Rotorua

We spent the firstleg of our trip in Rotorua where we got to experience the wonder of its geothermal activity (fart smell) and of course, the Redwoods Mountain Bike Park in Whakarewarewa Forest. It was soooo awesome. Think Stromlo but with trees and better! My favourite trails off the top of my head were: A-Trail, Be Rude Not To and definitely the Exit Trail. Bikes were hired and time was limited so we didn’t get to ride as many as we would have liked. Getting lost through Genesis and being unfit didn’t help but it was an excellent experience and I’d definitely love to go back one day if I happen to be down in NZ.

With his hired GT Force on our way into the park

Trying to navigate with our $5 waterproof map. It was hard at first but got easier as we got a feel for the place.

Me riding through the Tickler on my hired Norco. Saying I missed my Trance would be an understatement. Lagging behind means the person in front can stop to take pictures of you

On a more low key day, we visited the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. While there was an initial assault on our senses, the sights were worth it after some adjustment.

I forget what this was called. Maybe the “Champagne Pool”? All the minerals and what not made for awesome coloured water while the sulphur steaming out of it made for a very cool effect. Yes, my descriptive skills are at their all time high tonight!

This was the “Devil’s Home”. Radioactive-green coloured water in a crater. I think “Three-eyed Fish’s Home” would have been a better name!

Lady Knox Geyser. “When 9°C water meets 150°C waters”. Powwww! Mother Nature shooting her load.

And it wasn’t only in a nature park that you saw this kind of activity. This is a shot of a body of water that we had to ride over to get to the Redwoods. Don’t be alarmed if you see steam rising out of lakes or random holes in the ground – it’s quite normal around Rotorua.

And this concludes my post on Rotorua. I might surprise you all with other installments on the other parts of our NZ trip.

One thing that caught me by surprise was how big they actually are. I wasn’t expecting such a ‘huge’ show and the overabundance of teeny boppers but then what could I really expect? Everything is mainstream these days and suppose it all makes sense considering how catchy their music is. One thing that really pissed Rob and I off though, was hearing one teenage twat whine that she “only like[d] shit [she] c[ould] dance to” Well, Sweetheart, maybe you should stick to buying CD singles instead of coming to the whole fucking concert. Or maybe I should suggest, rather, that she stick to downloading singles off iTunes. Bitch, have some respect! Geez.

We tried the mosh during the opening act (Miami Horror) but I think my stature (or lack thereof) and misanthropy got in the way of my enjoyment of it. I got pretty narky, having people constantly push in front of me and I wasn’t sure if it was because they thought I was some sort of easy target or if they were just cunty McCunts in general. It was all good once we headed to the stands for Phoenix though (thank you Paul’s neck for playing up and presenting me with the opportunity to extract myself from the shovefest that was the mosh!), but I will always be torn by the trade off between proximity (and the chance to bust out) and actually being able to SEE the performance. What does a girl of 153cm and 45kg do in these situations?

All in all, I had an excellent time and any voice I had left from being sick was definitely gone by the end of the night. But of course, it was worth it! I don’t have any photos but here’s a video from YouTube that someone took that night.

We battled it out with the heat to attend our first music festival together. While it wasn’t mine, it was a first for all the boys and for Nghi (but she isn’t really a stranger to these events). Glad we made it this time after our failed attempt last year. Muse was awesome and so was Calvin Harris (for the 10 mintues of his set that we actually endured the boiler Room for. It was just way too stuffy in there). I was surprised at how many fans Dizzee Rascal actually has. Wow, he packed out that stadium like a mother fucker. Here’s some proof that we went Grape Tropical Sno snow cones saved my life!

It was so hottttt. We spent alot of time trying to stay cool in the shade during the day.

Nghi and TN. You know, chillin’.

Paul Tang a.k.a Dumpster Boy!

Why, hello there! Nghi and I could spot the boys assuming their positions in the mosh while we chilled out in the grand stand.

Chilling out in said grand stand. More like sweating it out, actaully. SO. FOCKING. HOT.

The crowd getting ready to see Dizeee Rascal perform. Wow, it sure filled up!

Here we are waiting for Muse to come on. Powderfinger’s set seemed to last aaaaaaggges. LOL @ seedy Will & TN.

Yes, we were sitting amongst all that rubbish. And again, LOL @ bad ass Will.

Our first sweaty, dirty festival together. I was shiny with a slick of sweat all day. Groossssss. You don’t know how satisfying it was to shower that night. OHHHHH LAWWWD! CLEANLINESS!

Christmas came around and it went away and we suddenly found ourselves in January which meant it was time for our annual camping trip! These little escapades started with our trip to The Entrance last year and it seems to be turning into a tradition of sorts. It was nice to kick back and relax but only after putting in the hard yards of setting up. We had to relocate because it wasn’t long before some locals approached us to tell us we were in the middle of a flooding cause way. Oops. Good thing we moved though, because our first site was plagued by mozzies and it ended up raining on our last day! That would have been interesting. Anyway, here are the first round of photos.

Rob with the Tang Mobiles all packed with our gear. Thank you Mr & Mrs Tang! Please don’t hesitate to go on holidays again, hehe.

Setting up at our first site

Ahh, Westcoast. What camping trip would be complete without a white wine cooler with fruit flavours?

I have a hideous case of out-of-control baby hair at the moment. Had to cover it up with Thien’s hat.

This is what happens after enough bottles of Westcoast, haha.

… and eventually this!

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHEHEHHEHEHEHE.  Snail trail, anyone?

Springing into action to seize the opportunity~!

It seems no nail polish can save these Cambodian feet…

Milky

Zombie Milky

Falling Over Milky

Dizzy Ecstasy Milky

And let’s not forget;

Miss Milky!

… Whose Japanese cousin we spent a buttload of money on trying to get rescue from the Skill Tester upstairs Capitol Square!

I knew I had to have her when I saw her in the machine!  I instantly thought of the Coffee and TV clip. We were about to give up before giving it one last shot but it paid off because we managed to snag two prizes at once – this little girl Milk plush and a similar Tofu shaped one. A fruitful night it was – we also succeeded in winning Thien’s Sony Cat and three other small toys including a funky smelling graduation Mashi Maro. Thanks William! I can’t really say I’m into plush toys, I think it’s more about the adrenaline rush of successfully extracting them with the claw and safely transiting them to the chute. There is so much suspense, will it make it all the way?!! I guess this is our funner and cheaper version of a night out to Star City Casino!

I spent a lovely low key night in catching up with Robyn ad Nghi at the Tang mansion (thanks for letting us take over your crib, Negro! It was kind of funny squatting in your home while you went out and got so trashed you couldn’t even make it back to your own house ). We had originally booked an apartment down in Kiama but Rob had a few complications with getting home after spending a year in France, so that was canceled because there was some uncertainty about whether she would make it back in time. It all worked out in the end, though and lots of girl time was had. I painted Rob’s nails (OPI – Shootout at the OK Coral, for those wondering) while her hand slipped off the table as she drifted out of consciousness (jet lag’s a bitch! Especially when painting nails ). But that’s OK, I conked out soon after and neither of us woke up until 2010 when David called to wish us a happy new year, haha It was nice and relaxing to have a few Westcoasts and sit around hanging out with my two best friends. Welcome home, Robynnnn! We’re glad to have you back in Oz and relieved that you’re not stuck in Hong Kong a la Tom Hanks in The Terminal (fantastic movie, by the way).

I’m finally home after spending New Year’s Eve and Day at Paul’s and really enjoyed listening to Phoenix on Live at the Wireless while driving home. I can’t wait to see them play in March! On a less awesome note though, I have come home to a house with no lights. It feels kind of weird, blogging at my computer by lamp light (I’m thanking the universe, that my computer even works!). Would be cool if I had a few pals, over, though. It’s kind of slumber party-ish!

Anyway, here are two photos. Weak, I know, I didn’t even get pics of the pasta Rob cooked up!

Paul in his awesome Monkey Magic costume before heading out and leaving us to chill out at his crib. I can’t believe I got specific instructions to leave the Evo alone in the garage

Nghi’s awesome cupcakes! I’m not usually a fan of cupcakes but these have definitely converted me! Buttercream and peanut butter icing on top with an awesome Snickers surprise in the middle *drool*

The Family Tree. Loaaads of presents!

A full and satisfied David after eating copious amounts of food.

My present from Nghi! I’ll do another post on what I got this Christmas!

The Hostess with the mostest and I.

David with one of Nghi’s red velvet cup cakes.

Fruit cocktail, mMmMm!

Rocky. Cute, isn’t he? But looks are deceiving, he is one aggressive little bugger!

The fobby honey dew melon cake David and I brought over. MerryX’ Mas everyone! Sheesh, you’d think they would’ve put “X’Mas” together on a new line. But nevermind, it still tasted divine!

Red velvet cup cake – take away!

It was about time for lunch (a late one, anyway) when we were done with Fashion Weekend, so Nghi and I met up with the boys to have us some Ribs n’ Rumps (GAH! Sunday surcharge, we forgot about this! I am never dining out on a Sunday again! $5 could have paid for a scoop of Bubblegum ice cream at Cold Rock!). No pictures, here, but I do have some of dessert and one of the Glebe Street Fair that was on that day. I totally forgot about it which was a real shame because they were packing up about ten minutes after we had arrived We bumped into a few blasts from the past which was really nice. It’s amazing how people change in appearance over the years! Yes, I am talking about you, Bird Boy! :> (also, hurro Joli and Grasso!)

Anyway, on with ze pics!

Glebe Point Road. The stalls stretched allllll the way up the street. You can’t really see it in this size picture so click here for an enlargement! We saw the road closure on the way to get ice cream. NOOOOO! I can’t believe I forgot about it, boo!

Pancakes and Durian ice cream @ Passionflower. Yes, those are peanuts on the ice cream that Nghi so tastefully placed there. Boobies!!

Black Pearl: Black sesame ice cream, glutinous rice balls rolled in black sesame, topped with roasted peanuts. NOM.

Crepes with Lychee and Green Tea ice cream.

It’s so bloody hot here at the moment. These pics make me hang for ice cream, but funnily enough, it’s the Bubblegum ice cream from Cold Rock that I want. Mmmm, artificial colouring!

As promised, here is some coverage on the Fashion Weekend that Nghi and I attended on Sunday. It was nice to have something to look forward to, especially after my exam on Friday. We weren’t quite sure what to expect but we caught on pretty quickly. The hall was lined with stalls offering discounted clothes and accessories which would have been great if were in the mood to shop and spend some money but we were just happy to browse. Some stalls (like the Mink Pink one) got a bit crazy – jam packed with women attacking clothes racks from both sides. I’m a very lazy girl and while I love a good bargain, I’m just not prepared to trawl through copious amounts of stuff and to fight off  other fashion-crazed ladies to find them.

But don’t worry, it wasn’t all bad. There were cat walk shows, a wine bar, a ghd style bar and an Essie nail bar where you could get an express mani and bottle of polish for $20. I didn’t leave completely empty-handed because I made sure to swing by the Glitter Gal stall to take them up on that wonderful offer of a free holo polish upon mentioning Nixxy’s Nails. The ladies were all very lovely! I certainly went away with more than I expected (and was saying this to Nghi on our way out) when Kerry offered to have one of the girls paint my toes. I certainly felt pampered! Not only that, but I left with a set of newly shaped ‘brows for $20. Glitter Gal were introducing the technique of eyebrow threading that I have to admit, had never heard of before. (What? You haven’t either? Don’t worry, I’ve included a video on it in this post for you ). I’m not your typical girly-girl and don’t usually take an interest in make-up or beauty treatments (as strange as this sounds because I am so enthusiastic about nail polish!) but I threw caution to the wind and thought “why the hell not?”. It certainly was interesting and I wish I had been a better demonstration of it because my eyes watered as the hairs on my brow were jerked out. I’m such a pansy and probably scared some people away! In any case, it was lovely to meet one of the people behind the nail polish that so many of us adore so much. Kerry was a wonderful lady who was happy to tell me all about her products.

On with ze pictures!

Glitter Gal cosmetics. Oops! I think I caused a bit of a stir when I took this picture But all was well after I promptly went up there to introduce myself and explain that I was just documenting my time at Fashion Weekend for my blog. Kerry explained how competitive the beauty industry can be and told me about a time a rival company sent one of their people over to check out her ideas and products.

Glitter Gal’s range of polishes that you can find at Perfume Connection or online

They also design and manufacture a whole range of Australian make up products including lipgloss, eye shadows and mascara

I’m not the best model for it, but here is Glitter Gal’s red holographic polish on my toe.

Mmm, so much shimmahh!

The free bottle of blue holographic polish that I scored!

Newly shaped eyebrows. Excuse the pimples, I’m in the middle of a terrible break out at the moment. Ick.

And finally, a short Youtube video on eyebrow threading

We tried to get into the Night Noodle Markets which are currently being held as a part of the Sydney International Food Festival but were greeted with a massive queue at the entrance. This was unfortunate because we were hungry and just did not want to wait. We made out way over to have chilli hot pot instead.

As for the photos, I had my compact camera on me this night and I’m still not very good at taking pictures with it.  Bear with me, I’m just not used to not being able to manually adjust my settings!

The ordering form

The soup. Chicken on the left and red hot chilli on the right

The food we would then cook in the soup

\

The fun begins! Yes, I’m concentrating hard. Paul is excited to have the beef strips that look like bacon in his hands. These beef slices were then referred to as  “the bacon” for the rest of the evening.

Check out David’s blue swimmer crab! This was had for $10 and was reported to be very sweet. It was also conveniently chopped up into quarters. I didn’t have any because I was too lazy to get my hands dirty.

Some more hot pot action and noodles in the background! We had the “L.K rice noodles” on the left and “handmade noodles” on the right

Paul looking somewhat bewildered. I think the fumes from the chilli soup were getting to him