No matter where Chiz and I live in the world, the one person who I know will always come and visit (besides our family) is Jay Barrus! He is an amazing traveler who is incredibly clever at finding ways to get free trips and discounts! More power to you Jay! He came here for a week before we all headed to New Zealand. Jay really liked Melbourne, and we had lots fun while he was here! Here are some picts:
For Chiz’ birthday we had a really fun day. Our friend Jay was in town and he joined us for High Tea at Hopetoun Tea Rooms. It was really great, but we had to book very far in advance since it is quite a popular spot. We also went to see a court case at the Victoria Supreme Court, which was a really interesting experience. Yes, they all wear wigs and speak with funny accents. We did a bit of shopping at an interesting second hand shop. We then finished the evening at one of our favorite Italian restaurants on Lygon street, Tiamo 1 & 2. It was such a special day but also a strange weather day. It was a bit chilly in the morning, but it turned out to be a nice hot afternoon. Then it turned into a stormy evening. It was indeed a birthday in Melbourne!
As I’ve wandered around Melbourne, I’ve taken some picts of various graffiti. There are some pretty cool pieces around the city:
Chiz and I headed to Chinatown to join the Chinese New Year celebrations. We were surprised that the event was so big! There were many different dragons dancing in the streets, lots of fireworks, and even stalls set up selling stuff! It was really fun, but also really hot!
Chiz and I were invited to an amazing international party to celebrate Australia Day. So what is Australia Day? Well, it commemorates the arrival of the first fleet from England in 1788. It is somewhat controversial in aboriginal communities, who have a different name for it: “invasion day.” To me it has some similarities to Thanksgiving in America. Also, like Thanksgiving, people come together to eat, drink, and hang out with family and friends.
Our friends Rob and Barb throw an international party to celebrate Australia Day. They have lots of friends in Australia who are from all over the world. They invite them to their house and everyone brings a different dish from their home country to share. This is the twelfth year the event has been going on, and we were excited to be a part of it!
Chiz wore a yukata (which looks like a kimono) and I wore a jimbei. We brought something from Japan (temari zushi) and something from America (brownies). We met some really amazing people and ate some really delicious food! I miss celebrating Thanksgiving since we are not living in America, so it was really nice to be a part of Australia Day.
Thanks so much for a great day Rob and Barb!
imagine going to the store to buy your favorite ice cream. when you get there though, you learn that the price has doubled due to a fat tax levied by the government – and to make it even worse – the package doesn’t show the chocolatey goodness, but instead shows pictures of the fat that will build up in your body! sounds crazy, right? well that’s what’s happening with cigarettes.
starting in september 2012, the fda in america will be requiring cigarette packaging to have the top half covered in graphic anti-smoking images (usa today article – although it might not happen now due to a court ruling). these types of packages already exist in australia, and i have attached a few picts of packages i’ve seen around. they are disgusting images, but does it stop people from smoking… i doesn’t seem like it!
now look… i’m not a smoker, i never was, and i hate them. i think smoking is disgusting and hate it when people smoke around me and i’m forced to inhale second hand smoke. i love laws making it illegal for people to smoke in restaurants and bars… but forcing cigarette companies to put these images on their packages seems a bit much to me. is there any other category of product that is required to use half their product packaging to show images like this? let’s be honest, people who will smoke are going to smoke… and over time, people will just become desensitized to the images anyway. does the surgeon general’s warning even mean anything now? no…
in addition to australia, these graphic images already appear on cigarette packaging in many other countries. has smoking ceased in these countries? obviously not!
chiz and i had the amazing opportunity to go to the australian open! i love watching tennis and neither of us had ever been to a live match before, so being in melbourne during the australian open offered us a great opportunity. we purchased ground passes, which allowed us to watch matches at almost any of the outdoor courts. we got there early and was able to watched a few really great matches. the caliber of talent is amazing! also, the courts were relatively small and intimate. it was a really amazing time and i hope we might have the opportunity to attend again next year! here are some picts from our day:
in japan, i would often see strange signs and product names. i figured it was because our cultures were so different… but oddly enough, since i have been here in australia, i have found some strange signs and products here too. i posted some picts of some funny signs i found, after we first moved here… well here is round two:
australia has beautiful skies. i often look up and see fluffy white clouds looking more like they are in a painting than above my head. there are also beautiful rainbows. i’ve never seen rainbows like the ones i’ve seen here. they look ripped from a children’s story book about leprechauns! they actually stretch across the whole sky and you can even make out all the different colors which make it up! often there are even two… below are some picts of some of these rainbows chiz and i have seen. the first picture is chiz’ amazing shot she took, which really captures an essence of melbourne. enjoy:
