Little Cozy Corner

O yea!! This post a little late but doesn’t really matter, as long as I’m blogging about it, that’s all good. We had a nice dinner out in the town on Monday and decided to try out Hog’s Breath. As disgusting as it sounds, I can’t say the same about what we had.

We took the oppoturnity to make use of a special’s coupon which gave us half price on the second main meal which was great. Between us, we only paid about AU45 which included a beer and a lemon lime bitters for me.

Needless to say that one of the main reasons why we had dinner here was because I had been bugging Ted to let me try ribs. The last time I ever had them was in 2002 and it was in Holland with my aunt, and the name of the restaurant was Apple Bee’s. See, can still remember the name after so long! So I guess he finally caved in. But it was a tough decision for me….I had to choose between these 2 :

Haiyolar, so difficult la!! But in the end, I chose a full rack of ribs since we can easily get steak anywhere.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal as it was lip smackingly delish!! The meal was literally falling off the bone, very tender!

Ted had a burger as he normally does as I guess he isn’t a pig like me! *lol* Aren’t those Hog’s Tail fries so cute???

There was a lot of decor around the place but this one caught my eye and I made sure I took a pix of it although I’m sure the family which was sitting just beneath it thought I took a pix of them instead! *Stupid flash!*

The staff were nice too. One of the waitresses immediately took a liking to Arianna and gae her a balloon which was nice of her since that balloon really kept the cheeky busy.

Pity Arianna is not yet at the age where she can actually finish a meal or we would have gotten hers for free! It was free meals for kids that night too.

Right after the meal and on our way back, it occurred to me that I wasn’t at all that full. The last time we went to Hog’s Breath was a couple of years ago when we took a trip to Surfer’s Paradise. And I remember quitely clearly that I couldn’t finish my steak at all and I was literally stuffing my face to the brim and I was just so full, I felt sick and I wouldn’t have been surprised it I had exploded there! As for Ted, he was practically staggering out of the restaurant!!!

But today, there’s only 2 reasons why I found myself content : -

1. The portions have been made smaller
2. I’ve grown accustomed to Aussie portion or mat salleh size meals

If it is the second reason then that’s not good at all and it also makes sense now that I realise the amout I was eating when I went back for a visit a few months ago. The first morning we had brekkie there I had 2 roti canai, a nasi lemak and teh tarik gelas besar. And still I had room for something else which I didn’t take la coz I thought that really made me look like a pig! *lol*

Tis a very scary thought indeed…..

Yay! Now I can officially say that I *was* there at WYD 2008. Although I missed catching a glimpse at the Pope, at least I attended one event. So, yes, I’m glad that we make it through in one piece. Suffice to say that the crowd was overwhelming. I never thought that the option of answering God’s call was that many!! So many booths of various religious orders were there and it was simply mind blowing. I definitely managed to get some postcards and a couple of keychains too. I wish there was more there but obviously the souvenir shop was not located at this area. I have no idea where the shop is located because I never found out so that’s my bad and my loss. But I think I can get these souvenirs post-WYD though - it’s just too massive to be cleared out right after such a huge event.

Anyway, I’m also glad to say that Arianna did very well in that massive crowd. A lot better than I expected although we had her up way pass her bedtime. Poor thing was a mess by the time we started for home. She was quite an attraction as well, getting poked and prodded by total strangers who obviously mean well. We even had a chance to meet up with the priest to baptised Arianna, Fr. Dom from the Dominican Brothers. He is the Vocations Director. Ok, I think that’s enough talk for now. Enjoy the few pix that I took - I went to WYD 2008!!! *lol*

The main entrance to the expo

Lots & lots & LOTS of people!

Banners everywhere - love the colors!

A live band singing some divine music while people enjoyed they coffee at the  vocation.com Coffee House.

An aerial [sort of] view from the 3rd floor. Who would have thought that that were that many options to choose from?!?! Check out the number of booths there! UNBELIEVABLE.

God is calling - can you hear Him?

We didn’t spend a lot of time there which was fine by me since the crowd suddenly became so huge with a rush of pilgrims rushing in as we were leaving. I guess many just wanted to be out of the cold. I can’t imagine what the pilgrims from the Carribbean are going through! SO kesian….

And I’m missing out on it!!

If you didn’t know, the Pope is in town and if I’m not mistaken, he is currently riding in his Popemobile around Sydney this very moment and I’m at home, blogging about it. I wished we could have been there to sneak a peek at the Pope but due to Ted’s work schedule, we had to give it a miss. I know it’s a bugger but it’s just one of those things which can’t be helped. I am a little disappointed but at least I can look forward to going to another event tomorrow instead.

We will be attending the Vocation Expo down at Darling Harbour. We won’t be able to see the Pope but at least we will be able to experience what it’s like to be amongst throngs of pilgrims from around the world, and also, it is a HUGE event none the less. A bit about the Vocation Expo :

The Vocations Expo is a celebration of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and explores our call to holiness in the states of marriage, priesthood, religious and consecrated life and various lay vocations through the exhibition and witness of Vocations Expo participants.

This exciting element of WYD08 is a key feature of the Youth Festival program which is a vibrant aspect of WYDs that provides opportunities for pilgrims and the general public to participate in events that bring about a sharing of culture and faith in Christ.

I am kind of excited about this but at the same time stressing out about how Arianna is going to take this. It’s going to a massive event and with so many people around, we are just planning to strap her on instead of taking the pram. That would be even worst I think. We haven’t even thought about how we’re going to get there seeing that for most of the time the CBD is a no vehicle zone during this period so we might be taking some sort of public transport. I’m also looking forward to getting some sourvenirs as well. Most likely they are going to be postcards and fridge magnets if any. Anyway, will certainly be taking loads of pic so hopefully it turns out well!

Wish us luck!!

On our way home from MIL’s on Sunday, we took the scenic route home through Parramatta Park. I had not been here in a long time so it was a pleasant visit. I was shocked as we got out the car to find all these cockies ‘waiting’ for us!

Dozens of cockies all over the place!! I’m not sure what is it but I think it must be some sort of mating season now. These birds were so noisy too!!

Further down is Parramatta River and just across it was a huge nesting grounds for the bats. It was quite a sight and it was the first time I ever saw that many bats in one place, out in the open like that. It was times like that that I wished I had a more powderful camera as it would have definitely made a difference in some of the shots that we took.

Ted took this shot although I tried to myself, no bats wanted to fly by!!

Here’s a closer look at the nesting bats - all asleep during the day as it was about 2.30pm when we took this shot.

A step back and this is what they look like.

A little further and you’d think that this was just outside Batman’s lair!

It was really cold out that day so to have a nice bundle to hold on to was SUCH a blessing!