Category Archives: Australia

My life in Australia

Lock it away

Posted on February 8, 2012 | 10 comments

In life small things give you pleasure. But at the same time, sometimes we are so blinded by the big picture we miss small things. 

So I am writing my experience from last weekend about my own failure to notice minute things. 

Last weekend, I went for a drive to NSW south coast, one of the magnificent drives near the sea. It was with AS and our friends, DS, DR and DS’s parents who are visiting from Nepal. I just loved the drive and had passed via that road many times to go to Wollongong.  One of the best parts of the drive is to pass through the Sea cliff bridge. You will agree with me that, the view is just breath-taking and so many TV ads for cars are shot there.

While we were there, her parents mentioned that, they saw in one of the TV serials in Nepal that there is a bridge where you write your name on a padlock and lock it on the railings at the side of the bridge. Then you throw the key into the sea with all you bad luck. As they had seen that, they wanted to go there and do the same. 

But to my surprise I had never heard about that before. In my mind, I was trying very hard to think if I had seen or heard or read anything like that but nothing came to mind. Thanks to the latest phone, we have internet on the go so AS Goggled it. To our surprise it said it is in the south cost in Seacliff Bridge and luckily we were only a few kilometres away.

So we parked the car and started walking to the bridge. I have driven over that bridge so many times before but never saw the padlocks so we thought of asking a few people where on the bridge, it is. Surprisingly even the local people had no idea what we were talking about. Anyway, we walked towards the bridge and to our surprise, there they were. Lots of padlocks from the start to end of the bridge and I had never noticed them before. I guess I was so mesmerised by the view that I failed to look at the railings with their padlocks on the bridge. 

I started examining many locks there. Some of them had names of the bride and groom with their wedding dates or husband or wife with their anniversary year and wedding dates. It was so wonderful to see so many couples showing their love. Then there were some with names of the whole family or names of mates. Also I found some locks with names of people who had passed away. 

Once I came back home I had to know what that was all about so again I asked my good friend Google and found the following information from website click here   for more info.

It was started by a couple, John and Fay who lived in Helensburgh and  saw something similar in Cinque Terre,Italy when they visited Europe. In 2006 John wanted to surprised his wife on their 40 years anniversary so he engraved their names with their wedding date on a padlock and locked it on that bridge. So romantic!!! And now there are so many of them following their foot steps. 

One the way back to the car, we saw one more amazing thing, a tree with thongs (sandals) pinned to it. I am guessing that would be a one of its kind. 🙂

Here are some pics from the day

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Australia day 2012

Posted on January 26, 2012 | 4 comments

Every year on the 26th of January we celebrate Australia day which is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788.

To mark Australia day, there are lots of activates all around the country. This day not only reflects contemporary Australia, it also highlights Australia’s diverse society, landmarks, achievements and future.

It is a public holiday in Australia. Most people choose to go and attend events organised for this day or just relax with friends and family with BBQ and watch the fireworks.

I went to a shopping centre today and I saw the Australian flag everywhere. It is so nice to see everyone getting into the sprite of Australia day. There are also lots of merchandise for Australia day on sale like party plates, cups, table clothes, lollies. One of the beauty salon was offering Australian flag manicure. That should be interesting.

Every year I try to go and attend celebrations in different part of Sydney. Last year I went to a concert in the city followed by amazing display of fireworks. I had a tattoo of Australian flag on my face (temporary of course!) and was proudly waving our flag.

The year before I had gone to Brighton where there were lots of stalls and market for Australia day celebration. There was a concert and lots of dancing going on. I remembered that day to be very hot so after lunch we went for a quick swim in the ocean.

Today I am going to the city to enjoy the music and fireworks. It will be followed by BBQ lunch and some shopping with hubby.

Australia day is very popular among migrants to take their Australian citizenship. There are lots of ceremonies conducted around the country where many migrants take the oath and become Australian citizens.

Each year there is a celebration of the achievement and contribution of eminent Australians through the Australian of the Year Awards. They are given to Australians who achieved and contribute to a better Australia.

The awards are given in the following categories:

  • Australian of the Year
  • Senior Australian of the Year (those aged 60 years or over)
  • Young Australian of the Year (ages 16 to 30)
  • Australia’s Local Hero

This year the award recipients are (source news.com.au)

Australian of the Year- Geoffrey Rush. Rush was recognises for his outstanding achievements in a lifetime career on the stage and screen as well as his long-term commitment to the Australian arts, including mentoring young artists.

Senior Australian of the Year – Laurie Baymarrwangga. Laurie has shown extraordinary commitment to maintaining her culture, the environment of her beloved Crocodile Islands and ensuring younger generations continue to keep their heritage alive.

Young Australian of the Year – Marita Cheng. Marita founded Robogals Global in 2008, as a response to the traditionally low levels of participation by women in science, engineering and technology.By 2010, Robogals had run workshops for 3,000 girls in Australia and has now expanded to 17 branches across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Australia’s Local Hero 2012 – Lynne Sawyers . Lynne has shared her home, her family and her love with more than 200 children. For 15 years, she has been on call to care for lost, abused and bewildered children in heartbreaking circumstances.

Hats off to all the winners.

Happy Australia Day everyone !!!Have a great day!!!

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Posted in Australia, Holidays

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Chinese New Year: Year of the Dragon

Posted on January 23, 2012 | 2 comments

In Australia, there are many Chinese migrants so every year we see Chinese New Year celebrated in full swing. It is a time when not only Chinese but all of the people in Australia enjoy Chinese delicacies and culture. 

This year, Chinese New Year celebration started from yesterday and will go on until the mid of February. It is the year of the dragon. Dragons are most powerful and lucky signs in Chinese zodiac so this year is believed to bring great news to lots of people. 

Many believe there is a balance between heaven and earth in the lives of people born in the Year of the Dragon and they are blessed with good fortune. Those who are born in this year are believed to be innovative, flexible, self-assured and passionate. However, there is also a dark side to Dragons which is that people can be stubborn, intense and quick tempered. 

I read in the news somewhere that China is expecting more babies this year as it is one of the luckiest signs. 

In Sydney, there will be lots of activates marking the new year, like street festivals featuring arts, entertainment and children’s activities, Chinese New Year markets showcasing arts, crafts and food stalls, dancing, music and people wearing colourful costumes to welcome the Chinese New Year, vibrant displays of Chinese lanterns, dragon dances, new lion dances, Chinese magic shows, Orchid New Music, bamboo dances, fire crackers display etc. 

There are many traditions and customs associated with the festival, here are some of the commonly practiced that you might like to try : 

  • Wear new clothes on New Year’s Day (January 23 in 2012) and be on your best behaviour, as actions on this day set the tone for the year to follow.
  • Enjoy a New Year banquet, keeping an empty seat to symbolise the presence of family members who can’t be there.
  • Eat fish on the eve of Chinese New Year (January 22), and keep some stored for the next day. The Chinese phrase “may there be surpluses every year” sounds the same as “may there be fish every year”.
  • Enjoy a bowl of traditional Korean duk gook, a soup of thinly sliced rice cakes, to represent a clean start to the New Year.
  • Serve uncut noodles as they represent longevity.
  • Wear red, as the colour scares away evil spirits and bad fortune.
  • Give red lai-see (“lucky money”) envelopes to pass on prosperity and good luck.
  • Clean your house and sweep out the bad luck of the previous year.
  • Decorate your house with apricot and peach blossom, symbolic for new beginnings and sold during Vietnamese Tet.
  • Say farewell to the Kitchen God, the guardian of the family hearth. As he reports to heaven on the behaviour of the family over the past year, make sure to feed him sweet foods and honey, either as a bribe, or to seal his mouth and prevent him from saying bad things.
  • Pay off all debts and cast aside all grudges. 

Check which Chinese zodiac you were born in: 

  • Rat (1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008)
  • Ox (1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009)
  • Tiger (1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010)
  • Rabbit (1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011)
  • Dragon (1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012)
  • Snake (1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013)
  • Horse (1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014)
  • Sheep (1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015)
  • Monkey (1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016)
  • Rooster (1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017)
  • Dog (1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018)
  • Pig (1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019) 

At work, we celebrate different things like Songkran (Thai New Year), Mexican Republic Day (There are no Mexicans in our team but still who can resist yummy tacos and burritos  🙂 ) and Greek Independence day. I guess we all just need another reason to celebrate and party so we are ready to celebrate Chinese New Year. 

Today most of us at work were dressed in red as red is the lucky colour in Chinese culture. Also one part of the office is decorated in big paper dragon and lots of red lanterns. 

We all cooked one Chinese influenced food and we had lunch together. It is really amazing what people can come up with. We had fried rice, noodles, dumplings, wontons, spring roles and lots of sweets for desert. It was really yummy and different to try so many Chinese influenced dishes made by people from different cultures. We had only one colleague from China so it was interesting to know about real Chinese culture from her. 

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!!! Hope the dragon will bring all of you lots of luck and happiness for the rest of your life!!!

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I love living in Sydney

Posted on January 8, 2012 | 17 comments

Every time I go outside Australia, I realise why I love living in Australia particularly Sydney so much. It reminds me what we have here and how lucky we are to live in this place.

In Nepal, there is a proverb “najjiko deuta hela” which roughly translates into “You neglect the temple closest to you”. I feel that happens to me as well when I think about Sydney.  I keep forgetting that I am living in one of the nicest places in the world. Coming back from Vanuatu I was amazed again (I tend to forget it from time to time) to see the beautiful view of Sydney from the plane. The amazingly beautiful blue water, lots of beaches and the landscape with a backdrop of Harbour Bridge and Opera House. I didn’t notice before but even our suburbs look nice and green from above.

So in the sprite of falling in love with Sydney again I decided to make a list of things that I love about living in Sydney.

  1. Sydney is one of the most multicultural cities I have seen so wherever you are from, you don’t feel like an outsider. You will see people from all over the world living in harmony here
  2. As it is multi-cuisine as well, you can get any food in the world easily and it is not that expensive either. You name food like Chinese, Mexican, South African, Cuban, Spanish or Italian and there are restaurants that will serve you your type of food.
  3. If you are into music then you can find hippies, trans, punks, rockers, jazz , hip hop in the nightclubs so life is not boring.
  4. Everyone is so nice and friendly (seriously if you have a smile on your face and walk around the city I bet more than 80% of the people will smile back at you. You know what they say about laid back Aussies.)
  5. We have so many nice beaches here, like 100’s, from famous Bondi to Manly, you can pick one beach every weekend in summer and you will still have many beaches left to go for the next year.
  6. There are so many nice places around Sydney for a day trip that your life can never be boring. Just jump in the car and drive away. Whichever direction you go, you will reach a nice destination.
  7. Every time I go to any other country and even interstate, I remember why I love Sydney’s weather. I know it has been crazy lately but the weather is mostly beautiful. The beautiful sunshine right now is my witness 🙂
  8. I don’t have to worry about what I wear as no one stares at you. (I have that problem every time I go to Nepal.)
  9. You can wear thongs (flip-flops) everywhere in summer and it won’t be consider inappropriate. Ohoo my mum was not happy when I tried to wear tongs outside my house in Nepal. It is considered ghar ko jutaa(slippers for wearing in the house) there.
  10. We protest with peace rallies about anything. It makes the point and no one is adversely affected. I really feel Nepali politicians need to learn this. This Nepal Bandh (Close Nepal) in Nepal is getting ridiculous. I can say it “Today is Nepal Bandh” because my favourite restaurant down the road closed down. (WTH)
  11. Coming from Nepal, free health care is one of the perks of living here. I know people complain a lot about things that can better the health care system but if you have lived in a developing country like Nepal, you will appreciate the things you already have with the health care.
  12. You can catch public transports everywhere. Choose from bus, train, ferry or monorail and you can reach your destination easily. I missed this when I was in US (except for New York). It is like you have to drive everywhere.
  13. Imagine you run out of milk while trying to make tea. What do you do? I just take 3 dollars from my wallet and go down stairs to buy milk. Ya I love it that corner shops are everywhere in Sydney and most of them are open 24/7 so that you don’t have to worry too much about basic necessities. It might be a bit more expensive but it is worth the price in emergencies. I realised it is a perk only after I visited US where you mostly have to drive just to do your groceries.
  14. You know how guys sit outside a corner store in a group and tease every woman who pass by the shop in Nepal, I am so glad it does not happen here. I used to fight with so many of them. They are always a rude crowd. Unfortunately, when I go back to Nepal, I still see such groups.
  15. Being single, young or female is not looked down upon.  I am glad about it otherwise it would have been hell for me to survive here. I was so young and naive but I was able to get a job and a place to live without any problems.
  16. Relationships are open so you can be single, partners living together without being married, a gay couple or just mates sharing a place. No one will judge you. People just accept you as you are.
  17. I still feel safe even after dark in Sydney. Even at midnight I can catch a train home not being worried about my safety. In Nepal, my phone starts ringing as soon as the sun goes down to make sure that I am on my way home. I don’t blame my parents for their concern as it is really not safe after dark.
  18. Religion is not a problem so even if you are Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Jew you are welcome in everyone’s home and can go to their kitchen and none will raise an eyebrow. I have seen in Nepal, they won’t let you into their house or kitchen if you are from a different cast and if you are from a different religion, they will treat you like an outsider.
  19. One of the best things about living here is you don’t feel that you need to show off how much money you have. I am sure lots of people around me are millionaires but I really neither care nor know as it is not important how much you earn or how big your house is. Everyone seems equal when you are together and having fun.
  20. I feel independent and capable while in Sydney. I don’t feel like I am a helpless female which Nepal used to make me feel.

P.S. Don’t get me wrong , I love my background, culture and Nepal but there are so many things I love about Australia particularly Sydney as well that I thought I would share them with you.

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Summer of cricket

Posted on January 7, 2012 | 6 comments

As you may already know, summer in Australia is all about Beach, BBQ and cricket. Everyone here seems to follow the game. There is always a Boxing Day test cricket which starts the cricket season for everyone. 

Wikipedia defines Cricket as a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the runs scored by the batting team. A run is scored by the striking batsman hitting the ball with his bat, running to the opposite end of the pitch and touching the crease there without being dismissed. The teams switch between batting and fielding at the end of an innings. 

I think for anyone who is not into sports it might be a very boring sport which looks like men chasing a ball or trying to hit a ball. But once you know the rules and start following the rules, many people enjoy it. 

I started watching cricket in early 90’s and got hooked to it during World Cup 1996. In our house, all four of us, me, my dad, mum and brother were so into it that we scheduled our life around the games during that period. We used to eat early to make sure we got to watch the game. There were some days when we used to get up early while some nights we used to sleep late. As it was winter, it made it even harder to go to school following day. At school everyone discussed about the score and how the teams were doing. Different people supported different teams so we even argued on how the umpire was unfair and so on and so forth.

The World Cup 96 was really great. I was supporting the Sri Lankan team and it didn’t look good for them in the beginning.  I was really happy when they beat India in the Semi finals to reach the Final. They played Australia for the trophy and it was such a nerve racking game. Jayasuriya and De Silva played really well to win the game but Warne was proving to be a really good bowler.Sri Lanka won the game by 7 wickets and there were big celebrations for them.

From then I was even more hooked on the games. When I came to Australia it was good to know that there were many people who followed cricket here. The game is always in the news and there is lots of passion and support for the Australian team. A few years ago, the Aussie team was playing so well that they were winning almost every game they played. They had a great form at that time.

Right now there is a Test match going on. I am not a big fan of 5 day games as opposed to 1 day game but the game is really getting interesting. The day before Ricky Ponting made his first hundred after almost 2 years. It was really cool to see the last run he took for the century (he had to dive for it).

Also history was made by Michael Clarke making 329 not out. 

At my work there is a big TV in the lunch room where everyone runs to during their break to get the scores. Also there are lots of bets going around the office on how many runs Ponting will score, what will the final score for the Aussie team and the Indian team and many

I feel good to see people in support of sport and enjoying the games. One of these days, I plan to go and watch the game live instead of on TV.

Happy Summer if you are on my side of the world 🙂 . Enjoy cricket, the beach and the BBQ.

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Posted in Australia, Sports

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