Little Cozy Corner

It just occurred to be that I’m been officially living in Sydney for one year on 17 Sept 2007!!! And I wouldn’t have realised it if Ted didn’t out of the blue asked me when I first step foot in Sydney. Sheesh, talk about time flying….Ella’s already more than a month old!

So what have I learnt from more than the 1 year of living life in Sydney? Many things really….one thing for sure is that Aussies love their BBQ and beer! Almost every household owns a BBQ burner and no fridge is complete without a case of beer stacked inside. For us, we’ve got a garage full of beer, Coke and my favourite, Sunkist Orange. We normally buy in bulk when they are on special and I mean REALLY stock up real good. It comes in really handy when we go on picnics or even when we’re on the run and lunch/dinner is mainly takeaway.

I’ve been to a couple of BBQs and there really isn’t a need to have a reason to host a BBQ. If you feel like one, get a few friends, throw on a few pieces of meat, sausages and a load of onions, and you’re good to go. The first ever BBQ I attended in Sydney was at one of Ted’s friends home, David who was born in Malaysia but has become an Aussie. I think he was Penangite. It was really fun.

The next thing Aussie is sports particularly cricket and footy. I’m not a fan of cricket at all. I don’t understand the rules no matter how many times Ted has tried explaining it to me and I don’t see what is so interesting seeing men bat and run up and down a small stretch plus the fact that it’s the longest lasting game EVER!! I think it goes on for days on end. But footy, now THAT’S another story all together!! I’m hooked on it because it’s so exciting that I’m always left gripping my seat at every game. I think its because it’s got many. many huge, good looking guys for one - many are tattooed too, but the other thing is that it’s really a body slamming game, a true body to body contact game and one of the toughest and most challenging games ever. American football is nothing compared to this - they cheat with all that guard on. I really have to thank Ted for introducing me to this game. I AM HOOKED. O, did I mention that my Mum has also recently joined the Eels fanclub?

Next up is the love for the sun and surf. I bet each and every Aussie loves the beach no matter where they live. Because I’m not Aussie, I’m not really crazy about it. I don’t really like the feel of sand between my toes and I hate it the most when my feet are wet and the sand sticks to it - blek!! But it’s the sun I can’t stand the most, I’m so afraid of getting black. Yup, my skin doesn’t tan - it just makes me darker and that is not attractive. As for Ted, if he could, he would build a shack and live on the beach just like every other Aussie but he too doesn’t tan. He just burns and turns red like a lobster. Poor thing gets sunburn so easily so it’s jut duty to ensure that I slap on enough sunscreen on him. First time I ever did that was during our first meeting and we went to Langkawi. I didn’t put enough on his back and boy, oh boy….he sure did suffer.

Last but not least, the land where Vegemite originated. To me Vegemite is the equivalent to the Bovril that you can get in Malaysia. I’m not sure if Vegemite can be found in Malaysia or not but it’s almost staple food here. Surprisingly there are Aussies out there who have not tried it before. I tried it a couple of times early in my pregnancy but it’s just not my cup of tea. It is acquired taste really. After all like Bovril which is beef based, Vegemite is vegetable based - both are salty and certainly are acquired taste.

And there you have it - living life in Australia in a nutshell.