Goodbye #1

...so last Tuesday night (April 24th), Matt and I threw our big bon voyage party. All I can say is - wow. The turnout was amazing with around 130 people from all the phases in our lives showing up.

THANK YOU to everyone who was there or wished they could've been there and a special thank you if you bought one of us a drink! Everyone made the night very, very special and we appreciate it more than you can imagine.

I didn't take too many pictures of the night 'coz I was caught up in the drinking, dancing and laughter but here are a couple that managed to make it's way on my camera.

DJ Wagyu behind the mixing deck

Some of my high school girls on the dance floor

The packing for the big move has already started with about 35% completed. I started tearing packing our fridge magnets (for crying out loud!). I figure I'm pretty much gonna find a reason to cry every day up until we leave so I'll just used to it now. At this moment I'm pretty much equal parts excited (New York! WOOT!) and deflated (How can I leave behind such awesome family and friends...AND the amazing city of Sydney?).

Still to come...Goodbyes #2 - #10.

Song of the Day: "Escapade" - Janet Jackson

Brought to you by the letter 'L'

...so the letter 'L' is pretty significant in my life for a number of reasons. The End. HAHAHA I just totally cracked myself up then. I guess you have to be here. *looks around awkwardly*

L - is the first letter of my last name.
L - is for loser, which in hindsight I kinda was in high school because I was in the debating team, public speaking team, newspaper committee, year book committee and a school council representative. Lucky for me I hung out with friends who were jocks and musos and they saved me from Loser oblivion.
L - is for liquor, of which my favourite is vodka. I have, however, been known to be partial to rum (both white and brown), Jagermeister and schnapps. The one liquor that is not my friend is tequila.
L - is for Louis Vuitton who make some of my favourite things in the world. Matt and I had matching LV wallets until some cretin stole his from the gym. I hate gym-wallet-stealers!
L - is for lasagna. For the record, Matt and I make the best lasagna EVER. It's one of our signature dishes for Sunday dinner with friends. Other signature dishes include roast chicken, seafood chowder, Malaysian fish curry and pavlova. None of these start with 'L' I know - I'm just bragging.
L - is for Linkin Park. Steve got me into Linkin Park by playing it incessantly when we lived together. I became enough of a fan to watch them in concert in Hong Kong. I dragged two of my friends along who unfortunately thought they were going to see Limp Bizkit.

...and lastly, L is for L-1 visa which is the visa I just obtained in order for Matt and I to move to New York City in 17 days. WOOT!

Song of the Day: "Lucky" - Britney Spears. I have NO idea how that song got into my head this morning but it's stayed in there ever since.

Food Cravings

...so until I get my 8-pack ala Stevie, I'm going to continue enjoying my food. Today I ate: two shortbread biscuits, fried rice, two fried dim sims, spanish meatballs, crispy fried potatoes (no, not fries - they were tapas style), chorizo, potato croquettes and asparagus and fetta stuffed mushrooms.

That got me thinking to what foods here in Australia will I miss the most. In order:

5. Meat pies. No, they're not 'pot pies'! A real meat pie has to be filled with that creamy, meaty gravy and real chunks of questionable beef. I have to say I am impartial to the gourmet pies with cheese in them though. Oh, and also the ones with potato. Not to mention chicken and vegetable pies. Hell I'm gonna miss ALL OF THEM! I LOVE YOU MEAT PIE! *sob*

4. Sausage rolls. Sausage rolls are kind of like pizza - you can never have a bad sausage roll.

3. Donor kebabs. Gyros in Greektown in Chicago just aren't the same. I have my kebabs with barbecue sauce and cheese - preferably after 17 vodkas.

2. Sticky date puddings. Girlie had this for the first time in Sydney and was hooked. It was until then that I realised how great they are. Lucky for me, Matt cooks a mean sticky date pudding (and, for the record, a peerless pavlova).

...and #1 is *drum roll*


1. THE CHIKO ROLL! It's hard to explain this to a non-aussie but it's kind of like a spring roll filled with cabbage and unidentifiable 'vegetables'. Except the casing isn't flaky pastry like a spring roll, but it's kinda...crispy and chewy at the same time. The chiko roll has been experiencing somewhat of a renaissance in my circle of friends thanks to Ed. Also, chiko rolls do not have anything to do with Xerxes the drag queen Persian King from 300. *looks puzzledly at Ed*

Having said that, I'm looking forward to getting decent buffalo wings, mexican food, deep-dish pizza and chicken-fried steak. I'm all about (fatty, calorie-filled) silver linings baby!

Song of the Day: "Pictures" - Sneak Sound System

Going Away Presents

...so people always have difficulty buying me presents. For some reason, they think I already have "everything" (which is what my younger sister tells me all the time before she hands me a gift certificate). That is so NOT true. I don't have a pony, a mobile made out of pipecleaner toys or my very own pirate! But I digress.

In case anyone was wondering what to get myself and/or Matt (but mostly myself) for a going away present, here's a list:

• Gift certificate for Electronics Boutique so we can get more Playstation Portable games. I'm HOOKED on Lumines II (Thanks Chris and Sheils for the tip!). I'm playing it in my sleep and during meetings - which I guess is better than repeating "I don't care I don't care I don't care" to yourself. Hi Maz!
• While we're talking about the PSP, one for me would be great. In black.
• An "I heart SYD" shirt from the men's clothing boutique underneath Fitness First Park Street in the city. It's $85 which I know is steep for a shirt, but just think how good I'd look wearing it overseas.
• A Wallabies jersey or Socceroos jersey - so that when Matt, Steve and I hit up some random Aussie bar to support Australia in whatever random sport, I'll look the part.
• Lunch or Dinner before we leave.
• A USB key. I think I'm the only person in I.T. who doesn't have one.

Here is a list of what not to get us:

• A 5 foot tall statue of the Virgin Mary.

I'll post up the pics from the past few weeks soon - I know I've been lagging behind!

Song of the Day: "Iesha" - Another Bad Creation.