It's not over till the fat lady sings
Saturday, February 2, 2008
It was another rainy morning and I had my fingers crossed that things would brighten up. Jac and I had made plans to watch La Boheme in the Domain rain or shine!
I'm glad things cleared up through the day. It was a relatively relaxing day for me as I sat in the Domain reserving a nice spot to watch the Opera. I brought my laptop with me so that I could update my journal. I thought that I would get more done, but I guess a little at a time.
The pre-show was quite entertaining as several members of the crowd got up to sing "Zoom, zoom, zoom," for chances to win a Mazda 3. It's like witnessing 'Australian Idol" live. Some had falsettos and high pitches. It was a sight to see!
I hadn't been to an opera before, especially not one in a park. However, it was surprising to see a lot of families come out to have a good time. The family next to me had donned some crowns and I raised my eyebrow in curiousity.
The man smiled in kind, "It's the Opera! You dress up! You want a tiara."
I smiled back and declined. Was a nice gesture though.
I asked Jac to come by with a synopsis, because I was worried that I wouldn't understand what would be going on. She laughed and said that there would be subtitles to follow along. She was right, but the synopsis helped.
So, "La Boheme" is actually quite entertaining. It has romance, comedy, tragedy, and drama! It's like a musical being sung in a foreign language. I think that I do prefer musicals, because I don't really like not understanding what is being said. The voices were beautiful though. Very talented.
The opera lasted a lot longer than anticipated and Lilian had called to say that she was back in town and I was no where near home! I felt terrible that she was waiting for me outside my apartment. She had actually worried that something had happened to me, since she could hear my phone ringing but no one was answering.
When I finally got home, I apologized profusely. Perhaps, it would have been better for her to have kept the extra key.
We stayed up until about 2am talking about our weeks and decided that Port Stephens was too much of a drive for the next day, so we booked Bridgeclimbs. Or, Lil booked and then I tried to book, but the spaces were completely filled. So, we decided in the morning that I would call to see if they could fit just one more person.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
I got up at 8am the next morning to book the Bridgeclimbs. Lil was trying to conquer her fear of heights by doing the Discovery Climb which involved a lot of in's and out's of the arch. However, there was only room on the Bridgeclimb, which was walking up over the arch instead of the in's and out's. So, I booked the Bridgeclimb.
Then, I went downstairs for a swim. It's such a wake-up call.
Lil was still asleep when Richard called and I woke her up. They are so cute together. I can't wait till I find the One that I'm supposed to be with. It's so amazing that they can say "I love you" so freely and having him call her "you're beautiful." Well, ok, it seemed like more a demand from her part that he say it, but he willingly says it, so it's great.
We got ready to go to Paddy's Market and then to yum cha at Zilver. I invited Andrea and Jaw to come along. I like last minute plans that work out.
Lil and Jaw being equally outspoken got along great. They were like sparring partners and it was really entertaining to watch the match. There was definitely more information that was said than I needed to know.
After yum cha, we headed to Lindt Cafe for some more conversation, then off to the BridgeClimb.
The BridgeClimb was A LOT easier than I thought. The climb is not strenous at all, but it was super expensive. Despite the perpetuating the rain, we enjoyed the views of Sydney at dusk. I commented to Lil how beautiful it was to see spots of rain being caught in the lamp posts as it sprinkled into the dark of the night.
After the Bridgeclimb, Jaw was waiting to come over to hang out in the sauna at my apartment. Lil and I grabbed some takeaway at the nearby Pizza and Kebab cafe. Lil was too tired to come downstairs with Jaw and I, so Jaw and I enjoyed the hot tub together. We talked a bit more about our past and how we got to our careers and whether we were making the right career moves. I admire Jaw for having the courage to become a doctor. Even more so that he wanted to go to third world countries to help others. He seemed really sincere about it.
When we got back to my apartment, Lil was watching a Bollywood movie. More singing and dancing that I didn't understand. So, I had gone to bed.
When we woke up the next morning, it was a near tearful goodbye as Lil waved me off to work. We hugged each other a couple times before I finally left.
Having Lil in Sydney for awhile made me less homesick. It really made me feel like I was back at home just hanging out with friends. I'm definitely looking forward to more visitors.
It was another rainy morning and I had my fingers crossed that things would brighten up. Jac and I had made plans to watch La Boheme in the Domain rain or shine!
I'm glad things cleared up through the day. It was a relatively relaxing day for me as I sat in the Domain reserving a nice spot to watch the Opera. I brought my laptop with me so that I could update my journal. I thought that I would get more done, but I guess a little at a time.
The pre-show was quite entertaining as several members of the crowd got up to sing "Zoom, zoom, zoom," for chances to win a Mazda 3. It's like witnessing 'Australian Idol" live. Some had falsettos and high pitches. It was a sight to see!
I hadn't been to an opera before, especially not one in a park. However, it was surprising to see a lot of families come out to have a good time. The family next to me had donned some crowns and I raised my eyebrow in curiousity.
The man smiled in kind, "It's the Opera! You dress up! You want a tiara."
I smiled back and declined. Was a nice gesture though.
I asked Jac to come by with a synopsis, because I was worried that I wouldn't understand what would be going on. She laughed and said that there would be subtitles to follow along. She was right, but the synopsis helped.
So, "La Boheme" is actually quite entertaining. It has romance, comedy, tragedy, and drama! It's like a musical being sung in a foreign language. I think that I do prefer musicals, because I don't really like not understanding what is being said. The voices were beautiful though. Very talented.
The opera lasted a lot longer than anticipated and Lilian had called to say that she was back in town and I was no where near home! I felt terrible that she was waiting for me outside my apartment. She had actually worried that something had happened to me, since she could hear my phone ringing but no one was answering.
When I finally got home, I apologized profusely. Perhaps, it would have been better for her to have kept the extra key.
We stayed up until about 2am talking about our weeks and decided that Port Stephens was too much of a drive for the next day, so we booked Bridgeclimbs. Or, Lil booked and then I tried to book, but the spaces were completely filled. So, we decided in the morning that I would call to see if they could fit just one more person.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
I got up at 8am the next morning to book the Bridgeclimbs. Lil was trying to conquer her fear of heights by doing the Discovery Climb which involved a lot of in's and out's of the arch. However, there was only room on the Bridgeclimb, which was walking up over the arch instead of the in's and out's. So, I booked the Bridgeclimb.
Then, I went downstairs for a swim. It's such a wake-up call.
Lil was still asleep when Richard called and I woke her up. They are so cute together. I can't wait till I find the One that I'm supposed to be with. It's so amazing that they can say "I love you" so freely and having him call her "you're beautiful." Well, ok, it seemed like more a demand from her part that he say it, but he willingly says it, so it's great.
We got ready to go to Paddy's Market and then to yum cha at Zilver. I invited Andrea and Jaw to come along. I like last minute plans that work out.
Lil and Jaw being equally outspoken got along great. They were like sparring partners and it was really entertaining to watch the match. There was definitely more information that was said than I needed to know.
After yum cha, we headed to Lindt Cafe for some more conversation, then off to the BridgeClimb.
The BridgeClimb was A LOT easier than I thought. The climb is not strenous at all, but it was super expensive. Despite the perpetuating the rain, we enjoyed the views of Sydney at dusk. I commented to Lil how beautiful it was to see spots of rain being caught in the lamp posts as it sprinkled into the dark of the night.
After the Bridgeclimb, Jaw was waiting to come over to hang out in the sauna at my apartment. Lil and I grabbed some takeaway at the nearby Pizza and Kebab cafe. Lil was too tired to come downstairs with Jaw and I, so Jaw and I enjoyed the hot tub together. We talked a bit more about our past and how we got to our careers and whether we were making the right career moves. I admire Jaw for having the courage to become a doctor. Even more so that he wanted to go to third world countries to help others. He seemed really sincere about it.
When we got back to my apartment, Lil was watching a Bollywood movie. More singing and dancing that I didn't understand. So, I had gone to bed.
When we woke up the next morning, it was a near tearful goodbye as Lil waved me off to work. We hugged each other a couple times before I finally left.
Having Lil in Sydney for awhile made me less homesick. It really made me feel like I was back at home just hanging out with friends. I'm definitely looking forward to more visitors.