Sounds you don't want to hear

There are a few sounds in life which you do NOT want to hear often. These are noises which are worse than fingernails on a blackboard. Many a time, these noises are associated with the situation and environment it occurs in.

I heard one of them yesterday...

Flying... it comes with the job. Generally I LIKE flying, in fact I like taking off and landing. I don't don't fly very often so it's not as bad plus I get to keep the airpoints. Bad weather doesn't bother me particularly, c'mon I live in Wellington. Yesterday was supposed to be an ok day... fly there, do work, fly home. But there are a few times where I have not enjoyed my flight, yesterday was one... and they say things come in threes:

(1) The plane was over an hour late due to "mechanical problems." You think to yourself... "bloody hell they're late, I've had a very long day waking at 5am for work so I want to get home. Oh well, at least they've fixed the problem and we're safe to go."

(2) As the plane reverses from the terminal the air stewards and the co-pilot came over to examine the exit door (two seats in front of me). Apparently there was something wrong with the window and the co-pilot had to check to make sure that it was still safe to fly(!). On that assessment, we were given the ok to fly... Joy.

So generally if these things happen, it happens and you sit back into your seat and enjoy looking out the window. But after all of these issues and then you hear this...

(3) False take-off... This is one of the few noises you do not want to hear often in your life. The plane’s 737-300 engines roaring ready to take off, you feel the acceleration building and VERY suddenly it winds down. The sound of them killing the engine/take off process is awful. The plane almost slows to a halt before taxiing off the runway.

It's one of those times which you're particularly bunny eared and possum eyed.
We were told that the pilots received an error message, although it was very nice of them to tell us what went wrong. Problem fixed we took off and went home... It was one of those few trips which I was glad to be over.

... and they say things come in threes.

Food tour... Sydney

Casa Asturiana
77 Liverpool Street, Sydney, Australia
Date of visit: Feb 07

Rather than live on chinese food while we were staying in the city (Sydney), we found this really nice Spanish place around the corner (literally) from Chinatown.

Budget: $$-$$$ ($50-$75 dinner for two although if you eat less tapas you spend less) then allow another $50+ for alcohol :)

Food: Nice range of dishes to choose from. Big selection of tapas plus main meals to choose from. It's really nice to mix and match your tapas... evening yum char :) If you want to try lots of different things but haven't got a big enough stomach to eat a main and tapas (!), the kitchen is willing to make some mains into tapa-sized dishes... yum!

Atmosphere: Good service. It's a nice little space where you can enjoy good food and good company.

Tip:
Alcohol - This is a great place to sample Spanish alcohol. Go on... treat yourself :) Enjoyed the Sangrias plus the Spanish wine. Sad part was that we couldn't find the same Spanish wine again in NZ :(

CNY in Australia

A bit late in the post but here's a quick summary of our trip to Sydney during CNY. Not to mention a belated Gong Hee Fatt Choy to all!

Our holiday started out in Sydney Chinatown to see the going-ons Sydneysiders do to celebrate CNY.

CNY Parade

Compared to the Wellington parade, the Sydney CNY parade was fantastic! The parade was in 12 parts - each part following a chinese lunar animal. There were all sorts from lion and dragon dances, kung fu displays, and community chinese groups.




What else?

Firecrackers of course! Firecracker after firecracker the streets of Chinatown were filled with loud bangs and people surged to the noise. Shop after shop getting the dragon dancers to bless them for the new year and bring them prosperity. Red ribbons of the exploded firecracker lined the streets and car, the smell of gunpowder and smoke lingering in the air. Reminded me of my childhood...

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Aquarium
We did the zoo the last trip so this time we went to the Sydney Aquarium. I'd have to say the best part was the giant aquarium at the end. You could see the aquarium from all angles and it was great seeing the fish swim en masse in schools (see picture above for peak hour traffic).
Tip: if you can get hold of a Sydney Entertainment book from someone it'd be worth it... we got 50% off the admission price.

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CNY
This CNY was a pretty special one. All the relatives from Mum's side of the family met together at my Aunt's house to celebrate CNY (+ a birthday or two). So at times it was a pretty multicultural event listening to different accents from NZ, Australia, UK and Malaysia. This get-together included some of the typical CNY celebrations plus the very typical food funtastic involved. What can I say... I love food!

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Whirlwind tour of Sydney
At the same time Nick & I managed to tour of a few more suburbs and the city. With our handy multipurpose train, ferry and bus ticket we manage to see:
Manly, Bondi Junction (definitely a place to return to on a shopping trip), Little Italy, Cabramatta, Kings Cross, Chatswood, trekked across Sydney City and the Botanical Gardens, Fish Market and even North Ryde (where we caught up with Brendan!). We even got to see the Queen Mary 2 when it came into port.

Other highlights...
IKEA: I can't wait till IKEA is in Auckland. We visited the Sydney store and wished we could have bought some big furniture pieces and bring it back with us. Unfortunately we'll have to wait yet again.

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Overall
A great CNY! I could go on and on about our trip, definitely a memorable trip and I can't wait till the next CNY!!!
If you want to see more pics, follow the links to my flickr pics.