Thursday, April 27, 2006

100 things to do in australia before you die


australian traveller's latest issue is about the 100 things to do in australia before you die. let's see how much we've done since our move to sydney more than a year ago...

001 - Overload your senses
002 - Dive into the GBR - ooohhh, would love to do this next!
003 - Find freedom on the Big Lap
004 - Visit the remarkable pebble
005 - Climb the Coathanger - DONE
006 - Cruise the Kimberleys
007 - Visit Ningaloo Reef
008 - Explore Sydney Harbour - DONE
009 - Drive along a 75-mile beach
010 - Drive the Great Ocean Road - DONE
011 - Our oldest living museum
012 - Sail the Whitsundays
013 - Time’s nearly up at the Top
014 - Go Walkabout
015 - Take in an Opera at the House - DONE, it was a concert though not an opera...not sure if that counts
016 - Visit the home of Aussie Rules
017 - Go bush for a week
018 - Spy a platypus in the wild - DONE, visited platypus house in tassie so it wasn't in the wild, does that count?
019 - Conquer the Gibb River Road
020 - Peak at Cradle Mountain - DONE
021 - Be the Man From Snowy River
022 - Stay at a great Aussie Pub
023 - Swim with Dolphins
024 - See an Indian Ocean sunset
025 - Have a whale of a time
026 - Paddle the mighty Murray
027 - Meander the Katherine Gorge
028 - See the oldest art in the world
029 - Explore the Flinders Ranges
030 - Rediscover Mungo Man
031 - Follow the Nullarbor
032 - Do some time at Port Arthur - will definitely visit on our next trip to tassie
033 - Venture into Arnhem Land
034 - Shed an ANZAC tear at dawn
035 - Catch the sun’s first rays
036 - Take a rest on Lord Howe
037 - Parade with the penguins - DONE
038 - Noodle for opals
039 - Have a flutter at Flemington
040 - Explore the nation’s capital - DONE, have been to canberra twice but am sure there's more to see
041 - Take a Cable Beach camel ride
042 - Experience a waterless regatta
043 - Line the streets for Mardi Gras - i missed it this year! would have wanted to see it...
044 - Bound over to Kanga Island
045 - Play with the Devil’s Marbles
046 - Magnificent Macquarie Harbour
047 - Betting at Birdsville
048 - Board our Great Train Journey
049 - Get a raw hide
050 - Visit the Green Room
051 - Visit Australia’s Bay of Fires - was on our agenda when we went to tassie but too far from where we were!
052 - Walk the line at Kings Canyon
053 - Ride the world’s steepest railway - DONE
054 - Walk Our Greatest Bushwalk - i wouldn't say done but at least i tried for a couple of miles!
055 - Grab a seat at the Slam
056 - See the sculptures at sunset
057 - March with 100 million crabs
058 - Wipe out or win through
059 - Cook a barbie on the beach
060 - Retrace our tragic Great Race
061 - Trek the Larapinta
062 - Go on an Aussie safari
063 - Dine on Gourmet Island
064 - Sip from the big Wineglass
065 - Immerse yourself in Europe
066 - Catch a barra at Lake Awoonga
067 - Stand at Eureka Stockade
068 - Fire up with sugar cane
069 - Get country in Tamworth
070 - See Florences spell
071 - Sun yourself with seals
072 - Perouse Botany Bay
073 - Ride round Rotto
074 - Soar into Seven Spirit Bay
075 - Feel like fish bait
076 - Savour Margaret's wine
077 - Have lunch with a croc
078 - Retrace old tin head
079 - Watch native surfing
080 - Wind through the Tablelands
081 - Pad up with Bradman
082 - Take a long reach back
083 - Eat crayfish on Thursday
084 - Dance with the Devil
085 - See the wildlife on Bondi
086 - Follow the French Line
087 - Navigate the Yarra Valley - DONE
088 - Bathurst Island Footy Final
089 - Ooze along a lava tube
090 - Play captain on the Hawkesbury
091 - Relive Sydney’s Olympic history - DONE
092 - Hang out at Old Melbourne Gaol
093 - Drive the Savannah Way
094 - Oysters at Constitution Dock
095 - Explore our maritime history
096 - Pinch yourself at the Pinnacles
097 - Shelter at Mawson’s Huts
098 - Go uderground at Mount Isa 099 - Be Manly on the Beach
100 - Shop till you drop in Melbourne - DONE (should be IN PROGRESS! hehehehehehe :-P), i did shop in melbourne's famous bridge road but i wouldn't say i shopped till i dropped!

12 1/2 (1/2 since i only walked about a fourth around dove lake which is at the foot of cradle mountain, where the bushwalk starts) out of 100! not bad ey?

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

blue room or green room

haven't blogged for quite a while since i've been busy with work the past month (not to mention that our home computer has been useless the past couple of weeks since it won't start).

in addition to work, what's keeping us busy (and it took up most of the time off we got during the easter and anzac holidays) is that in just three days my in-laws are arriving from manila! eric and i have been busy painting (okay, it was just eric doing the painting this time), arranging the furniture and fixing the guest rooms and bathroom.

it's a good thing that we started buying linens (think bed sheets, quilts, quilt covers, pillows, and towels) last year (during sales of course) so we only had to worry about buying the beds (we decided on getting trundle beds so it would be save space) and the beside tables (both courtesy of ebay) as well as the mattresses and lamps this year.

we painted the guest rooms cottonwool blue and garden pond (which were just leftover paints).


not bad right? so, which guest room do you prefer to stay in?