SBC Packing!
To those who don't get the reference, this is from Rex Navarete's infamous comedy skit on "packing a hamster". For those unupdated, Im moving on Dec 3. My housemates are moving a week earlier and I will be left in the house with no furniture or fridge for a week. As such, I am going to stay at Sacha's for a week.
I've been packing, packing, packing. So far I have 9 boxes (6 of them mini-ones) of all my stuff. My inventory includes:
1. Books
2. Books (given by housemates) + Desk Stuff + DVDs + CDs
3. Cutlery (given by housemates)
4. Shoes
5. Postcards + Bags + 1 pair of shoes
6. Food (instant noodles, condiments, canned goods, etc.)
7. Toiletries (absolutely everything on my dresser including a shitload of drugs and creams for every ailment!)
8. Kitchen things (still open, to add pan/cutlery on last day)
9. Random things + 3 pairs of shoes (the leftover stuff that needs to be stored)
I've also got a bunch of orocans and a suitcase + handcarry + backpack.
Upon packing I discovered I would need another orocan vs a box because I could just move my winter stuff from the handcarry to it and wouldn't have to unpack when i got to the house. That way I could put immediate needs or possibly my entire cache of underwear in it.
Crikey! Where's the Crocodile Hunter when you need him
Lars: can i just say i was on my way downstairs to our storage/basement
volcanogirl28: may snake?
Lars: when suddenly i saw this like web stretched across [over]the stairs
Lars: kasi the stairs pababa is bordered by parang ivy like vines
Lars: and lo and behold may spider pa sa gitna
Lars: aba malay ko ba kung anong spider yon
volcanogirl28: hoy baka venomous!
Lars: kaya nga hindi na ako bumaba
Lars: this country has the worlds most poisonous anything
volcanogirl28: i know that's why i told you ayoko magbeach dyan
Lars: and how strange ha, new zealand next door doesnt have them
Lars: ano ba, walang poisonous achoochoochoo sa beach
volcanogirl28: ano ka ba i saw on discovery dyan yung parang almost invisible jellyfish
volcanogirl28: basta
volcanogirl28: 2 incheses in width, 1 foot in length
volcanogirl28: oooh wait din dins!
Slightly anti-climactic ending, that one. But. Have you ever seen a cricket? The closest I have ever been to a cricket, aside from hearing it sometimes in the province was the cricket background in Neon Genesis Evangelion. But here, they are big and badass. The first time I saw one I slightly freaked out til my housemate said, that's a cricket. I said, "Oh. Ive only ever heard one not seen one."
I think they are finding my encounters with insects amusing. (This is given one is native, animal loving Aussie and the other is a Kiwi who happens to be a zoo keeper who works with them Crikey animals everyday)
Has anyone ever heard of the drop bear? Jojo once told me this story that Aussies use to scare tourists, telling them to be careful and always look up in the forest because koala like bears can sometimes drop on their heads. Rooooit.
It actually works though, because this is Australia and it seems...plausible (?) somehow.
Though I think Aussies are as blase about their poisonous animals as we are about coup d'etats, terrorists and bomb threats.
U2!
U2 is coming here. Tickets onsale 5 Dec. Waiting to hear from 2 people if theyre coming. I want to sit in the Mosh Pit with the bazillion other fans, but no one from here wants to go with me. They want to sit down. The people who are thinking about it from Manila would probably not mind the mosh pit but I havent heard from them and Im getting worried na.
Must put the order in on Monday. Really Want To Go In The Mosh Pit for the full experience. Hope it all works out...
Random Thoughts
The American Music Awards is on and Mariah, who performed wonderfully came out in a dress where her boobs were not pantay. One was going up and one was going down, and you could clearly tell because there was a cut-out right in the middle of her dress. And whassap with Hilary and them knee high tie boots. Hon, you ain't even legal yet... plus what's with all the black when you sang a pop song about hearts?!? And what's this. Yet another version of Time after Time!
Okay, enough of the random AMA interlude.
Tomorrow, I will be purchasing an orocan, sorting out my clothing, meet my friend Rey, one of my former teammates who has just migrated here (he arrived yesterday and his wife and daughter will follow in Jan) and then go to work at 5.
Then this weekend, my last dinner in Leichhardt plus last minute packing/setting up then off to Sacha's for my week of crashing on their couch.
To quote my favorite dance band of the early, early 90s, "Here we go, here we go, here we go now!!!"
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Saturday, November 19, 2005
On Sculptures and Great Bands
Uhoh. My Toenail Bit has broken off. You know, the bit of toenail that is covering pulpy mess that is no longer pulpy? Well there you go. Its not so gross, people have seen toesie and think its okay. But that was before toe bit broke off. Now I really can't leave it exposed because well, now there's nothing protecting about a fourth of it, hey?
Went to bed late Friday night as was chatting with roommates. We took Andrea up the road to get a taxi with her stuff (she's moving back to Sacha's place till we move) after waiting for the one she ordered to come for more than an hour. Got back, saw the Nightmare Before Christmas before finally going to bed at around one. (Also previously went to see Corpse bride earlier that night at the Norton St. Cinema. Loved it!)
Yesterday was very very tiring. Met up with Sacha and Andrea to head to Bondi for the annual Sculpture by the Sea. This is basically an exhibit of sculptures along the coastal walk from Bondi to Tamarama Beach. We took a train to Bondi then a bus to Tamarama and did the walk backwards. We were joined by Sacha's friend Ritem.
The sculptures were amazing! Some of them were hi-faluting (forgive the spelling if its wrong) and far out, others were fun and quirky but all of them were equally fantastic. There was a people's choice award, and we all had to vote for our favorites. Mine was this cute sculpture of fishies made by a Japanese artist. Andrea's was this giant wave that was designed to hang over the edge of a cliff and Sacha's was a series of nine rows of 4-5 hurdles where every hurdle depicted someone's life. The last hurdle was at the edge of a cliff, which meant in the end you jumped into the sea. I also liked the giant beach chair and thongs, a lot of the fish sculptures, the "fried egg", the octopus (i don't understand why it cost 21,000 dollars), the leaf, the walking man, the walrus and a whole lot of others.
(Have got so many pictures, so if I haven't invited you to view them yet, let me know and I'll send you the link to my online album.)
When we finished, we got to Bondi and met up with Sacha's friend Dominic and his other friends. Had a bit of lunch (at three!) and baked a bit at the beach before rushing off. I meant to go to church but was so tired and wanted to take a shower before going out that night so I decided to go the next day. I was searching for this particular book and went to three bookstores before deciding to call it quits. Rushed home, soaked feet in warm water - soooo tired - showered and got dressed.
Rose arrived while I was "putting my face on" and then we headed over to Newtown. Rose is dating this guy named Simque (that's how its pronounced, Im sure that's not how its spelled) who is South African and works for IBM. We planned to meet with Sacha and Andrea and then go see the Kid Confucius concert at the Newtown RSL. Rose ended up having dinner with Simque first and I had dinner at Sacha's.
I thought that it started at 8 but it turned out it was just doors open at 8 so we actually played pool (i sucked but at least this time i can hit the ball now) had dessert at this restaurant called "Blue Fig" before coming back. The first performers of the night were True Live, who are from Melbourne and Andrea's favorites. They were excellent! It was a 6 piece band,(with cello, double bass and violin) performing hip hop with a mix of jazz and funk, like you threw in a bit of early Dave Matthews into the mix. At some point the lead singer said he was going to do a bit of improv, so give him topics to rap about. He got Phillip Island, Finland, Lesbians and the Mars and Snickers crisis and he managed to put them all together in one funky rap. It was amazing. I went and got their album for ten bucks right after.
They were followed by the Sundancehall All Stars, who were three girls dancing Afro Cuban style. They were pretty good although in some parts they weren't coordinated (read: sabay sabay) and the music didnt quite transition so well - they had taken a number of songs and mixed them together and it wasnt done quite so well on the tape, so there were unecessary breaks between the dances. They were fun though.
After that, finally at almost twelve it was time for Kid Confucius. They are a funk hip hop band and they sound like the brand new heavies (my fave) with more dance mixed in. Its a 9 piece band with two sets of drums (regular and the bongo kind), three guitars and various other instruments. I really want to get their album but since they have already signed, it is twenty five bucks and I dont have the money to spare just yet.
Rose and Simque left in the middle, I was initially supposed to go along but then opted not to, but she came back for me because she was worried that I would have to take a cab. So I left with them, as I was tired anyway, though later on I thought I could have stayed, its just that I didnt want to pay for a cab and nahiya naman ako kasi she came back because she (and Simque!) were worried.
So I got home around one, there was no one there so I thought my housemates were spending the night at a friends and I had Moses share the room with me. He always seems to know when Im going to do that because then he jumps on the bed. He is so sweet. He never does that usually, he only does when I ask him to sleep in my room. Awww.
Housemates came home right as I was drifting off so I let Moses out and went to bed. Am supposed to do laundry but I think I'll take a long nap and just relax. Today is the last day of my holiday before I go back to work.
Went to bed late Friday night as was chatting with roommates. We took Andrea up the road to get a taxi with her stuff (she's moving back to Sacha's place till we move) after waiting for the one she ordered to come for more than an hour. Got back, saw the Nightmare Before Christmas before finally going to bed at around one. (Also previously went to see Corpse bride earlier that night at the Norton St. Cinema. Loved it!)
Yesterday was very very tiring. Met up with Sacha and Andrea to head to Bondi for the annual Sculpture by the Sea. This is basically an exhibit of sculptures along the coastal walk from Bondi to Tamarama Beach. We took a train to Bondi then a bus to Tamarama and did the walk backwards. We were joined by Sacha's friend Ritem.
The sculptures were amazing! Some of them were hi-faluting (forgive the spelling if its wrong) and far out, others were fun and quirky but all of them were equally fantastic. There was a people's choice award, and we all had to vote for our favorites. Mine was this cute sculpture of fishies made by a Japanese artist. Andrea's was this giant wave that was designed to hang over the edge of a cliff and Sacha's was a series of nine rows of 4-5 hurdles where every hurdle depicted someone's life. The last hurdle was at the edge of a cliff, which meant in the end you jumped into the sea. I also liked the giant beach chair and thongs, a lot of the fish sculptures, the "fried egg", the octopus (i don't understand why it cost 21,000 dollars), the leaf, the walking man, the walrus and a whole lot of others.
(Have got so many pictures, so if I haven't invited you to view them yet, let me know and I'll send you the link to my online album.)
When we finished, we got to Bondi and met up with Sacha's friend Dominic and his other friends. Had a bit of lunch (at three!) and baked a bit at the beach before rushing off. I meant to go to church but was so tired and wanted to take a shower before going out that night so I decided to go the next day. I was searching for this particular book and went to three bookstores before deciding to call it quits. Rushed home, soaked feet in warm water - soooo tired - showered and got dressed.
Rose arrived while I was "putting my face on" and then we headed over to Newtown. Rose is dating this guy named Simque (that's how its pronounced, Im sure that's not how its spelled) who is South African and works for IBM. We planned to meet with Sacha and Andrea and then go see the Kid Confucius concert at the Newtown RSL. Rose ended up having dinner with Simque first and I had dinner at Sacha's.
I thought that it started at 8 but it turned out it was just doors open at 8 so we actually played pool (i sucked but at least this time i can hit the ball now) had dessert at this restaurant called "Blue Fig" before coming back. The first performers of the night were True Live, who are from Melbourne and Andrea's favorites. They were excellent! It was a 6 piece band,(with cello, double bass and violin) performing hip hop with a mix of jazz and funk, like you threw in a bit of early Dave Matthews into the mix. At some point the lead singer said he was going to do a bit of improv, so give him topics to rap about. He got Phillip Island, Finland, Lesbians and the Mars and Snickers crisis and he managed to put them all together in one funky rap. It was amazing. I went and got their album for ten bucks right after.
They were followed by the Sundancehall All Stars, who were three girls dancing Afro Cuban style. They were pretty good although in some parts they weren't coordinated (read: sabay sabay) and the music didnt quite transition so well - they had taken a number of songs and mixed them together and it wasnt done quite so well on the tape, so there were unecessary breaks between the dances. They were fun though.
After that, finally at almost twelve it was time for Kid Confucius. They are a funk hip hop band and they sound like the brand new heavies (my fave) with more dance mixed in. Its a 9 piece band with two sets of drums (regular and the bongo kind), three guitars and various other instruments. I really want to get their album but since they have already signed, it is twenty five bucks and I dont have the money to spare just yet.
Rose and Simque left in the middle, I was initially supposed to go along but then opted not to, but she came back for me because she was worried that I would have to take a cab. So I left with them, as I was tired anyway, though later on I thought I could have stayed, its just that I didnt want to pay for a cab and nahiya naman ako kasi she came back because she (and Simque!) were worried.
So I got home around one, there was no one there so I thought my housemates were spending the night at a friends and I had Moses share the room with me. He always seems to know when Im going to do that because then he jumps on the bed. He is so sweet. He never does that usually, he only does when I ask him to sleep in my room. Awww.
Housemates came home right as I was drifting off so I let Moses out and went to bed. Am supposed to do laundry but I think I'll take a long nap and just relax. Today is the last day of my holiday before I go back to work.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
A note on the pictures
The pictures below include shots of our househunting adventures, random pictures of the doggies who I will really miss when I move, pictures of the camperdown cemetary & memorial park as part of the Newtown festival and well, more doggie pics plus my toe. These are mostly from my weekend.
Jubeltenen! (Plus a House)
I spent last weekend househunting. We liked the first house we saw in Glebe. I also courteously let a lady pass on the bus, and the bus door opened on my toe. I trudged down to the end of the bus where we found a seat, wrapped it in tissue, which promptly turned blood red in five seconds. I had pain shooting all the way up to right under my knee. Sacha and Kartini were like are you okay, and I just laughed. What else was there to do? Even the toe ring on the toe next to it turned a bit red. We hobbled off at Enmore and later I was told by several chemists when i purchased various bandages that I should have reported the bus driver or at least told him he had hit me with the door. I have seen a doctor, it has been cleaned and the toenail sort of folded back the other night to reveal a gross, fleshy, pulpy mess. It is a lot better now and I have covered it with a toe sock.(Jubeltenen means Happy Toes in Dutch)
After that we went to see a house in Enmore where there was a sign stuck to a post right outside the door that said something about women being attacked in the area, so please report to the Marrickville police if you see groups of 3-5 men... So comforting.
Sunday I had lunch with my family in Chinatown and then I met up with my future housemates in Newtown for the Newtown Festival. (will post pics soon) It was great. Got a taste of the real Aussie music/festival vibe. Listened to Kid Confucius and the Red Sun band, both of which were really good. So much so that we're going to See Kid C this Saturday at the Newtown Town Hall.After the festival we checked out the Camperdown cemetery where they have gravestones from people born in the 1700s. There were a lot of goth groups hanging out there and it occured to me that hey, it wasn't just a stereotype. There are real goths and they really do hang out in cemeteries! At least in Newtown, anyway. I wanted to take pictures but I really don't think its polite enough to do so - Lisa had enough laughs at me saying excuse me everytime I passed a fallen gravestone - so I took pics of the church instead.
Monday we filed an application for the house we liked in Glebe. I also met up with Kartini and we checked out another house in Enmore, which would have been our back up house. Also left name down to see one in Surry Hills on Saturday. The house was nice except for the bathroom which needed a bit of work. Spent the rest of the day cleaning the oven racks which I had left soaking in dishwashing liquid in the bathtub. They are now gleamingly clean. I was so proud I sent volcanogirl28 pictures.
Tuesday I actually started studying. I read both cases that are required reading, the second of which I had to go sit at the couch to read because the dogs wouldnt leave me alone. They wanted some human love - Toby was even whining and Moses kept sticking his head on my lap as I was in front of the computer. So we sat on the couch and they snuggled up and I read about Merril Lynch.
Then I got a call from Sacha, saying our application was approved! We are moving on December 2nd. I had to pay the deposit for the house first for all of us and everyone will just pay me back.
Last night I began typing up the case summaries for me and will be analysing them in line with Mc Farlan's Strategic Grid and Porter's Five Forces (don't ask). This is my last exam.
Today we are meeting up to discuss the house, moving and the finances related to it. Also Im off to see World Cup Soccer. We are apparently in the Uruguay section, so we must wear neutral colors. Jojo and I discussed the possibility of who to support when he was still thinking of going. Should we go by adopted country, ie Australia or kinship through colonisatoin, ie Uruguay. We were leaning more towards the kinship scenario, especially if it had been Columbia, as I had been told that the Columbian team was excellent. Research also showed that Uruguay had an excellent playing record, but unlike most Spanish-y teams, hindi guapo ang kanilang mga player. Australia, on the other hand, has cute ones.
And so Miel my cousin, who is coming is for Australia and I am for Uruguay. However, to avoid conflict from others I have instructed everyone to dress in neutral colors! My experience with ticketing has shown that by the time you are selling tickets people will take whatever they can get, so the Uruguay supporters section wont just have rabid fans, but Aussies as well. I havent heard anything about what kind of soccer fans they have - only about Argentinians and Columbians - so Im hoping it will be fun but not fanatic or wild and crazy. We'll see.
After that we went to see a house in Enmore where there was a sign stuck to a post right outside the door that said something about women being attacked in the area, so please report to the Marrickville police if you see groups of 3-5 men... So comforting.
Sunday I had lunch with my family in Chinatown and then I met up with my future housemates in Newtown for the Newtown Festival. (will post pics soon) It was great. Got a taste of the real Aussie music/festival vibe. Listened to Kid Confucius and the Red Sun band, both of which were really good. So much so that we're going to See Kid C this Saturday at the Newtown Town Hall.After the festival we checked out the Camperdown cemetery where they have gravestones from people born in the 1700s. There were a lot of goth groups hanging out there and it occured to me that hey, it wasn't just a stereotype. There are real goths and they really do hang out in cemeteries! At least in Newtown, anyway. I wanted to take pictures but I really don't think its polite enough to do so - Lisa had enough laughs at me saying excuse me everytime I passed a fallen gravestone - so I took pics of the church instead.
Monday we filed an application for the house we liked in Glebe. I also met up with Kartini and we checked out another house in Enmore, which would have been our back up house. Also left name down to see one in Surry Hills on Saturday. The house was nice except for the bathroom which needed a bit of work. Spent the rest of the day cleaning the oven racks which I had left soaking in dishwashing liquid in the bathtub. They are now gleamingly clean. I was so proud I sent volcanogirl28 pictures.
Tuesday I actually started studying. I read both cases that are required reading, the second of which I had to go sit at the couch to read because the dogs wouldnt leave me alone. They wanted some human love - Toby was even whining and Moses kept sticking his head on my lap as I was in front of the computer. So we sat on the couch and they snuggled up and I read about Merril Lynch.
Then I got a call from Sacha, saying our application was approved! We are moving on December 2nd. I had to pay the deposit for the house first for all of us and everyone will just pay me back.
Last night I began typing up the case summaries for me and will be analysing them in line with Mc Farlan's Strategic Grid and Porter's Five Forces (don't ask). This is my last exam.
Today we are meeting up to discuss the house, moving and the finances related to it. Also Im off to see World Cup Soccer. We are apparently in the Uruguay section, so we must wear neutral colors. Jojo and I discussed the possibility of who to support when he was still thinking of going. Should we go by adopted country, ie Australia or kinship through colonisatoin, ie Uruguay. We were leaning more towards the kinship scenario, especially if it had been Columbia, as I had been told that the Columbian team was excellent. Research also showed that Uruguay had an excellent playing record, but unlike most Spanish-y teams, hindi guapo ang kanilang mga player. Australia, on the other hand, has cute ones.
And so Miel my cousin, who is coming is for Australia and I am for Uruguay. However, to avoid conflict from others I have instructed everyone to dress in neutral colors! My experience with ticketing has shown that by the time you are selling tickets people will take whatever they can get, so the Uruguay supporters section wont just have rabid fans, but Aussies as well. I havent heard anything about what kind of soccer fans they have - only about Argentinians and Columbians - so Im hoping it will be fun but not fanatic or wild and crazy. We'll see.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Saturday, November 12, 2005
One last picture. This is our egg timer. I don't know exactly what it times - poached eggs? boiled eggs? nothing to do with eggs at all? But it was so cute, I had to take a picture. Slightly out of focus due to the difficulty in making close ups. It is so cute. Its feet serve as the stand for the "egg" so its disconnectable!
I begin my walk at the edge of Leichhardt Park, somewhere at the end of Lilyfield, across the great western highway. The walk meanders through bits of the Rozelle Psychiatric Hospital, now converted into an arts centre. There are two walkways, one for bikes and one for people. On a weekend, there are a lot of people walking through it, but on a bright sunny friday, I only have a few moms walking through with both human and fur kids (doggies!).
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