Little Cozy Corner

I love to bathe. The feeling and smell of a fresh, clean, soaped body really turns me on hence, if I could bathe 10 times a day, I would because it really makes me feel good. I love how the streams of water jet down and massage my shoulders and run down my body, cleases me and washes away the days grime and grit.

*Like so story storybook style eh?*

Anyway, my point is, at any given time, I would definitely choose a shower over a soak in the bath. A hot shower that is, cold showers are reserved for hot, humid days which there aren’t many of these days. I’m not sure why a lot of people make a big deal about having a soak in the bath because to me, what’s so great about wallowing and soaking yourself in your own filth??? Some even soak in the bath for hours on end - yuck!!!

That said, I will admit that the ‘thought’ of soaking oneself in a tub of steam, hot water laced with fragrant oil certainly sounds very good but it still, cannot la!!! I would still turn to hot jets of water down my achy joints. As a matter of fact, since we moved in, I have not used the bathtub yet. Even in the hotels, I hardly ever use the tub, in fact, I think I spend more time in the swimming pool than in the tub!

On the opposite pole is Ted who LOVES his baths and if he could have a soak 3 times a day everyday, he would! But we are not wasteful people seeing that water IS liquid gold no matter where you live, but more so in Australia at the moment. Water conservation is a big issue and everyone should save water where and when we can, hence, soaking in the bath is a luxury. I normally offer to run him a bath because he comes home late sometimes and a hot bath does help him unwind PLUS, my man deserves it.

So are you a soaker or a shower person?  

As a Catholic, seeing the Pope in flesh will be the height of my spiritual life. To be able to see the Holy Father up close is as good as it gets as chances of us making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is currently out of our reach. World Youth Day 2008 is to be celebrated in Sydney this year and there is a lot of hype going on and in preparation, and in anticipation of His Holiness’ arrival.

World Youth Day was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1984. And the largest crowd ever gathered for this event was in Rome in 2000 where approximately 2 million people gathered together. For the event in Sydney, they expect about 500, 000 to turn up and fingers crossed, we will amongst the throngs of people as well. The last time the Pope stepped foot in Sydney was in 1995.

Pope John Paul II visited Sydney in 1995 to beatify the Venerable Mother Mary of the Cross, MacKillop (1842-1909). And I believe Ted didn’t miss this chance to catch a glimpse of the Pope. In fact, he even has the paper cutting of this visit plastered on Arianna cupboard, it was his back then. I don’t really know what to expect but I can imagine what it’s going to be like.

An upside down standing ovation for the organisers as I personally think that it’s passed the point of balding to be part of this huge event. I can’t even imagine what these people are going through, the stress and pressure must be just beyond words! As for me, I’m just wondering how the heck are we going to get there, lugging Arianna along. Everyone has been strongly encouraged to take the public transport which will be the main mode of getting to and from the site. Randwick is going to burst with the number of people who will be coming for this. Aiyo….I’m already tension thinking of this now and the Pope is only coming in July!!!

Anyhow, I really am looking forward to this mega huge event because as I said, this maybe the only chance for me to catch the Pope in action and how often do you get the chance to check out the Popemobile???

Picture from Beliefnet - ain’t it one of a kind?

Today, Australia celebrates Remembrance Day which is the day that is specifically set aside to remember those who had sacrificed their lives for Australia in the wars and conflicts.

At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years continuous warfare. The allied armies had driven the German invaders back, having inflicted heavy defeats upon them over the preceding four months. In November the Germans called for an armistice (suspension of fighting) in order to secure a peace settlement. They accepted the allied terms of unconditional surrender. - Remembrance Day Tradition

I remember quite clearly when Ted and I used to frequent the RSL [Returned and Services League] where most of the members are ex-servicemen and such, and if memory serves me right, everyday at 6pm, a moment of silence is given to the fallen. I thought it was really a great way of remembering those who had sacrificed for the country, ‘lest we forget’.

Today, in conjunction with Remembrance Day, poppies are being sold to help these ex-servicemen and of course, they are worn in honour of the dead.

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.

So what’s life like with Bush in town for APEC? Only one word comes to mind - headache!! [Pengsan is the other.]

Sydney is currently plagued with heavily armed police officers and really obscene security fences placed for security purposes in the CBD. It’s so ugly that the police are now forcing tourist to delete any photos taken of the fence. Haiyola….is that even possible?? Of course not! I personally would make the effort to take a picture of the fence to remind me of the obscenity the government put Sydney through mainly because of George Bush. Him and his security issues…bah!

Needless to say with all that tight security everywhere in the CBD, crazy traffic and delays are happening in all directions. It’s times like these that I am thankful that I need not go into the city on a daily basis for work!

If you’re wondering how it was like when Bush arrived in Sydney, lemme tell ya….he arrived on Wednesday, 5/9/2007 [if I'm not mistaken] at about 10pm after a surprised visit to Iraq on the way here. Along with him, he brought an entourage of at least 250 security personnel, three 747 planes and three jumbo planes which contained his fleet of cars. The next day as he made his way to a meeting with Oz’s PM, John Howard, there was a fleet of 36 cars and vans, as well as 25 motors to escort him to the meeting which was merely 100m away from his hotel. The stretch of vehicles was longer than the distance to the meeting place. And after the meeting, Bush decided to walk back to the hotel which spurred multiple snipers stationed on rooftops.

Later that day, Howard and Bush had lunch on a cruise down Sydney Harbour and I need not tell you the number of escort boats that sped along side as well as helicopters filled with armed personnel circling the airspace. And to chill out, Bush decided to go biking in the evening and well, helicopters were again noted with more security cars following behind him on the road. It’s just crazy!!

To add to the frenzy, there were protesters who are against APEC everywhere which makes security even tighter. So far I think it’s been a peaceful protest but who knows what will happen since some of the protesters have been charged in court. And today, 11 people from The Chaser managed to make their way through 2 security checks by posing as the Canadian entourage and one even dressed up as Osama but it wasn’t long before the police caught on to them. Last I heard they have been booked and charged. I think they got 6 month of jailtime. They were barely a few meters away from Bush’s hotel!! Good on them, I say….lol

With all this hoo-haa, I was just thinking what it must be like to be Bush. On one hand, you’ve got practically the whole world looking out for you [they are paid to do so] but on the other hand, you must feel so insecure to go anywhere on your own. I think it would drive me nuts to live such a ’sheltered’ life and be so afraid of getting assasinated coz I bet there are just so many people out there  who are just waiting to gun him down. That, is just my humble opinon la…still, I don’t think I’m really that far off, right?

Ps. When China’s President Hu arrived from Perth the same day, I have to add that it was very low key with just a bunch of supporters at the airport to greet him - what a vast difference!! Seeing is believing….

Pps. Did I mention that security body checks were being done on all persons as well as thorough vehicles inspections on all that pass through certain security check points? It’s just simply crazy la….

Can’t wait till the climax of APEC which is the dinner tonight when they unveil the Oz APEC uniform - it is said to be truly Aussie….I have a strange feeling that it might be that khaki suit that Steve Irwin is always in!

I know many of you have been reading about the floods in NSW. But I just wanted to put you all at ease and announce that Ted and I have not been affected at all. The areas affected are more towards the Hunter Valley region but the flood threats have been subsiding so that’s a good thing.

Although I have an aunty staying out there, I was pleased to hear that she and her family are on the right side of town so they too, weren’t affected although the rain’s been quite a pain. Funny how we’ve been praying for rain so much and then we actually get it but in such abundance that it’s caused a flood! ‘Feast or famine’ as my MIL loves to say.

Today has been the coldest since I arrived. Funnily, it’s colder IN my house than outside….no thanks to the fact that we have yet to purchase a heater which I really need if I intend to feel my fingers again. I guess this is a good reason to get out of the house and take a walk to the supermarket and take in some sun. Although it’s butt freezing here, the sun is shining….this is just so bizarre lar.

Anyway, I best get going before I have to send my Sis back as an ice block - her fingers are already frozen!!! Poor little vegemite….