Indefinitely (part ii)

When I told Rondoners I was leaving town, the number one response was, "That's soo sad!"

Erm... Not really :) I can tell you that my last 12 months in Rondon has taught me to be optimistic beyond optimism. I can tell you that I went to temple every week to ask for guidance and the courage not to breakdown. I can tell you that the only time I felt quiet and at peace was when I was in a room with my golden gods. I can tell you that I had a lot of people whinge to me about their relationships, their jobs and their lives. To the point where I just wanted to smack them and say, "Muscle up princess" :P

Got to look forward, no time to feel sorry for myself. Get over it, because it ain't going to get easier until you do. *cliche* *cliche* but it's true.

What do I loves about being back in Sydnery?

WELL, the first person I called was Boozy Floozy *grin* He made me swoon over a welcome back lunchies of tuna sashimi marinated with soy and truffle essence sauce AND a black cod marinated in white miso *swoooon* I never gets tired of that dreamy tuna... Boozy Floozy and his Missus have kept me in a constant Friday hangover state since I've been back *grin*

Immediately after were S&J, "Surprise!!! I'm back, whatcho doing?" Followed by a wunderbar evening out on the warm outdoor terrace of Ching-a-ling with the fresh-from-Japan-pow-pow de Freres and the gang (^_^) Capped off with a roast cooked with an USB temperature gauge *uh huh* at H&B's place.

Two weeks back and I'm working in the city. Won't talk about the job, but will talk about Shuai being my lunch and coffee buddy at Vella Nero :) Friday mornings definitely wouldn't be as much fun if I wasn't hungover at Vella Nero and catching up on the news with Shuai.

What's there not to love about being back?

I haven't even mentioned the magical laundry basket at home yet *grin* Oooh yeah, I loves being spoilt. After 4 years overseas, and before that, 6 years out of home - I've finally learnt to appreciate just being with my parents.

On the flipside, there are the babies. TONS of babies. It's a bit weird to be hanging out with friends from Uni, whom I used to catch the train with 10 years ago, and whose kids are now all playing together. Put me in the mix and you'll be playing the Sesame St game "One of These Things is Not Like The Other". I can now tell you about childcare rebates, toilet training and The Naughty Corner. It's still all good.

A city is what you make of it. Right now, what makes Sydnery for me, is being with those I heartses the mostest. And having the fun with them that I've missed out on in the past 4 years *big grin*

Now if only B was here...


I drinks my coffee every morn at Single Origin:

I ates at Sumalee with my visiting Rondon lovelies:

_Bestest_ eggs at Kawa:

I screamed like a girl:

(...and then I screamed some more when my Dad pretended to pick it up and chuck it at me)

If you ask me what hurtses the most about being in Sydnery, it's not having Chubby here. I swear, I can still hear him *huffing* and snoring. I can hear his nails clicking on the floorboards...

Indefinitely (part i)

It's been a strange end to an amazing, rollercoaster journey.

Some of you know - I've left Rondon. Returned to Sydnery. Indefinitely.

The others - I can hear you *gasping* now :)

It was never planned, I just had a ticket. My life felt like it had been on hold for the past twelve months. Push eventually came to shove and I'd lost this round against destiny and my gods. When the decision was made to leave Rondon, I had one week to pack up four years of my life. 28kgs of singlet tops (some things about me never change), another 7kg of extra-gawd-knows-what later, I was on a plane home. So, here I am. After eight months of dredging through the Rondon job market, I found myself a job in Sydnery within two weeks.

In my last week in Rondon, I got immensely queasy and ill with Babsy :) Bad oysters, bad clams or just too much alcohol? We'll never know *grin* I had one last dinner date with Mrs P, who has been my constant cake and chocolate buddy since... 2003! I made a batch of laksa from the last of my stash for Sus, Wazzz and Frisbee (surprised that we're still friends? So am I!). Niffies and M-San fine dined me at Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley (where I was politely told to put my camera away or the chef would get upset). I had my last Benito's Hat burrito with Hottie and Mr D. Then I felt queasy and had to go home *grin*

My last day in Rondon? I woke up early, met my aunt for brekky at The Wolseley. Walked out to a crisp sunny Rondon day. As I walked from Piccadilly to Oxford Street to pick up my Uniqlo jeans, I was quiet and happy. The streets of Rondon were more familiar to me now than Sydnery. 4 years in Rondon had gifted me with a LOT of love and adventure. Ups and downs.

Tell you a not-so-well-kept secret - I hated living in Rondon when I first arrived. It was complicated, filled with paperwork, and I had *nothing*. I was in tears a lot, and at one point, ready to pack it all in and go home. Now I love it because it has never ending possibilities. It's about having choice and empowerment. Hottie and Mr D made the biggest impact on me before I left. They showed me that what I want is possible, especially in Rondon... If only I could focus long enough to figure out what I wanted!

My last day in Rondon I donated a crapload of clothes and books to Oxfam. I met up with Mrs P for an almond croissant at South Bank. I packed, and unpacked, and packed. For a "minimalist", I had a surprising amount of crap.

If you ask me what I miss most about Rondon - it's B. I can't tell you how much I miss B. The constant in my life for over a decade. The first person to greet me when I was fresh off the boat. Seriously, B was on the doorstep with a Timeout Cheap Eats guide waiting for me :) The only one who made me teary when saying "see you soon" before I left. The persona who is always there for me. Strangely, this is the first time we've lived separate lives. My final night dinner was with B at Barrafina, my fave tapas bar. The only thing missing was the hawt Spaniard waiter! Haha :)

I'll avoid the cliches. This is all I'm going to say about leaving Rondon - Thanks to all who have made Rondon a bloody good time for me. You know who you are. It's not goodbye, it's see you later ;)

Legless

Is thinking that I should stop answering, "Strong", when the bartender asks me how I like my cocktails...

Not a word about the journey home hunny. Not. A. Word.

The awkward question

Hottie lent me a book to read recently, called "The 4-Hour Work Week". At the end of each chapter, is a "Comfort Challenge" for readers to complete. The one which keeps me entertained at the moment is:
=====
Get Phone Numbers (2 Days)
Being sure to maintain eye contact, ask for the phone numbers of at least two (the more you attempt, the less stressful it will be) attractive members of the opposite sex on each day... Remember that the real goal is not to get numbers, but to get over the fear of asking, so the outcome is unimportant.
=====

I'll be honest, in all my life, I can only remember two occasions which I've ever asked for a guy's number. The first time was when I met a pretty cool clubber at an Above & Beyond gig in Glasgow :) We actually kept in touch for awhile and nerdily, exchanged fave tracks of our week *grin* The second time was when I met Whirlwind, and well, you know how that went. Trust me when I say being a girl doesn't make asking for someone's number any easier. I feel even sorrier for guys as based on a survey I've done amongst friends, girls rarely ever ask for numbers!

Which brings me to my point of "Nice guys finish last". I just want to be clear, I'm NOT bagging out nice guys. I'm all for nice guys! It's just that I've heard a lot of complaints from my nice guy friends that they never get the girl! I'm saying it's because, judging by all the nice guys I'm friends with, it's totally against their nature to approach a girl, begin a conversation and ask for a number. If you're asking the question why do girls always end up with bad guys, it's because bad guys are typically arrogant and confident enough to make the move while the nice guys are standing against the wall.

Or from Hottie's point of view, maybe I'm just the type of girl that nice guys don't want to talk to :( *lol*

Maybe it's harsh to condemn nice guys to last place. Aives corrected me the other day, "Nice guys don't finish last, they just finish s..l..o..w." *grin*

Anyways, if you're looking for a way to amuse yourself, try completing the "Comfort Challenge" above. When I told AA about it, she insisted I try it out infront of her. It took me 3 beers and a margarita to build up enough Dutch courage to move my butt out of my seat and plonk it down opposite a male diner of AA's picking. When I was talking to Wazzz about it, it took me an old fashioned, a mojito, a vespa and a daiquiri (that's at least 7 shots) before I could open my mouth to the cute bartender :)

Wazzz pretending to be cute bartender:

My line? It's pretty lame *grin*
"If I ask you for your number, would you give me a real one or a fake one?"
Results:
:: Guy with a fiancee - Gave me his real number *lol*
:: 2 guys, both with gfs - Didn't give me a number at all!

I was quite impressed that all three immediately responded with their current relationship status. At the very least, I got happily trashed and I probably made three guys pretty happy that day :)

Wazzz: "What do you want?"
Me: "Nothing with Sambuca in it... *gag*"
*Wazz orders drinks*
Me: "What's that??"
Bartender: "It's a Baby Guinness. It's Sambuca topped with Baileys."
*Me smacks Wazzz*

Weddings (part 2)

Tis no secret how T and I became buddies. We met in uni, T ambushed me in the Collanade one day, and an hour later we were plotting out how to tell our parents we were going to move out together *lol* The story of when I first met D is a little sweeter. T convinced him to pick me up from Heathrow and chauffeur us straight to Global Gathering 3 hours away! 18 hours of dancing later, at a pit stop on the way home, I still remember D having a quiet word with me when we were alone.

D: "Can you please tell T that you like me and think I'm a cool guy???"

*grin* Aww bless! Don't worry D, you had me sold when you picked me up from the airport ;) Over the years, I've gotten to know D like an older brother. I'm glad for the time I've had to "quality check" D when we were living together ;)

Like I told T on their Big Day, "I couldn't have lost my best friend to a better man".

Congratulations guys! *MUAH*

On a side note, if you're using eggs to play door games, ALWAYS DOUBLE-CHECK the eggs have been hardboiled before use ;P Things became a lot less funny when the grooms man had to pull down his suit pants in the middle of a crowded corridor and try to remove egg stains hours before the wedding ceremony.

Weddings (part 1)

Behold! I think the bridesmaid curse is broken! I was bridesmaid twice in the space of a month, and nothing bad happened at the weddings :) Well, nothing I can remember anyways. Oh wait. I remember talking about sexually transmitted diseases at the reception dinner. That was some good red wine, Mrs P!!!

Mrs P, I realised how old and sentimental I was getting when your vows brought a tear to my eye. I've never been weepy at weddings before. Mr P, you passed all the door games with flying colours (ok, ok, I'll admit the last one was a trap). You're definitely a Renaissance Man worthy of Mrs P's love ;) I'll be checking up on your vow to keep taking Mrs P to Michelin starred restaurants and letting her choose your main course *grin*

Congratulations to you both,
I was honoured to be your bridesmaid for the day :)

I have a video of Mr P doing naughty things in a sexy orange-stuffed candy bra. Will sell to highest bidder ;)

Question!

I could only ask an EastRondoner this...

Me: "Are Pikeys real?!?"
J: "Well I haven't come across any lately, but..."
Me: "What, you mean they're not in your backyard these days?" *grin*
Snatch, it's still one of my fave all-time movies :)

And now... Meatfest:

(Top-left is what a 1kg steak looks like!)
My lobster bisque entree?!?

Just kidding, here tis!


le 600g T-Bone
(did you know, one side is Porterhouse, and the other Fillet?)


le 350g New York Strip Steak
Num numm nummm indeedy!

Goodman! Thoroughly recommend it. Little bit on the salty-well-seasoned side, however, great cuts of beef.

Another one

I made this recently as a gift for K. That night, I was in a mad rush, and didn't really sleep before my flight to NYC. As I made it, I thought about K a lot. Over the decade of D&Ms I've had with K, he's always the one that emerges with the most optimistic end-game.

No matter the hurt...

... K's heart never gives up ;)


I really wish I could learn that from K. Loves ya man! *muah*

New York in stereo

I'm walking in the rain with my hoodie up. I'm surprisingly used to rain now :) Tiesto plugged in, deep beats playing as I run across giant wet streets.

"Wasted all this time, searching...
Brought me to my knees..."

10am, sitting on a bench outside Balthazar waiting for the girls. The Ting Tings rocking through me.

"Folks got high at a quarter to five,
Don't you feel you're growing up undone!
...Imagine all the girls - ah ah ah aaah ah ah ah!"

Catching the metro downtown with PvD and a perfectly timed track.

"I watch the sky turn black to blush,
Head still spinning from the rush,
Of all the things I did the night before...
And looking down from my hotel,
These dawn lits streets begin to fill,
With memories of you and I...
On a New York City night..."

I like this. It's like I'm watching New York as a 24/7 movie. The personal soundtrack puts an even bigger smile on my face. Suddenly being unemployed isn't such a bad thing. Not when I get the rare chance to ketchup with those I hearts. Lots of giggling, lots of cocktails and beers, hotdogs in a phonebooth bar, taxidermied animals, peeking through holes in fences, *squeealing* out loud Bon Jovi lyrics somewhere on Avenue C... It's just me being... happy (^_^)

Gracias especiales:
:: AdF, PdF & SH for the birthday flight over :D
:: Pepper Pants *grin*, Tocca, SM & H for the good times. Again! Again! :D *MUAH*

Posh nosh

Mushiejc, spot the truffle brie! *grin*


14 bottles, I tasted em all...


...to the point when I thought Rondon rooftops were da bomb...



... and then I started macro'ing the toilet (sshhh, don't tell T&D)...


... and I bumped into an unlikely couple on the way out *grin*

Annual dF sighting

Snow isn't my happy place. There's just too much for me to think about to enjoy snowboarding. Edge edge edge! Balance! Don't kick out my back foot! Look in direction I'm going (sounds simple, but I'm easily bored/distracted :P)!

Way too much noise in my head to chillax.

Not to mention my sixth toe :P

Just so you know, I only did it for YOU GUYS :) Hearts you (^_^) Misses you...

*squish* *squish*

Loves how I will always look tanned next to AdF *grin*

Mmm, garlick es-kart-got...

My first fondue - Sizzling meat in oil!

Pun intended

Hey CH, this one's for you *grin*:
A couple of clams were eating chocolate bars while two fish watched.
"Did you see that?" one fish said, as the clams finished their treat.
"They didn't offer us a single bite!"
"What do you expect?" asked the other fish, "They're two shellfish".

Har har har :)

CH's seafood sculpture -
A whelk eating a clam, eating a prawn:

Wow... cocktails, a flaming shot, half bottle of wine, loads of sweet sweet seafood, chocolate tart and dessert wine? How long am I going to have to run to burn off all those calories? *grin* I've also noticed that I will say anything and talk to anyone when drunk.

Me: "I'm doing a survey, if a guy's got the greatest personality in the world, but is really bad in bed, would you still marry him?"
Random Girl sitting next to me: "Of course not. If I wanted great personality, I'd talk to my friends".
Me: *waits for CH to go to the bathroom* "Do you think he's cuuuute?"

I was hoping one of the girls would hit on CH. It backfired, they thought I was his date :P

HOT&BUFF waiter: "I'm going home to my bf and his big c0ck! Did you want to know that?"
Me: *drunken whisper* "Does it... hurt?!?"
HOT&BUFF waiter: "Haha, not if you use lots of gel!!"

I look at a picture of HOT&BUFF waiter's French bf. OMG, he's HOT too... Talk about a fantasy sandwich... *sigh* I hug and kiss the off-duty waiter and run back inside. It's ok, he was pretty drunk too *grin*

I love this place :) Ooh, I guess the company was alright too ;)

Em.bar.rass.ment

Noun: A feeling of self-consciousness, shame or awkwardness.

Lately, I've been thinking of my past. It could be my poor memory, or even my Homer Simpson moment of drunken reality kicking in, but my past is surprisingly unembarrassing. I tried to explain it today, to someone who's only known me for a short time.

Within the close circle of friends I have, we've shared a lot of intensely personal stories. I actually wonder what my closest friends would say if anyone outside the circle asked for embarrassing stories about me.

Hrm... Would you bring up the "Moon" incident on my 20-something-th birthday? How about my penchant for kissing girls after a drink (I still maintain there was no tongue, Ula!)?

I've figured it out, it's not embarrassing when:
:: I have an open honesty policy (you just have to ask the right questions :P ); and
:: I'm lucky enough to have friends who try to outdo each other in the attention grabbing stakes *grin* I think back to all the piss-taking uni presentations we gave infront of each other, and all the effort we put in for each others' 21st birthday parties. There were topless guys in boxers jumping out of boxes infront of my parents for my 21st! Mmm, male exhibitionists friends... 9 years on, and I still remember that moment ;)

There's also The Vault. The friends whom I've shared those intensely personal stories with, know how to keep it in The Vault.

Seinfeld: "I'm not saying anything, I'm putting it in the vault, I'm locking the vault. It's a vault!"

It's nice to know that my friends know how to keep The Vault shut :) Even if you haven't, the world hasn't stopped spinning for me.

Sad day :(

What can I say? It sux0rz to lose a play buddy who's always up for anything :(

No more random kisses :(

Thanks for the memories M-San...
Can't wait to hear about your first day back at work *evil grin*

The fun doesn't stop there!

Did you hear the one about the panda, rabbit and kitty with pink ears? :)

They had a pub lunch and then went wild in a park:

(How to make a snow angel - Bunny B style!)

Revelation

Somewhere in the Sahara, my mind flits from thought-to-thought in the early morning sun. My gaze falls downwards and suddenly I burst out laughing *grin*

"OMG! It's true why they call it CAMELTOE!"... Call me childish :)

Here are some manky camel toes for you:

If your's starts looking like this however,
I suggest you visit a doctor ASAP :P

***WOAH***

Thanks Missy W and M-San for such a great girly trip :) So many priceless moments together *grin* From our common tummy issue, to the doorless bathroom in our riad, to the topless hamman together, to the look on Missy W's face when her camel started relieving itself, to the sound of Missy W sputtering sand from M-San's blanket toss *lol*

Loved it, love you gals *MUAH*