Into My Snow Globe

2 Weeks Preggers in Sydney and still blissfully unaware So by my count, I was 5 weeks when I found out and the online calculators estimate my due date to be the 16th of July. Although they do say that your first child can usually be up to two weeks late, I am sticking with the 16th of July. Number one rule after finding out you're pregnant? Don't tell anyone until after you've passed your 12 week mark. Did I follow it? Not exactly...

Once to know, and Twice for Good Measure After years and years of being pushed and prodded, PIC and I have finally entered the very adult waters of planning a family. I've always said I'd want to have one before I turned 35, and I guess anywhere between 32 & 33 would be a good place to have the little bugga. 

Revisiting the Opera House If you like Australia but can't quite imagine yourself working there - then living in NZ is your next best bet since it still makes that country sooooo accessible. That's exactly how PIC and I feel about our Aussie neighbours. Love the big cities, the culture, the availability of so much choice and just the overall buzz of it. Somehow though, having dealt with a few Aussies in NZ, we tend to prefer the Kiwi work space a bit more. Hence the lack of motivation to move. What we do have in OZ though are tons of friends. 

Our Work Crew Back in July, my work mates decided it would be fun to get a crew of us together for a bit of a laugh and do something more exciting than the usual after work drinks across the road. Who knew they had mud, mud, and more mud in mind??

Another attempt at baking! Every once in a while, the home maker gene kicks in and this is what happens...

Mama and Fatman arrive in NZ Unbeknownst to her, I call my mom "China" when I speak of her. No, its not because of that lady wrestler from long ago -- its actually an odd reference to a porcelein doll. Why? I can't even remember now, but I drum up this memory as my mom and "Fatman"(cue the 70s Batman theme) head to NZ for a six week visit and their first Western adventure.

I'm sure this guy didn't think it was all fun either Hello folks, apologies for the long hiatus. Sometimes, it really isn't just all fun and games. The last couple of months have been ridiculously busy both at work and at home.  At work, we're going through this major transition that almost pushed me to the edge of quitting but lo and behold - glutton for punishment that I am, I remain steady in my day job. Then there's home life. We were informed almost two months back that our landlords are flying back to the country and want their house back. Which means we have to skedaddle and find another place to rent. Talk about inconsiderate! LOL. Anyway, crisis averted and we've since moved to another rental. This time we made sure the landlord was well and truly away with no plans of coming back to haunt us. As if these weren't enough to set any sane person running for the hills, I also decided to start processing my mom and brother's visa a...

Sydney Opera House Mid 2011 two of our good friends, another couple from our Ireland days, moved to Brisbane. Now that we're practically neighbours again, we thought it would be a good idea to catch up some time. K (the lady half of the pair) suggested we meet up in Sydney instead of Brisbane for two reasons -- 1. There's not that much to do in Brisbane, and 2. So I can knock that off my ailing 2011 bucket list -- perfect!

I've been too stressed with work lately to bother with much so I thought a nice fluff piece courtesy of PIC will keep me on my blogging track and hopefully bring us all a bit of a smile.  Today's demonstration is conducted by PIC! Here's a sample of what we like to do on weekends...

Smiling from the Grand Canyon In the year that was, I started this blog with the very noble intention of churning out at least one blog post a week. I ended up with 46 out of a potential 52. So apart from my 88% success rate on blogging, here's how I did on my 2011 To Do List: I said I'd run a half marathon, but missed out on the sign up deadline. I blame my unwilling subconscious on that oversight but in my defense, I did run a 10k this year. For now, that ought to suffice. I did not get to learn tennis but I did get to learn squash and even managed to make a Tuesday habit out of it. That has sadly gone to the wayside now but let's hope that picks up again soon. Otherwise purchasing his and hers racquets for myself and PIC would become a total waste. I did learn to surf this year. I was out on the water twice and even managed to stand up on my own a few times. I might want to learn how to swim better though before I attempt to do any more surfing. Get cooking ...

Our flight arrived early and we got to the hotel in our little rental car by 11:30am but were informed that check in isnt till 3pm. So what did we do to kill time? Drove 80 odd kms for an hour to reach the closest outlet mall. We didnt get back to the hotel till 8pm but I must admit our haul was pretty impressive. While this day has been a deviation from my immaculately planned IT -- I say, let the games begin!