Happy holi-weekend Easter.

Well well, it's about 5.30 on Monday, and I'm perched on the sofa in my favourite contortonist position with Henry at my side reading New Weekly, a gossip magazine. On the TV, is Australian's Next Top Model marathon, which is basically the reality series episode after episode, back to back, from 10.30am to 8.30pm. My dearest has been cleaning the house, washing the laundry, fixing fresh fruit juice, making me food, I mean... I truly am being pampered!

Yesterday, as it was Easter, we went to church at Darling Harbour - the Convention Centre - and after that, enjoyed a most gratifying Easter lunch by the harbour.



Henry enjoyed an entre of garlic prawn. He had this unbounded craving for it and even ordered some extra for his main dish.



While he satiated his craving, I had the most delectable oysters known to man. Well, they're all damn good anyway.



Moving on to the main dish - Henry and his medium rare steak which turned out not so bloody after all.



Myself and my rack of lamb. Mmm.. hungry now!



After that we ventured out and had a nice walk to the Australian Maritime Museum, where we bought tickets to go on this war ship, and into a submarine! A real submarine! I've been on these war ship type of things before, but never a submarine, so I was thrilled. Henry's also a submarine virgin so it was special to experience something new together in a new country.



Henry was very fascinated with the voice at the other end; near the bow of the ship.



Before we headed off to the submarine, we had to capture the attack and observation periscope (with me).



The inside of a submarine is... very constricting and the shifting of your weight due to the tide outside doesn't help either. Just to give you an idea of how diminutive the walking space is, this is Henry along the 'walkway'.



The 'control room' thing is amazing. Pieces of equipment decorated the walls, and there were buttons (and sleeping bunks) everywhere! The ceiling was low, the floors narrow, the torpedos were place next to some of the sleeping areas, it was just one big mesh of... clutter. I wonder how anyone can live in there for such a lengthy period of time (that particular submarine could stay under water for up to 6 weeks) and love it even. I'd go mad, but then that's just me. :)



After our long long day of walking, we cabbed home and enjoyed some hours of our new FoxTel, then managed to dragged our feet out the door to the club - Havana - to attend Jamie Wright's birthday bash. It was a... historical night, so let's just leave it at that.
Vintage chic, what is it? Henry says it's his lovely black and white stripe shirt and white tie ensemble.



They were giving out bow shaped chocolate pieces on a wire. This was mine, bitten into.



Well that pretty much summed up my weekend. Today we're just watching tv, conserving energy (ok, just me, seeing as how my house-boyfriend has been doing the work of a wife! heh heh, love you!), ordering Thai food for dinner and sleeping early. Work tomorrow! Yay!

Noise: Australian's next top model!

Inscribe your subconscious.

It's been the Easter holidays, and many things have happened. I've had major food poisoning (which occured the night after bowling), and hence didn't go to work on Thursday. A night bent over the toilet floor isn't exactly the most glamourous yet alone enjoyable situations; my stomach was battered, my bones were bent and my spirit buffeted. Thankfully, I recovered soon after (after lying on the couch all day Thursday) and managed to drag my feet out the house, breathe in some fresh air and watch some heart thumping, knuckle breaking, bloody whacking Australian football aka rugby. My first rugby game. I'm going again.

Last weekend, we had an FHM shoot at home. Mara thought it apt to have our slippery couch act as prop for the most raunchy shoot I've seen to date. With several glamour models clad in only the most skimpy lingerie, along with several... toys on the coffee table, Henry and I were greeted with this when we arrived home, from church no less.



A shot of Henry really playing some serious touch rugby. FHM vs Action Sports. Who won? No idea. It was loads of fun though.



After touch rugby during lunch, it was bowling after work. FHM vs NewWoman, and myself - the honourary Action Sports player. This one's of the publication director, two newwoman women, and Chris from FHM... oh, and the food too!



Post/pre strike. I can't remember, he scored wayyy too many strikes.



Roosters VS the Broncos. Sydney VS Brisbane that is. Oh, we (Sydney) got trashed. :/



Real cheerleaders.



Lastly, a picture of us. Yes, he's been experimenting with the look of 'a beard'. Don't worry though, it's all gone now.



One more... During the course of my food poisoning night, Henry took off my necklaces that I hung on the door because he said it made lots of noise. He chucked it into a ball, and obviously, they all tangled up. This is him trying to reverse the process. Oh the poor boy.



More later.

Noise: Fox Tel. The greatest thing on Earth is having a million TV channels.
P.S. Speaking of Fox Tel, THEY BROADCAST DOOL!!! DAYS OF OUR LIVES!!!!! IS BACK!!! (And yes, even after not watching it for a year, I still know what's going on.)

x

On a much lighter note...

Work is absolutely amazing.

It's my third day now and I'm slowly banding together.
Tuesday is Tennis day (where they... play tennis, during lunch) and Wedneday is Touch Rugby day (same, they play it during lunch). Friday they drink at the pub (aptly named 'henry henry', seriously) for 'company bonding' and over the weekends, nobody comes into work unless it's deadline week. Today 'my' people are playing against the FHM people so... should be good. Touch Rugby. Hmm. Imagine, me. ...

I have my own email (YAY! christabel.campbell@emap.com.au) which I have been lusting for for aaggeeesss, and my charming little desk. I work for Snowboarding, Outdoor, AMB (australia mountain bike) and whoever else needs some extra help. I have about 9000 songs to listen to, and colleagues whose company I'm fitfully beginning to dote on. Lawfully, work hours are from 9am - 5.30 pm (spectacularly short, I know) but nobody turns up till about 9.30. Yesterday I was in at 9 and the reception wasn't even opened! I had to turn on the lights so... you get the idea. It's nice. People don't work unnecessarily here, and still they manage to produce such amazing pieces of work with such a wide sales scope and readership. Also, in Singapore I went out to buy about two dozen shirts assuming that the dress code here would be like most places, but my colleagues (being the surfer/skater/mountain biking/snow boarding Australians that they are) turn up for work in board shorts, baggy jeans, t shirts, sunglasses and cap, and a very comfortable converse. I've since adapted the more relaxed style so as not to feel detached from the outfit flow. At lunch yesterday an intern from Greece (I stand to be corrected) turned up in a suit and it was... very irrelevant, to say the least.

Aside from work, the home has been good. Mara, our flatmate who is the Features and Motor Editor of FHM is such great company, and I'm already dreading leaving this place. It has also been re-established that Henry is one of the most pampering boyfriends in the world! Seeing as how he does my laundry, cooks breakfast while I'm in bed (fresh juice and eggs and toast... mmm), cooks dinner while I play PS or go online, fixes the bed (when he remembers to) and makes me nice baths. Ahh. Such overindulgence. Yes. :) I'm quite useless when it comes to cooking and such so it's good that he is... inclined and one with cutlery and the mechanics of a kitchen...and house...and broom...and washing machine... and... etc. etc. etc.. We've also started having these conversations before bed and slowly I'm beginning to see how to not only make things work but make it truly glorious; a life experience.

We've been watching Harry Potter - done with the first two and now we just need to move on to the next one. This weekend, due to Easter so we have (Good) Friday and next (Easter) Monday off; it's going to be one long long weekend! As much as I'd love to pop by Melbourne, we're probably going to spend our long weekend sleeping and watching dvds. :) My church (Hillsong!) is going to have some.. thingy on on Sunday so we'll do that too.

Well. This is a much more stoic entry than the one before. My dad is just making things difficult, and after 9 years of this it, in reality I shouldn't be affected anymore. But sometimes you just can't help that elicited upheaval. Sometimes.

x

Noise: Understand this is a Dream by The Juliana Theory.
P.S. Pictures, they come later.

Dad, who needs you?

My father is such a fucking... FUCKING... IDIOT.

FUCKING. FUCK.......... OasdasdfsdkjfksAHEF:JShflUEHR!!!!!!!!!

Argh. When I'm older and RICH I will drive past his SHACK in my FLASHY car and SPIT on him.
WHO the fuck does he think he is! Fuck! He is asking for my passport because I am here, saying that I am not able to live alone because I am underweight! I've been underweight all my life and now I'm finally of acceptable weight and NOW he fucking complains about it! What the hell! And.. and.. UGH.
Angry.

Bastard.

So angry.
Internally seething with anger.
Wearing a smile.

Fuck.

Noise: Mother on the phone

Welcome. This is Sydney.

After appropriately using up all the tissue paper available on the plane for my leaking nose (kudos to sinus, sniff sniff), I finally arrived in Sydney - my home for the next 7 months. Of course, seeing my dear Henry after 3 long long long months did contribute to (if not totally consume) the trepidation factor. Like I told domi, it was 'weird at first', but now it's better. After that whiff of aftershave, I was back at where it all started; with me weak in the knees. It's the seemingly insignificant things that add up to something so much greater, a fortiori, on a whole different spectrum altogether. Standing at the arrival hall with rose in tow, was the moment I had probably tried to play in my mind over a million times. Needless to say, it turned out nothing like I expected, owing to the fact that the airport was nothing like I envisaged, more of like a gigantic supermarket. Well, great for Sydney! Also, never in my wildest imagination would I have seen Henry in a BRIGHT METALLIC ORANGE car.

So it's a Holden Monaro. It's got a seven gear box, it's a 6 litre v8 monster with twin exhaust things. Basically for all those who aren't car-educated, it's some kind of racing monster that actually does purr very sweetly. That's Henry packing all my luggage in. Yes, all 35kg of it. ...


After I landed we cruised along to the South Head, which is the mouth of Sydney bay. Blue water. So so blue.


Well, since I'm at it, I'll just sum up how my week has been in general. Henry took Monday and Tuesday off to basically help me adjust to the.. well, culture and place and catch up too. We drove to Palm Beach, where we had lunch, buried our feet in the sand and pretended to be heroic voyagers on an expedition - to scale the rocks, basically.

On the remaining days of the week, I went down to town. Ok, so i've also swept and mopped the floor, done the laundry... and since it is SO out of character, I've rewarded myself with days in town. It's such a pleasure just wandering around the streets with my delirious obscurity, peering at the quirky Australians, while munching on sushi and chips. Of course the shopping is absolutely divine, not to mention the amazing weather to tide me by. What better way to enjoy a day of shopping than with the gorgeous horizon, some wind in my hair and a mega beef burger. Hmm.

I take a ferry to the train station every day, because we live across the harbour bridge from the city. So this is the view I wake up to almost every morning.


And lastly, just for kicks, my mega beef burger and I. Who would have thought I'd be able to consume something so colossal. I think I might return with actual body fat. YAY!



Noise: Red Rain by The White Stripes.

And we're off! (well, just me.)

My lovely scavengers were there to send me off, I didn't expect anybody (apart from the family)!
But it was great because I felt so loved. Thanks guys for coming down. Truly means loads to me.
And Meibao my fellow scavenger, Happy belated birthday!
Hope you liked your very EXPENSIVE soccer ball as much as I did my very EXPENSIVE ... chocolate.
Oh yes, did I mention? I received a gift of a...chocolate.
True Scavenger style, too.
Also a bit of an interesting farewell because I presented mum with a diamond bracelet. You don't need a reason to pamper someone. I guess it's just my way of expressing my love.
Now, pictures.
x

My chocloate, and Ping.


Mabel's surprise: Nice cake, and... soccer ball. Signed by us aka el cheapos. :)


Pinggy prepping for Mabel's 'SURPRISE'.


The birthday girl cutting a piece of cake.


My Scavengers.


Family; what we live for.


Noise: Good Paradise, by PJ Harvey.
P.S. Ok guys, I cannot post up ALL the pictures because it would just be totally redundant. I mean, that's what the scavengers blog is for! x

Girls night out.

Kelly and I prepping in the lift after leaving her place.
David Chin, your absinthe will be missed.

Jimmy and the ladies.

Pucker up! Maybe not...

This one's for you JESS! And Juli.. and Ping.. and.. and.. all you female bodies. Blu from Cebu on the left.

I can almost hear Cash's... 'Where's... the.. sunshine....'

Model smile... :)

View from below.

My capo de fusca!


So it was my last friday night for a long while, before I jet off to Sydney.
There's nothing much to say, except that Kelly and I did what we've not done for a long while.
Go out together, just the two of us, drink, dance like crazy, till the small wee hours of the morning.
Thumper, Attica, Living room. Home at 7.30am, school at 9.
I must be crazy. Or, leaving for Sydney the following night.
So this is it! My last visit to the party scene for the next 7 months.
See ya'll in Sydney.
x

Noise: Still by Foo Fighters.
P.S. Updates are taking ages because I've no wireless yet and this stolen one fluctuates more than I'd like.