A Big Fat Load of Nothing

I have no new photos to share with you.

Sorry. But I do have two explanations (a.k.a excuses)

Number 1. Singapore has not been cooperating. The weather here is not very nice at the moment. It's monsoon season, which means it's supposed to get really hot and humid and then pour down for a few minutes. Well. Singapore clearly didn't get the memo, because it hasn't been hot and it's been pouring down for two days now. Although it has been humid, I must tell you that I'm currently wearing a cardigan as I type this. Which is highly unusual considering that Singapore is practically ON the equator.

Anyway... Number 2. Yesterday consisted of me basically lying down either on the couch or in bed. I had a horrible stomach bug sort of thing that made me feel nothing but pain and nausea. Ugh. Thankfully it seems to have abated today and I am feeling much more human.


And that is all I have to say today.

Singapore Day 1

Today, on our first day in Singapore, Chelsea and I went out onto Orchard Road to try and get our bearings and check out the shops.

Of course, we are still on Sydney time, so we woke up pretty early, and realised that none of the shops were open! Shops on Orchard Road (a big long street dedicated to shops shopping centres) don't open until 10am, unlike in Sydney where everything opens at 9.

Anyway, it wasn't too busy so it made for good photo taking!


This is Takashimaya, one of the big shopping centres on Orchard Road.





It's Chinese New Year here soon, so the city is decorated with lots of flower garlands.




There are lots of boutique and high end designer stores.










And of course there's all the usual stores too, except not quite the same as in Australia!



And lots of cherry blossom trees.



It's really humid here, but not too hot, which is a relief! Today it's overcast and I think we're going to just spend the day shopping!

Happy Australia Day!

Today is Australia Day! That means a public holiday, soaking in the sun, having a BBQ, spraying Aeroguard, wearing t-shirts, shorts and thongs and watching the fireworks at night!





Unfortunately for me, it also means work this morning. Boo for having to work. But yay for public holiday pay rates!

Hopefully though, I will get to venture out this afternoon and spend some time in the sun with my friends at the Regatta Centre, where they have a big Australia Day event each year, followed by fireworks at 9pm.






Australia Day is one of my favourite holidays, maybe because it is just for our country, and everyone gets a day off. People seem that little bit prouder to be an Aussie on this one day.

Favourite Aussie Foods

In honour of it being Australia Day tomorrow... and as I sit here trying to fit EIGHT boxes of Madura English Breakfast Tea in to my suitcase because it's the one thing my Dad always requests that I bring whenever I fly up to visit- well, that and Darrell Lea licorice...

I thought I'd show you all some of my favourite Aussie foods. Quintessential Australian food and drink that I'd HAVE to take with me if I ever moved overseas.


Milo - This would have to be my Number 1 favourite. I drink it hot or cold, with milk. Yummy!

Vegemite - Foreigners always seem to HATE this when they try it, but that's because they eat it straight out of the jar with a spoon, and that is just WRONG! You've got to firstly put heaps of butter or margarine on some bread and then spread a very thin layer of Vegemite on top. Yum! I can taste the salty goodness right now as I type this.

Tim Tams - I couldn't call myself an Aussie if I didn't mention these!





Ovalteenies - These are little chocolate malt flavoured candies, made from the powdered drink Ovaltine, which tastes a bit like Milo or Nesquik. When I was a kid we used to put them on our tongues and suck them until there was nothing left!



Allen's Red Frogs - Irresistible lollies, with just the right amount of chewiness, and you could never stop at just one.




Sunny Boys - These are flavoured water iceblocks that are in cone shaped packaging. We used to eat them all the time in Summer.




Space food sticks - I used to have these in my school lunch box every single day! They're a soft but firm chewy chocolate or caramel bar.




Cottee's Cordial - Apple Raspberry was always my favourite.




Fantales - chewy chocolate caramel lollies with a celebrity Who Am I on the wrapper.




Killer Pythons - a long snake shaped chewy lolly we used to buy for 20c each out of the jar at fish and chip shops.




Paddlepops - I liked both banana and chocolate flavours - never a fan of the rainbow one though!



Burger Men - These were my choice whenever I had some money to spend at the school canteen- kind of like a tangy flavoured crunchy rice flour crisp, in the shape of a man. Sounds weird, I know.



Of course, the list could go on forever... I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention Lamingtons, Pavlova, Weetbix, Iced Vo-Vo's, Meat pies, Minties, Crunchie bars, Twisties...

A night out with friends

Last night my friends and I went out for Claryse's birthday. We got all dressed up and headed to dinner at a local Italian restaurant in town. We had yummy garlic pizza bread and pasta to eat (which most of us couldn't finish because we were so full!) and birthday cake for dessert.

I offerred to make the cake for Claryse, and made a double layer vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting from The Magnolia Bakery cookbook.

It was looking beautiful, until a minor mishap occurred when I braked at the hill at the end of my street- the cake slid onto its side and half of the icing got smooshed!

Luckily there was time to spare (and I had some leftover frosting!) soI rushed back home and tried to make repairs as best as I could. The result wasn't as good as the first attempt, because I didn't have time to re-pipe the icing and had to settle for spreading it on and smoothing it with a knife, but no one noticed except me.

Claryse started opening presents the minute we got there (that's the best part of having a birthday, right?!)

Of course, it wouldn't be a post about my friends if there wasn't the obligatory tonne of photos of them!


Laura, Elise & Claryse all did the same pose without even realising it!




Me and Keish



Keisha & I with the birthday girl




Laura and Elise- both a little tired because Laura had come straight from her work in the city, and Elise had come straight from her church's week long Summer camp!





Blowing out the "candles"





Figuring out how to cut the cake- Elise's suggestion: We get a quarter each? Haha!



Yum!

The Business of Busyness

Just a few things... I feel like I've been doing so much lately, and I want a chance to catch up on everything!

So in no particular order...

My friend Keisha & I have been having Grey's Anatomy marathons every week since the very beginning of this year- it's always been our favourite show, but we are now addicted to it in a big way! The latest episode comes out in Australia today and I am just itching to know what happens with the characters next!



I just finished reading this book- and now I really want to see the movie! I'm going through a phase where I really want to read books that have been/ are in the process of being turned into movies.



I'm trying to teach myself how to play Pachelbel's Canon in D major on the violin... oh, and also the violin solo in Green Day's song Time of Your Life (two very different kinds of music, I realise). I have sheet music that helps, but I really learn best by playing by ear.




I can't stop eating this basil, cashew nut and parmesan dip. I'm not even normally a dip kind of girl, but this one is so good on top of crackers.




The next few weeks are going to be big weeks for me- next Friday I'm heading to Singapore with my sister to visit Dad and the rest of the family up there. Our Grandma Val is also flying up from New Zealand so it'll be one big family holiday! I'm so looking forward to it; the last time I visited Dad in Singapore was years ago and I'm excited to see what's stayed the same... and what's changed. And also- of course the shopping has me very excited too!




Right after I get back from Singapore in the middle of February, we are headed to New Zealand for my cousin Ashley's wedding! Ashley and I like to tell everyone that we are exactly "two months and one day" apart (she was born on April 16th and me on June 17th). She is the first of us grandchildren to get married (which makes sense, as she is also the oldest grandchild on that side of the family- she just beat me by those two measly months!)




And then, after a week in NZ, I arrive back on Monday and uni starts back on the Tuesday! I can't believe it- back to classes, textbooks, assignments... But the fantastic part is that this wil be my final semester! 14 weeks of classes... and then I'm done for good! I'll be a fully qualified primary teacher- how crazy is that?!

My Day

After working every day for the past three days, I spent the day babysitting Emi and Jordan today. We watched High School Musical 3, organised their playroom, went for walk, had Subway for lunch and then a little "iced chocolate" date at Gloria Jeans before coming back home for a swim in their pool to cool off.

The girls are both obsessed with everything High School Musical, which means all day long I've been subjected to listening to them hum, sing and play any and every song from the three movies! I'm pretty sure I know each and every song by heart now!

After convincing them to sing something different, we had a little jam session with Emi on the guitar, Jordy singing and me (attempting to play) Jordy's half sized violin. Emi has a tonne of sheet music from popular films, so we belted out "My Heart Will Go On", "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", and even a little "Thunderstruck" and "Time of Your Life".

I was just glad to hear anything that didn't have to do with Troy and Gabriella ;)

And yet, maybe I spoke too soon... as we speak, Emi is outside playing basketball, and has just brought her iPod and speakers out to play... you guessed it, more fantastic songs from High School Musical!

Complete with scene reenactment with basketball and all!

Oh how I wish I was ten years old again! The whole 'doing anything without caring what anybody thinks about me' thing is kind of appealing!

Loves

Things I love...

I love nuts (especially cashews at the moment).

I love colour (especially any shade of pink or red).

I love having tv show marathons on dvd.

I love pretty scrapbook paper (but never know what to do with it).

I love having long hair to do each day.

I love having a stack of new books to read.

I love pyjamas (and have 2 drawers just for my pj collection).

I love country music (Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Dixie Chicks, Sugarland, The Band Perry, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, The McClymonts, Gloriana, Court Yard Hounds).

I love writing on a chalkboard (except when the chalk makes that noise. *cringe*)

I love my iPhone and all it's apps and Internet and usefulness.

I love having a row of cookbooks lined up all neat in my kitchen.

I love my new paper lace lanterns in my room.

I love all my cute pink baking utensils.

I love reading (anything that's not a textbook!)

I love sewing.

I love wooden letters on my wall.

I love scarves and all the pretty fabric.

I love playing violin.

I love the colour of the feature wall in my room.