Cheers, Jeers, and Beers

Last month Simon and I caught a rugby game....the best rugby game ever!!! It was the first 'footy' game I went to since I was back in Brisbane. It was the Brisbane Broncos vs. Newcastle Knights. Boy, was it a great game.

First of all, the score was very impressive: 71-6 in favour of the Broncos!! We cheered our lungs out! Second of all, we were sitting in a section that was directly adjacent to the section allocated for the away team's fans. So we had so much fun jeering and trash-talking them, as they did us I assume. Third of all, I had many Calippo's, which are these frozen treats that guarantee to hit the spot on a hot day.

I just took this picture because the kid in the back was so cute. He was really into the game.

Here are little guys playing their own game of footy during halftime. Instead of having Timbit hockey, they have TimTam rugby!

Darren Lockyer. Captain of the team. Playmaker of the Year. Possessor of my heart. Bad news though, he is out for the season because he realized that he cannot live without me and must train for the next few months to get fit for the ultimate battle against Simon for my heart. Or it could just be a severe leg fracture. Plus, I doubt that Darren would have to train to beat Simon.

This weekend, Simon and I will be taking Val to her first Australian NRL game. Should be a good one because the Broncos are taking on the second best team at the moment. She better bring her game-face.

Jess

Homeward Bound

So now that you've seen my humble abode, I'm ready to get back to what I do best: eat. And while I'm eating, I'll update my blog. Once again, I may not be able to update this as frequently as I want because.......my sister is here!!!!! Huzzah!!! So the Tam sisters will be busy travelling around Australia and getting into our usual Tam shinanigans. Oh, and Simon can tag along if he wants.

A few weeks ago, Simon and I ventured into a city called Toowoomba to visit his parents. We visited them last year while I was 'studying' in Brisbane and it's a really cute place.

Their house is very traditional and has a very homey feel. We spent most of the day outside basking in the glorious Australian sun and playing with their dog, Charlie. If ever a dog was in need of Ritalin, this would be him. Man, Charlie can run circles around you! It was like one of those horror movies where the villain is chasing you at one moment and then is miraculously in front of you, thanks to some movie-magic. A bit unsettling. But Charlie is still cute as a button, so he doesn't scare me. It's adorable how Charlie follows Simon around everywhere. Everywhere. Even to the washroom. Simon had to close the door gingerly so as to ensure that the little furball didn't get caught in the door. And when Simon had to get something from the car, Charlie thought he was leaving and started to bark and whimper. Poor little guy.

Here are just a few pics of their lovely backyard and Charlie, the furball de jour.

Cute little furball.

Jess

Finally Back Online

Hi folks! I haven't been able to post any blogs lately because as most of you already know, I just moved house. Thus, I was not able to access the internet for quite a while. But fret no more, I am up and running now (figuratively of course because we all know I'm one lazy girl and will not run unless there's a really good reason to do so).

I have a lot to catch up on, but I'm going to put those stories on the back burner and take this opportunity to post pics of the new house. It's still a work in progress, but Simon and I are delighted to have found our little niche. It's a cute little place. I believe I scared the bejeebees out of Simon right when we moved in because I channeled my inner Martha Stewart and drew up blueprints of the house with different colour schemes and motifs for each room. By moving house, we had inadvertantly created a monster: mini-Martha. To Simon's relief, we couldn't actually paint the walls because we're renting and the owner probably would not have appreciated my neon pink-inspired room idea.

Without further ado, here's our new home:

This is the front

This is the little rock garden beside the driveway (I'm going to get a rake and transform it into those Japanese rock gardens with those flowing designs...or get Simon to build a tiny pool for us to stand in)

This is the master bedroom

This is the washroom with rubber duck in place

Shower and door leading into the master bedroom (and the rubber duck)

This is the guest bedroom (yes, that's right, a guest bedroom; that's reason enough for you guys to come and visit! Free accomodation!)

This is the computer room

Living room (Simon went a little mad and decided to purchase a new TV. Can't really complain though...)

Dining room

The house has an open-concept setup; the kitchen and the main living areas are all connected

View from the kitchen

Our backyard (which is in dire need of a good fix-me-up; the drought in Brisbane has really put a damper on growing lush green grass, but Simon and I just planted a few herbs and flowers in a small plot of soil, so our fingers are crossed)

Finally, we just went to the Southbank markets and found a little bonsai tree for our coffee table. It's cute as a button.

There you have it. Casa del Tambert. Hope you guys like it.

Jess

Sweet (& Sour) Irony

Just a miscellaneous post. Simon and I take turns making dinner for each other. One night, Simon made a delicious Chinese beef stir-fry with perfect, fluffy rice.




On another night, we decide to have rice again. I am in charge this time. So, as any self-preserving, patriotic person of Chinese descent would do, I buy Uncle Ben's style rice. It's microwaveable! I, however, decided against microwaving and opted for good ol' fashion boiling. I ended up burning the rice to a crisp (Did I miss the memo? You're supposed to stir the rice?).

So, it appears that Simon, the non-Asian one in the relationship, is actually the sole Asian in the relationship. My Mum and Dad should be very proud.....or should probably disown me.

Keeping it real.

Jess

P.S. In my defence, I grew up with a rice cooker. No need for all of this stirring nonsense.

Home Run

So here are just a few pictures of Simon's neighbourhood.

These flowers are always in full bloom above Simon's driveway.

This cat is always on the driveway when I head out. I guess she's like a guard cat, only she purrs calmly when you walk by, a far cry from the threatening, wet-your-pants barks of a guard dog. I guess that's her style. Sly.

This is my favourite house on the street.

However, this will not be our neighbourhood for much longer because we have found a new house! It happened just a few days ago. However, I'll save the details of our arduous house hunting until I get caught up on posts. But I am extremely excited to have finally found a little place to call our own. Now all we need is a brand new Aston Martin to park in our driveway. I am gladly accepting donations now.

Keeping it real.

Jess

Ain't No Mountain High Enough Baby

Okay, so my last post claimed that I was going to start blogging immediately. That wasn't necessarily a lie, just a temporal misjudgment. To be honest, it's been a bit hectic here for the past few weeks and I haven't really had a chance to give quality time to Mr. Blog. Things have been rolling over here. A rolling stone gathers no moss, right? Well then, I'm moss-free at the moment. I have much to update you guys on, but I guess I have to go in order, don't I?

I'll blog about what happened after I landed here and we'll go from there.

A few days after I landed in Brisbane, Simon and I decided to take a little walk (or hike) down memory lane. On our first date, Simon took me up to Mount Cootha, which is this mountain in the middle of the suburbs that offers fantastic views of the Brisbane skyline. We decided that it would be fitting to go back there on our first date since I arrived in Brisbane.

Simon filling up on gas, which by the way, is extremely expensive here. About $1.30/litre!

We decided to take a little hike through the trails that are offered in and around Mount Cootha. We walked a fair bit until we hit a sign that stated there was about 1 km left before we could reach the end. It wouldn't have taken us too long to finish the trail, but it was getting dark. Plus, we were lazy and wanted ice cream.

It was very nice taking a little hike up there. It reminded me of just how naturally pleasing and beautifully preserved Australia can be....and how it is still home to many creepy crawly creatures. Yes, that's the technical term.

Keeping it real.

Jess

Back in Business...again

Wow.

It's been a long time hasn't it? Well, what has happened since my last post... (in a nutshell)

1. I left Australia and moved back to Toronto
2. I begrudingly started my final year of hell at the University of Toronto
3. A special someone came to Canada for Christmas
4. I saw a cute squirrel
5. I had a lovely dinner at an Italian restaurant called Modo
6. I learned how to moonwalk
7. I screamed "Good Riddance!" to UofT after my last exam as an undergrad and moonwalked my way out the door
8. I saw Snakes On A Plane
9. I packed up my life into two suitcases, one carry-on backpack, one purse, all of the pockets in my pants, and any other nook and cranny I could find and hopped on a plane back to Australia.
10. And finally, I'm starting to blog again!

My blog will probably be less writing-intensive nowadays and more photo-intensive seeing how I won't be doing as much touristy stuff anymore. It'll just be a site where you guys can see what's going on Down Under and what new and exciting things I'm seeing/eating/doing/creating/killing/poking/inventing/drinking/uncovering.

As most of you already know, I moved over here for a particular reason. He's a dark and handsome fella. His name is Tim. Tim Tam. He is this scrumptious chocolate cookie wafer with delectably creamy filling enveloped in a smooth blanket of chocolate. He is why I am back in Australia. Him, sunshine, beaches, friendly people, the laidback attitude, rugby, the accent...that's about it. I can't think of any other reason why I'm back.

Oh, maybe Simon. But only maybe.

My plan is to just relax for a while before I really get into the nitty-gritty, like looking for a job, finding a new place, and paying bills! I'll start taking on big-people responsibilities in a few weeks. Or if I have my way and money starts growing on trees, in a few months! In the meantime, I'll go swimming.

Anyway, I'm glad to be back doing what I love: writing about things that make you laugh, things that make you go "huh?", things that make you go "yum", things that make you go "wow", and things that just make up what life is really about. I hope you enjoy the blog this time around. I like to think of it as a means to make the world a smaller place by allowing us to stay in touch and leave comments for each other. Sound like a plan?

Alright, let the blogging begin!

Over and out.

Jess

P.S. That photo might not look like it has any relevance to this post. Oh, but it does. Doesn't that kid (me when I was younger and cuter) look like she's ready for anything? She's got her diaper securely in place, her bib tightly fastened, and a popsicle in hand. Looks like she can take on the world. As am I now.