Yay.

Hi guys! Sorry about the hiatus, actually I've been having my exams so had to break from my beloved blog. It's so nice to get comments from everyone :) Thanks so much! As fellow bloggers I'm sure you understand the joy of comments! Yay.

Anyway, my computer is not detecting my photo card so I can't blog today *cries*. I even went to Manly to get some pictures for you guys. How annoying is technology na? Hopefully I will try to post something tomorrow :)

Take care, keep smiling x

Random picture #128 - Sunset from a plane. My camera doesn't do justice to how spectacular it really was :(

Lunch in the Suburbs.

Every now and then I receive the pleasure of finishing class early and going home in the afternoon. Today was such a day and so I thought I'd share what suburban Sydney looks like during the afternoon :)

The suburb where I live is an exceptionally quiet place. Indeed that was the reason why we moved here. At first the idea of living in such a quite area scared me. I love being in a busy area, the noise of the cars and people mixing, giving a city it's own distinct voice. But now, 7 months into my stay here, I'm actually loving the peaceful solitude I am surrounded by :)

You have probably gathered from my first post that I live near a forest. Australia's a very big country with very few people, so luckily urban sprawl is not an issue at the moment. It's quite amazing, I think, that I live in such a leafy suburb yet I'm only half an hours away from the Harbor Bridge. I guess that's Sydney for you :)

Okay so after I finished class today I walked to Warringah Mall shopping centre near my school and caught a bus to my home.

Warringah Mall Courtyard

I remember as a kid I LOVED Warringah Mall. But now that I've grown up and learnt the concept of "money" the mall only reminds me of all the things I can't have :P Wikipedia tells me that there are over 300 stores in that place! I thought it was only 100 or so. Wow, you really do learn things everyday.

It takes about 20 minutes to get to my bust stop and then 15 minutes to walk home. How ever, I decided to buy some pastries and have lunch in a near by park. The sun was out and I was free from school :)! So with my crossont and cadbury chocolate I walked to the park with my camera in hand.

Sign warning drivers that riders may be near.

A dog's footprints engraved in the foot path.

Usually you see couples proclaiming their love in the cement footpaths, so it was a nice change seeing cute dog prints :)

Bins not yet put back.

Blue for plastics and bottles, green for general rubbish. How is recycling in your part of the world? Over here it being followed with no reluctance. In year 10 I remember we had a field trip to a rubbish tip to see how everything worked.

Street signs.


Bus stop... Surprisingly no graffiti!


Yours truly; looking like a snowman with too many jackets on :)


Speed limit.

Okay one thing I can never understand about Australia is their concept of speeding cameras. When there is a speeding camera there will also be a sign telling the driver. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of one? The driver will just slow down for a few minutes and then speed once the camera is out of sight. I must mention, Sydney drivers are horrendous! Generally very rude and stubborn.

New pavement being made. Maybe a new set of foot prints? Hope so :)


Park near my home.

Finally, I reached the park. It is used only for weekend soccer matches and training, no swings or anything. Still, I enjoyed the sunshine and ate my yummy snacks. My favourite pastry is chocolate croissant but my bakery had run out, so instead I got a plain one and a block of chocolate ;)

Plain croissant and a block of Cadbury on my math folder.

What's your favourite Cadbury chocolate? Mine is "Black Forest". It's got pieces of jellybeans and chocolate biscuit inside the chocolate. The texture is awesome, chewy and hard :)

Cadbury "Black Forest".

I was not surprised I was the only person at the park. Oh and a magpie bird. These birds are pretty scary sometimes. During spring they swoop and attack innocent people walking past so we don't hurt they babies. My brother got attacked when he was younger. Luckily he was riding a bike and wearing a helmet so was able to leave quickly without too much injury.

Magpie bird.

After my delicious snack I packed up and headed home, leaving my suburban bliss...

Empty sports field or relaxation destination?

Your Time Starts Now

Alright, normally I'm quite reluctant to do these quizzes. I find them slightly egocentric... But, I regularly read this interview in the Sunday paper and thought why not. So, here I go:

My Earliest Memory is wrapping my 3 year old hands around my grandfather's finger and asking him why the street lamps were on during the early morning.

At school I am opinionated and a perfectionist.

My first relationship was with a 14 year old boy named Marc. He brought me a box of chocolates the day after we became "official" and also gave me a month of tears when we broke up.

My most treasured possession my memory.

I don't like talking about terrorism. It usually leads to racism.

My most humiliating moment has been accepted and no longer makes me feel so bad.

I wish I had appreciated all the wonderful countries I visited as a child.

I wish I hadn't been so proud and just apologised to my friend instead of having a 5 month (and still counting) cold war with her.

My happiest moment was living in Italy for a month with my friends.

At home I cook pastas and cakes.

My last meal would be chole batore made by my mum and a block of Cadbury.

I'm very bad at video games.

When I was a child I desperately wanted to see the pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. Oh and have a birthday at McDonald's.

The book that changed my life was Rohiton Mistry's "A Fine Balance". It made my stomach ache with sadness but taught me the priceless lesson of appreciating each moment.

It's not fashionable but I love spending Friday nights with my family.

Friends say I am compassionate.

The song I'd like to be played at my funeral is Radiohead's "Jigsaw Falling into Place".

If only I could speak a few more languages. I hate relying on subtitles when watching foreign films.

The hardest thing I have ever done was accept I had lost and start over again.

The last big belly laugh I had was with my brother and sister, dancing to bad music with even worse dance moves.

What I don't find amusing is racism.

I'm always being asked what I'm going to do when I finish school.

Cat or Dog? Dog. Although I've never had either, I fell in love with two of the most loving dogs; Pauly and Balu, during my stay in Italy.

At the moment I'm listening to an American podcast "Nobody Likes Onions".

My favourite work of art is "Father and Child" by Romantic poet Gwen Harwood.

My worst job was also my highest paying one; being a receptionist at a doctor's surgery. It was too far away and the bus came only once an hour.

I often wonder who I would have been if my parents chose Delhi instead of Sydney.

There you go! If you stumble upon this please fill it out yourself and send me a link. I love reading these :)

On another note, my little sister has been feeding cockatoos these past few days and the birds are feeling so at home they actually tap on the kitchen window for some breakfast.

One Friday Evening...

After my inevitable weight gain (involving French fries and a new love of chocolate moose) I decided that I would have to start exercising again. And so began my daily adventures through my undiscovered neighborhood.

Here are some pictures of my new discoveries :)

A forest near my home. One day I'll actually go inside this mystic place.

View from my home.

Actual flowers from my backyard!