Memories

Jervis Bay, NSW

It's been a while since I last posted. I've been fairly busy lately, doing what I have no idea. The days seem to roll by so quickly - day after day, week after week.

Because I have the world's worst memory, I like to write what I do, however mundane, in a diary I normally carry around with me. It's funny looking back on where you had dinner, who you had drinks with, what the weather was like on a particular day, or what you saw on TV. I've been keeping tabs on what I've been doing with my life since 2000 (and this blog since 2005) which, I suppose, doesn't seem like that long ago. Still, I like to pull out my old diaries I keep in a shoe box to reminisce every now and then.

I haven't had a chance to buy a new diary for this year yet since my last one, my beautiful red Coach agenda, was stolen. I've been meaning to buy a standard 2007 pocket diary you can get at any newsagent, but I suppose I've been stalling. I've been religiously checking the Coach website waiting for the red diary to become available again. Fingers crossed it will be soon.

So here in no particular order, is what I've been up to these last few weeks:

* My sweet little brother brought over his wedding present for us. A coffee machine!! Goodbye instant coffee, hello espresso! Only thing I have to work out is how to use the milk frothing steamer thingy. Luckily, J has the same machine at work, so he's been the home barista. Nothing beats a fresh cup of coffee in the morning, although the noises the grinder makes is taking some getting used to. Beats an alarm clock I guess!

* I went to a few rugby matches with J at Aussie Stadium. I still know little about the sport but oh my, some of the players were pretty fine specimens.

* I went to the gym for the first time in over a year. I love taking the classes - yes I'm a closet step aerobics fan. But the problem with the gyms in Sydney is they try to cram as many people as possible into the room. Oh how I miss NYSC, a bit like Starbucks with one on almost every street corner in New York. So I was stuck using the treadmill and bikes, which I find extremely boring. You're better off running outdoors if you ask me.

* It was J's 36th (!!) birthday last weekend, so we decided to head out of Sydney for a few days. Jervis Bay is about a three hour drive south of Sydney. We rented a house and spent the weekend hiking and soaking up the sun on secluded beaches. A great getaway which we'll be doing again soon.

* I've decided to quit smoking. I've been smoking since I was sixteen, and a friend had casually mentioned that it meant that I have been smoking for over half of the time I have been alive. That freaked me out a little, because I never thought of it that way, and to be honest, I'm not getting any younger. Even scarier is that I have never tried to quit smoking in my life. So this will be an interesting experience. I've cut down a fair bit, and my plan is to quit after Easter.

* We're off to Victoria over Easter next weekend with some friends. Sad as it may sound, but I have never done the Great Ocean Road drive, so I'm looking forward to the trip. As two of our friends who are going are also smokers, an attempt to quit smoking now will probably take more willpower than I have, which is basically zero.

We'll see.

Happy Mardi Gras peoples!!

10am - Oxford Street, with a rather tired looking Centrepoint Tower in the background

Preparations are well underway for tonight's Mardi Gras parade which kicks off at 7.45pm. It looks like the weather will be perfect for it too. Barely a cloud in the sky and it was already 26C around 11am.

J and I will be giving this year's parade a skip. Living one street away from the main parade route of Oxford Street, we've decided to avoid the crowds and head over to Newtown for dinner and a movie. Well, that's what we think we might be doing. We'll see.

I do get a little nostalgic this time of year. My parents owned a Chinese restaurant from the late 1960's to the early 90's where Burger King/Hungry Jacks currently resides - on the corner of Oxford and Pelican Streets. So from a very young age, I saw the parade. I remember the crowds, the thumping music, the colourful costumes, and the people who tried to climb onto our awning for a better view.

What was even funnier (well for me anyway), was working as a check-out chick/cashier in my teens at the supermarket at the start of Oxford Street near Hyde Park. I had the morning shift the day after the parade, and I'd never seen so many people come in to buy chewing gum, water and orange juice in their sunglasses and club wear. Now I know why. It makes me chuckle every time I think about that.

On a side note, New York's Gay Pride parade happens around June every year. The great thing about that was it went along 8th Street where we lived, so I had the best view from our kitchen window. Here are some photos from 2003, old photos but still colourful nonetheless.

Happy Mardi Gras!


Gay Pride Parade along 8th Street, New York 2003


8th Street, New York 2003


8th Street, New York 2003