Category Archives: General

I’m Addicted to Game of Thrones

“Winter is coming.” Yes, that line is all I want to hear now and I am hooked to my TV and I know I’m not alone.

I know I am late catching the boat as most of you already watched the whole first two series before 2013 but for me, this was a new discovery.

When my husband suggested watching this series last year as he had read the books, I brushed him off saying I won’t like it. I am not the fan of movies like Lord of The Rings (too long for my liking) and Harry Potter.

But last month we were running out of TV series to watch so when he suggested Games of Thrones again, I decided to give it a go. And that got us hooked until we finished seasons 1 and 2 in a month watching many episodes back to back and wanting more every time and catching up to the third season.

OMG, they are doing a great job finishing each episode on a cliff hanger.

AS has read all the books, he knew what is going to happen next while I have no clue but both of us are addictive to this so that we keep waiting for the next episode. I am not sure what we are gonna do when season 3 will finish and we have to wait at least 6 months (or is it a year) for series 4 to start.

I love the whole setting of this series and all the killing and deception and love and above all, all the characters who I think portray the characters they are playing perfectly. The locations are so nice it made me believe that we are in the medieval period. I definitely want to go to Morocco and Iceland now and find these locations.

**SPOILER ALERT**

Please don’t read further if you haven’t watched the series and plan to watch it.

The series, set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos at the end of a decade-long summer, interweaves several plot lines. The first follows the members of several noble houses in a civil war for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms; the second covers the rising threat of the impending winter and the mythical creatures of the North; the third chronicles the attempts of the exiled last scion of the realm’s deposed dynasty to reclaim the throne. Through its morally ambiguous characters, the series explores issues of social hierarchy, religion, civil war, sexuality, crime, and punishment.

The only complain I have in the series is so far is the death of Ned Stark. I can’t believe that the character so strong and so important was killed because of an order from a stupid king. Actor Sean Bean has been the face of Game of Thrones since its inception. Not only was the scene both poignant and heartbreaking to watch, but I didn’t think there was any chance we’d see the show’s central character make his exit in the show’s first season. I was shocked when I watched that episode and I was so disappointed that I felt like not watching any more but then I went for more.

I have to admit the author keeps the story going by having other minor characters step up and assume the protagonist role while also introducing some other great characters. I really wish I didn’t have to wait so long for each episode to come out.

Right now my favourite character is Tyrion Lannister. Despite his size, Tyrion is so sharp that he slices through every situation with the exact words and phrases he needs to survive. I really hope he won’t die soon. I was almost sure he was killed in the battle of Blackwater but was glad to see him alive in next episode.

George R.R. Martin., the author of the ‘Song of Ice and Fire’ Series — the basis for HBO’s Game of Thrones is currently writing for seasons 4 and 5. Hope he will write faster so we all can satisfy our hunger for this series.

I am thinking to read the books as I think it will be more interesting to imagine while reading the book.

If you are still pondering the idea if you want to watch the series I suggest you to watch episode 1 from season 1. If you are like me, I guarantee you that you will be hooked.

Are you watching Games of Throne? Who is your favourite character?

Take care till my next post.

XOXO

M from nepaliaustralian

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My first day without car

As I wrote in my post yesterday, I had a car accident and I know it is not a big deal but my day is turning out to be so much more interesting.

One of the problems of not having a car for me is going to work. My work is not very far from my place but catching a public transport takes twice as much time so I was looking for alternative transport to go to work.

I have to admit it is laziness on my part due to which I don’t want to think about public transportation as the first option. Anyway when I was talking to one of my colleagues at work I found out that she lived near my place. She offered to pick me up for next few days. As she was new, I didn’t want to bother her but she was happy to offer me a ride. It was a kind of relief for me as well as I don’t have to wake up too early to catch a train and a bus to get to work and she seemed happy to help me.

So this morning as we had planned I reached the pickup point and waited for her. I thought I will let her know that I am here so decided to call her up. Imagine my horror when the number was unreachable. I tried a couple more times and I still could not reach her. I must have noted her number incorrectly. I waited for around 20 minutes and still there was no sign of her. I really didn’t know what to do that point so called work to see if anyone had her number.

As she is new, no one had her number. I really didn’t want her to waste her time looking for me but I couldn’t do anything at the same time so I decided to catch the public transport to work. I would feel horrible if she was looking for me so I left a message at work to let her know that I was catching a train if she called. For a Friday morning, my day was not looking good.

To top of all this, the insurance company called.

The lady: Hi, Can I speak to M, please.

Me: M speaking.

The lady: I am calling regarding the accident that happened yesterday.

Me: Yes.

The lady: So you are taking full responsibility of the accident.

I could not believe my ears but I should have expected something like that looking at how the day was going.

Me: I am sorry but I don’t take any responsibility as it is not my fault. I am on the train right now so I will call you when I get to work.

After that I hung up. I was really horrified but then I couldn’t do much at that time. I know the lady who called is just doing her job and it is the other driver’s fault.

Anyway, I came to work late. The colleague who was to pick me up, called and I realised I typed her number wrong. She forgot to take the piece of paper she wrote my number on at work so she couldn’t reach me either. She was very apologetic and felt sorry for the situation. I know it was not her fault and the situation sucked and there was nothing we could do.

Anyway I called the police. They gave me the incident number which I am to give to the insurance company.

I called insurance company as well. I told them what happened this morning and now our claim is under dispute which means both of the drivers will tell their side of the story. Then, they will investigate and will let us know the outcome. I know it will be a while before this will get settled. I also called the car repairer and he said it will take at least two weeks to get the car fixed. So I guess I need to start becoming realistic and catch a train to work to save me from more headaches.

I am sorry I am complaining about my first world problem here but I blog about my everyday life and here is another day in my life.

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*Incident, not ACCIDENT, Thank God! *Accident prone ME *I had a car accident:(

I had a car accident :(

First of all sorry if this post sounds a bit down but I am not in a very good mood right now. This morning, coming to work, my car was hit by another car from behind just 5 minutes away from home. I am thinking that writing about it will make me feel better so hence the post.

I was travelling on the left most lanes on a three lane road heading to work. The car before me slowed down to turn left so I slowed down too. But the car behind me didn’t slow down but instead decided to change lanes. Everything was good but he misjudged his timing and he hit my car on the right side of the boot with his front left of the car. All I heard was a loud bang and didn’t know what happened for a while.  You know the first few seconds where you are shaken up and you don’t know what happened.

After that initial shock, I gained my composure quickly and got out of the car to check what happened. As I have written a post before here “Incident, not ACCIDENT, Thank God!”, I thought it might be just a small incident like before. But to my dismay, my car was badly damage and not drivable. The first thing the guy from the other car said to me after he came out of the car was ,” You braked.”.

I hadn’t and we both know that but I was not in a situation to argue with him. We moved the car to a side street so we wouldn’t block the road. After I parked the car the first thing I did was call AS as he was nearby and I didn’t know what else to do. I was still shaken up for a while but the other driver seemed aright.

He said he would call the tow truck and we can call the insurance company. I also called one of my friends just to check what to do as I have never been in this situation before. He advised me to call the police so I did. I reported what happened and they said they will be there in a while.

In the meantime a tow truck company came and gave both of us, the drivers, to fill information about each other’s licence and car. I took photos of the damage of my car and his car and took photo of his car rego and licence. The tow truck driver dialled our insurance company and I talked to them. I had to explain to them what happened exactly and the guy on the line told me, it seemed like it was not my fault so I didn’t have to worry. The other driver had the same insurance company so the guy wanted to talk to the company as well. So I passed the phone to him.

In the meantime, AS was there and I was much relived. I really didn’t know what to do and I was still shaken. I was just glad he was there.

After we finished with the insurance company, the police were still not there so the other driver suggested we should go as he already agreed to what happened. I thought that is a good thing at least I am not at fault. The tow truck driver told me the same thing. If there is no dispute then it should not be a problem and we don’t need the police.

I told them I had already called the police and I need to call them again to let them know that they need not come. So I rang the police again and told the operator what happened. The women on the phone told me we had to wait for the police as it is an accident. I told all of them that and we waited.

After a while the cops came. There were two of them so they each took statements from us separately. When I was done with my statement, he said, “Looks like it is not your fault so we will send him the ticket and send you the incident number for your insurance.” I was happy that it will be solved easily but then in a minute he came back and told me I have to ask you a few more questions. He said the other driver told them that he was travelling in the middle lane and when I changed lanes, he hit me from behind so it is my fault. What and A**hole. Seriously I couldn’t believe he said that to the cops after all what he told me.

I didn’t know what to say but told the cops that he even asked me not to call the cops as he said he admitted that it was his fault and his insurance will fix my car.

Anyway the cops left and they told me they will contact me with the details on what will happen next.

I am really annoyed that I had an accident and it was not my fault. I am annoyed that the driver didn’t own up to his fault which means it might take it longer to get this resolved.

I am just glad that I waited for the cops to come. I least I have everything recorded now so even if things go wrong in future, the cops have the photos.

Lesson learned from this accident, never trust anyone. Call the cops no matter what the other person does and always be aware that they can change their story. It is best to take photos or video of the damage and position of the cars before moving them.

I had to call a friend from work to pick me up and I am not going to have a car for another 2 weeks. It will be really annoying and it will restrict our plans on the weekends. I am just not very happy and not in a good mood today.

I was reading yesterday in the news that Michael Douglas was telling in an interview that he got the cancer because he had all the good things in life and something bad was meant to happen. While reading that yesterday, I was thinking why can’t we have good times only and why bad things need to happen so often.

Now I understand his logic as well. I have to admit everything around me was going very well so something bad was bound to happen and it happened as a car accident. The best thing is that I am OK and not injured so I am pushing myself to think positive. I know that I am annoyed and irritated right now with the whole situation but doing my best to look at the glass as half full.

I am not even sure if this post has a proper flow but I had to write it and here it is.

Take care everyone.

M from nepaliaustralia

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North Coast holiday : Port Stephens

On second last day of our holiday, we drove to Nelson Bay from Coffs harbour. Unfortunately, the drive took a while as there was a traffic jam so reached Port Stephens only after 6pm.

Port Stephens lies within the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park and is situated about 160 kilometres (99 mi) north-east of Sydney. It’s known for its nature and abundance of aquatic marine life and land activities on its uncrowded sandy beaches, sheltered bays and unspoilt national parks.

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Our accommodation at the heart of port Stephens being Nelson Bay offers gourmet restaurants, boutique shopping as well as being the Dolphin Capital which is well known as one of the best places in the world to see dolphins “in the wild”.

As everything was nearby, we decided to go for a walk after dinner. We ended up eating in an Asian joint and then went for a walk around the bay. There were so many people even at that time of the evening and there were kids everywhere.

After dinner, we came back to the hotel and rested well for our adventure next day. The first thing we did next morning after breakfast was to go for a hike in Tomaree head National Park.

Tomaree Head in Shoal Bay Port Stephens is a small mountain headland that guards the south entrance to Port Stephens Nelson Bay.

At the start of the trail at the east end of Shoal Bay Road there is a picture of the trial. The place is great to walk and there were lots of people going there for their morning walk.

It was once again a beautiful day so we were ready to start our adventures. The trial was well maintained and it was curvy so the walking is not too steep. We kept walking for few minutes until we reached the picnic area.

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Much of the lower sections of the trail were stair-free ramps so it was easy. But instead of taking the well paved path, we decided to take a rough natural trail. We kept on walking until we reached to the end of the hill and there were nowhere to go. So we have to come back the same way for another 10 minutes until we found the trial that led upstairs. The top half or so of the walk is metal walkways and stair cases making the hike easier.

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By the time we reached the first look out all of us were tired but were rewarded with a great view of Zenith Beach, Wreck Beach and Box Beach.

port stephens (2)

We rested on the top for a while and everyone was busy on our mobile phone. I love this photo as it is what modern day socialising looks like 🙂

port stephens (4)

After a while we descended and went back to the car to our next stop, sand dunes. Only in Australia, have I seen a landscape which has 32 kilometre long beach and mobile sand dunes which climb up to 40 metres high next to it. Located only 10 minutes from the centre of Nelson Bay, it is the largest sand dune system in Australia.

port stephens (6)

Originally we planned to either do some camel ride or horse ride there but we changed our plan and went on our own to the sand dunes. We parked the car and started walking towards the sand.

port stephens (7)

After few minutes’ walk it felt like we were in a different part of the world surrounded by all that sand.

port stephens (8)

We couldn’t see anyone but the four of us but there were lots of footsteps of people on the sand. It was just amazing to be there and felt great.

port stephens (9)

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We took some really nice shots. after a while we all felt very hot so decided to return to the car. As the car was in the sun for a while as well, we had to open the windows for a while before we could get inside and drive.

port stephens (12)

Everyone was hungry by then so we decided to stop over for the lunch.

As we were far from Nelson Bay we decided to look for food in Anna Bay. Mostly there were just fish and chips places but luckily we went to Anna Bay Traven. It looked like a pub where there were lots of men drinking but inside they had a big backyard for people to sit down and eat. We ordered prawn and chilli pasta; prawn pizza and fried calamari and all of them were very tasty. All the ingredients felt so fresh that we were glad we stumbled on that place.

After lunch we went to the beach and swam for a while.

Here again the beaches were just beautiful with sallow ends so you can go quite far into the sea and still the water comes up only to your waist. And as the wave came; it was great to chase it.

After a while, it was time for us to return to Sydney.

Back in the car and we drove back to Sydney. We all had a great holiday and I am glad AS enjoyed the visit as well. The Port Stephens region, with its breathtaking natural beauty, was the perfect ending to our memorable holiday experience.

Take care everyone, till the next post

XOXO

M from nepaliaustralian

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Vote for Best Australian Blogs 2013: People’s choice

Dear readers,

First of all thanks a lot for following and reading my blog. I am really happy to share my life’s journey with all of you.

My blog nepaliaustralian has been nominated for the Best Australian Blog 2013 People’s Choice award which is judged by… YOU so please help me win by voting for this blog. It’s really easy and takes less than 5 minutes.

 It’s open until the 30th of April, but why not to do it right now?

Process to vote:

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