Tag Archives: Holidays

Celebrating AS‘s birthday in the middle of the Pacific Ocean

Posted on January 7, 2014 | 12 comments

On 28 of December, it was AS’s birthday and we had a sea day on the cruise. Since AS has been in Australia, he has been lucky enough to celebrate his birthday in different places every year. Three years ago, we were in Brisbane, two years ago, we were in Vanuatu, last year it was Nepal and this year it was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Before we even started our holiday, AS warned me not to embarrass him in from of lots of people in the ship by letting them know that it’s his birthday. I love to do all those stuffs but he is a very private person so I respect his decision. I promised him I was not going to do that and I would not buy him a cake either.

On the morning of his birthday, I work up, put the card I had for him in front of him and went to shower. When I came back, he was awake but he didn’t see the card. I wished him Happy Birthday and we went to shower. I moved the birthday card from the bed to the dressing table hoping he would see it when he comes out of shower and gets ready.

To my dismay, he didn’t see the card for another 10 minutes so I ran out of patience and gave him the card :). When I asked him why he did not see the he said he did not have his glasses on!

He read the card and hug me and thanked me for making him feel special. He was happy with the card and a watch, the one I bought before we left10884014-horz

As the cruise always served a lovely breakfast, we went for breakfast. When we opened the room door, we got a card for AS from the cruise.The breakfast was as usual awesome with too many options to choose from.

We just went to stroll around the cruise after the breakfast and I let him do the things he wanted to. I really wanted him to enjoy his day. As if everyone knew that it was AS’s birthday, the lunch that day was Chocolate Extravaganza.  Imagine AS’s happiness when we went to the dining room :).

Chocolate Extravaganza (4)

It is a chocolate buffet with items you can’t even imagine. I am sure AS was able to get “chocolate high” by just looking at those items. Just have a look on what they served. Lots of different chocolate items like chocolate wontons, chocolate cake, banana fritters, fudge , puddings , chocolate-dipped churros, home-made marshmallows, doughnuts , jelly candies, and fresh fruit that can be dipped into chocolate fountain and much much more.

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We had a lovely lunch and we went to watch a magic show. The magician was just OK but we had fun. When we came back to the room, we found a plate of cakes and chocolate covered strawberries left in the room. It was just perfect.

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It was “Elegant Night” that evening on the ship so it was a perfect opportunity for both of us to dress up for dinner.

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I wore my black floor length gown and he wore his purple shirt, purple tie and black pant with purple stripe. By then both of us were tanned and I have to admit, he was looking great and I feel blessed to have him in my life.

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As everyone was wearing their best evening dress, when we walked out from our room to the main hall, the hall looked amazing and it reminded me of the moment from Titanic when Rose (Kate Winslet) comes to the ballroom and  Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) sees her. Anyway, we had a great time walking around and taking photos and mingling with other guests and it was time to go for dinner.

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AS asked me again if he will get any surprise and I promised him that I hadn’t organised anything. So as usual we met other couples from our table. They wished AS Happy Birthday and then we started our dinner. The dinner was awesome with a 3-course meal. We were spoiled with choices of food and by the time for dessert I didn’t even want to eat anymore.

As we were conversing on the table, one of our new friends told me that she had informed the waiter that it was AS’s birthday and as we saw nights before that, everyone in the restaurant room would sing the happy birthday song once the cake is out.

AS's Birthday (8)  AS's Birthday (6)

I was glad that AS was getting the cake for his birthday. So after our dessert came, our waiter brought a cake with a candle for AS. AS was literally blushing when the waiter announced to the whole restaurant that it is his birthday and we all need to sing the song. So more than 100+ people sang happy birthday and he made a wish and blew the candle. I am glad AS enjoyed his cake and it was a happy evening for us.

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After dinner, we went to the show and it was just amazing night for both of us. AS had a great day in the middle of Pacific Ocean for his birthday.

Once we were back, I had organised a party at our place for New Year but I sneaked in a cake with the help of my SIL. When the cake came out and we all were singing happy birthday, AS was confused as it was few days past his birthday.

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I was so glad and he had no clue we were having a cake for his birthday. He made me promise not to do anything on the ship but I had made no promises for our home so it was my opportunity to make sure he gets a proper cake for his birthday.

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The cake was chocolate mud cake, AS‘s favourite and we all loved it.

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I am just happy that AS got two cakes for his birthday and he had a wonderful time both the days. I hope to celebrate many many of our birthdays together and with full of love.

AS's Birthday

Take care everyone,

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

12 Comments

Posted in Carnival Spirit, Celebrations, Relationship

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Celebrating AS birthday in Nepal

Posted on January 21, 2013 | 8 comments

I always wanted to celebrate AS’s birthday in a special way but last few years we were never in Sydney to have a lavish birthday party for him. AS’s birthday falls at the end of December and we always have a holiday around that time and so we are away from Sydney. I always feel guilty that I celebrate my birthday with a bunch of friends invited while his last two birthdays were celebrated by just the two of us if we don’t count the random strangers in the restaurant.

But this year he had a very special birthday and I am really happy about it. First of all we were in Nepal during his birthday which made it extra special.

On 28 December, me and AS went to a restaurant called Transit and celebrated his birthday. It was a special dinner for both of us and we indulge in snacks and pizzas. They had a live band playing some nice classic English songs so we had a great time.

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As the owner of the restaurant was someone I knew, I arranged a surprised cake for him and he was really happy. It was just a piece of his favourite double chocolate cake.  Also he got complimentary drinks on the house. And that was just a start of his birthday celebrations.

Celebrating AS's Birthday

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As I have mentioned many times before, Nepali calendar is different than English calendar. In Nepal, birthdays are not celebrated by date but by teethi (according to position of moon and planets). So he had his teethi birthday again after a week of his birthday as per the English calendar. That day, we celebrated his birthday in the traditional manner.

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His mum prepared puja and sagun for the birthday. In the morning, he sat down and his mum performed the janmadin (birthday) puja. First gods including Lord Ganesh were worshipped. Then, tika was put on AS’s forehead as blessing. It was followed by sagun (egg, bara, chicken, fish) and gifts from his family. It had been more than a decade since AS got to celebrate his birthday according to Nepali tradition so it was a happy moment for all of us.

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That evening, we had ordered a cake. So with his brothers and parents we cut the cake. It was his favourite rich chocolate and we all loved it too 🙂

Then, we went to a restaurant, 8 degrees with his family to enjoy the rest of the evening. The place was not too busy so we enjoyed our time there. The food was flavoursome. It was a great day for AS as he was spoiled with gifts and wishes the whole day.

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Then the next day, we went out again to celebrate his birthday and this time with my family. We took my parents, my brother, SIL and little nephew for lunch to celebrate in a Newari restaurant called Falcha. The food was hot and spicy there but all of us were happy to enjoy each other’s company. My nephew enjoyed his outing as well. We had a good time and my parents and my brother also had a gift for him.

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Overall I am super happy since AS got to have a great birthday in Nepal. I also spoiled him with many gifts and I feel good that he enjoyed his time here in Nepal with our families.

I wish him all the best for rest of his life. Love you dear.

8 Comments

Posted in Family, Nepal, Nepal 2012 / 2013

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Commercialisation of festivals: How much is too much?

Posted on November 29, 2012 | 22 comments

Last year, I did a post called “When is the right time to put up the Christmas tree?” and I want to talk some more about it today because all the malls and shops in Australia have had their Christmas lights and Christmas trees up for more than a month now.

I really think it is a bit too early to start the Christmas decorations but the business minded people don’t care about these at all. They think of all these festivals as a money making opportunity. The impact of commercialization has marred the real meaning of religious and traditional customs. The shops and malls here never followed the values but instead everywhere there’s a lot of hype. During festivals, malls attract you with discounts and people go mad shopping.

As soon as Christmas is up, the shops will be filled with Easter eggs and hot cross buns in January, almost 3 months before Easter.

No matter what religion we follow, any festival has significance and value but when one commercializes festivals, that basic aim is forgotten and everyone involved is thinking, “What am I going to get on this festival?” In fact, in some instances; the festivals have been commercialized so much, that kids do not even know the significance of the festival and consider it just another holiday or just another chance to increase their material possessions.

In this way, festivals lose their real significance since their aim was first, to spread love and peace and second, to celebrate the festival keeping in mind the reason why the festival was being celebrated.

It is not only in Australia, the commercialisation of festival’s happening in Nepal as well. Previously, festivals like Dashain and Tihar were family occasions. Dashain was all about family get together and family feast and Tihar was celebrated by lighting small diyos and candles, having a small puja and burning a few crackers to rejoice the homecoming of Lord Ram from his exile on this day. Nobody cared about what you wore or what you got as a present, but instead all that mattered was having fun and appreciating the day for what it symbolized.

But today, Dashain and Tihar is all about the show of money with what one has bought for the occasion or how big the party was in one’s house, what you got as a gift etc. If parents have their kids overseas, how much money children have sent for the festivals?

Children don’t even know why they have the day off from school to celebrate that day.

Festivals are not meant to be opportunities for financial gain for brands and companies. They are meant to be occasions for religious observance and for people to understand and respect the meaning behind them. I really think, children should be taught about traditional festivals in kindergarten and we should keep the valuable elements of the traditional festivals and preserve them for future generations.

22 Comments

Posted in Social Issue

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Update on Mardi Gras 2012

Posted on March 6, 2012 | 6 comments

 The weather didn’t cooperate with this year’s Mardi Gras as it was rainy and windy the whole day but it didn’t stop around 300,000 spectators from coming out in the aweful weather to watch the parade of 120 floats and almost 9000 participants. Here are some of the photos from the day.

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Posted in Australia

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Sydney Mardi Gras

Posted on March 2, 2012 | 5 comments

Tomorrow, 3rd of March, is  Sydney Mardi Gras which is a yearly parade for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender, and intersex communities in Sydney, Australia. Every year there are lots of people who visit Sydney for this event and it is one of the biggest of its kind.

Normally this parade consists of tens of thousands of participants with lots of floats and loud music. Then there are thousands more who fill the streets of Sydney to get a glimpse of this magnificent event. It is also telecast on TV so there are thousands more who enjoy viewing the parade from their homes as well. 

This year for the first time, the parade will be broadcast to an international audience online.

 

In the 1970s, Sydney Mardi Gras started as a celebration following a morning protest march and commemoration of the Stonewall Riots where 500 people gathered on Oxford Street, calling for an end to discrimination against homosexuals in employment and housing . 

These days it has changed into a fun-filled parade with colorfully dressed men and women having a great time. There will be many floats with people dressing up as brides and grooms, cheerleaders, nuns, vampires etc. 

For the last few years each parade has a Chief of Parade like Rupert Everett (2007), Margaret Cho (2008), Matthew Mitcham (2009), Amanda Lepore (2010) and Lily Tomlin(2011), Peter Tatchell (2011) and I am so excited about this year’s Chief of Parade. She is no other than the famous Kyile Minogue, Australia’s pop queen. I am so excited to see her float after watching her spectacular show. I am sure it is going to be amazing and breath-taking. 

According to the news, Minogue’s song arrangements are completely tailor-made for the show, backed by 16 dancers, to be held in the Royal Hall of Industries at an unspecified time during the night. 

Diverse music styles and more performance art mark this year’s party, with ’90s sounds fashionably strong. Long, leggy drag singer RuPaul is confirmed to be there as well. 

I am looking forward to going and watching the parade this year. It will be AS’s first one too so I hope he will enjoy watching the fun and fabulous parade with some weird stuff mixed in. I will update all of you on this year’s parade soon. 

Enjoy some photos from last years Mardi Gras. 

5 Comments

Posted in Australia

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