the things I will do to see a naked man.....

Its been a while since ive blogged, and i had a great trip to bangkok and caught up with the Hong Kong gals and had a great time. There is photographic evidence, and one of these days I will upload them. sometime...

I bought a bike (what else is there to do in canberra?) and today rode to work for the first time. I left pretty early as i wasnt sure how long it would take and where the shower was and all that stuff. So I got to work after riding my bike for 25 mins and pushing it up 2 hills. I locked my bike in the bike shed, and headed off to the showers. It was about 7:30, and no one else was around. I wandered through the 2 security doors, and found the lockers and showers. I took my time showering (it is a better shower than my one at home!) and then got dressed and headed up to the office and got to work.

I had a very slow uneventful day at work, and then was ready to ride back home, with the last of the daylight. I went back downstairs to head to the shower/change room. I went through the 2 security doors and was about to walk into the locker room, when i realised the one i went to this morning was the blokes one. I walked in to the girls one this afternoon and yep, it definately wasnt the one i went to this morning. So I showered in the mens changeroom. And nope unfortunately (or thankfully) i didnt run into anyone in the shower.

Other notable thingies:

*I signed up for volunteer work, and found one i wanted, and they told me they didnt need anyone for the next few months and they would call me when they do. They don't want me! So need to find a different one - and you know how picky i am.

* I'm thinking of signing up to a night class to do something during the week. and I was thinking english grammar. Cause let's be honest, i know shit all about grammar - and it will come in handy with all the documents i seem to be writing lately. (and yes i cant be bothered with caps atm)

* I might be in sydney this weekend to be fed a pesach (passover) feast, and b/c im sick of being alone in canberra.

Wish me luck for the ride tomorrow!

Happy St Paddy's from Bangkok

so its St Patricks day, which is also Will's birthday and I am in Bangkok watching the american verion of "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?". It is less offensive than the aussie version, ie. im still watching it. Im not sure why. Is it because the american host is less offensive than Rove? Or is it because its more fun to watch stupid idiot yanks than aussies? No offense katie, or jen or amy ;)
Maybe no one reads this and im safe ;)

Ive had a lovely week in Bangkok. My manager was in town with me last week, and we had a great time. of course she has now resigned. What is it with me and my managers resigning? its not fair. I continually find one i like and then they leave! oh well. if they keep sending me business class to fun places i may stick for a while...
By the way - are you smarter than a 5th grader - has a topic called Earth Sciences - the question was about american politics. Does this make sense?

So 2 more days of work, then im on holidays. I have organised a cooking course for thursday - cant wait! and Mandy and Sarah arrive thurs night, and shaz and amy arrive saturday. Going to be a very fun weekend. And then I return to Canberra for my boring life ;)

Oh and I dragged myself to an irish pub for st paddys, and had an overpriced beer and listed to amusing irish music an watched a very funny dorky thai fiddler.

Happy St Paddys to All, and Birthday to Will!

Qantas Club is the most happening place in Canberra!

I think this is because its Friday night. But I walk into the Qantas club and the place is buzzing! Almost no seats available and everyone in groups, drinking and chatting. Its like being in a bar. Except a cool bar that isnt in Canberra. So this is where everyone goes . (out of town). About half an hour later the next sydney flight is called and all the party animals split. Oh well I have my Heineken (which I had to spell by reading the bottle) my sausage rolls and my spinach and ricotta triangles. No more, as Im having dinner with the parents when I get back to Sydney.

So Im off to Sydney tonight then tomorrow night off to Bangkok. Finally getting excited. Maybe because im feeling slightly prepared - or more likely as I found out im flying business class. I cant wait! Its been a while since ive enjoyed business class on a flight that lasts more than 4 hours. Oh if anyone has any BAngkok recommendations let me know!

What else? Had a fun drunken housewarming - photos to come. Been working too hard this week. Found a tiny red back spider in my bed (very traumatic!) and now leaving Canberra yet again. Dont think I'll be in canberra for a wkend until mid april. Oh Well.

OK gotta go find the plane - may report from BAngkok (or sydney) ;)

Either I am getting better at building beds, or IKEA beds are very difficult!

When I first arrived in Hong Kong, and knew no one I bought myself a bed from IKEA. At this point I did not know they offer to assemble for an extra charge, so I set to build the bed myself. It took many painful days, and probably would not have been completed if not for Ben's phone call say "aren't you using an electric screwdriver?" and me going out to buy one.
So in the end I had a very shaky bed, and only then because Kevin arrived from Oz on the final day and help correct my mess.

So now it is 2 years later, (almost), and I arrived in Canberra - and this time I checked - no they don't offer the assembly package. Bugger. My flatmate and i managed to somehow squeeze the bed frame boxes into her old (well not new) sedan. I slowly set to put the bed together once again myself - still being without friends.

First up this dodgy cheap better didn't need a screwdriver - just 2 different allen keys. Its a lovely metal (and some wood) construction. And it was pretty easy. Really!

Who thinks this is because I have improved in the trade of bed building????

Wednesday the bedframe was finished - but no mattress yet so I put my blow up mattress on the bedframe. It was a little scary but I survived. Thursday my mattress arrived, so i have now had 2 nights on a real bed. Its been good, and I really thought that a real bed will erase the pain of the floor - but I think I still need a massage before I'm going to forget about the last 3 weeks!

I'm kinda enjoying the bed for other reasons. Its a great place to throw things on when I cant be bothered hanging them up, and don't want to throw them on the floor. Its great to kick things under, and due to my lack of other furniture its a great desk substitute. As exhibited now while updating my blog on the bed.

Alright as my be obvious by now, I am updating my blog to avoid tidying my room. I have to go and make my place ready for guests who will be arriving sometime this avo. Glad they're coming from Sydney (and Melb) - I may not be excited for the party, but I am excited to see my friends.

Oh and I made Choc Fridge Cake last night - and it tastes a little weird. (from licking the bowel). At first I thought it was because I used bundy rum instead of white rum - but I actually think it it because I used dodgy Aldi Chocolate. I was reading the packet - and i think it may have soy milk in it!!

Don't worry will only serve the cake once everyone's sloshed!

Why do I do this to myself?

Another year, another city, another bunch of strangers.
For those who haven't heard I have taken a job in Canberra.
Canberra is the capital of Australia, chosen because Sydney and Melbourne were fighting over it, so they stuck it in the middle of nowhere. Now Canberra is obviously not in the middle of nowhere - it is now a planned city - in fact Australia's largest inland city. Wooped de doo - basically that means the beach is 2.5 hrs away. I have just had my first weekend in Canberra and found a few things:
* Canberra is every bit as expensive as Sydney, and possibly more
* Buses can not be depended on at any time, but especially not on weekends
* Without a car, you are stuck (the exception to this may be a bike, but will let you know if that works for me)
* Strangers dont come up to me and beg for my friendship (OK not that this happened anywhere I have moved to but I live in hope)
* Everyone here works for the government or goes to university
* Everyone is in pairs - rather remenicient of Noahs ark
* There seems to be a shortage of things open after 5pm in Canberra (or 4 on a sunday)
* Friday night is their late night shopping (need I say more).

I have been living in Canberra for a couple of weeks but was out of the city the last two weekends. This weekend I managed to buy a bed, (not yet delivered) and spend masses of time alone - yet again. Once again I am reminded of how much I hate my own company. If nothing else it is good motivation to find friends.
The air is cleaner then Hong Kong. I am sitting on the balcony, in the evening sun eating turkish bread and hummus (dont think possible to get in HK) drinking some NZ white, and watching the little spider spin its web around my laptop. Yep nature - gotta love it. ( dOnt worry folks- i havent changed, that spider is no longer).

So im not sure if this blog will continue, but if you do stumble across it feel free to leave a comment. Oh and Im having a fight with my internet provider, so may be without internet very soon.

Next saturday is my housewarming. My flatmate is having at least 30 people, i am hoping for 5. Thankfully a few friends are coming from sydney so I dont feel so pathetic. Being friendless sux.
Oh bugger just got a mosquito bite. Damn nature.

SELFISH Nat

I have been too busy to post.
I have been too self involved to post.
Mostly I have been too drunk to post!

Oh well the world goes on, with or without my posts.
Minus miss Ebby, I don't think any1 missed my blog. (Of course for part of that time my mum was in town, so that would explain her lack of complaint).

It has been a long long time since I last update and too much has happened that I am far too lazy to write about. Perhaps some point soon I will update the photos at least.

Short highlights -
* I completed 1 year in HK, and had a great night out to celebrate! (any excuse for a night out!)
* HK Rugby 7's - AMAZING! Lots of fun, Lots of hot boys, and I even like Rugby when its in 7 minute tasters
* Little Sis Visits - Boz came to town and it was amazingly painless, and even fun. Oh and she hardly drinks, so I was almost sober for the wk!
* Big Hike - We did a mega big hike in the Sai Kung area and swam in beautiful clear water (which is a rare thing in HK) - photos to come.
* Mum visits - mum came to town, and it was just like old times. Mum being mum, Nat being moody. Oh well it was worth it (for the food) - and the other bits ;) Love Ya Mum. (oh and Sharon misses u Im sure!)
* Another work Singapore trip - only notable as I had a terrible cold, felt like Shit, and they put me in a second class hotel, instead of my fullerton.
* Manager no 3 - Got another new manager at work (who is based in Oz). She sounds far too enthusiastic (and american!). Shame I'll be leaving.
* My work nemesis resigned - My arch nemesis has resigned, she's based in Oz so it wont change my life much, but she finishes next week and I'll be happy. (Also I feel like I've won - who knows what - but I''ve beat her ;)

That's about it I think (I may have missed out huge bits but I cant remember).

Now more recently, this wkend I wrote a letter to my landlord giving my 2 months notice. I had decided for a while that I would head back to Oz for my 30th in August, and given my hatred of my job I would quit. But I guess giving notice made it final. Saying that, I'm not regretting my decision, and in fact I'm very much looking forward to giving notice at work! But it has highlighted the fact that I have no idea what I want to do post my party and august celebrations. I thought I wanted to go travelling again (I mean, I always do). I went to Singapore airlines and Qantas yesterday ( I had to do something in between my webex training to cheer up my day). And do you know what my first thought was?
"Shit thats expensive!"

Now for those who don't know me so well, my standard response is "Oooooh, how many places can I go to? How long can I not work?"

There could be a few reasons for this. Some may say I obviously haven't earnt enough in HK (possibly, compared to London), others have responded that maybe I'm growing up. Mandy and I seem to agree that HK is too much like a holiday. I just don't feel like I've worked hard enough here to need a holiday yet. This was my thought last night, and since then I've gained confidence with the decision - so no travelling for me.

Which really leaves me at a loose end. It''s what I always do. So what other options are there?

A. Get a Job
This brings up the whole question of where do I want to get a job, or what kind of job do I want. Neither which I know the answer to. I look through Uk/Aus/HK/Tokyo job boards and none of the jobs appeal to me. I look at IT jobs, I look at training jobs, I look at random other jobs - none of it appeals. So lets agree on no to a job. Im just a bit over jobs, they dont challenge me, they dont appreciate me and they bore the shit out of me.

Ok maybe Ive never found the right job but I think its time I take my career (or lack of it) into my own hands. I think I wanna start my own business (sound certain dont i).

WHY?

Why not ;) I haven't done it before, while many of my friends have. I am intelligent, opinionated, impatient and organised (among other things), and I've always wanted to leave something behind before I vanish from this world, and webex is not doing it for me.

And FUCK IT - im willing to throw $$ away bumming around the world, why not set myself a real challenge. If it screws up I can always get a crap IT job to pay the bills.

WHAT?

No clue.

Seriously No idea.

If you know me, you know what I've always wanted is a cafe type joint. But unfortunately I'm far too much of a realist to believe it has any chance of success. There are far too many in Oz! Yep maybe HK or UK could do with a couple more, but it;d be super expensive and far too hard without mummy and daddy.

So what else?

Please email or post your suggestions here.

Any other comments on my life welcome...

Oh and for those in oz, Nats 30th Birthday on Friday 17th August, keep it free (in sydney - Benny I expect u there!) And accomodation supplied for those I love

Ooops I was about to end off, and realise I haven't really explained the title. Basically I have been wrapped up in all this, this wk, and avoiding the family. Jen will recognise it for what it is, once I know im leaving I have a bit of a habit to give up on it. Did it in London, and doing it here again. Who knows, maybe it will pass when I get over my post teenage angst.

Alright now Im done - bedtime for Nat - it sounds like I need it right?

The Family

The family is the reason I have no time to write my blog.

The family is the reason I spent my entire weekends partying and forgetting to sleep.

The family is the reason I stay sane in HK.

So who are they?

And how did it begin?

To answer the second question first.....

It began on a sunday night at the end of Jan (pictured above).

English Chris (who is in fact Aussie) had a work colleague moving to HK. I agreed to meet him for lunch and impart my wisdom of the town. He turned out to be so amusing that I invited him to Saturday night drinks. (And that was how I met Darren.)

I was hanging out with Darren a bit, and Mandy had yet to meet him. So I decided to have a little dinner party with Mandy and Darren. And I figured I'd invite Sharon cause she's always good fun and washes up ;) Of course then I had to invite Mark, because Sharon wanted Mark and I to have a cook off. I was not planning a cook off, but instead a little mexican meal. Darren declared he was bringing a bottle of tequilla, Mandy some beer, Mark oranges and Sharon the game of Cranium.

It was just one of those perfect nights, where you expect a simple dinner, and instead it becomes a fun filled night of yummy food, loads of laughs, cranium, and tequilla shots with cinnamon and orange - yummo!


Who would have thought we'd all get on so well?

Mandy

It's rather amusing given my oldest friend in Oz is Mandy, and now one of my closest friends in HK is Mandy too. This Mandy is scottish and crazy! (in a good way)

She was my flatmate for a while last year, and we had a great time drinking wine, and perving on the neighbour. (Who by the way is moving out this week - very upsetting!)

She can always make you laugh, has a great accent, and crazy slang to go with it. Oh and she has sexual tourettes!



Sharon


Sharon's birthday junk is how I came to meet Mandy and Hayley, but I didn't really get to know Shaz until about 6 months later. (What a wasted 6 months!) I first knew Sharon from going out and partying, and later learnt that she lives in a church and teaches Sunday school. I couldn't quite work out how that all fit together (given most everyone I know is atheist). She is always smiling and is the best person I know. Now that I know Darren I can't work out which of the 2 are the friendliest, but its damn close. Shaz knows people all over Hong Kong, we were out wandering on Saturday and she knew a guy selling clothes at the markets, and then a couple of girls at Krispe Kreme where we stopped for coffee, donuts and a goss ;)

Mark

Like Shaz, I knew Mark for a while before we became friends. He is the tallest person I know in HK, not that this is an achievement given most people are short, but its still amusing to watch him squash into HK sized things. He also has the voice of Alan Rickman (from Die Hard and Robin Hood -Prince of Theives), oh and he does occasionally cook a decent meal ;) Like the others he's pretty damn funny, but I think we're only friends with him as he knows every capital city in the world. (Yep he has too much free time).

Darren


When I first met Darren I was pretty sure he was gay. It turns out he's just camp as hell. Oh and now that he's got his mojo back, he seems to be picking up chicks left, right and centre. He also seems to have had every job possible, he now works in IT, but previously did all sorts of things (non of which I can remember at the moment). So now his biggest contribution to the fam, is his bus licence and a kick ass roof (with bbq). Oh and he's slightly older and wiser so good for occasional advice.

Conclusion

I am sure I have done no credit to my friends, but I love them all and hopefully haven't offended anyone too much. Individually they're all great, but together they are priceless!

This weekend was another jam packed one - and full of fun. Friday night drinks with the gang plus Kitty, Amy & her boy. I was in a foul mood but managed to socialise til 11.

Saturday morn I caught up on sleep and then had a great afternoon with Shaz walking about town, and buying green wigs for St Paddy's Day Party. And yes a Krispy Kreme too.

Saturday night turned into a huge one, starting off at a house party (with open bar) before continuing on to Lan Kwai Fong and then Wan Chai. Wan Chai is kinda like Kings X, you only go after midnight and the later the better. Seedy as hell, but very fun when you''re in the right mood. Met a cute aussie boy who's all of 19 (isn't that scarily young!) and managed to get home after 7am (alone though). But I was up at 11am to meet Mandy for our massage. She was recovering from flu and I had no sleep and hangover - but yep the sauna and massage was brilliant. Not to mention the chatter.

Then we were off to the pub to meet the family for lunch. Great lunch but after the relaxing massage and my crazy night I wasn''t much for conversation. I did manage a 2 hr nana nap before heading to Sarah's for dinner and dvds.

Needless to say I felt like shit today. (Although the 19 yr old texted me so that was amusing - new photos of friends and snogs on the side link).

Gonna try and not drink at least until friday. Wish me luck.

Time to upload photos and then bed!

Forever, I know!

Wedding Photos HERE!!!
Apologies to all those who have been missing my blog entries (ie. mum, ebby, and zeina) but I will try to do better in the future. The truth is, somewhere between christmas and January I managed to develop a social life. Not one that involves a hot straight boy, but a pretty fun existance never the less... I will do my best to get you up to speed, mainly giving you highlights!

Hmmm where should I start? At the moment I am sitting in the Qantas Club Lounge in the Perth Airport, having just said good bye to Will, and spent a lovely long weekend in the Margaret River region celebrating Jason & Hales wedding. Photos to follow. I am on my way back to HK, going an indirect route through Singapore (due to the cheapness of flights) and will probably get home about midnight tonight. Bet I'm going to be cheery tomorrow when I have to teach these 2 stupid girls, who don't seem to talk.

I've had a lovely week in WA, and want to come back for a proper holiday. It is such an extreme change from Hong Kong. Lots of open spaces, fresh air, blue skies, clear water and the most stars I have seen in a long time.

I arrived in Perth Wednesday afternoon, and spent a lovely night with Will heading down to the local yuppy pub for a very yummy fish meal. Pretty much all I've eaten this week has been fresh fish and meat pies. Yummo! (oh and lots of beer, wine and aussie chocolate.)
Thursday Eden picked me up and we were to drive down to Dunsborough together, but first she had to pick up a few things from home. We were about to leave, after selecting a few CDs from the boot of her car, and managed to lock the keys in the car! We then had to wait for the RAA (or whatever its called in WA) to open up the car and get us on the way. Very amusing start.

Eden had organised an amazing house in Dunsborough, 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 kitchens, huge balconies - it was amazing. So 11 of us spent the weekend there, and after an afternoon of winery touring on Thursday afternoon, we all headed back for a big group bbq on the balcony. Friday and Saturday involved lots of lazing around the house, swimming on empty beaches (beautiful) and drinking cocktails and eating meat pies. Very relaxing.

As most of you know, I am basically anti social. The one point I forgot about, is that when it is a wedding, the groom and bride have no time to hang out. So I basically spent the whole weekend with a bunch of strangers (and Eden - thankfully!). They are a lovely bunch of strangers, very friendly and have known Hales and Jason forever - but it was a bit of an effort at times, and I found myself wishing that the family had joined me on this trip (or at least Mandy!).

The wedding on Saturday night proved far more fun than I imagined, with gorgeous food (more yummy fish), delicious wine and a kicking band. I was on a table with a couple of HK coppers, and some outward bound people, so yep they were all crazy. We had a great time, and ended up back at our house for the afterparty - I made some punch that went down well!

I will upload some photos soon, and talk more about how gorgeous they both looked etc ;)

Got back to Perth last night and stayed with Will again. Had dinner with his mum and bro, which was funny as they call me Grace (as if it's my real name). Actually didn't have fish or meat pie, but beautiful fillet steak with pepper sauce (and a gin and tonic on the side) perfect. Then we stayed up too late watching "5 Straight with Will & Grace" - rather appropriate I feel.

Boz is heading to HK in a few weeks, and then I believe my mum is coming the end of April, so lots of family time coming up. Guess I should get Lida in again to clean ;)

Other highlights of the last couple of months -
* Went to UK for Chris & Char's wedding celebrations. Very fun, great to see them . They are so settled now, great friends, charming village and a beautiful house with the most amazing oven I have ever seen. So far the best reason I have known for getting married ;)
* Had another trip to Singapore for work. Was good, work was boring, but they put me up in the Fullerton yet again, so I slept well and had bubble baths - which is a nice change from the drunken mess of my life in HK ;)
* Trudi visited just before I headed off to Perth. It was great to see her and she had a great time, even though it was only a couple of days. She managed to get off the plane and party til 1am! I stayed out and Trudi headed home alone. She found the flat OK and had my spare keys.
Let me describe my door for you - it is a normal standard door, with 2 locks on it. Then in front of that, is a stupid iron grill gate that slides open (very "in" in HK). Before we left, Trudi asked if there was any trick to the door. "Nope" and off we went.
Well she got home at 1am, and couldn't work out how to open the gate. I was drunk (as is standard) and saw her text, something along the lines of "How do you open the door", to which I probably replied - "Use the key". I believe before going any further she then went to get assistance from the doorman.
For those of you who have not been to my flat, I have a few doormen. None speak english, but the morning one is pretty friendly and smiley. The afternoon one is not bad, and the night one is rude and moody and without any appealing features. Well Trudi attempted to get the night doorman to come and help her. Firstly, Trudi doesn't speak cantonese or mandarin. He doesn't speak English (or smile). So Trudi, being a resourceful gal, started miming. (Her re-enactment the next day was damn funny). Finally he followed her upstairs and half assed tried opening the door, and then left again.
Trudi decided to try texting me again - this time "How do you open the gate?"
"Press the button" - drunk Nat
"What button" - Trudi after searching for the button
"The one at the bottom" - drunk Nat with probably not the most helpful instructions, but thankfully Trudi's higher intellect won out.
Of course I then woke her for a chat, when I got home at 3am. The important thing is Trudi assures me that she had fun (oh and the night doorman is scared of her!).
Alright that's probably enough for the moment. I've still got a couple more hours to kill so I may write more later. I still need to tell you about the "Family".

It's 12:16am and I have hiccups!

Why, you may ask, am I awake? WEll in an ideal world it would be to update my blog, but in reality it is because BA will allow me to online check in 24 hrs before, and I am 24 mins short that deadline. So I could either sleep and miss the chance at a lovely perfect sleep on my economy flight, or stay awake 24 mins and get a long leg room sleep (of course I could stay awake 24 mins and miss out on the legroom seat and end up with nothing!).

So work is terrible, mindless, boring, monotonous etc - but hey friends are cool, fun, entertaining, verbose and generally kick ass. I've finally got to the point were I love my HK friends. About f-ing time, some of you are saying.

<20 mins to go> So for those who dont keep up with every second of my life (ie. everyone but my mum) I am going to london this wkend, for Chris' wedding (sorta). In 24 hrs and 20 mins I will fly to london, so in 24 hrs and 0 mins I can online checkin. And after my big long wkend of drinking, I once again took advantage of ladies nights in HK.

An Introduction to Ladies Nights In Hong Kong
Certain pubs/bars on a particular day of the week will have free drinks for ladies. Sometimes its a particular drink (such as tonight, it was bubbly) or sometimes its all spirits. The ladies drink for free all night, and about 11pm a number of drunk guys rock up to try and pick up the very drunk ladies. Its a very fun past time that enables me to snog random boys - a new fancy of mine.

Oh sidenote - I have made peace with my gay boy (Will) so maybe he's reading this. His question was why aren't I bringing these boys/men home? I can't remember my answer, but the important thing mum is I'm not (well not the ones I've met lately anyway).

Oh other fun news -my little sis is coming to HK over easter. She's finally excited b/c H&M are opening in March so it will give her something to do when she's pissed at me!

When I get back from London I may finally update photos, and tell about my lovely friends, and drunken wkends, but for now I'm gonna try and get a decent seat on my plane. Especially given its landing in snow - bet u'd love that Boz!

Better Now!

Yep Im better - still not drinking but pretty good. I am sitting in a lovely clean flat, having eaten a yummy meal and watched this great show - Australian Story

I did a one off and got a lovely phillipino lady to clean my flat while I was at work today, so came home to a lovely clean home! Made myself meatloaf last night so just ate a meatloaf sandwich!

Oh and I think I've worked out a cheaper way to get to Perth for the wedding in March. Fly via Singapore...

OOoh a strange kiwi show is starting - I better go ;)

Living alone sux when you're sick...

Or Being sick sux when you live alone....
Or Both....

Now before I continue - I would like to add a warning - particularly for my mother- I am fine, Im sitting on the couch updating my blog so I'm obviously fine now.

Let me tell you about my last 24 hrs - I left after lunch from work yesterday and slept most of yesterday afternoon and night. I didnt feel like food but forced myself to eat toast and flat lemonade. I woke up this morning still feeling bad (and temperature ridden) so took more drugs and slept more.

After midday I woke up and made it to the couch. After a while I felt alive enought to wander up to the chemist (not far at all and the escalator takes me up the block). I take the walk very slow and make it to the chemist. I wander around looking for the right drugs and was talking to the pharmacist when i suddenly saw dots in front of my eyes. Before I fainted (see mum I didnt faint) she sat me down and started feeding me crackers and water. She was very helpful and nice and I spent quite a while sitting in the corner of the chemist.
Oh let me explain what i was wearing. Baseball Cap (to cover my hair) tracky pants, long tshirt and tracky jumper - oh and did I mention Ugg boots. Yes Pppl (particulary Chris) I did the unthinkable I went out in Uggs. That should tell you how ill I am.

So finally after sitting, and being fed crackers and drinking water, i was able to walk, and made it home without incident. I have now drugged myself up on panodol to get rid of the temp, and have been eating crackers, water and am now drinking some really gross rehydration salts - yukko.

Oh and I have to go to work tomororw and fri as im teaching. Oh and I have work party on fri night and i wont be able to drink. That sux badly!!
Alright nothing on TV might go back to bed. Being sick sux....

2006 Wrap Up...

Its been a while since I've posted and I do apologise - although I can partly blame the Taiwan earthquake. There was an earthquake on boxing day in Taiwan that knocked out most of the undersea cables from Hk - blocking all internet to the US and most of the rest of the world (except HK and Aus seemed to work too). Finally internet is back, but its slow as hell..
I have had about a week off, and so far so good. Had a lovely champagne laden brunch on Xmas day, and saw Casino Royale on Boxing Day. Then Pau-Ling and I spent 2 great days in Macau, eating , drinking and relaxing. Tonight im having a few girlies over for dinner and then were off to drinks for the rest of the night. Im making a mega feast and just need to finish tidying the flat today -
Eggplant Tomato Pasta
Chicken Schnitzel
Potato pie
Brocolli and Green Vegs
Chocolate Truffle

Yummo!

I hope everyone has a great new yrs and 2007 is a good one!

Christian Bale is HOT!

Watching Batman Begins - just though Id share that thought....

Nat as a bridesmaid?

Some of you may remember that I have acted the part of bridesmaid once before, for the previous Ms Schwarzy. Well I didn't do too great a job, I didn't smile enough, or chat to family enough or get involved in organising stuff enough. But it seems I have once again been honoured with the role. Dee has asked me to be one of her (7!) bridesmaids! She also said I could be the witness instead if I prefer. So which is better? Feel free to put in your vote. my thoughts go along like this:
Bridesmaid - positives - lots of attention, pretty dress, shag a groomsman
negatives - lots of attention, 1 of 7, costume picked out by bride (but being Dee this is not a bad thing)
Oh this is the proposed bridesmaid dress (not the colour) - Its under "cocktail" and its number 2 - dress
Witness - positives - get to sign the official paper, only 1 , get to pick own dress
negatives - no attention, have to pick own dress (can be a bad thing for me!), no shagging of groomsman (not that I got to at Schwarzy's!)

Oh and yes I'm back in HK - was in Shanghai last wk, Shanghai was good fun, and cold - but work was hellish! So glad to be back in HK.

I had today off work, was going to sleep in and take it easy but instead had a crazy day. Got an email from schwarzy yesterday saying she was coming to HK for work for 24 hours, I met her for breakfast at the Island Shangri La at the crack of dawn. Then she went off to her meetings, I stopped home and then headed to the airport to send of Candice and meet her for a yummy pasta lunch. Then I rushed back to town and met up with my cousin whos in town til tomorrow, and did a bit of a walking tour, went to the markets and showed off my flat. And now I am meeting Amy for dinner & gossip. Byeeeee

Chewing Gum is illegal in Singapore!

Now the rest of you may have known this, but I have just spent 10 mins in 7 11 searching for chewing gum. I settled for mentos and mentioned to the woman that I couldn't find any chewing gum - and this was when i was informed it was illegal in SGP. How classic is that!!

Have spent the week in SGP - enjoyed SGP but work was boring as crap. I am so over teaching mindless stuff to quiet boring people. Over the wkend I will put up a survey where you can vote for what Nat should do with her life. (ie, me)

Loved the hotel (of course), although their room service could be improved - ie. extra milk when serving the hot chocolate (and maybe a marshmellow). But of course the thing that truly makes them a top hotel happened when i first arrived. Got a cab to the hotel, and paid with my credit card. The taxis credit card machine wasnt working so the hotel door man or concierge (or whatever he was), paid for the taxi and put it on my room bill. How cool is that?

Alright 7 more mins to finish this blog. Highlights of the week were the SGP night safari which was good fun (one of the guys from work went with me), going to insomia last night with a new friend (met thru narcheska!)$18 to get in, and then unlimited drinks till 11pm - oooh and not bad live music either - which is nice after the lack of in HK. Oh and of course my bubble bath - I love that hotel, I just wish i could have had a day off work to sleep in and swim on the roof pool. Work does get in the way.

Alright better go find my gate - start thinking about the new direction for my life....

Catchup Time....

I know its been forever since I've written and I will do my best to catchup now. Photos come later (maybe tomorrow morn).

Japan

I love Japan. I had such a good time and didn't want to come back. This of course was exhibited when I slept through my alarm by 1.5hrs and almost missed my flight!
The people at the office are great and I had a number of very fun nights out with them (including the night before my flight!).

In an amazing bit of random timing, my drinking buddy Virginia was in Tokyo the second wk I was there. For those who keep up with the blog - Virginia was the girl I discovered ladies night here in HK with. She lives in Aus, but was on holiday in Tokyo the same time I was there. We had a couple of fun nights out, including going to a yakitori bar, where they spoke no english and had no pictures of food. Made ordering difficult (even with my phrase book!) - thankfully the guy next to us spoke really really dodge english but helped us order [Although we later found out the cook and his wife spoke some english - he gave some charcoal sticks to take home and make our own yakitori with - was soo funny!]

Over the weekend I left Tokyo and went to the Hakone Region - beautiful area, lots of onsens (spas) and yummy food. I stayed at a Ryoken (a typical Japanese hotel), where they spoke no english and had typical japanese rooms such as these:

So here's some notes from when I was in the Ryoken.
After first arriving and being shown to my room, I decided to search for the baths to cleanup before dinner (as I believe that was what I was being told (in Japanese)). I walked out of my room (dressed in jeans) looking for the bathroom and scared a little old man & woman, they saw me and laughed (continuously!)- they were wearing their yukatas (little japanese robes). So I returned to my room and put on my yukata (very comfy things).I then found my way to the bath area but there were 2 doors with 2 signs on them. They were in Japanese and I had no idea what they said (although i guessed one said man and one said woman). I returned to my room to get my phrase book and then stood there trying to decipher the 2 signs! My book had 1 symbol for female, the sign was all swirly and had about 3 symbols. Finally I took a guess and managed to find the females baths (thankfully!).

After my bath I went back to my room and started writing done my initial impressions of the ryoken. (Amazing customer service, beautiful place, hot baths, all without understanding a word!) Not long after music started playing through the room - and then the announcement began. No idea what was going on, but I had an idea it could be dinner so I started looking up the word for dinner. Almost instantly the little woman knocked on my door, gave me a big smile and started going on about something (in japanese). She obviously realised I understood nothing, so she motioned me to follow her. I followed her (still in my robe) and she led me to the dining room (small japanese tables and pillows) and sat me at a table for 1. To my left was a massive table for 20. I had a terrible thought that they sat me by myself b/c I didnt speak japanese. Thankfully that wasnt the case, the table for 20 was a big family group - very amusing to watch. There was another small table of 3.

Dinner: (ive made my best guess at what i was eating)
Miso Soup with little mussels
Egg custard with crab meat, chicken, chives & orange rind
Sashimi (the yummiest!) - prawn (raw!), scallops & 2 sorts of fish
charcoal sardine (wierd filling on slightly stringy things maybe octopus)
brown scary tough thing, looks like shitake mushroom but not (i tried a bite but no)
smoked haddock sushi (or some smoked fish)
scallops & crab claw - yummo
light wonton in yummy pastry with light filling prob seafood with egg or tofu
cooked fish fillet (trout?) in miso & sweet sauce
tempura prawn (linguistine) with cabbage & pasta salad, and mandarin
vegetables (carrot, grn beans, lotus veg) & tofu omlet
& tea

When I got back from my room, my little table and pillow was put away, and my bed (futon) was out on the straw mat. I read for a while and figured I might as well get to sleep - was very comfy and I slept great, until I was awoken by a very insistent friendly knocking on my door "Ohayou gozaimasu" (good morning). 8am PEOPLE!
This, as you may have guessed, was breakfast. I went back to the tea room and ate:
Japanese rice pudding thing (I tried a bit but it was like eating glue)
Dried fish (nicer than i expected, although bloody hard to fillet with chopsticks)
crab miso soup
egg omlette thing with chives
liver with onion
little brown things that i thought was ginger and mince, but seemed to have a very strange consistency
salad - brocolli, tomato, lettuce, beans, piece of ham?
No Sashimi :(
So I enjoyed brekkie although not as much as dinner (which was yummo) and it was too early. I figured id go back to my room and sleep some more, but when i returned they had put my bed away! I was forced to have a productive day!

So Japan was lovely and I didnt want to come back, oh and sushi tastes soo much better there - all food is yummo! I'm definately going to go back to Japan before I leave Asia.

Hong Kong

Arrived back in HK, and had Hayleys hens night - which was the best night I had out in HK for ages (or maybe ever). We started with a lovely lamb roast at my place, and then apple crumble (which basically no one ate as they were all dieting! oh well more for me!) Then we all got ready together, and the girls did my makeup! I looked very pretty and boys chatted me up - unfortunatly no cute ones (or none that were cute enough ). But we were out til after 4, and loads of laughs - photos to follow.
Work this wk was hellish but I'm off to Singapore on sunday for 5 days, so that should be fun. And then next wkend Mandy moves out so I'll be alone again. Oh and Hayley leaves Sunday :( Everyones leaving - im going to have to make an effort to meet more ppl, hopefully a hot boy too. Oh cause I won a prize! and I really need a boy to share it with. As a backup ill take PL (or if RM comes to town ill take her).
I bought a charity raffle ticket at work and won the 14th prize ->
14th PRIZE:
Winning Ticket :
05993

FLY INTO MACAU BY HELICOPTER AND STAYOVER AT THE MANDARIN ORIENTAL MACAU

I picked up the ticket today and it has to be used before february and mid week! Which really limits when i can use it. So im thinking the week between xmas and new yr - any hot boys want to volunteer to join me? (oh and straight - and not annoying)

Japanese is my favourite food!

Seriously! It is the best! I didn't even think I felt like Japanese tonight, but just had the yummiest udon noodle soup with the most tasty lightly battered and crisp tempura! Soo good! And I got to sit at the bar and watched the chefs. I wanna work in a japanese kitchen! I was just sitting there with a big grin on my face watching the open kitchen. Heres some interesting things I noticed about the chefs (and kitchen)
* They are all men
* They are all wearing clean chefs clothes (no spills)
* They have loads of different types of fresh noodles - homemade and soo good
* The pots are huge that the soup is cooked in and instead of using a ladel to get the soup out, they use small saucepans.
* For the tempura, they have 2 lots of oil, 1 is for the veg and 1 for the meat
* They put the tempura into (and out of ) the oil with chopsticks (very cool, and means that the oil drains off)
* They only use the big drainy spoon to clear out the oil of the extra batter
* The tempura I had was - prawns, pumpkin, eggplant, seaweed, a leaf (very pretty and tasted good), mushroom and maybe some other stuff
* The bowl of noodles was bigger than my head but thankfully they didnt fill it (yet i am still stuffed)
* I am learning to slurp, but I still eat noodles like a foreigner
* After I ordered (involving pointing to the menu) the waitress asked me something, along the lines of big or small. I thought she was talking about the portion so I said small (as the people next to me had buckets rather than bowels!) but it turns out she meant the size of the udon noodle, mine were the thiner variety - but still yummo.

Was great! I told the restaurant guy - oyshikata (and he understood me - oh it means, delicious!)

I keep forgeting to bring my camera - there are so many things I want to take a picture of! Tomorrow definitely!

Heres an email from my observations at work on monday. I arrived in Tokyo around 7pm sunday night, Monday night went home and ate sushi, edamame and gyoza from the supermarket (yum), Tuesday I taught all day then went out for drinks with work ppl which turned into 4 of us girls, continuing our drinking (gin & tonics) and ending up singing kareoke in a kareoke cube (little room with couches and soundproof) Very Fun. Too many G& Ts and no dinner makes Natty a hangover girl. Teaching today was painful. Off to a girl from work's place to pick up a warm jumper and then home for an early night.

Oh heres the monday email....

So work is not exciting and I had lunch by myself but it was both yummo and
fun!

I went downstairs and got told there are loads of restaurants and places
that do bento boxes. so I figured I could point and buy one.
I found myself a little place and was about to point and get a bento box,
when I noticed the people to my right putting money into a machine and
getting tickets for food. Well that sounded fun. so there were a few
pictures with names in japanese. So i picked a picture that didnt look too
scary and matched up the japanese symbols with those on the (coke like)
machine - and yes it took a while. I got my ticket and went into the
restaurant and put the ticket in front of the cook and she started asking
me something in japanese. I got all freaked but managed to pick out
soba...udon. I replied with "udon". I ended up with a very yummy meal of
rice with katsu curry sauce, and a big bowl of udon noodles and soup -
yummo and all for 500 yen (which i have since found out is about $5)

Other amusing things about tokyo
- the toilets are heated (speaking of toilets - the bus driver stopped the
bus yesterday so he could use the toilet at the back of the bus - very
amusing, we were all wondering why he was stopping - this was during the 2
hr bus ride to town)
- the only restaurants open last night (sunday night) were indian and
korean (I ended up joining 3 random american businessmen for a korean
dinner)
- men bow their heads to you when entering lifts (beats hk where they snort
and smell ;)
- After the fireman stopped ppl walking past (as the firetruck was turning in) he bowed to us! So cute!
- Oh did I mention some japanese men are cute (unlike the chinese ones!) and some are tall!

Thats all so far....

Nat




*

Almost a week has passed..

apologies for the lack of updates - I have pictures and movies to upload, details to spill and the best you guys are going to get is brief as hell. You may be asking yourself - why oh why has Nat cut down on her blogging? {although I should point out I haven't received any emails begging for more entries - maybe this is a sign I should stop?}
Reasons Why:
1. Work has been busy (in an annoying way) so when I get home I'm super tired (and often moody!
2. I have gone out quite a bit and had big nights (Tues night - Mandys birthday - Rocky Horror Show & many drinks, Thurs night - Pub Quiz with yummy indian - and many drinks (we came second last and won many shots ;)
3. Mandy is staying with me so I have someone to talk to when I get home instead of write on the blog. (BTW to clarify for ms Scruffy - Mandy has temp. moved in while searching for a place to live. My place is too small for 2 ppl to permanantly live, but its fun to have her around!)
4. I am addicted to Veronica Mars (Seriously, its getting serious, I think the only way im going to cure myself is to watch all the episodes ;)

Other things worth mentioning:
- Clairs in town for a week for work (YaY!) - I saw her Thurs night and catching up again this avo
- Ms Scruffy (Amy) is back in town so hopefully we'll finally see each other this avo
- I'm heading to Hayleys place in Sai Kung (vaguely country meant to be really beautiful) for girlie night and sleepover. I'm making choc beer cake, but I left my whisk and measuring thingy in Mandys room - so have to wait til she wakes up to make it. Although I have done washing while waiting (and blogging). I woke up too early (and went to bed late :(
- Next Sunday I head to Tokyo for work for 2 wks. I still hate work (I dont play well with others), but looking forward to Tokyo.

Hopefully at somepoint I'll update photos.....

I should not be called Grace...

One thing I have never been and will never be is graceful. This wont come as a surprise to most of you - but was hammered into to me on Friday, at a work team building day. The morning involved rock climbing, jumping over streams, walking on wet rocks and climbing up a ladder on a waterfall. I spent the whole time falling down, am covered with cuts and bruises (and achs)and was helped by the boys. I am so unco. I have absolutely no balance, and I suck at all things involving activity. So yes it was kinda traumatic. It would have been less so if it wasn't a work do. I may have even slightly enjoyed a day of activity and making a fool out of myself if it was with my friends. But unfortunatly it wasnt :(

Yes it was nice of them to invite me, and better than work, but I am now in a world of pain. (and humilated). I have only been at work 2 days so far, but I have a full busy week next week!

Mandy and I spent yesterday (saturday) watching dvds and eating bagels - very nice! Last night I went to a gorgeous restaurant for a friends birthday. For only $300 (AUD$50) we had loads of very yummy food and byo wine. Check out what I ate -
* Bread & Pate
* Goats cheese & Tomato Tart
* Tomato & Orange soup (wierd)
* Duck breast with pear
* Eggplant & tomato gratin (yummo)
* Warm Chocolate cake
* Cappucino

All in all very nice - and home by midnight (no one was out for a big one). Would be great for a dinner party with my load and rowdy friends, and a bottle of wine each ;)

Its nice having a roomie, came home for a chat with Mandy and then I ended up watching the rest of Veronica Mars season 1. I wasn't tired and I just kept watching. So I ended up watching the remaining 5 hours and got to bed at 5am. Yay for sundays.

The End is Nigh....

My final hours of freedom....
A lovely morning in dublin, no rain, not too cold and this internet cafe gave me free coffee - so today will be a good day. Soon I will be heading to Dublin airport for my flight back to London (luton), where I will then make my way to Paddington. Dump my bag for a few hours and wander round Maida Vale (hopefully with Will - there was a slight miscommunication problem the last couple of times we attempted to catch up). Then my 10pm flight back to HK, arriving Tuesd 5pm. Back to work wednesday - bright and early! Do I need to mention that I dont want to go back???

Had a lovely weekend in Dublin with Roxie Mae & Beth - and was kindly put up by RM's irish friend Darah. So we did wandering, lots of eating and drinking. Yesterday was rainy hangover day, so after a gorgeous brunch we headed back to the couch for many episodes of Angel (many many episodes - not my idea seriously ;)

Jen's moving to Tampa with RM & Beth soon, I'm tempted to visit. Damn work gets in the way. Oh and I have to go home to visit Dee too!! Still trying to get hold of the girl - between time differences and whatever else, shes impossible to reach.

Oh book recommendation - Shantaram! It's massive (900+ pages) but great. I've been reading it the whole trip!! Should finish it on the way back...

Did I mention I'm not at all excited to head back, but I am looking forward to seeing Mandy, Amy and Hayley (even though she will be going on about the Sydney Swans loss ;). I have a few things planned for when I get back, so should make reality a bit more bearable. I'm going to try and not drink for a few days, so that my throat recovers (finally). Although I did buy some more drugs in boots!

OK need to write a couple of postcards and then head to the airport. Oh and maybe try and reach Dee again....