a bit tired, and not ready to drink, but it's funny as you walk into a bar. you smell the yummy food and sweet sweet beer and you HAVE to have some!! i was trying to be a rockstar and keep up with james, and that was possibly the worst idea EVER. it did make for some entertaining times when we got home. i apparently thought pretty highly of myself and told elizabeth that i was the bomb dot com. and explained it was "evident by everything i do." oh my gosh. at least i was JUST silly. tee hee!!
yesterday we went to james' uncle misha's house where we had a really yummy bbq thanks to his uncle and aunt kim. they had a great house just a few miles away in banks on a little hill. there was TONS of food to eat, and it was great going for a long walk after that. it sort of reminded me of the mission area in fremont...with the houses close to the hills, and going for a nice walk around. :)
today, james and i are heading off to the coast for a day to explore and take some great photos. i'll have another update in a day or two. i hope you're having a fun day wherever you are!! :)
Thursday, August 16, 2007
happy day to all!!
it's so fun to wake up here!! there are magpies, cockatoos, currawongs, king parrots, kookaburras, rainbow lorikeets, and galahs to greet you. and by greeting, i mean screaming. i remember when we used to be bothered by blue jays at burney falls in the wee small hours of the morning. that is nothing like all of these birds making crazy sounds. it's not too bad because i've been waking up pretty early anyway, but i just think that for whomever is sleeping in till 8 must have a hard time.
yesterday was the chillest day of them all, and i really loved it. james and i went for yum cha (hhahahah, i said, "cha") which is really dim sum. i'm not sure the difference between the names, but they serve exactly the same things. i didn't eat a whole lot, but juuust enough, and all of my favorite things, so you know i was really happy!!
after that, we came back and james did some errands with cathy while elizabeth and i watched a movie and hung out here. after that, we went out to dinner at james' favorite place: tak kee, with his friend peter. omg, i never hear the end of how good that place is back home. hee hee!! it was pretty yummy, and just great to watch james' face as he was so happy to be eating there again. :)
oh yeah, and elizabeth's formal dance (sort of like prom) was last night!! she looked so amazing in her dress and hair all done up!! james got to drive her and her date over to where it was being held, and it was SOOOO ghetto outside!! there were tons of dudes there from other schools or who had already graduated just yelling as people were driving in. i seriously didn't understand why they would even care, but they're boys, so who knows there reasoning.
overall, it was nice to have such a relaxing day, and not really have to worry about finding places to go or things to do. we're going to do the whole touristy thing when we're in sydney, and i'm really just excited to not have any work to do and get to know everyone here a bit better.
well, i'm off to go for a nice walk and find some kangaroos!! yes, i'm seriously just going for a walk around the neighborhood and we'll be seeing some. how cool is that??
xoxoxo!! :)
it's so fun to wake up here!! there are magpies, cockatoos, currawongs, king parrots, kookaburras, rainbow lorikeets, and galahs to greet you. and by greeting, i mean screaming. i remember when we used to be bothered by blue jays at burney falls in the wee small hours of the morning. that is nothing like all of these birds making crazy sounds. it's not too bad because i've been waking up pretty early anyway, but i just think that for whomever is sleeping in till 8 must have a hard time.
yesterday was the chillest day of them all, and i really loved it. james and i went for yum cha (hhahahah, i said, "cha") which is really dim sum. i'm not sure the difference between the names, but they serve exactly the same things. i didn't eat a whole lot, but juuust enough, and all of my favorite things, so you know i was really happy!!
after that, we came back and james did some errands with cathy while elizabeth and i watched a movie and hung out here. after that, we went out to dinner at james' favorite place: tak kee, with his friend peter. omg, i never hear the end of how good that place is back home. hee hee!! it was pretty yummy, and just great to watch james' face as he was so happy to be eating there again. :)
oh yeah, and elizabeth's formal dance (sort of like prom) was last night!! she looked so amazing in her dress and hair all done up!! james got to drive her and her date over to where it was being held, and it was SOOOO ghetto outside!! there were tons of dudes there from other schools or who had already graduated just yelling as people were driving in. i seriously didn't understand why they would even care, but they're boys, so who knows there reasoning.
overall, it was nice to have such a relaxing day, and not really have to worry about finding places to go or things to do. we're going to do the whole touristy thing when we're in sydney, and i'm really just excited to not have any work to do and get to know everyone here a bit better.
well, i'm off to go for a nice walk and find some kangaroos!! yes, i'm seriously just going for a walk around the neighborhood and we'll be seeing some. how cool is that??
xoxoxo!! :)
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
hi everyone!!
yesterday was a pretty fun day, with some much needed rain for the dry little canberra city. james, cathy, elizabeth, and i started off by going to the canberra zoo to check out the aminals!! this didn't last very long as it started to rain and stop. then rain and stop. then rain and stop. we decided that mother nature had won that round, and we'd have to find something else to do.
we ended up going to a few shops, having lunch, checking out their old house that survived the bush fire, and telstra tower.
after that, we hung out at the house for just a bit and then were off to his mom's friend's house!! her name is marcia (pronounced mar-cee-ah) and the name of her game is feeding you. i walked in the kitchen to see a feast probably bigger than any thanksgiving i've been to!! i started by putting some salad on my plate when marcia swooped in and covered my plate with lamb, potatoes, turkey, mushrooms, eggplant, cranberry sauce all doused with gravy. she totally reminded me of my nina with her food galore and great hospitality. :)
james told me he'd give me $10 if i ate even half of what was on my plate...that's how much food there was. i got around to about half, and i gained about 100 kilos in the process. after that, it was yummy coffee and just hanging out. it was a lot of fun, and a great way to end the day.
today james and i are by ourselves for the first part of the day which means we'll prolly go grab some delish food and go for a walk. luckily it's been a lot warmer here than i thought it would. it's never cold enough to see your breath, not even at night. perfect sweatshirt weather...although i do miss the beautiful cali summer!!
well, that's all my update for today, i hope you're having a wonderful day wherever you are!!
xoxoxo!! :)
yesterday was a pretty fun day, with some much needed rain for the dry little canberra city. james, cathy, elizabeth, and i started off by going to the canberra zoo to check out the aminals!! this didn't last very long as it started to rain and stop. then rain and stop. then rain and stop. we decided that mother nature had won that round, and we'd have to find something else to do.
we ended up going to a few shops, having lunch, checking out their old house that survived the bush fire, and telstra tower.
after that, we hung out at the house for just a bit and then were off to his mom's friend's house!! her name is marcia (pronounced mar-cee-ah) and the name of her game is feeding you. i walked in the kitchen to see a feast probably bigger than any thanksgiving i've been to!! i started by putting some salad on my plate when marcia swooped in and covered my plate with lamb, potatoes, turkey, mushrooms, eggplant, cranberry sauce all doused with gravy. she totally reminded me of my nina with her food galore and great hospitality. :)
james told me he'd give me $10 if i ate even half of what was on my plate...that's how much food there was. i got around to about half, and i gained about 100 kilos in the process. after that, it was yummy coffee and just hanging out. it was a lot of fun, and a great way to end the day.
today james and i are by ourselves for the first part of the day which means we'll prolly go grab some delish food and go for a walk. luckily it's been a lot warmer here than i thought it would. it's never cold enough to see your breath, not even at night. perfect sweatshirt weather...although i do miss the beautiful cali summer!!
well, that's all my update for today, i hope you're having a wonderful day wherever you are!!
xoxoxo!! :)
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
i am down unda!!
i haven't been able to blog about visiting australia because i was so afraid of having james' sister, cathy find out!! for those not in the know, james and i are in australia for two weeks. horray!! we had planned on surprising his sister, cathy, for her 21st birthday!! james had this planned since january, and i can't believe that she never found out that we were coming to visit!!
the plane ride over was direct from sfo to sydney which was great!! yes, a 15 hour flight sort of sucks, but it's great not having to change planes partially in the flight. luckily i woke up really early the day of our flight, and we left sfo at about 11 pm. we had a small dinner about 45 minutes in the flight, and then i started tiring myself out by reading and then taking small naps. it's hard to sleep for 8 hours total, but was able to sleep, walk around, sleep, walk around, and sleep.
the flight wasn't totally full, so james and i were able to sit in a little aisle of 3 seats instead of 2. after some sleep, we had a small breakfast 2 hours before we landed, and then it was like, "omgomgomgomg, pleeeease land this plane soon!!" you get a fun case of cabin fever after being in a plane for so long!!
we flew from sydney to canberra (pronounced: can-bra) thanks to james's daddy!! horray!! customs in sydney was incredibly easy, too!! i just handed them my landing card, and the lady told me to have a fun trip. horray again!! the flight to canberra was incredibly quick, too!! we were literally getting up in the air, handed a juice and snack, they grabbed our trash before my juice was done, and we landed!!
it was great to land and have james' mommy, daddy, and sister elizabeth there to greet us!! it was a fun surprise to have his mommy and elizabeth there. after that, we came back to their house, and they had a huge bouquet of flowers for me!! i couldn't believe it...there are yellow gerber daisies, irises, and birds of paradise!! i'm taking lots of beautiful pics that i'll have to figure out how to save to james' photo blog. :)
after we arrived at the house, we went out to eat, and then to surprise cathy. she was at school, and we were going to pick her up after her last class, even though she didn't know we were there. when we arrived, elizabeth was planning on getting her from the hall she was just at, and walking her back to the car where their dad was to take them home...not knowing that james and i were there instead!! we all walked up to the hall, and saw cathy right there!! james had planned on possibly popping out of nowhere to surprise her while i took pictures of them. elizabeth ran straight up to cathy while james and i just stood there, not knowing if we should try to walk away, but elizabeth pointed to us, and she ran straight towards me!! james had the camera, so she didn't see him, but she saw me and FREAKED OUT!!
i got a great big hug, and then james was attacked as well!! i can't believe that she wasn't aware of us visiting, and it was the best surprise/freak-out i've ever seen. i'm so happy that i got to play a part!! after this point, my brain was still on sf time, and i don't remember a whole lot. we came back here, got to hang out and james and i fell asleep for a bit. after that, the fam got some yummy chinese food to go and james and i were struggling to stay awake and eat anything. can you believe it...me...struggling to eat dinner?? hahahahaaah!! but we got to sleep around 10 pm and slept till about 3, went back to bed after about 30 minutes, and woke up again around 7 today.
so thanks to everyone who was thinking good thoughts for my flight over!! it was really easy and i didn't need to watch tv to distract me or anything. hopefully the flight back will be the same!! now it's time for me to go to the zoo with cathy and elizabeth, and i'll be sure to write again tomorrow!!
hugs and kisses to all from down unda!! xoxoxo!! :)
i haven't been able to blog about visiting australia because i was so afraid of having james' sister, cathy find out!! for those not in the know, james and i are in australia for two weeks. horray!! we had planned on surprising his sister, cathy, for her 21st birthday!! james had this planned since january, and i can't believe that she never found out that we were coming to visit!!
the plane ride over was direct from sfo to sydney which was great!! yes, a 15 hour flight sort of sucks, but it's great not having to change planes partially in the flight. luckily i woke up really early the day of our flight, and we left sfo at about 11 pm. we had a small dinner about 45 minutes in the flight, and then i started tiring myself out by reading and then taking small naps. it's hard to sleep for 8 hours total, but was able to sleep, walk around, sleep, walk around, and sleep.
the flight wasn't totally full, so james and i were able to sit in a little aisle of 3 seats instead of 2. after some sleep, we had a small breakfast 2 hours before we landed, and then it was like, "omgomgomgomg, pleeeease land this plane soon!!" you get a fun case of cabin fever after being in a plane for so long!!
we flew from sydney to canberra (pronounced: can-bra) thanks to james's daddy!! horray!! customs in sydney was incredibly easy, too!! i just handed them my landing card, and the lady told me to have a fun trip. horray again!! the flight to canberra was incredibly quick, too!! we were literally getting up in the air, handed a juice and snack, they grabbed our trash before my juice was done, and we landed!!
it was great to land and have james' mommy, daddy, and sister elizabeth there to greet us!! it was a fun surprise to have his mommy and elizabeth there. after that, we came back to their house, and they had a huge bouquet of flowers for me!! i couldn't believe it...there are yellow gerber daisies, irises, and birds of paradise!! i'm taking lots of beautiful pics that i'll have to figure out how to save to james' photo blog. :)
after we arrived at the house, we went out to eat, and then to surprise cathy. she was at school, and we were going to pick her up after her last class, even though she didn't know we were there. when we arrived, elizabeth was planning on getting her from the hall she was just at, and walking her back to the car where their dad was to take them home...not knowing that james and i were there instead!! we all walked up to the hall, and saw cathy right there!! james had planned on possibly popping out of nowhere to surprise her while i took pictures of them. elizabeth ran straight up to cathy while james and i just stood there, not knowing if we should try to walk away, but elizabeth pointed to us, and she ran straight towards me!! james had the camera, so she didn't see him, but she saw me and FREAKED OUT!!
i got a great big hug, and then james was attacked as well!! i can't believe that she wasn't aware of us visiting, and it was the best surprise/freak-out i've ever seen. i'm so happy that i got to play a part!! after this point, my brain was still on sf time, and i don't remember a whole lot. we came back here, got to hang out and james and i fell asleep for a bit. after that, the fam got some yummy chinese food to go and james and i were struggling to stay awake and eat anything. can you believe it...me...struggling to eat dinner?? hahahahaaah!! but we got to sleep around 10 pm and slept till about 3, went back to bed after about 30 minutes, and woke up again around 7 today.
so thanks to everyone who was thinking good thoughts for my flight over!! it was really easy and i didn't need to watch tv to distract me or anything. hopefully the flight back will be the same!! now it's time for me to go to the zoo with cathy and elizabeth, and i'll be sure to write again tomorrow!!
hugs and kisses to all from down unda!! xoxoxo!! :)
Friday, August 10, 2007
i strongly dislike barry bonds. i had planned on going to a giants game with some dudes from work who had never seen baseball before, and i was pumped. we actually were supposed to go on tuesday, but it didn't work out for everyone. good thing, cause i prolly would have puked if i had.
i am not a fan of cheaters, and athletes who have no time for fans, so i think it goes without saying that i don't like barry bonds. now he's never "knowingly" taken steroids (which is probably the worst quote ever), but i do believe that he took something during his home run race. i like to think of people as innocent until proven guilty, but sometimes i feel like you can just tell with your instinct.
he was always a great home run hitter, and if you're old-skool and can remember, was featured in "rookie of the year" as someone who couldn't hit that little brat's fastballs. barry hitting home runs isn't something new, but i think his size thoughout the years might say something.
anyway, i was at the game on wednesday, the day after he hit homerun #756. as barry was up to bat for the first time that night, every damn fan was up and cheering him like he had just cured cancer. being super stubborn, i sat in my seat, and booed him as he hit #757 into the bay. another at bat, he grounded out or something, and couldn't even move his fat ass to the base. which of course pissed me off and i had to yell out, "how much money they payin' you to WALK to first. couldn't you at least do a brisk jog?" i got a few laughs from nearby fans, but seriously...how can you NOT hustle when you're getting paid so much?
it makes it seem as if he's only interested in the home run record, and not in helping his team win. granted, they were up at the time, but have you ever seen barry bonds hustle? putting him on base almost seems like a liability, because it's an easy double play for whoever's next in the batting order.
anyway, i guess what i'm getting at is that i'm sick of baseball. i've been a fan ever since i can remember, and this is the first season that i haven't gone to a billion games. it seems to be all about the money, and incredibly selfish. maybe i was naive when i was younger, but i really feel like i'm over this sport for a while.
i am not a fan of cheaters, and athletes who have no time for fans, so i think it goes without saying that i don't like barry bonds. now he's never "knowingly" taken steroids (which is probably the worst quote ever), but i do believe that he took something during his home run race. i like to think of people as innocent until proven guilty, but sometimes i feel like you can just tell with your instinct.
he was always a great home run hitter, and if you're old-skool and can remember, was featured in "rookie of the year" as someone who couldn't hit that little brat's fastballs. barry hitting home runs isn't something new, but i think his size thoughout the years might say something.
anyway, i was at the game on wednesday, the day after he hit homerun #756. as barry was up to bat for the first time that night, every damn fan was up and cheering him like he had just cured cancer. being super stubborn, i sat in my seat, and booed him as he hit #757 into the bay. another at bat, he grounded out or something, and couldn't even move his fat ass to the base. which of course pissed me off and i had to yell out, "how much money they payin' you to WALK to first. couldn't you at least do a brisk jog?" i got a few laughs from nearby fans, but seriously...how can you NOT hustle when you're getting paid so much?
it makes it seem as if he's only interested in the home run record, and not in helping his team win. granted, they were up at the time, but have you ever seen barry bonds hustle? putting him on base almost seems like a liability, because it's an easy double play for whoever's next in the batting order.
anyway, i guess what i'm getting at is that i'm sick of baseball. i've been a fan ever since i can remember, and this is the first season that i haven't gone to a billion games. it seems to be all about the money, and incredibly selfish. maybe i was naive when i was younger, but i really feel like i'm over this sport for a while.
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