Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Emma & Darren's wedding

26 August 2006 - 3:00pm

The sun came out just for Emma and Darren's wedding........


Mr Mannix walks Emma down the aisle


To Darren who was waiting at the alter

The vows are swapped and marriage certificate signed

The Reception @
Belhaven Manor 6:00pm





Entree:
Garlic prawns served with napolitana sauce with sour dough bread
Cannelloni stuffed with spinach & Tasmanian ricotta in a napolitana sauce

Mains:
Chicken breast with prosciutto, sage & sun dried tomatoes complimented with a marialo sauce
Scotch fillet complimented with glazed onions and forest mushrooms
Dessert:
Heart shaped berry ice cream coated with white chocolate served with mixed berries
Sticky date pudding layered with double cream and butterscotch sauce
The bride & groom exits
their BMW awaits outside....

Congrats to the both of you!! awww I'm so happy for you guys!

P.S. Em, pleaseeeeeeee come and work for me in the city!!! my life hasn't been the same without you! you've been my best assistant ever! EVER!! pretty please?

Issac's 1st Birthday

August 26, 4:00pm - 5:30pm

In between Emma's wedding ceremony and reception we manage to drive back to celebrate Jacky's nephew's first birthday.


I can't believe 12 months ago he looked like this!


Left: Issac with mum & dad Right: with me & (uncle) JC

Diaster struck when little Issac tried to take his birthday hat off


ahhh....all better

Happy Birthday!!!

Friday, August 25, 2006

Varekai

Tonight along with Jacky, Sophia and Mum we headed to The Entertainment Quarter to watch Varekai - Cirque Du Soleil. We got there a little early so that we could grab a bite to eat before the show started. To my absolute delight there was a little food fair that had been set up right next to the tent, so we gave The Fox & Lion a miss and went to see what the fair had to offer.

There was the usual chocolate coated strawberries and sugar coated nuts

But I got really excited when I saw this unusual little stand that had a radio pumping out jungle beats - "A Taste of Ethiopia" the sign read.

The smell coming from the store was awesome, you have the option of vegetarian (mixed vegetables or lentils) or meat (i.e chicken) but after having a chat with the store operator he suggested that a little bit of everything was best. So I decided to give it a try.

The bread is folded in a special way with a different item in each layer, this is then topped off with a yellow sauce and finished with a dash of 'home made spicy sauce' and fresh chilli with ginger on the side.
Verdict: The texture of the bread is a little soggy as the sauce seeps right through. However when you reach the filling, the bread combined with the chicken/vegetables and lentils is really nice. If I had to compare it to something, it would be similar to some Indian curries but with less fire. The bread and fresh ginger really makes this dish unique.

I wasn't finished....I hadn't had gozleme since what felt like forever! so I had to buy one to settle my craving. At $8.50 I found the beef, spinach and fetta gozleme to be a little pricy, it also lacked the flavour that usually draws me to this dish.
At 8:00pm we filed into the big tent and took our seats, I was bursting with excitement! The set looked amazing and my seat was smack bang in the middle 7-8 rows from the front. This was my first Cirque Du Soleil experience, in other years I spent money on travel or had to pay for tickets to watch the The Lion King. After such a long wait my expectations were extremely high.

All I can say is wow, wow, wow WOW!! It was a show that managed to evoke every emotion possible. The dance by Varekai at the beginning was absolutely stunning! and was my favourite for the night. He was graceful and skilful and the beautiful music would echo in my head for the rest of the night.

There were these 3 little Chinese boys who were tiny in size and looked no more than 5 years old who could flip, jump and leap high into the air. They were absolutely adorable and totally won my heart! I couldn’t have clapped any harder during their performance.

I can’t even begin to describe this show and I feel a bit duped that I didn’t go to see the other ones. If you have ever thought about going, this show is an experience and worth every cent!

I'm Happy because....

.....I made it to Friday!!!! (when I seriously thought that I was ready to drop dead mid-week).
.....The in-house firm presentation went really well with more people turning up than expected. One down one more to go.
.....I filled a paralegal position in record time
.....I'm getting 1 set of couches delivered on Monday (3 weeks early).
.....I’m going to circus Du Soleil tonight (our seats were upgraded to VIP for free)
.....Tomorrow I’m going to Emma’s wedding.
.....There's only 2 months to go till the madness stops.

And..............................................................on Monday I turn 25!

I was freaking out a little when I realised that I was turning 25, but I think at 24 I’m exactly where I want to be. I’ve finished Uni, bought a car, travelled, bought a house, my relationship has survived 8 years and I have my own private health insurance =P
Bring it on I say!

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

25!

Happy belated birthday Matty!!

That time of the year

So So busy!.... but absolutely loving life.

It's scary to think that I know exactly what I am doing for every single day till the end of October (can’t wait till things calm down a bit) give me a couple of weeks and I should be back to regularly posting.
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To the foodies out there I need some help. I need to throw a party for my 2nd year lawyers coming off the grad program, there will probably be about 60 people attending and I'm looking to do a dinner around the city that includes alcohol, entertainment + lots of fun! Think Cafe pacifico, Encasa or Mythos (dammit I wish I posted about these places, now I don't have pictures!).
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated, money isn't too big of an issue because I've been given a reasonable budget to work with.
Let me know and thanks in advance.
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Also throwing a cocktail party for potential Summer Clerks early October, any recommendations for live Jazz bands?

Monday, August 07, 2006

In case anyone was wondering

The wooden floors have been polished, new carpet has been installed and the painting upstairs has finally all been completed.

Our TV, fridge, washer, dryer, microwave, dining table, small TV cabinet, two desks and a buffet was all delivered on Saturday. Jacky with the help of Jackson & Barbara put together most of the furniture (thanks guys) and things are starting to take shape. My back is killing me and I am no longer able to feel my arms. No matter how much I scrub in the shower I still discover paint on my arms and in my hair.

Still to do…
- Painting along the top and bottom of the walls downstairs i.e. (lounge & Kitchen)
- Painting all the window areas
- 2nd coat of paint in the Kitchen & Lounge areas
- 2nd coat of paint in the laundry
- 2nd coat of paint for the ceilings downstairs
- Sanding the wooden rails of the staircase, then applying varnish and lacquer
- Picking up the downstairs TV cabinet from Auburn and assembling
- Delivery of tall boy and dresser
- Going back to Domayne in Alexandria and getting back $100 because they screwed up our order
- Delivery of bed
- Clean! Clean! Clean!
- Start moving our stuff in.

Still to do (non-house related)…
- I have an absolute backlog of food posts, but I’m not sure if I will be putting those up because it’s been so long that the moment has been lost.
- Work is crazy busy, 800+ resumes to screen for summer clerkships, organising cocktail parties, firm presentations and throwing an end of Grad program party for my 2nd yr lawyers.
- Fly to Melbourne for HR retreat
- Taking Mum to the young Diva’s concert and Cirque du Soleil
- Post up photos from Emma’s hens night
- Emma’s Wedding
- House warming (aiming for late August but at this rate some time in September)
- Some where in between is my birthday

I'm looking forward to..
- My firm subsidised 30 min massage on Wednesday
- The day when I wake up and have nothing planned
- When 'the new place' finally feels like home

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

I wish I could split myself in 2

I am just absolutely exhausted.

I’ve had something on every single night this week, no matter what time I get home I will still spend a couple of hours painting at the new house. In 2 days the new carpet gets put in and in 3 days our furniture starts arriving. I have drinks with all the Grad recruiters tonight and Sarah leaves at 5am tomorrow morning for Israel. Summer Clerk applications close on Friday and my busy period at work commences. I think the next 3 months will be an absolute blur.