anyone with an opinion…andrew?

our wedding anniversary is coming up at the end of march and i’ve started thinking about it already.  we were planning on going to a restuarant called the flower drum which is the best chinese in australia and  i’ll need to book now to get a table. we were also thinking about going away on a mini holiday. we are planning on taking an extra long weekend – friday and monday off from work.  

we’ve come up with two ideas so far and both sound equally appealing because they involve animals. the first is to go to the healesville sanctuary which is a wildlife reserve / zoo type of place.  sounds really cool.  we’d go up on a friday and rent out a really nice cottage and spend the weekend just exploring.  there are cottages walking distance from the sanctuary but they look kind of “rustic” and being a 5 star sort of girl, i’d want to stay at the super posh ones 20 minutes away.

another idea is to go to phillip island to watch the penguin parade.  it’d be the same deal as the sanctuary – rent a really nice cottage and spend the weekend there.

both are super touristy so i’m sure there are a ton of restaurants and other touristy things.  it may come down to which place has nicer accomodations but was wondering if any of you have an opinion.  i’m  calling upon our aussie friend in London since you know melbourne better than i do (you introduced me to the mall in preston after all!).   i was also thinking of a spa weekend but i don’t think the husband would like that very much.  last year we went to werribee and stayed in the mansion and went to the open range zoo which was brilliant.  that’s why i’m thinking about seeing more animals because they never disappoint.  if we see the penguin parade, i’m going to try to smuggle one back to the city.

holiday recap.

christmas was great and not just because i was completely spoiled by my husband.  i ate a lot, drank a lot and did whatever we wanted to do – me, the husband and the Kiwi. the christmas orphans.  the three of us make a pretty cool family so the day was absolutely lovely.

christmas made me realise how much more thoughtful about gift-giving the husband is than i am. i scramble around trying to find something that the he would like (he loved his iron, by the way).  the husband carries around a piece of paper in his pocket for six months,  slyly writing things down on it to get me.  3 months ago,  i accidentally threw my pashmina in the washing machine.  in case you’re wondering,  you really shouldn’t get those wet.  i forgot all about it.  the husband wrote it down on his tattered piece of paper and one of my gifts was a lovely grey pashmina to replace the one i ruined.  i couldn’t believe he remembered that silly shawl but that’s when he revealed his list. i should have mentioned at the time that the ruined shawl was something i bought from a street vendor in new york for $20 because he replaced it with a beauty from Armani but i’m not complaining.  i can’t wait til it’s cold so i can wear it.  he’s so good. 

 saturday we had a bit of cabin fever so we took a walk into the city to do some shopping.  i got a yoga mat for my wii fit and the husband bought a new wii game.  i also bought a pair of Uggs for my sister for christmas.  now i have to get around to posting them so they arrive in the winter.  I know you can get Uggs in america, but for some reason she wanted me to get them for her… maybe they’re more authentic that way, i dunno.   but now our christmas shopping is officially done.  not bad, i’m usually still trying to think of something for my sister in february and end up holding off until next christmas or her birthday because it’s too late.  i think i’m becoming responsibile…

nah.

work on christmas eve

i still can’t believe i have to work on christmas eve.  i wanted people on the street to feel sorry for me as i trudged along.  there are a couple more losers here but they definitely are not working.  i haven’t done anything since i arrived.  I did succeed to the next level of Mario and Luigi (i’ve been playing nintendo ds all morning).

oooh! tomorrow we get to open our pressies and eat super-bad-for-you brunch, watch “love actually’ and eat super-bad-for-you christmas roast dinner.  i am so excited!  it feels like winter in the office with the air conditioning.  in fact, if it weren’t for the ultra-bright sunshine, lack of snow, and me wearing flip-flops,  i may be in a “white christmas” sort of spirit.  i’m actually in a “a couple hours until holiday” spirit.  anything to get me through, right?

i get to leave here at 2pm. i just talked to the husband who, by the way, is working on his DAY OFF and he’s working until 6pm.  how nerdy is he??  i alread had a whinge about it to him.  i don’t think i made him feel bad because he’s not knocking off early.  for christmas, i want a job that i love too!

speaking of the holidays,  anyone have any new years resolutions?  i resolve to be even happier this year and everything else will just fall in to place i think.  oh, and i’m going to try to drink less coffee.  

be safe and talk to you soon!  

x

i’ve made my decision (for now).

i’m getting my hair cut short.  a friend stopped by last night and she got her hair cut super short and she looks absolutely gorgeous.  it may not be the same story for me but i am now inspired.  i do have a few weeks until my next hair appointment to mull it over and change my mind.

happy christmas everyone!

one more day of this shiznit.

this day is half done and i have to work tomorrow for a couple of hours and then i’m done for the week!  i can’t wait – esp. to open my pressies!

I decided this morning that it is casual day in the office i didn’t really give a toss if the other peeps in the office wore suits to work.  i noticed as soon as i walked into the office that other people were thinking the same thing i did.  man, do these people really dress down! most look like they work on a construction site/live on the tram.  i at least tried to look somewhat professional still by wearing nice shoes and jeans without dirt/holes in them.  

it’s starting to clear out now, people getting ready to leave for a long two weeks off.  i’m the only poor sod who has to work on xmas eve.  at least it’ll be nice and quiet and i’ll have time to reflect on how nice it is to not have family around on xmas day.  don’t get me wrong,  i love my family to bits and miss them but holidays can be such hard work – traveling, sibling rivalries, weird food that i’m too polite to turn down, hyper sticky kids and then traveling to the next house for a few hours.  it’s all quite exhausting.  i’m happy with calling my family on christmas day,  talking to them for a while and then hanging up the phone and spending the rest of the day with the husband – doing whatever we want with no family obligations.  i’m very much looking forward to thursday.

happy christmas!

monday.

normally i abhor mondays but today is not so bad.  it’s only a three day work week for me…and wednesday doesn’t even count because i’ll probably go home at about noon. 

weekend was nice and relaxing and the weather was absolutely brilliant.  we did nothing except sit around and play games, watch tv, read books and eat good food.  a perfect weekend for me.  i sat outside on our balcony and tried to do some painting but i couldn’t think of anything to paint.  i need to get inspired.  our christmas gift pile is getting bigger so maybe i’ll paint us a tree.  our only other option for a tree is a pathetic little gardenia plant which is desparately clinging to life (and the few leaves it has left).

i talked to my dad on saturday and he said that they have like ten inches of snow!  and how wrong is it that i felt a tinge of jealousy?  i like snow – when i’m sitting in my house watching it fall on the trees. it’s a different story after christmas, when i have to drive in it and it turns gray and slushy and ruins my shoes.   that’s what i have to remind myself of every time i catch myself wishing we were someplace snowy and white.  but alas, here we are in sunny, hot(ish) australia and they celebrate christmas in their own way – barbecues on the beach (barbies!), plastic trees and fly spray.  how can one not feel christmassy? i’ll stop my whinging about it.  i’m sure i’ll get used to it…one day.

in other news, i’m having a crisis.  do i grow my hair long or keep it short (with the prospect of going shorter?).  opinions, anyone? for what it’s worth, i’ll post a recent  long hair pic, and a couple short hair ones (as short as i’d go – it’s an old picture – you can view previous posts for more recent short hair pics).

SHORT HAIR:

LONG HAIR:

i’m not dumb, i’m american.

good god! i just went downstairs to the little cafe next to our office to get some lunch (my usual spot) and there’s a new guy working the counter.  This dude is a very australian bloke – really thick australian accent,  every other word is an aussie slang word,  mullet, etc.  And did i mention he talks really fast?

i order my food at the counter and, having special needs, have to request some extras (cheese, no mayo, no peppers, etc).  i must’ve lost him halfway thru my order because his eyes start to glaze over and he’s waving his hands frantically telling me stop (i think he’s swatting flies or maybe it’s a nervous twitch).  “don’t know what you’re saying mate.”  but he says it really fast so i don’t know what he’s saying so i just kind of smile and nod my head (thinking to myself, “should i say fairdinkum?”).  and we’re at a stand still.  so then he starts saying it again –  really slowly and very loudly (much to the delight of my colleagues standing around me) as if i’m hard of hearing and might need to read his lips. all the while, he’s tugging his ears and shrugging his shoulders to further add clarity to my slow brain.  so then i repeat my order, this time more slowly (but not louder – i don’t need the world to know what i eat for lunch) and he says “ah, see, i can’t understand you because of your accent.”  bah.  it happens more than you think.  i’ve become really paranoid about it.  I have to repeat “water” about three times to a waiter before they know what i’m saying.

so super aussie bloke rings me up and i start taking my money out.  and i try to be quick about it but i have to get a really good look at each coin/note because after two years here,  the money still confuses me.  even the different colours don’t help.  after what seems like an hour,  i tentatively hand him the money.  of course it’s wrong.  i gave him a five in stead of a twenty.  bah! they’re both red(ish).  i was trying to not look like too much of a foreigner but failed miserably. 

i quickly grabbed my lunch and high tailed it out of there.  i hope he’s not there on monday.

friday stuff.

about halfway to work, i knew that i made two very wrong decisions:

1 – it wouldn’t rain so therefore we should walk

2 – i didn’t need a jacket

the rain just started pelting down and it was really cold.  i was sooo grouchy.  the Brit offered me his coat but i was already soaked.  i quickly ran to the tram stop and waiting under cover for the next one.  at the next stop, the rain had stopped and it was sunny (still cold). i stood on the tram,  soaking wet in a silk dress, my hair in shambles – i looked like i had just auditioned for a Whitesnake video.  To add insult to injury, i walk into our office shivering and wet and it’s colder in here than it is out there!  I am now sitting at my desk shivering with a blanket wrapped around me.  a perfect start to my day if you ask me.

the good news is that i think that i got all of the husbands christmas pressies.  one of his gifts is…wait for it… an iron.  lame right?  well, the boy LOVES to iron.  he irons everything.  and our iron drips.  so i got some fancy one with all sorts of bells and whistles. oooh,  our bed sheets are going to be so nice (yes, he irons them).  i’m thinking i need to get him some more stuff (or it’s just an excuse for me to spend more money) so i may go shopping after work but the city is so crazy right now with last minute shoppers.  i wrapped up all of his pressies last night and left them in plain view to torture him.  he’s not as bratty as i am so it didn’t have the same effect.  i thought i’d have some bargaining power but  i was so wrong.

i wrapped everything in pretty silver paper with santa claus on it.  hmmm, maybe i’m getting into the spirit..un peu.

it’s beginning to feel a lot like…wednesday.

i’ve stopped harrassing the husband to play christmas music in the mornings while i drink coffee. does that mean i’ve given up on feeling that holiday vibe?  maybe.  i had a feeble attempt last week by drinking copious amounts of champagne (a very festive drink!).  i’m even wearing red today – a very festive colour  (it was also the only thing in my closet that didn’t need ironing).  i tossed some coins to the salvation army guy playing a rousing rendittion of ”silent night” on the tuba.  none of it seems to be working.  we didn’t get a tree.  the smell of pine and mosquito spray in the air doesn’t quite do it for me. but surely the christmas feeling comes from more than just a tree…  i need to be inspired. i told the husband that perhaps i need an early xmas gift to get in the spirit but he said no.  boo.

i was cleaning out some of my folders on my personal drive this morning (deleting work files, keeping personal ones…) and came across this picture so i thought i’d post it.  it takes up some space since i really have nothing else to say and my last post was rather short. (frenchy dude is still still across from me – can’t wait til lunch time, yum yum).  but that was what i was trying to do with my hair in the last picture i posted – but the rain sorted that out straightaway.